Liu Qi (died 209) was a Chinese military general and politician who lived during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. He was the elder son of

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () ( 151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

, the Governor of

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in early Chinese texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'', and ''Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of E ...

. He provided reinforcements and refuge for

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

when the latter was fleeing from

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

's forces after the

Battle of Changban The Battle of Changban was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in October 208 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place at Changban (長坂; south of present-day Duodao District, Jingmen, Hubei). Background ...

, and assisted Liu Bei and

Zhou Yu Zhou Yu (, ) (175–210), courtesy name Gongjin (), was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After Sun Ce died in the year 200, he continued serving under Sun Qua ...

in the following

Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in China that took place during the winter of AD 208–209. It was fought on the Yangtze River between the forces of warlords controlling different parts ...

Fraternal strife

Although Liu Qi was Liu Biao's firstborn son, his younger brother Liu Cong had better prospects of succeeding Liu Biao because he married the niece of Lady Cai, Liu Biao's second wife. The Cai family faction, whose members included

Cai Mao Cai Mao () (190-208), courtesy name Degui, was a military officer serving under the warlords Liu Biao and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Cai Mao came from the elite Cai family in Xiangyang, Nan Commandery (), the cap ...

and Zhang Yun (), had a powerful presence in Liu Biao's administration. As the Cai family faction gained influence, they increasingly pressured Liu Biao to designate Liu Cong as his heir to the governorship of Jing Province. When Liu Qi turned to

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

for advice on self-preservation, the latter refused to help him. It is recorded that Liu Qi tricked Zhuge Liang into climbing up a tower while visiting the garden. While they were chatting and feasting in the tower, Liu Qi secretly instructed his servants to remove the ladder. He then told Zhuge Liang, "Now, nothing goes up to Heaven and nothing goes down to Earth. Whatever you say will be heard by me only. Can't you say something now?" Zhuge Liang replied, "Sir, haven't you read that Shensheng was in danger because he remained in Jin while

Chong'er Duke Wen of Jin (697–628BC), personal name Ji Chong'er, was duke of the Jin state from 636 BC to 628 BC. He was exiled from Jin for approximately 20 years before finally assuming the throne and rapidly leading Jin to hegemony over the other ...

was safe because he was outside Jin?" Liu Qi understood what Zhuge Liang was alluding to, and secretly came up with an idea. Following the death of

Huang Zu Huang Zu (, ) (died between February and April 208) was a Chinese military general and politician during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He served as the Administrator of Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡; around present-day Xinzhou District, Wuhan, ...

after the Battle of Jiangxia in 208, Liu Qi volunteered to be the new Administrator of Jiangxia (present-day

Xinzhou District, Wuhan Xinzhou () is one of 13 urban District (China), districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province, China, covering part of the city's northeastern suburbs and situated on the northern (left) bank of the Yangtze ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

), about 250 km southeast of Jing Province's capital in

Xiangyang Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...

. Sources differ on whether Liu Qi requested this appointment to escape the fraternal conflict or if he was forced out of the capital by the Cai family faction. In any case, he seemed to have been tasked with leading a counterattack against the forces of the warlord

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

, who had seized control of Jiangxia Commandery following his victory over Huang Zu. Shortly after Liu Qi's move to Jiangxia Commandery, Liu Biao died suddenly in Xiangyang and Liu Cong succeeded him as the Governor of Jing Province. Liu Qi henceforth treated Liu Cong like an enemy, and may have attacked him had not it not been for the arrival of

's army. Cao Cao's army arrived from the north, not far from Xiangyang. Liu Qi fled south across the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

. Lacking the numbers and political support to wage war with Cao Cao, Liu Cong took the advice of 15 of his senior advisers and surrendered his governorship of Jing Province to Cao Cao. Not long after this,

, somewhat in dire straits after his disastrous defeat at the

, crossed the Han River into Jiangxia Commandery with some dozens of close associates and met up with Liu Qi. Liu Qi took his army and escorted Liu Bei back over the Han River to collect Liu Bei's forces that had scattered after the Battle of Changban.

Battle of Red Cliffs

Liu Qi is claimed to have commanded about 10,000 troops. While this may be an exaggeration, it is probable that his local forces were comparable in size to the reconstituted forces of Liu Bei, including

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

's fleet. The promise of 10,000 more men waiting to join up with his army may or may not have swayed

's decision to order the combined assault against Cao Cao's men. With what little historical information recorded about the Battle of Red Cliffs buried under centuries of accumulated legend, it is difficult to say to any degree what role Liu Qi's forces had in the battle, but with the combined forces of Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and Liu Qi facing an army much more numerous, his troops must have taken part in the battle, possibly under his direct command. After the victory over Cao Cao, Liu Qi was appointed Inspector of

, finally succeeding his father, albeit in an incomplete way. He died at Jiangxia within a few months of his appointment. After Liu Qi's death, Liu Bei took over his position at the considerably higher rank of Governor of Jing Province.Liu Bei's biography in the ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' claims that Liu Qi's supporters recommended Liu Bei for the position of governor (p. 879).

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Luo Guanzhong Luo Ben (c. 1330–1400, or c.1280–1360), better known by his courtesy name Guanzhong (Mandarin pronunciation: ), was a Chinese novelist who lived during the Ming dynasty. He is also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (). Luo Guanzhon ...

(14th century). ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Qi 2nd-century births 209 deaths Generals during the end of the Han dynasty Political office-holders in Hubei

Fraternal strife

Battle of Red Cliffs

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