Lü Meng (simplified: 吕蒙, traditional: 呂蒙, pinyin: Lǚ Méng), courtesy name Ziming (子明 Zǐmíng), was a general of Eastern Wu. He came from a poor family in Runan Fupi, served under his brother-in-law Deng Dang and then Sun Ce and Sun Quan, and rose by both courage and study: Sun Quan urged him to read, and he became so learned that Lu Su said he was “no longer the Ameng of Wu.” He fought at Xia Kou (killing Chen Jiu), followed Zhou Yu at Chibi and in the capture of Nanjun, took Wan with Gan Ning, tricked Hao Pu into surrendering Lingling, and after Lu Su’s death succeeded him at Lukou. He persuaded Sun Quan to take Jing Province first rather than Xuzhou, feigned illness so that the little-known Lu Xun could replace him and lull Guan Yu, then crossed the Yangtze in disguise (“white-clad crossing”), took Gong’an and Jiangling, cared for the families of Guan Yu’s troops so that they lost heart, and contributed to Guan Yu’s flight and capture. He was named Administrator of Nan Commandery and Marquis of Chanling but fell ill and died in Sun Quan’s inner hall at forty-two before investiture was completed.
Biography
Early life and rise under Sun Ce and Sun Quan
Lü Meng was born in Fupi, Runan (modern Funan, Anhui). His family was poor. His sister married Deng Dang, an officer under Sun Ce who often campaigned against the shanyue. In 195, at about sixteen, Lü Meng secretly followed Deng Dang on campaign; when Deng Dang found out he could not stop him. Lü Meng’s mother wanted to punish him; Lü Meng said he could not bear poverty and sought merit to gain wealth—“if one does not enter the tiger’s lair, how can one get the tiger’s cub?” His mother relented. An officer under Deng Dang mocked Lü Meng as a boy who would only feed the tiger; Lü Meng killed him, fled to a neighbour, then surrendered through Colonel Yuan Xiong. Sun Ce summoned him, found him remarkable, pardoned him, and kept him by his side. When Deng Dang died, Zhang Zhao recommended Lü Meng to take over his unit; Sun Ce appointed him Acting Major of a Separate Unit.
In 200 Sun Ce died and Sun Quan took over. Sun Quan wanted to merge smaller units; Lü Meng borrowed to outfit his men in red uniforms and drill them. At the review his troops “stood in fine array and were well trained”; Sun Quan was pleased and increased his strength instead of cutting it.
Campaigns against Huang Zu and in the south
In 203 Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu at Jiangxia; Lü Meng took part. When Sun Quan turned back to deal with rebels in Danyang, Yuzhang, and Luling, Lü Meng was sent with Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zhou Tai to guard key points and serve as magistrates in restive areas. He pacified his district and was made Commandant Who Pacifies the North and acting Magistrate of Guangde.
In 208 Sun Quan again attacked Xia Kou. Huang Zu blocked the river with mengchong ships; Lü Meng recommended Dong Xi and Ling Tong as vanguard to cut the cables. After the ships drifted, Huang Zu sent Chen Jiu to counterattack; Lü Meng led the van and personally killed Chen Jiu. Sun Quan took the city and killed Huang Zu. Sun Quan said the victory hinged on Lü Meng’s killing Chen Jiu and appointed him General of the Household for Pacifying the Wilds and gave him ten million cash.
Chibi and Nanjun
That year Lü Meng followed Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu at Chibi. When the Yizhou general Xi Su came over with his troops, Zhou Yu asked to assign them to Lü Meng. Lü Meng advised instead to add to Xi Su’s strength, since he had come in good faith; Sun Quan agreed. When Zhou Yu attacked Nanjun and sent Gan Ning to take Yiling, Cao Ren besieged Gan Ning. Lü Meng suggested leaving Ling Tong to hold the main camp while he and Zhou Yu relieved Gan Ning, and advised blocking the mountain path with firewood so fleeing enemy cavalry would abandon their horses; Zhou Yu did both. They defeated Cao Ren at Yiling, captured three hundred horses, and returned to press Nanjun. Cao Ren eventually withdrew. Lü Meng was made General of the Side and acting Magistrate of Xunyang.
Study and “no longer Wuxia Ameng”
Sun Quan told Lü Meng and Jiang Qin that they now held responsibility and should study. Lü Meng pleaded military duties; Sun Quan said he only wanted them to read and learn from the past, and that he himself read to great benefit. Lü Meng began to study, applied himself, and read more than many old scholars. In 211 Lu Su succeeded Zhou Yu and passed Lü Meng’s camp. Someone said Lü Meng’s fame was growing and Lu Su should visit him. At a drinking session Lü Meng asked how Lu Su would deal with the unexpected, given that he faced Guan Yu; Lu Su said he would adapt. Lü Meng said Guan Yu was a bear or tiger and they must have a plan, and laid out five strategies. Lu Su left his mat, patted his back, and said he had not known Lü Meng’s talent had reached such a level—“you are no longer the Ameng of Wu.” Lü Meng replied: “When gentlemen part for three days, one should view them with new eyes.” Lu Su paid his respects to Lü Meng’s mother and they became friends. Hence the sayings “no longer Wuxia Ameng” (非复吴下阿蒙) and “part three days, view with new eyes” (士别三日，刮目相待).
Ruxu, Wan, and the three commanderies
When Xie Qi of Wei harassed the border from Wan, Lü Meng induced defections and attacked; Xie Qi withdrew and many of his people surrendered. In 213 Cao Cao attacked Ruxu with a large army; Lü Meng followed Sun Quan with seventy thousand and offered several stratagems, and advised building a dock at the river mouth. Defences were so thorough that Cao Cao did not dare press and eventually withdrew.
In 214 Cao Cao had Zhu Guang garrison Wan and open paddy fields. Lü Meng said that if Wan’s harvests were taken, enemy strength would grow and they should remove the threat early. Sun Quan led a campaign; most generals advised building earthworks and siege gear. Lü Meng said that would take too long and allow relief; they should attack with full force while the river was high. He recommended Gan Ning as siege commander and led the reserve; at dawn he beat the drum and the city fell by breakfast. Zhang Liao’s relief force reached Jiashi and turned back. Sun Quan made Lü Meng Administrator of Lujiang and gave him the captives and other rewards. Back at Xunyang, rebels in Luling could not be subdued; Sun Quan said “a hundred hawks are not worth one eagle” and sent Lü Meng, who killed the chief and released the rest.
In 215 Sun Quan sent Lü Meng with twenty thousand to take Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang. Changsha and Guiyang submitted; Lingling’s Administrator Hao Pu held out. Lü Meng had Deng Xuanzhi (Hao Pu’s old friend) persuade Hao Pu by falsely claiming Liu Bei was besieged and Guan Yu defeated and that no help would come. Hao Pu surrendered; when he saw Sun Quan’s letter he realised he had been tricked. Lü Meng left Sun He (or Sun Jiao) to hold and joined Lu Su against Guan Yu. Liu Bei then ceded territory; the two sides drew the boundary at the Xiang River and Sun Quan gave Lü Meng fiefs at Xunyang and Yangxin.
Hefei and Ruxu again
That year Sun Quan attacked Hefei and was defeated; on the retreat Zhang Liao struck. Lü Meng and Ling Tong protected Sun Quan at great risk. In 217 Cao Cao attacked again and reached Juchao. Sun Quan had Lü Meng command the dock defences with ten thousand crossbows; Cao Cao’s vanguard had not yet settled when Lü Meng attacked and broke them, and Cao Cao withdrew. Lü Meng was made Left Protector of the Army and Tiger Might General.
Succeeding Lu Su and planning against Guan Yu
When Lu Su died (217), Lü Meng took over his army at Lukou and was made Administrator of Hanchang. He knew Guan Yu was brave and ambitious and that Jing Province was upstream, so the standoff could not last. He secretly advised Sun Quan to take Jing: position Sun Jiao at Nanjun, Pan Zhang at Baidi, Jiang Qin with a mobile force, and himself at Xiangyang—then they would not depend on Guan Yu. Sun Quan agreed. When Sun Quan spoke of taking Xuzhou, Lü Meng said Xuzhou was easy to take but hard to hold and Cao Cao would contest it within days; better to take Guan Yu and hold the whole river. Sun Quan thought this right. When Lü Meng first reached Lukou he showed Guan Yu great courtesy and friendship to prepare for the future.
White-clad crossing and capture of Jing Province
In 219 Guan Yu attacked Cao Ren at Fancheng and left troops in Gong’an and Nan commandery. Lü Meng memorialised that Guan Yu had left many defenders precisely because he feared an attack from the rear; Lü Meng would claim to be ill and return to Jianye so that Guan Yu would strip his defences and go north. Sun Quan agreed. Lü Meng feigned serious illness; Sun Quan openly recalled him. Lu Xun visited and suggested that with Lü Meng ill Guan Yu would drop his guard and they could strike; Lü Meng did not reveal the plan but in Jianye recommended Lu Xun as his replacement. Lu Xun wrote humbly to Guan Yu, who then moved most of his rear troops to Fancheng.
When Yu Jin’s army surrendered to Guan Yu and he took grain from Xiangguan, Sun Quan sent Lü Meng as overall commander with Sun Jiao in support. Lü Meng had Sun Jiao and himself as separate supreme commanders scrapped so that one man had full authority (he cited the Zhou Yu–Cheng Pu friction). At Xunyang he hid elite troops in disguised merchant boats, had men in white row by night, seized Guan Yu’s river outposts so he heard nothing, then took Nanjun. Yu Fan persuaded Fu Shiren at Gong’an to surrender; Shiren then persuaded Mi Fang at Jiangling. Lü Meng entered the city, reassured Guan Yu’s officers’ families, forbade his troops to take from the people, and had a soldier executed for using a civilian hat to protect government armour. He had the elderly and sick cared for and left Guan Yu’s stores sealed for Sun Quan. When Guan Yu sent envoys from the field, Lü Meng treated them well and let them visit families; the envoys returned and spread word, and Guan Yu’s army lost heart. Sun Quan arrived; Guan Yu fled to Maicheng, then to Zhangxiang, where his men scattered; Zhu Ran and Pan Zhang cut the roads and Ma Zhong captured and killed Guan Yu.
Enfeoffment and death
Sun Quan at Gong’an declared Lü Meng Administrator of Nan Commandery and Marquis of Chanling, with a billion cash and five hundred jin of gold. Lü Meng declined the money and asked to be excused on grounds of illness; Sun Quan refused. Before the investiture ceremony Lü Meng’s illness worsened. Sun Quan had him moved to the inner hall, sought physicians with a thousand-gold reward, and watched him through a hole in the wall; when he could eat Sun Quan was glad, when he worsened Sun Quan could not sleep. When he improved once Sun Quan issued an amnesty and had the officials congratulate. When he deteriorated again Sun Quan visited and had Daoists pray. Lü Meng named Zhu Ran and Lu Xun as successors and died in the inner hall at forty-two. Sun Quan grieved deeply. Lü Meng had ordered that all his gold and treasures be returned to the treasury on his death and that his funeral be simple; Sun Quan was even more moved.
Personality and traits
Lü Meng was bold and sometimes impulsive in youth (he killed the officer who mocked him) but later restrained himself and was considered to have the measure of a state servant. He studied on Sun Quan’s urging and became widely read; Lu Su and Sun Quan praised his progress. He recommended returning Xi Su’s troops, refused to take the orphaned troops of three deceased colleagues until Sun Quan agreed to let him train their sons, recommended Cai Yi (who had once accused him) as Administrator of Yuzhang, and asked Sun Quan to spare Su Fei for Gan Ning’s sake. He reconciled with Gan Ning after a quarrel over the kitchen boy (Lü Meng’s mother intervened). He insisted on a single supreme commander for the Jing campaign to avoid the Zhou Yu–Cheng Pu problem. He had Yu Fan released by asking for him on the pretext of needing a physician when he feigned illness.
Military achievements
Lü Meng killed Chen Jiu at Xia Kou (208), advised on Nanjun and Yiling (firewood road, three hundred horses), took Wan with Gan Ning (214), tricked Hao Pu into surrendering Lingling (215), defended Ruxu (213, 217), and protected Sun Quan at Hefei (215). His greatest feat was planning and executing the capture of Jing Province: feigning illness, recommending Lu Xun to lull Guan Yu, crossing in disguise, taking the outposts and then Gong’an and Jiangling, and using care for Guan Yu’s troops’ families to break their will. He executed one soldier for a minor offence to enforce discipline and left Guan Yu’s stores untouched.
Relationships
Lü Meng served Sun Ce (after pardon) and Sun Quan. His brother-in-law Deng Dang was his first patron. Zhou Yu used him at Nanjun and Yiling; Lu Su succeeded Zhou Yu and was impressed by Lü Meng’s study and strategy. He recommended Lu Xun to replace him at Lukou. He worked with Gan Ning (with whom he once quarrelled), Ling Tong, and others. Sun Quan valued him and Lü Meng on his deathbed recommended Zhu Ran and Lu Xun.
Anecdotes and allusions
No longer Wuxia Ameng
非复吴下阿蒙 (Fēi fù Wúxià Ā Méng)
When Lu Su visited after Lü Meng had studied, he said Lü Meng was “no longer the Ameng of Wu” and that his talent had reached a new level. Hence “Wuxia Ameng” denotes someone who has not yet improved.
Source: SGZ (Lü Meng zhuan), Jiangbiao zhuan
Type: Historical
Part three days, view with new eyes
士别三日，刮目相待 (Shì bié sān rì, guāmù xiāng dài)
Lü Meng told Lu Su that when gentlemen part for three days one should view them with new eyes. The phrase means that people can change quickly and deserve a fresh assessment.
Source: Jiangbiao zhuan
Type: Historical
One hat for official armour
一笠覆官铠 (Yī lì fù guān kǎi)
At Jiangling a soldier from the same commandery as Lü Meng took a civilian hat to protect government armour from rain. Lü Meng had him executed for violating the new order, wept as he did so, and the army was strict thereafter.
Source: SGZ (Lü Meng zhuan)
Type: Historical
Achievements
- Military: Key role at Xia Kou (kill Chen Jiu), Nanjun/Yiling (advice, horses), Wan (with Gan Ning), three commanderies (trick Hao Pu), Ruxu (213, 217), Hefei (protect Sun Quan), and above all the capture of Jing Province by white-clad crossing and psychological warfare.
- Political: Administrator of Lujiang, Hanchang, Nan Commandery; Marquis of Chanling; recommended Lu Xun, spared Su Fei, trained orphans’ sons, recommended Cai Yi.
- Legacy: One of the “four great Wu commanders” (with Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Xun); idiom “part three days, view with new eyes”; Tang/Song military temple.
Behind the scenes
Lü Meng is in SGZ Wu 54 (Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lü Meng). Pei Songzhi cites Jiangbiao zhuan and Wu shu. Birth year is given as 178 or 180; death in 220 or 221 (while Sun Quan was at Gong’an). The Romance has him die from Guan Yu’s vengeful spirit (Ch. 77); historically he died of illness. The novel attributes the white-clad plan largely to Lu Xun; historically it was Lü Meng’s with Sun Quan’s approval.
Historical evaluations
- Lu Su: “I did not know your talent had reached this level”; “no longer the Ameng of Wu.”
- Sun Quan: “To improve in adulthood as Lü Meng and Jiang Qin did is matchless”; “Lü Ziming in youth I thought only bold; when he grew and studied, his planning became remarkable—next to Gongjin, though not as brilliant in debate. In plotting against Guan Yu he surpassed Zijing.”
- Chen Shou: “Lü Meng was brave and had strategic judgment; he knew the army. Deceiving Hao Pu and capturing Guan Yu were his finest feats. Though he began with rash killing, in the end he mastered himself and had the measure of a state servant—not merely a general.”
Legacy
Lü Meng symbolises the general who remakes himself through study (“part three days, view with new eyes”) and the strategist who took Jing Province by guile and care for the enemy’s families. He is remembered with Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and Lu Xun as a pillar of Wu. In the Romance he is killed by Guan Yu’s ghost; in history he died of illness and was deeply mourned by Sun Quan.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 180 | Born in Fupi, Runan |
| c. 195 | Follows Deng Dang; kills officer; pardoned by Sun Ce; Biebu Sima |
| 200 | Sun Quan merges units; Lü Meng outfits troops in red, gains more men |
| 203 | Pacifies shanyue; Pingbei Duwei, Guangde magistrate |
| 208 | Kills Chen Jiu at Xia Kou; Hengye Zhonglang Jiang; Chibi; advises on Nanjun/Yiling |
| 209 | Piān Jiangjun, Xunyang magistrate |
| 211 | Lu Su visits; “no longer Wuxia Ameng” |
| 213 | Ruxu; advises dock; Cao Cao withdraws |
| 214 | Wan campaign; recommends Gan Ning; Lujiang Taishou |
| 215 | Three commanderies; tricks Hao Pu; Hefei; protects Sun Quan |
| 217 | Lu Su dies; Lü Meng at Lukou, Hanchang Taishou; Ruxu again; Zuohujun, Huwei Jiangjun |
| 219 | Feigns illness; Lu Xun replaces him; white-clad crossing; takes Nanjun; Guan Yu captured and killed; Nanjun Taishou, Marquis of Chanling |
| 220 | Dies of illness at 42 in Gong’an before investiture |