In the second chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhu Jun led troops to besiege Wancheng from all sides, cutting off the city’s food supply. Han Zhong, the leader of the Yellow Scarves army, offered to surrender. But Zhu Jun refused his offer. Liu Bei tried to persuade Zhu Jun into accepting the surrender.
Xuande argued for accepting: “Gao Zu, founder of the Han, won the empire because he knew how to invite surrender and how to receive it. Why refuse their offer, my lord?”
That was then, “Zhu Jun replied.” Now is now. Before Han, the empire was convulsed with uprisings against Qin, and there was no established sovereign for the people to acknowledge. To welcome submission and reward allegiance was no doubt the way to attract adherents. But this land of ours enjoys unity today. It is only the Yellow Scarves who have resorted to arms. If we accept their surrender, how will we encourage loyal and decent men? If we allow those who pillage at will when they win to give themselves up when they lose, we give an incentive to subversion. A rather poor idea, I’d say. “
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 2
To understand the dispute between Zhu Jun and Liu Bei, one must first clarify the background of the “Siege of Wancheng”—this was not a chaotic confrontation in the early stages of the Yellow Scarves Uprising but a critical battle in the final phase of the court’s suppression campaign.
Zhu Jun’s Perspective
Suppression Progress: By this time, the main Yellow Scarves forces (Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, Zhang Liang) had been successively eliminated. The enemy’s strength is no longer what it once was—they no longer pose a serious threat. Zhu Jun’s goal was not only to capture Wancheng but to eradicate the remaining peasant army and achieve final victory.
Overwhelming Force: Troops had already surrounded Wancheng from all sides, trapping Han Zhong’s Yellow Turban Army inside and stripping them of mobility.
Logistical Blockade: The siege had cut off food supplies, pushing the rebel army to the brink of collapse.
Enemy Surrender Motive: Han Zhong’s surrender was not genuine submission to the court but a desperate move due to starvation, clearly opportunistic.
Potential Risks: Zhu Jun predicted that accepting surrender would neither deter future rebellions nor impose any cost on the rebels. Han Zhong and others might believe that surrender without punishment was an option, risking future rebellions if opportunities arose.
Given the court’s absolute advantage and the opportunistic nature of the surrender, the rebels had no bargaining chips. As a renowned court general, Zhu Jun’s broad perspective focused not on quickly suppressing the rebellion but on using this campaign to curb future risks and eliminate hidden dangers. By purging the remnant rebels, he aimed to send a signal that rebellion would be severely punished—this was the core strategic premise behind his refusal to accept surrender.
Comparing with Liu Bang’s Acceptance of Surrender
While Liu Bei advocated emulating Liu Bang’s policy of accepting surrenders, Zhu Jun did not reject the concept of surrender itself but argued that the political context and nature of the rebellion were different, leading him to refuse Liu Bei’s suggestion.
Necessity of Surrender in the Late Qin Chaos:
During the late Qin chaos, the world was in turmoil without a true emperor — old nobles of the Six States and various rebel forces rose up. Those who could accept surrenders and welcome submissions could quickly expand their forces and seize territories. At that time, the acception of surrender was a tool for the weaker or emerging forces to compete for control of the world.
Necessity of Refusal in the Late Han Suppression:
The Eastern Han was a unified regime without fragmentation—the Yellow Turban Army aimed to seize power through uprising, not to compete for territories or expand forces like separatist warlords. The rebel leaders had no common political goals with the court and could not become allies. Accepting Han Zhong’s surrender would send a dangerous signal: Surrender without risk is an option for rebellion failure. This would encourage more opportunists to risk rebellion.
Thus Zhu Jun insisted on wiping out the enemy forces to serve as a warning to others.
Liu Bei’s Perspective
Unlike government troops, Liu Bei’s forces were privately recruited and lacked official logistical support, relying entirely on self-sufficiency for supplies. If Wancheng was stormed by force, Liu Bei’s 500 militiamen would inevitably participate in siege warfare—the combat method with the highest casualty rate. Thus, Liu Bei sought to avoid soldier casualties to preserve strength.
Liu Bei’s goal was to accumulate military achievements and gain prestige, using these to obtain an official position. For him, quickly suppressing the rebellion with minimal consumption was more important than harshly punishing rebels.
Additionally, if Han Zhong’s surrender was accepted, Liu Bei could further propose treating surrendered soldiers humanely and avoiding indiscriminate killing. This would help shape his image of benevolence, prevent massacres, earn gratitude from surrendered soldiers who might even defer to him, thereby expanding his forces.
The Final Compromise
The dispute between Liu Bei and Zhu Jun ended with Zhu Jun superficially refusing but adopting Liu Bei’s subsequent tactic: lifting the siege on the southeast side and focusing the attack on the northwest. By intentionally leaving an escape route, they undermine the rebel army’s determination to fight to the death, transforming a tightly surrounded deadlock into a scenario where the enemy was induced to break out on their own initiative. This ultimately achieved victory at minimal cost. More details can be found from the following post: The Art of Seizing Wancheng.
This approach complies with Liu Bei’s pragmatic loss-avoidance logic as a weaker force and demonstrated his insight into human psychology and leveraging momentum to break the deadlock.
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