Contents
Biography & Historical Record
Jiang Ban was a military general who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period. He originally served as a subordinate general under Zhuge Dan, the General Who Guards the East for the state of Cao Wei stationed in Shouchun.
In 257 AD, when Zhuge Dan launched the Third Rebellion in Huainan against the usurping regent Sima Zhao, Jiang Ban served as one of his primary advisors and commanders alongside Jiao Yi. As the massive Wei army led by Sima Zhao surrounded Shouchun and isolated the city, supplies began to dwindle rapidly. In early 258 AD, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi recognized that the Eastern Wu reinforcement general Quan Yisheng and his troops had surrendered to Sima Zhao, severely demoralizing the garrison. Realizing that prolonged defense was futile and starvation was imminent, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi urgently advised Zhuge Dan to concentrate all remaining forces to breach a single side of the encirclement and escape. However, Zhuge Dan reacted with extreme fury, threatening to execute them both if they ever suggested surrender or retreat again.
Fearing for their lives and realizing Zhuge Dan’s doom was inevitable, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi deserted Shouchun that very night, leaping over the city walls and surrendering directly to Sima Zhao. Impressed by their decisive judgment, Sima Zhao granted both Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi military titles and officer posts within Cao Wei.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Jiang Ban appears in Chapter 112 as a senior officer under Zhuge Dan during the Third Rebellion at Huainan. Besieged inside Shouchun by Sima Zhao’s grand encirclement, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi observe that city provisions are exhausted while Wu reinforcements fail to break through. They present a strategic counsel to Zhuge Dan: ‘Food is gone and men are starving; Wu’s relief army has failed. It is better to lead our entire force in a desperate sally to break through one point.’ Zhuge Dan flies into a rage, declaring: ‘I would rather die than surrender! Suggesting retreat only destroys morale!’ Facing immediate execution, Jiang Ban and Jiao Yi slip over the city walls under cover of darkness and surrender to Sima Zhao, who rewards them and integrates them into his northern army.
Jiang Ban (蔣班) — Literary Timeline
257 AD
Uprising at Shouchun
Joins Zhuge Dan’s rebellion in Huainan against Sima Zhao; helps organize defenses inside the city of Shouchun alongside Eastern Wu reinforcement divisions.
258 AD
Strategic Counsel and Rejection
Advises Zhuge Dan to sally forth and break the siege as food supplies deplete; rebuked harshly by Zhuge Dan and threatened with execution.
258 AD
Defection to Sima Zhao
Escapes over the wall of Shouchun with Jiao Yi under cover of night; surrenders to Sima Zhao and is granted military rank in the imperial army.
Key Relationships
Family
- No information
Friends
- Jiao Yi (焦彝, Tiêu Di) — A fellow officer under Zhuge Dan who shared Jiang Ban’s assessment of the dire situation at Shouchun; they defected together to Sima Zhao in 258 AD.
Enemies
- Zhuge Dan (诸葛诞, Gia Cát Đản) — Jiang Ban’s former commander during the Third Huainan Rebellion; he threatened Jiang Ban with execution in 258 AD after Jiang Ban advised a desperate breakout from the siege of Shouchun.
Other
- Sima Zhao (司马昭, Tư Mã Chiêu) — The regent of Cao Wei who accepted Jiang Ban’s surrender in 258 AD and subsequently granted him a military title and officer position within the imperial army.
In Novel
Chapter 102
- Jiang Ban (蔣班, Tưởng Ban): Jiang Ban serves Wei during the later northern campaigns and is associated with the commanders advising against reckless pursuit of Zhuge Liang. His role is primarily as a military officer within the Wei command structure.
In History
Summary
- Jiang Ban (蔣班, Tưởng Ban) was a military officer associated with the forces of Wang Ling during the attempted rebellion against the Sima regime.
Year: 251 AD — Wang Ling’s Rebellion
- Jiang Ban served among Wang Ling’s advisers and officers during the crisis at Shouchun.
- When Wang Ling considered opposing Sima Yi, Jiang Ban participated in discussions concerning the feasibility of resistance.
- The rebellion collapsed before a major battle could be fought, and Wang Ling eventually surrendered.
Historical Record
- Jiang Ban was a historical figure associated with the Wang Ling rebellion. The surviving sources provide limited biographical information beyond this political and military episode.
Gallery
