Huyan Zan was a military general in the early years of imperial China's Song Dynasty. He participated in Song's conquest of Later Shu Kingdom in 964-965 and Northern Han Kingdom in 979. Later he helped defend Song's northern border against the Khitan-ruled Liao Dynasty. His surname Huyan suggests Xiongnu origins. A fierce warrior, Huyan Zan is known for tattooing the words "fervently kill the Khitans" all over his body, as well as on that of his wife and servants.
Military career
Born in a military family, Huyan Zan started his career as a cavalryman in the Song Dynasty army. Emperor Taizu of Song recognized Huyan's talent and promoted him to the rank of a commissioner of the imperial cavalry. In 964, Huyan followed general Wang Quanbin to invade the Later Shu Kingdom as a vanguard general. He was wounded several times in battle and later promoted to deputy command commissioner for his contributions in ending Later Shu. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Huyan was further promoted to a command commissioner of armoured cavalry. In the campaign to invade the Northern Han Kingdom in 979, Huyan charged ahead of his men and was among the first to climb the defensive wall of Northern Han's capitalTaiyuan. He fell from the wall 4 times and was injured, but he continued attempting to scale the wall. For his bravery, Huyan was rewarded with gold and silk by Emperor Taizong in the imperial court. In 982, Huyan assisted Cui Han in defending Dingzhou against the Liao Dynasty. He demonstrated great courage, fully committed to die in battle. At the recommendation of Cui, Huyan was appointed deputy armed leader of cavalry and infantry in 987. During marches, he often presented self-drawn maps to the commander, while providing advice on setting up camp. He constantly expressed his desire to be sent to the frontier. Emperor Taizong summoned Huyan Zan and ordered him to perform his skills in front of him. Huyan Zan and his four sons - all with the words "forget family for the nation outside of home" and "disregard death for the emperor in battle" tattooed behind both ears - dressed up in full armour and performed martial arts in front of an audience. Emperor Taizong was very pleased and he rewarded them with gold and expensive garments. In 989, Huyan Zan was appointed Governor of Fuzhou. After the Song army launched several disastrous campaigns against the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty, in 992, Huyan Zan became Governor of Baozhou and Deputy Commander of Jizhou. However, Huyan Zan was not competent in managing logistics so he was reappointed Governor of Liaozhou. Even after switching appointment, Huyan Zan showed that he was not good in governing a civilian population so he was reappointed Governor of Fuzhou and Drill Instructor of Kangzhou. During his tenure he reinvigorated the defense of the border region and held off numerous Liao attacks. In 997, he resigned from his post after the death of Emperor Taizong.
Later life
In 999 Huyan Zan was appointed by Emperor Zhenzong as Inspector of the Palace Interior and Exterior. At that time, Emperor Zhenzong was seeking someone to be an army commander and many officials started fighting for the post. Huyan Zan said, "I draw a salary of thousands each month but my expenses are not even half of my salary, so I'm already very satisfied with my current pay. I questioned myself and felt that I haven't done anything to repay my country so I do not dare to seek any further promotions. I'm worried that I'll meet with a calamity one day if my fortune keeps increasing." Huyan Zan's humility impressed many people. The following year, Huyan Zan was tasked with guarding the garden of Empress Dowager Li, but died during service. One son, Huyan Bixian, succeeded his father as deputy armed leader.
In fiction
Huyan Zan features as a supporting character in the Generals of the Yang Family legends, where he is described as a close friend of the Yang family. In these largely fictionalized stories, his weapons are a pair of clubs.
The stories of Huyan Zan's descendants were compiled into a novel titled Shuo Hu Quan Zhuan. Alternative titles include Shuo Hu, Hu Jia Jiang, Hu Jia Hou Dai Quan Zhuan and Jin Bian Ji. The novel is similar to, but not as popular as, other works on famous military generals of the Song Dynasty, such as Generals of the Yang Family and Shuo Yue Quanzhuan. Its story was adopted as a case in the 1994 Hong Kong Asia Television seriesJustice Pao titled "The Iron Hill Tomb".
Huyan Zhuo, a character in the Chinese classical novel Water Margin, is a fictitious descendant of Huyan Zan. He also wields two clubs.
