Kuai Yue was an adviser to Liu Biao in Jing province at the end of the Eastern Han. Wikidata's Chinese label and the Chinese Wikipedia article title are both Kuai Yue, and the article gives his courtesy name as Yidu, so the heading stays the personal name. This entry records his death in 214 and his birthplace in the Xiangyang area.[1][2]
Early career
According to the Chinese Wikipedia article, Kuai Yue came from a leading family of Nan commandery in Jing province and had a good name while young. The general-in-chief He Jin heard that he was skilled at planning and made him a clerk of the eastern bureau. Kuai Yue urged He Jin to strike first and kill the eunuchs. He Jin hesitated, and Kuai Yue, expecting his ruin, asked to be sent out as magistrate of Ruyang. He Jin was indeed killed by the eunuchs, and Kuai Yue came through safely.[2]
Serving Liu Biao
In 190 Liu Biao took up his post as inspector of Jing province and called Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang and Cai Mao to Yicheng for advice. He worried that local bandit chiefs were running wild, that the people did not follow him, and that Yuan Shu was stirring in Nanyang. Kuai Liang advised ruling with benevolence, so that the people would come over of themselves. Kuai Yue disagreed. In troubled times, he said, a ruler needs stratagem; soldiers should be chosen for quality, not number; Yuan Shu was brave but lacked judgment and was not to be feared; and most bandit chiefs were greedy and cruel, so men could be sent to lure them with gain, after which the cruel ones could be killed and their followers taken in. Liu Biao could then hold Jiangling and guard Xiangyang, and the eight commanderies of Jing province would submit on the strength of a proclamation. Liu Biao praised the plan as worthy of Jiufan and adopted it. The article says Kuai Yue lured in fifty-five bandit leaders (another account says fifteen), who were killed and their men absorbed. Zhang Hu and Chen Sheng of Jiangxia still held Xiangyang, so Liu Biao sent Kuai Yue and Pang Ji to persuade them, and they agreed to surrender. Liu Biao thus gained broad control of Jing province and based himself at Xiangyang. For this Kuai Yue was made grand administrator of Zhangling and enfeoffed as Marquis of Fanting.[2]
Urging submission to Cao Cao
The article describes Kuai Yue and Cai Mao as the well-known pro-Cao party in Jing province. In 200, while Yuan Shao and Cao Cao faced each other at Guandu, he advised Liu Biao not to back Yuan Shao but to court Cao Cao. In 208 Sun Quan marched west and killed Huang Zu, which sharply weakened the anti-Cao side. That autumn Liu Biao died, and Kuai Yue and Cai Mao set up his younger son Liu Cong. When Cao Cao reached Xinye, Liu Cong at first meant to join Liu Qi and Liu Bei against him, but Kuai Yue, Fu Xun and others opposed this, and Liu Cong surrendered. Cao Cao wrote to Xun Yu that he was happy not because he had gained Jing province but because he had gained Yidu. After settling Jiangling, Cao Cao rewarded his supporters, and Kuai Yue was made superintendent of the imperial household, one of the nine ministers.[2]
Death
The article says that after surrendering to Cao Cao, Kuai Yue did little of note. In 214 he fell gravely ill and wrote to ask Cao Cao to look after his family. Cao Cao replied that he would not fail the trust.[2]
Assessment
The article quotes Liu Biao calling Kuai Yue's plans the plans of Jiufan, and quotes Fu Xuan's Fuzi, which calls him a descendant of Kuai Tong, deep and resourceful, a man of striking stature and bearing.[2]