Wang Lian

Wang Lian (died 223), He entered Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) sometime between 194 and 213 in the late Eastern Han dynasty, when warlord Liu Zhang was the Governor of Yi Province. He served as the Prefect of Zitong County under Liu Zhang during this time.

Between 212 and 214, the warlord Liu Bei engaged Liu Zhang in a war for control of Yi Province. When Liu Bei's forces attacked Zitong County, Wang Lian ordered his troops to hide behind the city walls and close the gates, and refused to surrender to Liu Bei. Liu Bei admired Wang Lian for his loyalty towards Liu Zhang, so he called off the attack on Zitong County.

In 214, He was later given additional appointments as the Administrator of Shu Commandery (蜀郡; centred around present-day Chengdu, Sichuan) and General of Revival while remaining in charge of the salt office. When Liao Li resented holding low office, one of the senior figures he criticized as unworthy, in comparison to himself, was Wang Lian.

Sometime between 223 and 224, when rebellions broke out in the Nanzhong region of southern Shu, Zhuge Liang wanted to personally lead the Shu army on a campaign to quell the revolts and pacify the region. Wang Lian strongly objected and said that Zhuge Liang, given his important status, should not undertake the risk of going into the dangerous and distant Nanzhong region. As Zhuge Liang was worried that none of the Shu generals was sufficiently competent for this task, he insisted on personally leading the campaign. However, Wang Lian's sincerity did make Zhuge Liang reconsider many times before he finalised his decision to go on the campaign in early 225. His objection to Zhuge Liang is the only time Wang Lian appears in the 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Wang Lian died not long later, probably around 223.