Zhuge Dan

Zhuge Dan may or may not be Zhuge Liang's cousin. He is one of the many Wei generals who rebelled against Sima Zhao.

Historical Information
Zhuge Dan was a politician and warrior who originated from Yangdu County in Langye (roughly modern day Linyi, Shandong). Honest, fair and non-judgmental, he was good friends with Xiahou Xuan and Deng Yang. He was praised as one of the "Four Bright and Eight Intellects", clever men who served Wei. According to the Shishou Xinyu, the following was supposedly written about the Zhuge relatives in the three separate kingdoms: "Shu has their dragon, Wu has their tiger, and Wei has their hound." Zhuge Liang was the dragon, Zhuge Jin was the tiger, and Zhuge Dan was the dog.

Even so, Cao Rui found his fame to be superficial and uttered, "His (Zhuge Dan's) reputation is like a portrait; one can try to complete it but they will never be satisfied." Thus, he dismissed Zhuge Dan at once. When Cao Shuang seized power, he and Deng Yang were summoned to govern politics. Zhuge Dan was entitled as an imperial advisor and returned as a minister. He later became the General of Illustrious Warrior and was sent to Yangzhou. He then distrusted Lujiang's Grand Administrator, Wen Qin.

While Deng Yang was murdered by Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan was demoted to a meaningless post, Zhuge Dan was able to stay in power by assisting Sima Yi. After he helped suppress Wang Ling's rebellion in 251, he was put in charge of various military affairs in Yang Province and became the General Stabilizing the East. He was given Shanyang Juye soon after his appointment. It is said that his relationship with the Sima family was either due to family ties or ominous implications made by the Sima relatives for Zhuge Dan's head.

When Sima Shi climbed up the ranks of power, he and four other lords (Hu Zu, Wang Chang, Chen Tai and Guanqiu Jian) were ordered to defend the capital from all sides. In 252, after Sun Quan's death, he banded with three of Wei's directional lords to strike Wu's position in Hefei. They targeted a castle in Dong Xing and they desired to obtain the position for future water attacks. Seeing the threat early, Zhuge Jin, Ding Feng and Lu Ju drove his army back and he suffered heavy losses. He took responsibility for the defeat and had his governed province switched to Yuzhou as a result.

Three years later, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin staged a rebellion. They invited for Zhuge Dan to join them, but he refused their offer and joined the subjugation. While he did struggle against his former comrades for a time, Zhuge Dan eventually fought the invading Wu general, Liu Zan. His general, Jiang Ban, killed the elderly general in a duel and his troops caused the enemy's downfall. Since Liu Zan was among the generals who caused his defeat along the eastern boarders, Zhuge Dan became a distinguished general. He was given 3,500 households and appointed as Great General who Subdues the East. However, when Xihaou Xuan (or Cao Shuang according to some accounts) was unjustly killed by Sima Shi, he was weary of the Sima family and became uneasy about the future. His doubts redoubled when Wang Chang, who shared an equal standing with him, was promoted for what he thought was a grave mistake. In 256, he requested 100,000 reinforcements to be sent to him. Officially, he said he needed them to suppress Wu, but it is argued that he wanted to keep them as a strong foothold against the Sima family.

As Sima Zhao came into power in 257, Zhuge Dan was appointed Minister of Works, one of the three most important titles in the Han Dynasty. He moved to the capital, Luoyang, and was ordered to recall troops. Either the court was suspicious of his behavior or Jia Chong's brother wanted to test Zhuge Dan's integrity and end the rebellion early. In spite of his new rank, he lead a rebellion with 10,000 soldiers during the same year and killed Yue Lin. He went with Wu Gang to request help from his youngest son in Wu, Zhuge Liang.

In 258, Sima Zhao ordered 260,000 to deal with Zhuge Dan and take possession of Shouchun Castle. The instigator had 30,000 people from Wu to assist him and additionally Zhu Yi's larger army as the conflict ensued. Although they were able to repel the initial blows of the struggle, his unfriendly relations with Wen Qin soon took its toll. Fearing that Zhuge Dan would one day kill themselves and their father, Wen Yang and Wen Hu defected to Sima Zhao. Their surrender dealt a massive blow to the morale of Zhuge Dan's army and they eventually scattered during the following confrontations. As he tried to abandon his position, Zhuge Dan was killed by troops lead by Hu Fen. Hundreds of his followers refused to surrender, believing that their rebellion was just, and shared the same fate as their leader.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
He is introduced during the later story arcs in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was Zhuge Liang's cousin and chose to employ himself in Wei. He received no particular promotions until his cousin died.

In chapter 110, he was given command over the forces of Yuzhou and ordered to march from Anfeng and possess Shouchun. He took Shouchun and received a seal from the dying Sima Shi. He became General Who Conquers the East and marched the army back to Xuchang. He eventually became Lord of Gaoping and Commander of the south and east of River Huai. To gauge his loyalty, Sima Zhao sent Jia Chong to secretly judge Zhuge Dan's feelings. Zhuge Dan pressed for Jia Chong to ascend and boldly declared that he would fight for what he believed the people wanted. To keep the rebel under his thumb, Sima Zhao appointed him as Minister of Works and forced him into the capital. Once Zhuge Dan heard that Yue Chan was responsible for the abrupt move, he angrily raided the man's residence and killed him.

With a total of five hundred thousand troops, he sent his advisor to ask Wu for aid and sent his son, Zhuge Jing, as a hostage on good faith. Wu accepted the gesture and sent seventy thousand to assist. He then joined forces with Wen Qin and his two sons. On the day of their confrontation, he lead the central vanguard unit. However, his forces were driven back and he decided to hold himself within Shouchun. As the river's waters began to rise, Wen Qin suggested to withdraw the northern troops and save supplies. Enraged by what he considered a suicidal suggestion, Zhuge Dan had Wen Qin put to death. Wen Qin's sons, Wen Yang and Wen Hu, left and were employed under Sima Zhao. When Zhuge Dan's troops saw the defectors treated with hospitality, their morale faltered and their commander put to death any who he suspected of betrayal.

Sima Zhao's army attacked soon after and Zhuge Dan was betrayed by Zeng Xuan, who opened the northern gates for the Wei army. Zhuge Dan tried to retreat but was cut down by Hu Fen. His followers were held prisoner and chose to follow their master's fate. His family within Wei were slaughtered.