Liu Xun ( 180s–190s),
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
Zitai, was a military general and minor warlord who lived during the late
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
of China.
Life
Liu Xun was from
Langya Commandery Langya Commandery ( zh, , ) was a commandery in historical China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day southeast Shandong and northeast Jiangsu.
The commandery was established in Qin dynasty on the former territories of Q ...
(), which is around present-day
Linyi,
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in His ...
. Sometime towards the end of the Zhongping era (184–189) of
Emperor Ling's reign, he served as the Chief () of Jianping County (建平縣; southwest of present-day
Xiayi County
Xiayi County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, Henan province, People's Republic of China, bordering Anhui province
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, pa ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is a ...
) in
Pei State (). During this time, he met and became an acquaintance of
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...
.
Liu Xun later served as a military general under the warlord
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...
. In 194, Yuan Shu ordered
Sun Ce
Sun Ce () () (175–200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when ...
, then serving under him, to lead troops to attack Lujiang Commandery (廬江郡; around present-day
Lu'an
Lu'an (), is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 4,393,699 inhabitants whom 1,752,537 liv ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze Riv ...
) and seize it from its Administrator (),
Lu Kang. Although Yuan Shu had promised Sun Ce earlier that he would appoint him as the new Administrator, he broke his promise and appointed Liu Xun as the Administrator after Sun Ce conquered the commandery for him.
In 197, Yuan Shu declared himself emperor – an act seen as treason against the figurehead
Emperor Xian of the Eastern Han dynasty – and soon
came under attack by various warlords such as
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...
,
Lü Bu
Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...
and even his former ally Sun Ce. After Yuan Shu's downfall and death in 199, his relative Yuan Yin () and other surviving members of the Yuan family fled to Wan (皖; or Wancheng 皖城; present-day
Qianshan County
Qianshan is a county-level city in the southwest of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China; it is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Anqing. It has a population of 570,000 and an area of . The government of Qianshan County ...
, Anhui) in Lujiang Commandery and took shelter under Liu Xun.
Around 199, Liu Xun had become a minor warlord in the
Huai River region with a sizeable army under his command. Sun Ce, who had
conquered territories in the
Jiangdong region after leaving Yuan Shu, planned to seize control of Lujiang Commandery from Liu Xun. He sent a messenger to meet Liu Xun and seek his assistance in attacking Shangliao (上繚; southeast of present-day
Xiushui County,
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
). As the messenger brought him gifts and spoke to him in a flattering tone, Liu Xun was so pleased that he readily agreed to help Sun Ce. However,
Liu Ye, then an adviser to Liu Xun, cautioned his lord against falling for Sun Ce's ruse. Liu Ye pointed out that Shangliao could not be conquered easily and warned Liu Xun that Sun Ce might take advantage of the situation to attack Lujiang Commandery. Liu Xun ignored Liu Ye's warning and led his troops to attack Shangliao. As Liu Ye foresaw, Sun Ce invaded and seized control of Lujiang Commandery while Liu Xun was away.
After losing Lujiang Commandery, Liu Xun, along with his younger brother and followers, went to join Cao Cao, who had become a warlord and now controlled the Han central government and the figurehead
Emperor Xian. Cao Cao recommended the central government to enfeoff Liu Xun as a marquis and appoint him as General Who Attacks Barbarians ().
As Liu Xun was an old acquaintance of Cao Cao, he thought highly of himself and behaved arrogantly. He broke the law on numerous occasions and defamed others. He was arrested and executed for his crimes after one Li Shencheng () reported to him to the authorities.
[(勳自恃與太祖有宿,日驕慢,數犯法,又誹謗。為李申成所白,收治,并免威官。) ''Weilue'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 12.]
Family
Liu Xun's first wife was Wang Song (). She was captured by Sun Ce's forces when they conquered Lujiang Commandery, but managed to return to her husband later. Although Wang Song had been married to Liu Xun for over 20 years, the couple did not have any children. Liu Xun started to favour his concubine, who was from a certain Sima family in
Shanyang Commandery (山陽郡; in present-day
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in His ...
), and had the intention of divorcing Wang Song and replacing her with his concubine. Wang Song then left Liu Xun. Later, she wrote two poems to describe her feelings (se
here.
Liu Xun had an elder brother who served as the Inspector () of
Yu Province around the time he joined Cao Cao. After Liu Xun's brother died of illness, his son Liu Wei () became the acting Inspector.
[(勳兄為豫州刺史,病亡。兄子威,又代從政。) ''Weilue'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 12.] Liu Wei was removed from office after his uncle Liu Xun was executed for his crimes.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
References
*
Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...
'' (''Sanguozhi'').
*
Ouyang, Xun (624). ''
Yiwen Leiju
The ''Yiwen Leiju'' is a Chinese ''leishu'' encyclopedia completed by Ouyang Xun in 624 under the Tang. Its other contributors included Linghu Defen and Chen Shuda.
It is divided into 47 sections and many subsections. It covers a vast number ...
''.
*
Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...
'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').
*
Xu, Ling (6th century). ''
New Songs from the Jade Terrace'' (''Yutai Xinyong'').
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Xun
2nd-century births
3rd-century deaths
Yuan Shu and associates
Officials under Cao Cao
Political office-holders in Anhui
Executed Han dynasty people