Yang Fu ( 210s–230s), courtesy name Yishan, was a Chinese politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served as a regional official in Liang Province during the late Eastern Han dynasty. In the 210s, when the warlord Ma Chao rebelled against the Han central government, occupied Liang Province by force and murdered some of the provincial officials, Yang Fu and his colleagues pretended to submit to Ma Chao. Later, they plotted a revolt against him and succeeded in forcing him out of Liang Province. During the reign of the second Wei emperor Cao Rui, Yang Fu proposed to the emperor to scale down his extravagant construction projects but the emperor ignored him. Early life Yang Fu was from Ji County (冀縣; or Jicheng 冀城), Tianshui Commandery (), which is around present-day Gangu County, Gansu. He served as a minor official in the local commandery office in his youth. Once, when the military officers in his home commandery sought his opinion on who would win the battle of Guandu, he replied that "Lord Yuan (Yuan Shao) is lenient but indecisive, foxy but inconclusive; people won't be afraid of his might since he is indecisive, and he'll let opportunities slip by since he is inconclusive. Even he may be powerful now, he won't achieve anything great in the end. On the other hand, Lord Cao (Cao Cao) has ambition and vision, and he is able to make decisions without hesitation. His army is disciplined and strong, his officers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and are hardworking, so his forces will win." His prediction turned out to be accurate and he became famous throughout Liang Province for his foresight and brilliance. Later, Wei Kang, the Inspector of Liang Province, recruited him to be an Attendant Officer. Struggle for Liang Province In 211, a coalition of warlords from the west of Hangu Pass started a rebellion against the Han central government, which was under the control of the warlord Cao Cao. Cao Cao led his forces to fight the warlords at the Battle of Tong Pass and defeated them. Ma Chao, one of the leading warlords in the coalition, managed to escape to the territory of the Qiang and Hu tribes to recuperate. Cao Cao pressed on his attacks against the remnants of the coalition and pursued Ma Chao to Anding Commandery, but