生平

早年事績

潘濬二十歲時師事於宋忠，並受到建安七子之一的山陽人王粲賞識，因而知名，不到三十歲就被劉表任命為江夏太守黃祖從事。當時沙羨縣長貪污腐敗，被潘濬審查處死，全郡驚恐。後擔任湘鄉縣令，治理頗有名聲。

208年赤壁之戰後，劉備統治荊州，任命潘濬為治中從事。211年去入蜀後又將潘濬留下管理荊州事務。

潘濬與關羽不睦。建安二十四年（219年），孫權派軍襲殺關羽，佔荊州，將官全都歸附，潘濬卻稱疾不見。孫權親自登門拜訪，潘濬涕淚交橫，伏床不起，孫權以觀丁父、彭仲爽等俘虜出身的楚地先賢為例安慰潘濬，又派人以手巾幫他擦臉，潘濬才下地拜謝，並將荊州軍事部署詳細告訴孫權，被拜為輔軍中郎將，之後又升遷至奮威將軍，封常遷亭侯，奮武中郎將芮玄死後統領他的軍隊，屯夏口，之後主要與陸遜屯駐武昌，管理荊州事務。

小說《三國演義》中的描述，王甫說潘濬「多忌而好利，不可任用」，然而史書中潘濬在失荊州後稱病不見，並以敗軍之將為由而哭泣，這說明潘濬有知恥之心。

平定蠻夷

武陵從事樊伷企圖煽動五溪蠻夷將武陵獻給劉備，孫權詢問潘濬，潘濬認為派五千人就夠了，孫權問為何輕視他，潘濬回答：「樊伷頗能賣弄唇舌，實際上卻沒有辯論之才，先前曾為州中人士準備宴會，但是到了中午都還沒有東西吃，十幾個人就自行離開了，這就如同只看到侏儒的一部份，就可以得知全貌一樣。」孫權大笑，派遣潘濬統領五千人前往，果然斬殺平定樊伷。

孫權稱帝後，官拜少府，進封劉陽侯，隨後又擔任太常，黃龍三年（231年）二月，帶著呂岱、施績、呂據、鍾離牧等，率領五萬人平定五溪蠻夷的叛亂。潘濬治軍嚴明，斬殺、俘虜的敵軍數以萬計，是以五溪蠻夷衰弱，一方寧靜。當時驃騎將軍步騭屯漚口，請求招募諸郡以增加兵力。孫權問潘濬意見，潘濬說：「豪將在民間，耗亂為害，加上步騭有名有勢，是被身邊的人諂媚，因此不可同意。」於是孫權聽從潘濬的建議。

為官正直

孫權喜歡射雉，潘濬勸諫，孫權說：「上次與你相別後，就沒有像以前那麼常射雉了。」潘濬說：「天下未定，有很多事務要處理，射雉又不是什麼要緊事。弦和弓壞了都能造成傷害，請您為臣停止這種行為。」接著就親手將用雉雞羽毛做的車蓋弄壞，於是孫權就戒了射雉的喜好。

潘濬奉行法律而不畏他人議論，如中郎將豫章人徐宗雖然是名士，但放縱部下，不奉節度，於是潘濬殺了他。潘濬亦觀人於微，降臣隱蕃以辯才而令豪傑向他交好，潘濬之子潘翥也跟他結交，潘濬知道後，寫信痛罵兒子一頓，當時的人都覺得潘濬莫名其妙，直到隱蕃圖謀叛變被殺，眾人才信服。

235年，潘濬的表哥蔣琬升任蜀漢大將軍，有間諜謠傳潘濬派遣密使聯絡蔣琬，打算投奔蜀漢。武陵太守衛旌上表告訴孫權，孫權說：「承明不會做這種事。」並且免除衛旌官位。

孫權寵信校事呂壹，呂壹為人刻薄，用法嚴酷，又操弄權勢，潘濬與陸遜對於他的作為有所憂慮，說到傷心處還以淚洗面，感到不安恐懼。呂壹門客犯法，被建安太守鄭冑收押並且烤問至死，呂壹懷恨在心，誹謗鄭冑，孫權大怒，召回鄭冑，有賴潘濬、陳表請命才釋放。

236年，呂壹彈劾丞相顧雍和左將軍朱據，二人下獄。黃門侍郎謝厷問呂壹：「顧公的事如何？」呂壹回答：「情況不太可能好。」謝厷又問：「那麼顧公被免職，誰會代替他？」呂壹沒回答，謝厷說：「會不會是潘太常？」呂壹良久才說：「你說的很有可能。」謝厷說：「潘太常恨你切齒，只是路遠沒機會。他一旦接替顧公，恐怕明天就打擊你。」呂壹大為害怕，於是顧雍的事便不了了之。

潘濬請求朝見孫權想極力勸諫，聽說太子孫登早就說過多次不被接受，於是大宴請百官，打算宴殺呂壹，事跡敗露，呂壹藉病不去。潘濬每次見孫權力陳呂壹奸險，使呂壹受到的寵幸逐漸衰微，最後呂壹被誅。潘濬為人剛正不阿，重安縣長陳留人舒燮因罪下獄，孫權堂姪孫鄰勸解，潘濬才打消念頭。

赤烏二年（239年）潘濬逝世，兒子潘翥繼承爵位。

子女

• 潘翥，字文龍，潘濬之子，騎都尉，後代領兵。

• 潘祕，潘翥弟，官至尚書僕射，荊州大公平。娶孫權甥女陳氏。

• 潘氏，潘濬之女，嫁給建昌侯孫慮。

評價

陳壽：「潘濬公清割斷，陸凱忠壯質直，皆節概梗梗，有大丈夫格業。」（《三國志·卷六十一·吳書十六·潘濬陸凱傳第十六》）

步騭：「丞相顧雍、上大將軍陸遜、太常潘濬，憂深責重，志在謁誠，夙夜兢兢，寢食不寧，念欲安國利民，建久長之計，可謂心膂股肱，社稷之臣矣。宜各委任，不使他官監其所司，責其成效，課其負殿。此三臣者，思慮不到則已，豈敢專擅威福欺負所天乎？」（《三國志·卷六十一·吳書十六·潘濬陸凱傳第十六》）

陸機：「政事則顧雍、潘濬、呂範、呂岱以器任幹職。」（《辨亡論》）

楊戲：「古之奔臣，禮有來逼，怨興司官，不顧大德。靡自匡救，倍成奔北，自絕于人，作笑二國。」（《三國志·卷四十五·蜀書十五·鄧張宗楊傳第十五》）

蘇轍：「權克荊州，將吏悉降，而浚獨堅臥不屈，權輿致之，浚伏床而泣，悲不自勝，其于所事，何其厚也。既而樊伷欲以武陵自拔歸蜀，浚為權畫策，自將討平之，其于所厚，又何薄也。意者在君為君有，不得不然者乎？吾聞樂毅去燕適趙，趙欲與之伐燕，毅泣曰：『昔之事燕，猶今之事趙也。毅若獲戾，放于他國，終身不敢謀趙之徒隸，況其國乎。』使樂毅愚人也，則可樂，毅少知事君，則浚不得為無罪矣。」（《歷代名賢確論·卷五十七》）

蕭常：「濬逞憾于舒燮，岱濫刑于士民，魴譎詐以成功，牧矯激以取名，固不足道。然濬切齒奸人，岱傾心益友，而贊不以疾發而志于勳業，亦可尚也。」（《續後漢書》）

郝經：「潘濬方嚴疾惡，義形于色，梗梗有大節，有吳之棟石也。」（《續後漢書》）

胡三省：「郝普、麋芳、傅士仁之在吳，未有所聞也，而潘濬所以自見者，與陸遜、諸葛瑾班，識者當于此而觀人。」（《資治通鑑·卷第六十八·漢紀六十》）

Early life and career

Pan Jun was born in Hanshou County, Wuling Commandery (武陵郡), which is located northeast of present-day Changde, Hunan, towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty. After he reached adulthood around the age of 20, he studied under the tutelage of the scholar Song Zhong (宋忠; also known as Song Zhongzi 宋仲子). He was known for being intelligent, observant, and capable of providing well-thought and well-reasoned responses to questions. Wang Can, one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an", once said that Pan Jun was an extraordinary talent. After receiving such high praise from a famous intellectual like Wang Can, Pan Jun became more well known in his home commandery. The Administrator of Wuling Commandery appointed him as an Officer of Merit (功曹) to serve in the commandery office.

Before Pan Jun reached the age of 29, Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), recruited him to serve as an Assistant Officer in Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡; around present-day Xinzhou District, Wuhan, Hubei). At the time, the Chief of Shaxian County (沙羨縣; around present-day Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei), which was under Jiangxia Commandery, was notorious for his corruption. Pan Jun conducted an investigation, found him guilty of corruption, and had him executed according to the law. His actions stunned everyone in Jiangxia Commandery. Pan Jun was later reassigned to Xiangxiang County to serve as the county's Prefect (令). He gained a reputation for good governance during his tenure.

Service under Liu Bei

Around late 209, when the warlord Liu Bei became the Governor of Jing Province, he appointed Pan Jun to serve as an Assistant Officer in the Headquarters Office. Between 212 and 214, when Liu Bei was away on a campaign to seize control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from its governor Liu Zhang, he left Pan Jun behind to assist his general Guan Yu in guarding his territories in Jing Province and overseeing daily affairs.

Between November 219 and February 220, Liu Bei's ally Sun Quan broke the Sun–Liu alliance and ordered his general Lü Meng to lead a stealth invasion of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province while Guan Yu was away at the Battle of Fancheng. After failing to take Fancheng, Guan Yu returned to Jing Province only to find out that Lü Meng had conquered his key bases in Gong'an County and Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei). While attempting to retreat to Yi Province to join Liu Bei, Guan Yu was captured in an ambush and executed by Sun Quan's forces.

Service under Sun Quan

Joining Sun Quan

After Sun Quan conquered Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province, most of the officials there agreed to surrender and serve under him. Pan Jun, however, claimed that he was ill, stayed at home and refused to get out of bed. Sun Quan then sent his servants to Pan Jun's residence and carry his bed over with him lying on it. As Pan Jun lay face down, crying and sobbing in a disconsolate manner, Sun Quan comforted him and told him: "Chengming, in the past, Guan Dingfu was a captive from Ruo, yet King Wu appointed him as a military commander; Peng Zhongshuang was a captive from Shen, yet King Wen appointed him as prime minister. Although these two famous men were initially captives from other states, the kings of Chu still employed them and gave them the opportunity to leave their names in history as great statesmen of Chu. Are you not willing to surrender and join me because you think I am not as magnanimous as these kings of ancient times?"

Sun Quan then ordered his servants to use a piece of cloth to wipe away the tears from Pan Jun's face. Pan Jun got out of bed, knelt down and agreed to surrender and serve under Sun Quan. Sun Quan then appointed him as an Attendant Official at Headquarters (治中) and often consulted him on affairs related to Jing Province. Some time later, Sun Quan commissioned Pan Jun as General of the Household Who Assists the Army and put him in command of troops.

Quelling a rebellion in Wuling Commandery

In early 220, Fan Zhou (樊伷), a former official in Wuling Commandery (武陵郡; around present-day Changde, Hunan), which used to be under Liu Bei's control, incited the indigenous tribes in Wuling to rebel against Sun Quan. When Sun Quan's other subjects said that they needed at least 10,000 troops to suppress the rebellion, Sun Quan rejected their idea and asked Pan Jun for his opinion. When Pan Jun said that 5,000 troops would suffice, Sun Quan asked him, "What makes you so confident?" Pan Jun replied: "Fan Zhou is from an old clan in Nanyang Commandery. Although he has a way with words, he doesn't have the talents of an orator. I know this because Fan Zhou once said that he would prepare a day-long feast for the folks in the commandery, but the food never showed up by midday so about ten people got up and left. This is like seeing through a dwarf's lies about his true height." Sun Quan laughed and accepted Pan Jun's suggestion. Pan Jun led 5,000 troops to deal with Fan Zhou and succeeded in eliminating him and quelling the rebellion.

As a reward for his success, Pan Jun was promoted to General of Vehement Might and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Changqian Village (常遷亭侯). When Rui Xuan (芮玄) died, Pan Jun took over command of his troops and moved to the garrison at Xiakou (夏口; in present-day Wuhan, Hubei).

As Minister Steward and Minister of Ceremonies

In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor of the state of Eastern Wu (or simply Wu), he appointed Pan Jun as Minister Steward (少府) and elevated him from the status of a village marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Liuyang".

Pan Jun was soon promoted to Minister of Ceremonies (太常) and stationed in Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei). Around March or April 231, the indigenous tribes living in Wuxi (五谿; literally "five streams"; referring to an area around present-day Huaihua, Hunan) rebelled against Wu rule, Sun Quan granted Pan Jun acting imperial authority and ordered him to supervise the general Lü Dai as he led 50,000 troops to pacify the rebellion. During this time, Pan Jun ensured that promises were kept, and rewards and punishments were given out fairly. By December 234, the rebellion ended with over 10,000 rebels killed or taken captive. The indigenous tribes also became so drastically weakened that they could not rebel again in a long time.

At the end of the four-year-long campaign, around December 234 or January 235, Pan Jun returned to Wuchang, where he was previously stationed. When he was in Wuchang, he and the Wu general Lu Xun were in charge of civil and military affairs in Jing Province.

Attempting to assassinate Lü Yi

Sometime the 230s, Sun Quan appointed Lü Yi as the supervisor of the bureau in charge of auditing and reviewing the work of all officials throughout Wu. The bureau essentially functioned like a modern secret service and served as a precursor to the censorate of later Chinese dynasties. Lü Yi freely abused his powers by falsely accusing many officials of serious offences, resulting in some of them being wrongfully arrested, imprisoned and tortured. His victims included the Imperial Chancellor Gu Yong and the general Zhu Ju.

Lü Yi initially wanted to make a case against Gu Yong for incompetence and ask Sun Quan to remove him from office. However, after an official Xie Gong reminded him that Pan Jun, the Minister of Ceremonies, would most likely succeed Gu Yong as Imperial Chancellor, Lü Yi immediately dropped the case against Gu Yong. This was because he knew that Pan Jun resented him and would take action against him if he became Imperial Chancellor.

Pan Jun managed to seek permission from Sun Quan to leave his post at Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei) and return to the Wu imperial capital, Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Although he wanted to speak up about Lü Yi's abuses of power, he decided to take matters into his own hands after seeing that Sun Quan paid no attention to the crown prince Sun Deng, who had already voiced concerns to his father about Lü Yi on numerous occasions. He pretended to host a banquet, invited all his colleagues to attend, and hoped to use the opportunity to assassinate Lü Yi, whom he regarded as a threat to the Eastern Wu state. Lü Yi caught wind of Pan Jun's plan, so he lied that he was ill and did not show up.

Despite his failure to assassinate Lü Yi, Pan Jun did not stop speaking up about Lü Yi's wicked deeds every time he had an opportunity to meet Sun Quan. Over time, Lü Yi fell out of Sun Quan's trust and favour, and his abuses of power eventually came to light in 238. Sun Quan removed him from office, ordered Gu Yong to thoroughly investigate his crimes, and had him executed. After the Lü Yi scandal was over, Sun Quan sent an apology to all his senior officials for not heeding their advice and urging them to point out his mistakes.

Death

Pan Jun died in 239. His son, Pan Zhu (潘翥), inherited his peerage and became the next Marquis of Liuyang.

Family

Pan Jun's daughter married Sun Quan's second son, Sun Lü, the Marquis of Jianchang.

Pan Jun had two sons: Pan Zhu (潘翥) and Pan Mi (潘祕). The elder son, Pan Zhu, had the courtesy name Wenlong (文龍). He was commissioned as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉) and held command of troops but died early. The younger son, Pan Mi, married a half-sister of Sun Quan and served as the Prefect of Xiangxiang County. There was one Xi Wen (習溫) from Xiangyang who served as the Grand Rectifier (大公平; a.k.a. 大中正) of Jing Province. Pan Mi once visited Xi Wen and asked him: "My late father once said that you would become the Grand Rectifier of this province. His prediction came true. Who do you think will succeed you?" Xi Wen replied: "None other than you." Pan Mi later rose to the position of Supervisor of the Masters of Writing (尚書僕射) and eventually succeeded Xi Wen as the Grand Rectifier of Jing Province.

Anecdotes

Dissuading Sun Quan from hunting pheasants

Sun Quan was fond of hunting pheasants but Pan Jun advised him against it. Sun Quan asked him: "Why is it that after the last time we parted ways, you no longer enjoy hunting pheasants now as much as you did?" Pan Jun replied: "The Empire has yet to be pacified. There are so many things to do. Pheasant hunting is not something urgent. However, if bows and bowstrings get damaged during hunting, that will become a big problem (because we need bows to be functional in wartime). I hope that Your Majesty will stop hunting pheasants for the sake of your subjects." He then destroyed his own parasol, which was made from pheasant feathers. Sun Quan then stopped and never went pheasant hunting again.

Advising Sun Quan to deny Bu Zhi permission to recruit soldiers

Between 226 and 230, when the Wu general Bu Zhi was stationed at Oukou (漚口; in present-day Changsha, Hunan), he wrote to Sun Quan to seek permission to recruit men from the various commanderies in southern Jing Province to serve in the Wu army. When Sun Quan sought Pan Jun's opinion on this issue, the latter said: "When overbearing generals are given access to the common people, they will cause harm and chaos to them. Bu Zhi's fame comes from the flattery and exaggeration by people around him. Your Majesty shouldn't approve his request." Sun Quan heeded Pan Jun's advice.

Executing Xu Zong for lawless behaviour

There was one Xu Zong (徐宗) from Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi) who served as a general under Sun Quan. Xu Zong was a friend of Kong Rong and was well known among the literati. When he visited Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu, the Wu imperial capital, he allowed his subordinates to behave lawlessly and do as they please. Pan Jun, who was known for strictly upholding the law without worrying about how others would see him, ordered Xu Zong to be arrested and executed for breaking the law.

Stopping his son from associating with Yin Fan

Yin Fan (隱蕃), an official who used to serve Wu's rival state Wei before defecting to Wu, was well-acquainted with many Wu officials because he was a good speaker. Pan Jun's son, Pan Zhu (潘翥), befriended him and even sent him gifts.

When Pan Jun found out, he was so furious that he wrote a letter to his son as follows: "I have received grace from the State, therefore I should make it my mission to do my best to serve the State. When a young man like you comes to the Imperial Capital, you should behave in a respectful and humble manner, and seek to build ties with people who are known for their virtues and wisdom. Why do you choose to associate yourself with a defector from our rival state and even send him gifts? I may be far away from the Imperial Capital now, but I was very shocked, angry and worried when I heard about what you did. After you read this letter, I want you to ask the authorities to flog you 100 times as a punishment, and I want you to take back the gifts from Yin Fan."

At the time, many people felt surprised by Pan Jun's response and thought that he was too harsh with his son. However, after Yin Fan was executed for rebelling against Wu later, everyone became convinced that Pan Jun was right to stop his son from associating with Yin Fan.

Alleged secret dealings with Jiang Wan

An uncle of Pan Jun married a sister of Jiang Wan, a senior official of Wu's ally state Shu. In March or April 231, Wei Jing (衞旌), the Wu-appointed Administrator of Wuling Commandery (武陵郡; around present-day Changde, Hunan), reported to Sun Quan that Pan Jun had been secretly making contact with Jiang Wan with the intention of defecting to Shu. After reading Wei Jing's report, Sun Quan remarked, "Chengming won't do this." He then sealed Wei Jing's report and showed it to Pan Jun. At the same time, he removed Wei Jing from office and recalled him to Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu), the Wu imperial capital.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Pan Jun appears as a minor character in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel, Guan Yu leaves Pan Jun behind to guard Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province while he is away at the Battle of Fancheng. Before he left, Wang Fu tries to dissuade him from putting Pan Jun in charge, saying that Pan Jun is a selfish and jealous person. He recommends the frontline supply officer Zhao Lei, saying that Zhao Lei is loyal and honest and they will have nothing to worry about if Zhao Lei is in charge. Guan Yu, however, says that he knows Pan Jun's character well and refuses to replace Pan Jun with Zhao Lei since it is too troublesome to change their assignments. He also tells Wang Fu that he is overly suspicious.