Contents
Biography & Historical Record
Li Feng (died 195 AD) was a military officer and civil administrator who served under the warlord Lu Bu during the turbulent late Eastern Han dynasty. In 194 AD, taking advantage of Cao Cao’s grand expeditionary campaign against Tao Qian in Xu Province, Chen Gong and Zhang Miao orchestrated a major uprising in Yan Province, inviting Lu Bu to assume control over the region. Li Feng, serving as an Attendant Officer / Assistant (Biejia) under Lu Bu’s administration, was appointed alongside General Xue Lan to lead a military force of 10,000 troops to garrison and defend Juye County (Juye Commandery), a critical strategic stronghold safeguarding Yan Province.
In 195 AD, Cao Cao returned with a powerful expeditionary force to launch a ruthless counter-offensive to reclaim Yan Province. While Lu Bu marched out with his main army to relieve another contingent, he left Li Feng and Xue Lan to hold Juye. Cao Cao launched an all-out assault against the city. Facing the overwhelming force of Cao Cao’s elite vanguard led by Xu Chu, Li Feng sallied out to engage the enemy. During the battle, Li Feng fought directly in single combat against Cao Cao’s formidable general Xu Chu. After fewer than two bouts of combat, Xu Chu struck down Li Feng with a decisive blade strike, slaying him on the battlefield. Following Li Feng’s death, Juye fell to Cao Cao’s forces, and Xue Lan was subsequently hunted down and slain by Li Dian while attempting to flee, marking a catastrophic blow to Lu Bu’s hold over Yan Province.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Feng’s character arc is dramatically featured in Chapter 12 during Cao Cao’s campaign to recapture Yan Province. Stationed at Juye alongside Xue Lan with ten thousand troops, Li Feng is confronted by Cao Cao’s army while Lu Bu is away relieving Rencheng. Overconfident in his combat skills, Li Feng rides out from the city defenses to challenge Cao Cao’s vanguard hero Xu Chu. In a swift duel lasting fewer than two passes, Xu Chu cleaves Li Feng off his horse, killing him instantly. Li Feng’s dramatic defeat prompts the immediate rout of his garrison, leading directly to Xue Lan’s death and the fall of Juye.
Li Feng (李封) — Literary Timeline
Garrisoning Juye Commandery
Appointed as Biejia under Lu Bu; assigned alongside Xue Lan to command 10,000 troops to defend the strategic stronghold of Juye in Yan Province.
Single Combat with Xu Chu and Death
Sallies out from Juye to engage Cao Cao’s army; slain in single combat by Xu Chu in under two bouts, causing the fall of Juye.
Key Relationships
Family
- No information
Friends
- Lu Bu (吕布, Lữ Bố): The warlord whom Li Feng served as an Attendant Officer (Biejia) and garrison commander in Yan Province.
- Xue Lan (薛兰, Tiết Lan): A fellow general who co-commanded the garrison at Juye alongside Li Feng in 194–195 AD.
- Chen Gong (陈宫, Trần Cung): A primary strategist for Lu Bu who helped orchestrate the uprising in Yan Province that Li Feng supported.
- Zhang Miao (张邈, Trương Mạc): A key ally of Lu Bu who invited him to take control of Yan Province, placing Li Feng in his administrative service.
Enemies
- Xu Chu (许褚, Hứa Chử): Cao Cao’s vanguard general who defeated and killed Li Feng in single combat during the 195 AD campaign to reclaim Juye.
- Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo): The warlord whose counter-offensive against Yan Province led to the destruction of Li Feng’s garrison and his eventual death.
- Li Dian (李典, Lý Điển): A general under Cao Cao who hunted down and killed Li Feng’s comrade, Xue Lan, following the fall of Juye.
Other
- No information
In Novel
Chapter 11
- Li Feng (李封, Lǐ Fēng): Li Feng serves Lü Bu and is appointed with Xue Lan to hold Puyang and defend the territory while Lü Bu moves against Cao Cao.
Chapter 12
- Li Feng (李封, Lǐ Fēng): Cao Cao attacks the territory held by Xue Lan and Li Feng before they can properly prepare. Li Feng attempts to resist with his halberd but is defeated by Xu Chu. His forces break and Cao Cao recovers the territory. Later in the broader Lü Bu campaigns, the novel also uses the name Li Feng for Yuan Shu’s officer, so the two appearances must be kept distinct by context and identity.
In History
Summary
- Li Feng (李封, Lý Phong) was an officer associated with the forces of Zhang Yang in the late Eastern Han.
Historical Record
- Li Feng is recorded in connection with the political and military struggles around Henei and Luoyang. His role is relatively minor in the surviving historical accounts.
- The novel and later databases may expand his activities, but the securely documented record is limited.