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Chen Qun, courtesy name Changwen, was a native of Xuchang County, Yingchuan Prefecture (now Xuchang, Henan Province). He was a politician and important official of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was the main founder of the "Nine-Rank System" for selecting officials and the Cao Wei law "Wei Law".

Chen Qun was born into a noble family in Yingchuan County. When Liu Bei was the governor of Yuzhou, he invited Chen Qun to be his deputy.

Later, Cao Cao conquered Xuzhou, and Chen Qun defected to Cao Cao, served as county magistrate for many times, and was selected as Zhishu Shiyushi;
After the establishment of the Wei State, Chen Qun was promoted to Chief Censor.

After that, Chen Qun was transferred to the position of Shizhong and concurrently served as the East and West Cao Yuan of the Prime Minister's Office.

When Cao Pi was still the crown prince, he respected Chen Qun very much.

In the 220th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao died and Cao Pi succeeded him as King of Wei. He promoted Chen Qun to be the Secretary of State and conferred him the title of Marquis of Changwu Ting.

"After Cao Pi became emperor, Chen Qun was promoted to Shangshu Pushe; soon after, he was promoted to Shangshu Ling and was promoted to Yingxiang Hou."

"In the third year of Huangchu (222 AD), Cao Pi went south to attack Sun Quan. Chen Qun was concurrently appointed as the commander of the Central Army and was granted the title of Jiezhang, responsible for commanding the navy. Later, he was promoted to the rank of Zhenjun General and was appointed as the Secretary of State."

"In the seventh year of Huangchu (226 AD), Cao Pi was seriously ill and left a will to Chen Qun, Cao Zhen, Sima Yi and others to assist in government affairs."

"When Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, succeeded to the throne, Chen Qun was promoted to Marquis of Yingyin and was allowed to open a government office to govern the country. Soon after, Chen Qun was promoted to Minister of Works, one of the Three Dukes."

"During the Taihe period, General Cao Zhen submitted a petition requesting to attack Shu, but Chen Qun repeatedly dissuaded him;"

"During the Qinglong period, Cao Rui started a massive construction project to build a palace, and Chen Qun submitted a petition to advise against it."

"In the fourth year of Qinglong (236 AD), Chen Qun died and was posthumously named Marquis Jing. His son Chen Tai inherited the title."

"Chen Qun served Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, and was loyal and dedicated to his duties. He participated in the construction of the ritual system and political system of the Cao Wei regime, participated in the compilation of the Wei Law, and proposed the Nine-Rank System for selecting officials, which had an impact on later generations."

"Contemporaries and later generations had mixed opinions about Chen Qun. Chen Si Wang Cao Zhi praised him for his "pure virtue", Cao Wei scholar Yuan Huai and Jin Dynasty historian Chen Shou also praised Chen Qun's virtue;"

"But Cao Wei's minister Wu Zhi thought Chen Qun was not fit for important positions."

"Hong Mai, a scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, and Wang Fuzhi, a scholar in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, believed that although Chen Qun was loyal to Cao Wei, he and Zhong Yao and others helped Cao to usurp the Han Dynasty, which was a lack of moral character."

"Chen Qun was born into a noble family in Yingchuan County. His grandfather Chen Shi, father Chen Ji, and uncle Chen Chen were all very famous."

"When Chen Qun was still a teenager, his grandfather Chen Shi favored him and often told the elders of the clan that this child would definitely revitalize the Chen clan."

"Kong Rong from Lu was arrogant because of his talent. He was between Chen Ji and Chen Qun in age. He first became friends with Chen Ji, and later became close friends with Chen Qun. Therefore, he regarded Chen Ji as his elder and insisted on kneeling and bowing to him when they met. Chen Qun became famous because of this."

"When Liu Bei was the governor of Yuzhou, he invited Chen Qun to be his deputy. At that time, Tao Qian died, and the officials of Xuzhou welcomed Liu Bei to govern Xuzhou."

"Liu Bei was planning to go, but Chen Qun dissuaded him, saying that Yuan Shu's power was at its peak and if he went east to Xuzhou, he would inevitably clash with Yuan Shu."

"If Lu Bu took the opportunity to attack the rear, even if he took Xuzhou, he would not be able to accomplish anything great. Liu Bei insisted on going to Xuzhou, and indeed he fought with Yuan Shu."

"Lü Bu took advantage of the opportunity to attack Xiapi (now Gupi Town, Suining County, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), and sent troops to support Yuan Shu, defeating Liu Bei's army.

"Liu Bei then regretted not listening to Chen Qun's advice. Chen Qun was later recommended as a talented person and appointed as the magistrate of Zhe County, but he did not take the position and instead followed his father Chen Ji to Xuzhou for refuge."

"In December of the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), Cao Cao conquered Xuzhou and captured and killed Lu Bu, so he hired Chen Qun, who was living in Xuzhou, as a subordinate of the Western Division of the Sikong Mansion, responsible for personnel appointments. At that time, someone recommended Wang Mo from Le'an and Zhou Kui from Xiapi, and Cao Cao was going to hire the two;"

"Chen Qun returned Cao Cao's order intact, believing that the two men had bad conduct and would sooner or later fall from grace. Cao Cao refused to listen and insisted on employing them;"

"Later, Wang Mo and Zhou Kui were indeed killed for breaking the law, and Cao Cao apologized to Chen Qun for this. Chen Qun recommended Chen Jiao from Guangling and Dai Qian from Danyang, both of whom were employed by Cao Cao;"

"Later, Dai Qian died in battle while resisting the attack of Sun Wu, while Chen Jiao became a famous official of Cao Wei. People praised Chen Qun for his wisdom in identifying talents."

"After that, Chen Qun served as the magistrate of Xiao County, Ling County, and Changping County, and finally resigned due to the death of his father."

"Later, Chen Qun took part in the civil servant selection examination as a minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and was ranked first. He was appointed as the Imperial Censor, and later transferred to the Prime Minister's Office as a military officer. After the establishment of the Cao Wei regime, Chen Qun was appointed as the Chief Censor."

"Cao Cao and his ministers discussed whether to restore corporal punishment. Everyone had different opinions, so Cao Cao consulted Chen Qun for his opinion."

"Chen Qun said that the Han Dynasty abolished corporal punishment and replaced it with beating with sticks, which was originally intended to be merciful, but it caused more prisoners to die."

"If the punishment is reduced in name only, ordinary people will be more likely to commit crimes; if the punishment is increased in reality, ordinary people will be more likely to be harmed."

"Ancient classics such as the Book of Documents and the Book of Changes advocate corporal punishment. According to Han Dynasty law, those who committed heinous crimes must be executed and no mercy can be shown."

"But for other prisoners who are just barely worthy of the death penalty and who may or may not be put to death, corporal punishment can be used instead."

"Zhong Yao and Chen Qun agreed at the time, but Wang Lang and the ministers who participated in the discussion believed that corporal punishment should not be carried out."

Li Bai: Chen Qun, born in Yingchuan (now Yuzhou City, Henan Province), a famous and prominent family, the Chen family.

The Chen family started to prosper from Chen Qun's grandfather, and many famous figures emerged during this period. His father, uncle, and many uncles in the clan were all famous figures at the time.

With such a family background, Chen Qun was naturally well-read. What was even more rare was that he was diligent and studious, and extremely intelligent. At a young age, he was recognized by his father as "a person who would surely prosper our clan."

After he became an adult, Chen Qun was not in a hurry to realize his ambitions. After all, the situation was chaotic at that time, and he had to choose a wise leader. In fact, to put it bluntly, he had to choose between Liu Bei and Cao Cao.

Although Liu Bei's group had not yet become powerful at that time, Chen Qun had long heard of Liu Bei's character. In addition, Liu Bei was a descendant of the royal family, so to a certain extent, following him was justified.

However, Cao Cao was no ordinary man. In just a few years, he had already gained the strength to compete with Yuan Shu. How could he have done it without extraordinary intelligence and rational thinking?

Just when Chen Qun was hesitating, Liu Bei, with the recommendation of Tao Qian, became the governor of Yuzhou, which was equivalent to managing the entire Henan region, including Yingchuan where Chen Qun was located.

Liu Bei had already arrived at his doorstep, and Chen Qun felt that this was guidance from heaven. In that case, what was he waiting for? He might as well go and join him.

Liu Bei was in urgent need of talents at this time. He knew that Chen Qun and the Chen family had great status in the local area, so he naturally welcomed them. In order to express his respect for Chen Qun, he directly appointed him as Yuzhou Beijia.

The original meaning of the term "Inspector" was an envoy sent by the emperor to the local area to supervise officials. Later, it developed into the representative of a state.

The Beijia was the assistant officer of the governor, equivalent to a secretary, with a very high status. When he went out, he could even ride in a carriage alone, so he was called "Biejia". Seeing that Liu Bei valued him so much, Chen Qun felt that he had followed the right person, so he played to his strengths and often gave advice to Liu Bei.

Chen Qun's wisdom and strategies were forward-looking at the time and were of great benefit to Liu Bei's long-term development, but the price was to give up some immediate benefits.

"Cao Cao agreed with the opinions of Zhong Yao and Chen Qun, but because of the frequent wars and the public's opinions, he put the matter aside for the time being."

"Later, Chen Qun was transferred to be the Minister of the Interior and concurrently served as the East and West Cao Yuan of the Prime Minister's Office. He had no prejudice against anyone or anything in the court, and he had a clear sense of morality and would not treat people in a crooked way."

"When Cao Pi was still the crown prince, he respected Chen Qun very much and treated him as a friend."

"In the 220th year of Jian'an ( AD), Cao Cao died, and Cao Pi succeeded him as King of Wei. He promoted Chen Qun to be the Secretary of State and conferred him the title of Marquis of Changwuting."

"Chen Qun wrote a letter to propose and formulate the 'Nine-Rank System', which divides talents into nine ranks and then grants them official positions."

"After Cao Pi became emperor, Chen Qun was promoted to Shangshu Pushe and concurrently Shizhong. Soon after, he was promoted to Shangshu Ling and was promoted to Yingxiang Hou."

"In the sixth year of Huangchu (225 AD), Cao Pi went south to attack Sun Quan, and Cao Pi appointed Chen Qun as the commander of the army;"

"Soon after, Cao Pi led the army to withdraw, and gave Chen Qun the scepter, letting him take charge of the navy."

"Cao Pi returned to Xuchang and appointed Chen Qun as the General of the Zhenjun Army, concurrently the Central Guard Army, and the Recorder of the Secretariat. He accompanied the emperor in the carriage and commanded the various armies."

"In May of the seventh year of Huangchu (226 AD), Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, was seriously ill and ordered Chen Qun to assist in governing the country together with Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen and Sima Yi."

"When Cao Rui, the Emperor Ming of Wei, succeeded to the throne, Chen Qun was promoted to Marquis of Yingyin, and his fiefdom was increased by 500 households, for a total of 1,300 households. Chen Qun was also granted the right to run a government office together with Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and Sima Yi."

"Soon after, Chen Qun was promoted to Sikong, one of the Three Dukes, and still concurrently served as Lu Shangshushi."

"Not long after Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, came to power, Chen Qun wrote a memorial to the emperor, urging him to follow the example of King Wen of Zhou and rule the country with benevolence, and he also suggested that the court should promote morality."

"Spread enlightenment and be compassionate to the people; prevent officials from forming cliques and factions, and curb the tendency of colleagues to flatter."

"In July of the fourth year of Taihe (230 AD), Grand Marshal Cao Zhen submitted a petition requesting to attack Shu and to advance from Xiegu (now southwest of Mei County, Shaanxi Province)."

"Chen Qun submitted a petition to persuade the emperor that Cao Chuang had harvested local beans and wheat as military rations when he attacked Zhang Lu from Yangping Pass, and that Zhang Lu had run out of food before he was defeated;"

"We are now on a long expedition and will definitely be short of food. Moreover, the terrain of Xiegu is steep and difficult to advance or retreat, and it is even more difficult to transport food and grass. We should be cautious in sending troops."

"Cao Rui followed Chen Qun's advice, but Cao Zhen then submitted a petition requesting to attack Shu from Ziwu Road (today's south of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province). Chen Qun again listed the various disadvantages of sending troops and mentioned the issue of military expenditure."

"Cao Rui issued an edict to forward Chen Qun's proposal to Cao Zhen for review, but Cao Zhen used it as the basis for Cao Rui's approval and ordered the army to set out."

"The army was on a long expedition and it rained heavily for several days. Chen Qun proposed that an imperial decree should be issued to order Cao Zhen to withdraw, and Cao Rui obeyed."

"In February of the sixth year of Taihe (232 AD), Cao Rui's daughter Cao Shu died young. She was posthumously conferred an additional title and given the posthumous title of Princess Pingyuan Yi."

"Chen Qun again submitted a memorial to advise, arguing that the length of a person's life, life and death are all natural destiny. According to ancient etiquette, it is not appropriate to hold a funeral for a child under the age of eight who dies.

"Moreover, the princess died young, less than a year old. It is against ancient etiquette to bury her with great ceremony as an adult and have the ministers stand guard and mourn for her."

"Chen Qun also mentioned in his memorial that Cao Rui planned to move the palace and build another palace, which would be costly, waste people's money and labor, and would be detrimental to the stability of the country. Emperor Ming of Wei did not listen to his advice."

"During the Qinglong period, Cao Rui built palaces on a large scale, which delayed the people's farming."

"Chen Qun submitted a memorial to advise that the world was in chaos, the people were displaced, wars were frequent, and the soldiers were toiling, so it was not appropriate to increase the burden on the people;"

"Besides, Wu and Shu have not yet been eliminated, and the country is not yet stable. The most urgent task is to encourage farming and prepare for war, rather than waste people's money and resources."

"Cao Rui was unwilling to listen, so Chen Qun tried to persuade him again, and in the end Cao Rui reduced some of the palace construction work."

"In December of the fourth year of Qinglong (236 AD), Chen Qun died and was posthumously named Marquis Jing. His son Chen Tai inherited the title."

"Cao Rui, remembering Chen Qun's merits, divided a portion of Chen Qun's fiefdom and made another of his sons a marquis."

"In the fourth year of Zhengshi (243 AD), the imperial court issued an edict that Chen Qun and other deceased officials from the Cao Cao period could be sacrificed in the temple of Cao Cao, the Emperor Wu of Wei."

Su Shi: From a geographical point of view, Xuzhou is one of the nine states, and its geographical location is also very special. It is a place that military strategists must fight for.

The most fatal thing is that there are no barriers protecting Xuzhou on all sides, and it may be attacked from all sides at any time.

Judging from the situation at that time, there was Yuan Shu who was eyeing him covetously in the north, Cao Cao who was becoming increasingly powerful in the west, and Lu Bu with a weird personality behind him.

If Liu Bei took over Xuzhou with his current strength, he would definitely be attacked by Yuan Shu. Even if Yuan Shu did not take action, it would be hard to defend against a sneak attack from Lu Bu behind him.

Chen Qun analyzed the matter from multiple angles, and therefore suggested that Liu Bei should slowly accumulate strength and make plans when he was strong enough.

But Liu Bei refused to listen and took Xuzhou anyway.

There is no need to say much about what happened next. Liu Bei first confronted Yuan Shu, and was then ambushed by Lu Bu. In the end, not only did he lose Xuzhou, but his wife, children and Guan Yu were also scattered into Cao Cao's hands. It can be said that he was back to the time before liberation overnight.

When Chen Qun saw Liu Bei acting in this way, he became disheartened and went into hiding with his father.

Although Liu Bei regretted it deeply at this time, Chen Qun had already left him, and he could only blame himself for his bad luck, as he let such a talented person go.

Chen Qun was indeed a man who was good at judging the situation. When he realized Liu Bei's problem, he immediately withdrew and turned his attention to Cao Cao.

When Cao Cao conquered Xuzhou, Chen Qun, who was hiding in the city of Xuzhou, came with his father to pay homage.

Cao Cao knew that both of them were famous scholars, so he treated them with courtesy and entrusted them with important tasks. (End of this chapter)