Wu Han (1st century BCE — June 18, 44 CE), courtesy name Ziyan, was a Chinese military general and politician during the Eastern Han dynasty who made great contributions to Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu)'s reestablishment of the Han dynasty and who is commonly regarded as Emperor Guangwu's best general, but who was also known for cruelty against civilians. He was also one of the 28 generals of Yuntai (ranked no. 2, behind Deng Yu).

Wu Han assisted Emperor Guangwu of Han in summoning troops from Youzhou, defeating various rebel forces such as the Tanxiang bandits and the Yexi mountain thieves. He successively eliminated separatist warlords including Zhu Wei [zh], Liu Yong, Dong Xian [zh], and Gongsun Shu, ultimately contributing to the unification of the empire.

In his early years, Wu Han came from a poor family and served as a village chief in his home county (Wan County, Nanyang Commandery, Jingzhou). After a guest committed a crime, he lost his household registration and fled with Peng Chong (彭寵) to Yuyang (漁陽, roughly modern Beijing). At that time, Peng Chong served in the army of Wang Yi, a subordinate of Wang Mang in Luoyang. Hearing that his younger brother had joined the Han forces and fearing punishment, Peng Chong escaped with Wu Han to Yuyang, where their father had once been a governor. There, they made a living trading horses, traveling between Yan and Ji, forging ties with local heroes.

In the first year of Gengshi [zh] (23 CE), an envoy of Emperor Gengshi, Han Hong, learned that Peng Chong and Wu Han were fellow townsmen and had received recommendations about Wu Han. Consequently, he appointed Peng Chong as Deputy General and acting Governor of Yuyang, and Wu Han as Magistrate of Anle.

Wu was strong in military tactics but not in overall strategies, and he often became the implementer of Emperor Guangwu's own excellent strategies. Wu was, to his credit, known for his hard work and lack of corruption. He also was a major advocate against pardons – a fact later cited by the great Shu Han statesman Zhuge Liang in refusing to grant pardons.

In the first year of Gengshi (23 CE), Emperor Gengshi dispatched acting Grand Marshal Liu Xiu to pacify Hebei. Meanwhile, Wang Lang falsely claimed to be a descendant of the Liu family and raised an army in Handan. Hearing that Liu Xiu was a respected elder, Wu Han persuaded Peng Chong to align with Liu Xiu. Peng Chong agreed, though his subordinates favored Wang Lang. At that moment, a scholar brought news exposing Wang Lang’s fabricated identity and the counties’ allegiance to Liu Xiu. Wu Han forged a proclamation from Liu Xiu denouncing Wang Lang as a pretender, convincing Peng Chong and his officials of its authenticity.

At the same time, the Governor of Shanggu, Geng Kuang [zh], also sought to join Liu Xiu and sent Kou Xun [zh] to ally with Peng Chong. Peng Chong mobilized 3,000 infantry and cavalry, appointing Wu Han as acting Chief Secretary alongside his fellow townsman Gai Yan [zh] and Wang Liang [zh] to march south, killing Wang Lang’s general Zhao Hong.

After Kou Xun [zh] returned, he joined forces with Shanggu Commandery’s general Jing Dan [zh], Kou Xun [zh], and Geng Yan to unite Shanggu’s forces with Yuyang’s. Leading Yuyang and Shanggu’s elite cavalry and infantry south, they defeated Wang Lang’s army, beheading 30,000 enemies and pacifying 22 counties, including Zhuo, Zhongshan, Julu, Qinghe, and Hejian. In the second year of Gengshi (24 CE), their forces merged with Liu Xiu’s at Guang’a, where Liu Xiu appointed Wu Han as Deputy General. After conquering Wang Lang’s Handan, Wu Han was enfeoffed as Marquis of Jianze.