Wu Can Wu Can ( died 245 ) , Kongxiu , was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period . Early life and service under Sun Ce . Wu Can was from Wucheng county ( 烏程縣 ) , Wu ( 吳郡 ) , which is part of present - day Huzhou , Zhejiang . He was born sometime in the late Eastern Han Dynasty . When he was still a child , a woman saw him and told his mother , " Your son will become a high - ranking government official in the future . " Around the 190s CE , Wu Can served as a minor officer under Sun He ( 孫河 ) , the Chief ( 長 ) of Qu ' e county ( 曲阿縣 ) and a relative of the warlord Sun Ce , who controlled Wu commandery and many territories in the Jiangdong region ( southeastern China ) . Sun He felt that Wu Can was an extraordinary person . When Sun He was elevated to the status of a general and was allowed to set up his own office , he appointed Wu Can as the Assistant ( 丞 ) of Qu ' e county and promoted the latter to a " Chief Clerk " ( 長史 ) later . Although he was of humble origin , Wu Can became known for being very competent in his duties and his fame was on par with other officials who were also from Wu commandery , such as Lu Xun and Bu Jing ( 卜靜 ) . Sun Ce died in 200 CE and was succeeded by his younger brother , Sun Quan , who maintained control over the Jiangdong lands . Service under Sun Quan . In 209 , after Sun Quan received the nominal appointment of " General of Chariots and Cavalry " ( 車騎將軍 ) from the Han imperial court , he named Wu Can as his Registrar ( 主簿 ) . Wu Can was later given greater responsibilities , serving as the " Prefect of Shanyin " ( 山陰令 ) and as a " Colonel Who Advises the Army " ( 參軍校尉 ) . Battle of Dongkou . In 222 , Wu Can participated in the Battle of Dongkou against Eastern Wu ' s rival state , Cao Wei . He accompanied the Wu generals Lü Fan , He Qi and others to resist the Wei forces commanded by Cao Xiu . There was stormy weather at the time so the Wu ships became separated from each other when the connecting ropes broke . Some of the ships drifted towards the Wei base and ended up being captured by the enemy while others capsized and threw their sailors overboard . Wu Can and another officer , Huang Yuan ( 黃淵 ) , were on one of the larger ships which managed to prevail in the storm . The sailors on the ship refused to allow the survivors in the water on board because they feared that their ship would sink due to overloading , so they brandished their weapons at the survivors who were attempting to climb on board . However , Wu Can and Huang Yuan gave orders to their men to save as many survivors as possible . When the men were reluctant to follow orders due to fear of overloading , Wu Can said , " If the ship sinks , we ' ll all die together ! We shouldn ' t abandon those who are in need of help . " Through their efforts , Wu Can and Huang Yuan succeeded in rescuing more than 100 survivors . Later career . After the Battle of Dongkou , Wu Can was appointed as the Administrator ( 太守 ) of Kuaiji commandery ( 會稽郡 ) . He wanted to recruit a reclusive hermit called Xie Tan ( 謝譚 ) to serve in the Wu government but Xie refused , claiming that he was ill . Wu Can remarked , " The Dragon displays its divine power through its movements ; the Phoenix proves its worth through its cries . Why should one remain hidden in the far reaches of the sky or remain submerged in the depths of the sea ? " In 229 , Sun Quan declared himself ' Emperor ' and officially established the state of Eastern Wu . Throughout the remaining years of his career , Wu Can held the following offices consecutively : " General of the Household of Illustrious Righteousness " ( 昭義中郎將 ) , " Colonel of a Cavalry Garrison " ( 屯騎校尉 ) , " Minister Steward " ( 少府 ) and " Crown Prince ' s Tutor " ( 太子太傅 ) . He also joined the Wu general Lü Dai in attacking Shanyue rebel forces . Downfall and death . In the 240s , a power struggle broke out between Sun Quan ' s sons Sun He ( the Crown Prince ) and Sun Ba ( the Prince of Lu ) , with both of them fighting for the succession to their father ' s throne . Wu Can sided with and spoke up for Sun He , whom he regarded as the legitimate heir apparent . He attempted to persuade Sun Quan to have Sun Ba relocated away from the capital Jianye ( 建業 ; present - day Nanjing , Jiangsu ) to Xiakou ( 夏口 ; in present - day Wuhan , Hubei ) and have Yang Zhu ( 楊笁 ; a minister who supported Sun Ba ) moved out of Jianye . Wu Can also maintained close contact with the senior general Lu Xun , who was stationed in Wuchang ( 武昌 ; present - day Ezhou , Hubei ) . Both Wu Can and Lu Xun vehemently objected to Sun Quan ' s idea of deposing Sun He and replacing him with Sun Ba , and constantly wrote memorials to Sun Quan to dissuade him from doing so . After being slandered by Sun Ba and his supporters , Wu Can lost his official post , was thrown into prison and subsequently executed .