生平

庾翼风仪秀伟，少有经纶大略。咸和二年（327年），苏峻之乱爆发，庾翼被庾亮指派白衣领数百人守备石头城。但于次年苏峻进攻建康时庾亮抵抗失败，于是庾翼与庾怿和庾条随庾亮逃到寻阳投靠温峤。

乱事平定后，受太尉府辟命，转参军，后迁任从事中郎。庾翼及后先任振威将军、鄱阳太守，后转建威将军、西阳太守，任内安抚百姓，很得百姓欢心。咸康五年（339年），庾亮打算北伐，庾翼加辅国将军，转任南蛮校尉，假节领南郡太守，镇守江陵。但于同年，后赵天王石虎因庾亮的军事部署而派兵南侵，重镇邾城被后赵军攻陷，更围困石城。庾翼此时屡设奇兵，偷偷将粮食军需送入石城支援城内。及后竟陵太守李阳拒击后赵军，为石城解围。庾翼因协助石城固守不失而封都亭侯。

次年，庾亮逝世，庾翼获授都督江荆司雍梁益六州诸军事，安西将军、荆州刺史，假节，接替庾亮镇守武昌。庾翼接手重任后努力不懈，令军纪和地方管治都严明，数年就令官府和人民都财资充实，人们都称许其才干。而且归心者不独东晋臣民，连后赵黄河以南领地的人民都有归附之心，建元元年（343年 ），后赵汝南太守戴开更率数千人请降。当时庾翼亦有北伐的大志，以平灭成汉和后赵为己任。更派使者联结前燕和前凉预备一起出兵。同时，庾翼打算举兵北伐，并想移镇襄阳，但怕朝廷不许，于是在上表称移镇安陆。但康帝和朝中大臣多派人阻止，庾翼都不听。庾翼违诏北行到夏口后再度上表，求镇襄阳。朝廷最终加庾翼都督征讨诸军事，后更进庾翼为征西将军，领南蛮校尉。

建元二年（344年），康帝和兄长庾冰先后逝世，庾翼回镇夏口并接管庾冰的部众。不久朝廷下诏庾翼再督江州并加领豫州刺史，庾翼于是修缮兵器军备，积存粮食，准备之后举兵北伐。后又派益州刺史周抚和西阳太守曹据讨伐成汉，在江阳击败成汉将领李桓。

庾翼在永和元年（345年）患上背疽，病重时表次子庾爰之行辅国将军、荆州刺史，代替自己的职位；又表司马朱焘为南蛮校尉，以一千人守巴陵。七月庚午（8月16日），庾翼逝世，虚岁四十一。朝廷追赠车骑将军，谥号肃侯。

家庭

夫人

• 刘静女，高平县刘绥之女

子女

• 庾方之，长子。桓宣死后任义城太守，统领桓宣部众。后被桓温以刘惔领义城太守取代。

• 庾爰之，字仲真，小字园客，次子。有父风，后被桓温所废。

• 庾女淑，嫁散骑侍郎陈郡谢攸

• 庾氏，嫁中书侍郎陈郡袁邵

Life

Su Juns rebellion

Yu Yi was described as handsome and full of tact in his youth. He first appeared in history during Su Jun's rebellion in early 328, when Su was encroaching Yi's brother Yu Liang in Jiankang. Liang sent Yi to Shitou where he was tasked in defending the city from the rebel forces. It was said that Yi fought the rebels bravely, but after Jiankang fell, he had to flee with his brother to Xunyang. After the rebellion was put down in 329, Yu Yi was awarded Marquis of Duting and served as an Army Advisor and Attendant Officer of the Palace Gentlemen. He later became General Who Establishes Might and Prefect of Xiyang. During his tenure, he managed to calm the people which garnered him their appreciation.

Succeeding Yu Liang

In 339, as a part of Yu Liang's plans to lead a northern expedition against Later Zhao, Yi was made Colonel of Southern Man Tribes and acting Administrator of Nan commandery, and was based at Jiangling. The campaign never took off however, as Zhao detected his preparations and sent Kui An to defeat Yu Liang. Yu Liang cancelled the expedition after Zhao had done the damage, and he later died in disgrace on the first month of 340. Yu Yi succeeded to his brother's offices and held command over Jiangzhou, Jizhou, Sizhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, and Yizhou. Many were skeptical of Yu Yi's capability as he was still young to hold that much responsibility. He proved his critics wrong as Yi governed his provinces with strictness and dedication, allowing them to prosper in only a few years. With Yi commanding the borders and his brother, Yu Bing controlling state affairs, the brothers continued their family's authority over the state.

In 342, Yu Yi tried to get the court to move his base from Wuchang to Lexiang (乐乡; northeast of present-day Songzi, Hubei), claiming that he had been witnessing some bizarre sightings near his base. One minister, Wang Shu (王述), protested to the court that Lexiang is too far away from the northern borders and that Yu Yi, being a prominent commander should be responsible in holding a strategic hold such as Wuchang. The court agreed with Wang, so Yi retracted his demands.

Yu Yi was generous to many and loved to help them elevate their statuses, although he despised those who were outwardly pretentious. He once made a pact of friendship with a certain Huan Wen. He would constantly recommend him to the emperor, selling Huan Wen as a hero and that he should be given high positions. However, he disliked the likes of Yin Hao and Du Yi (杜乂), who believed that they only have their use during time of peace. Yu Yi did try to employ Yin Hao a number of times, however, but Yin refused to accept his offers. Yu Yi also disliked Yin Hao's father, Yin Xian (殷羡), who was the Chancellor of Changsha, due to his corruption and cruelty. In 343, he wrote a letter to Yu Bing demanding that he demote him.

Northern expedition (343-344)

Yu Yi always had an ambition to conquer the region of Shu so that he could launch a northern expedition. He sent messengers to Murong Huang and Former Liang to coordinate their moves in Yi's grand strategy. Many of the court officials believed this to be impossible, and only Yu Bing, Huan Wen and Sima Wuji (司马无忌) agreed with Yu Yi's plans. Opportunity came for Yu Yi in autumn when Zhao's Administrator of Runan, Dai Kai (戴开) defected to Jin with thousands of families under him. An imperial edict was published discussing retaking the Central Plains. Yu Yi petitioned that the veteran general Huan Xuan be made commander in Sizhou, Liangzhou, Yongzhou and four commanderies in Jingzhou before ordering him to rendezvous with Dai Kai. Yu Yi made Huan Wen his Subcommander, and he mobilized soldiers and transportation within his provinces, although this greatly upset the general populace.

Yu Yi wanted to move to Xiangyang, but fearing that the court would not allow it, he sent a petition asking to move his base to Anlu instead. The court told him to stop his advances, but Yu Yi continued on to Xiakou. He attempted to ask the court to move him to Xiangyang from there, and the court permitted it. Yu Yi became Commander of the expeditionary force. However, the expedition only saw its first and only encounter in 344. When 500 cavalries marched out of Fancheng, Yu Yi sent his Champion General Cao Ju (曹据) to pursue them. Cao killed their commander and seized their horses.

Meanwhile, many of the Han Chinese fled to Yu Yi from the north, and Yi treated them kindly while recruiting talented ones under his ranks. He then sent Huan Xuan to attack the Zhao general Li Pi (李罴) at Danshui. Xuan was defeated, and Yu Yi had him demoted. Xuan died of shame shortly after, so Yu Yi had his son, Yu Fangzhi to take his place. He later made his Marshal Ying Dan (应诞) as Administrator of Xiangyang and his Army Advisor Sima Xun as Inspector of Liangzhou.

Decline of the Yu clan

The defeat of Yi's expedition was only the first of the major setbacks that struck the Yu clan in 344. Emperor Kang, who was related to Yu Yi as a nephew, fell deathly ill that year. Thus, Yu Yi and Yu Bing were both pushing for another nephew to the throne, this time Sima Yu. However, the Jin minister He Chong advocated for the emperor's child, Sima Dan, and the emperor chose to listen to Chong. Yi and Bing were left disgusted by He Chong's interference as Emperor Kang's son, Sima Dan ascended the throne as Emperor Mu following Kang's death.

Later that year, Yu Bing would also pass away. He left for Xiakou where he was made Commander of Jiangzhou. He was supposed to be acting Inspector of Yuzhou as well, but he personally turned that down. Furthermore, he made another attempt demanding that he be positioned at Lexiang, but the court once again denied him. He thus went back to training and preparing his army for a future campaign on the barbarian states.

In 345, Yu Yi was suffering from an ulcer on his back. He was unable to perform his tasks, so he entrusted them to Yu Yuanzhi and his marshal Zhu Dao (朱焘). He passed away on August 16, and was posthumously named as Marquis Su of Duting. After his death, there was a revolt among his staff led by Gan Zan (干瓒) who killed Cao Ju, but he was put down by the likes of Zhu Dao, Mao Muzhi, Yuan Zhen and Jiang Bin (江虨). His son, Yuanzhi was supposed to succeed him in his positions in Jingzhou, but He Chong convinced the court to send in Huan Wen to take his place. Yuanzhi gave up without a fight, surrendering his positions to Huan Wen. He and his brother Yu Fangzhi were exiled to Yuzhang (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi).

Although the Yu clan had lost most of its power through this event, the clan remained relevant, even having one of its members, Yu Daolian, the daughter of Yu Bing, to marry Emperor Fei of Jin. However, when Huan Wen took over the government in 371, he was wary of the Yu clan and had the family exterminated for being a potential threat.

Works

Yu Yi was famous for being a calligrapher, so much so that his fame equalled to that of his contemporary, Wang Xizhi. Yi excelled at the "chancery script (隶书)" and "grass script (草书)". Two of his works survive today as copies, the first being the "Buzheng tie (步征贴)" and "Shengshi tie (盛事贴)". Apart from calligraphy, he was also a good writer, and has made at least 22 volumes of essays during his lifetime according to the "Quan Jinwen (全晋文)".