A Chinese Biographical Dictionary/Fêng I (馮異)
567 Fêng I 馮異 (T. 公孫). Died A.D. 34. A native of 父城 Fu-ch'êng in Anhui. He was holding that town for Wang Mang when Liu Hsiu passed with his army, and immediately threw open its gates and attached himself finally to the fortunes of the future Emperor. He served his new master with the greatest fidelity, providing him with food when provisions were absolutely unobtainable, and even gathering fuel for a fire to dry his clothes when drenched after a day's march in the rain. For his services in various campaigns he was loaded with honours; yet such was his modesty that when the other generals were discussing their deeds of arms around the camp fire, he would withdraw to solitude under some tall tree. Hence he gained the sobriquet of the 大樹將君 Big-tree Commander. In A.D. 25 Liu Hsiu mounted the throne as Emperor, and in the following year Fêng I was ennobled as Marquis. He was subsequently employed in various military enterprises. Among other achievements, he succeeded in putting down the rebellion of the Red Eyebrows (see Fan Ch'ung). Being summoned to Court, the Emperor introduced him to the other nobles and high officers as "the man who was once my book-keeper and carried firewood on his back for me." He died in camp, and was canonised as 節.