Fan Jian

Fan Jian (onyomi: Han Ken) is a politician of later Shu. When Sima Yan became the first emperor of Jin, Fan Jian was sent to learn the truth behind Deng Ai's supposed rebellion.

Role in Games
In seventh installment of Dynasty Warriors, Fan Jian appears in the second Shu invasion, attacking the center towards the Wei camp. During the 3rd invasion, he defends the western garrison alongside Xingcai. In the fourth invasion, Fan Jian is among the Shu officers who ambush Deng Ai. At the conquest of Shu by Wei, Fan Jian guards the main camp during the first stage of the invasion. He reappears at the final act, helping Xi Sheng and Yueying man a squad of juggernauts intended to ambush the Wei army. Dynasty Warriors 8 has Fan Jian participate in fighting the isolated Wei forces at Mt. Tielong. At Taoyang, Fan Jian defends the castle's main court with Dong Jue.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Fan Jian suitable for recruit the officer and govern the city, possessing intelligence and political skill stats in the mid 70s. Like his historical counterpart, Fan Jian only appears in later scenarios.

Historical Information
Fan Jian hailed from Yiyang Commandery in Jingzhou, from the same hometown as Dong Jue and Liu Yong. Jian entered Shu's service sometime during the time of Zhuge Liang's service as prime minister, where Fan Jian worked as an administrator, keeping records straight and ensuring justice being served fairly. With the death of Zhuge Liang, Jian was promoted to Dong Jue's old position as as Prefect of the Masters of Writing.

In 251, Fan Jian served replaced Zong Yu as Shu's ambassador to Wu. At the time, Sun Quan's health was failing, so Fan Jian worked with Zhuge Ke for their negotiations. Zhuge Ke commented on Fan Jian as a suitable replacement for Zong Yu, as though he wasn't quite as gifted, he was more dignified and respectable.

Eventually Fan Jian was brought back to Shu, where he served as a Palace Attendant. Alongside Dong Jue and Zhuge Zhan, Fan Jian opposed the rising power of the eunuch, Huang Hao. Fan Jian was so disgusted by Huang Hao, that he flat out refused to ever properly meet with Liu Shan's new favored official. Liu Wu, Liu Yong's son, joined Fan Jian in this protest.

After the collapse of Shu, Fan Jain accompanied his lord to Luoyang, the capital of Wei. With Sima Yan's rise to emperor of Jin, Fan Jian was tasked with the job to travel to Chengdu and investigate the conflicting reports surrounding the uprisings supposedly led by Deng Ai and Zhong Hui/Jiang Wei. After completing this investigation, the The Spring and Autumn of the Han Jin Dynasty records a conversation between Sima Yan and Fan Jian. Sima Yan wondered how fair of an administrator Zhuge Liang truly was, considering the situation that unfolded in Chengdu. Fan Jian vouched for Zhuge Liang's fairness and skill at keeping peace, proposing that Sima Yan keep that spirit alive by vindicating Deng Ai postmortem, as his investigation found Deng Ai innocent of the charges of rebellion. Sima Yan agreed with Fan Jian's assessment and restored Deng Ai's name and titles.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Fan Jian first appears in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in chapter 87, as part of Zhuge Liang's southern expedition to pacify the southern tribes. He and Dong Jue serve as army inspectors. Both Fan Jian and Dong Jue are made Zhuge Liang's secretaries in chapter 91, when Zhuge begins his preparations for his northern campaigns. When Zhuge Liang fell ill during these campaigns, it was Fan Jian and Dong Jue who were tasked with hiding his retreat to keep Sima Yi from learning of it. They managed to hide their retreat for five days, enough time to withdraw safely.

In chapter 111, Fan Jian apposes Jiang Wei pressing their advantage, after finally winning some ground in Jiang's numerous attempts. This advice is ignored, as disaster follows, due to the skill of Deng Ai being underestimated. Fan Jain is last mentioned among the few officials who accompany Liu Shan into his exile under the Jin dynasty.