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 Theobald ...
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period of China.
Life
Li Sheng was from
Nanyang Commandery
Nanyang Commandery ( zh, 南陽郡) was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was centered in present-day Nanyang, Henan.
History
Nanyang Commandery was established by Qin in the 35th year of King Zh ...
(), which is around present-day
Nanyang, Henan
Nanyang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Henan province, China. The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the n ...
. His father, Li Xiu (), was formerly a subordinate of the warlord Zhang Lu. After the
Battle of Yangping
The Battle of Yangping, also known as the Battle of Yangping Pass, was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Zhang Lu from roughly April 215 to January 216 during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle concluded with a victory fo ...
in 215, Li Xiu switched allegiance to the warlord
Cao Cao
Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period.
In his younger days, Li Sheng met and befriended
Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially held ...
. Along with other "celebrities" (e.g., sons of famous officials), he engaged in superficial and fame-seeking behaviour to earn themselves praise from other officials and citizens in the imperial capital,
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
. The Wei emperor
Cao Rui
Cao Rui () (204 or 206 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarr ...
( 226–239) felt disgusted when he heard about it and wanted to get rid of such unhealthy and corrupt practices, so he ordered an investigation. Someone reported Li Sheng as one of those involved, resulting in Li Sheng's arrest and imprisonment. However, with help from his wide network of connections, he managed to get himself released after spending a few years behind bars.
In 239, Cao Rui died and was succeeded by his adopted son,
Cao Fang
Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...
, who became the new Wei emperor. As Cao Fang was still young then, Cao Shuang ruled on his behalf as a regent. Cao Shuang appointed Li Sheng as the Prefect of Luoyang. In 244, he was reassigned to be a Chief Clerk () under his friend
Xiahou Xuan
Xiahou Xuan (209 – March 254), courtesy name Taichu, was a Chinese essayist, historian, military general, philosopher, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Family background
Xiahou Xuan was the so ...
, who then held the position of General Who Attacks the West (). In the same year, Li Sheng and
Deng Yang
Deng Yang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Xuanmao, was an official of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Deng Yang was a descendant of Deng Yu, an official who lived in the early Eastern Han dynasty. He was f ...
advised Cao Shuang to launch a military campaign against Wei's rival state, Shu, to boost his fame and authority in Wei. Cao Shuang's co-regent,
Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
, strongly objected but Cao Shuang ignored him and went ahead. The Wei forces were subsequently defeated at the
Battle of Xingshi
The Battle of Xingshi was fought between the states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in 244 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. The location was at Mount Xingshi (), which is situated north of present-day Yang County, Shaanxi, and is now part of t ...
against Shu forces and suffered heavy casualties.
Between 244 and 248, Li Sheng first served as the Administrator () of Xingyang Commandery () and later as the Intendant of Henan (); these two positions put him in charge of the
commandery
In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
where the imperial capital,
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
, was located in. He governed his jurisdictions well during his tenure.
In 248, Li Sheng was appointed as the Inspector () of
Jing Province
Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''.
Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of Empe ...
(covering present-day
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
and
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
). Before leaving Luoyang to assume his new office, he visited
Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
, who had been staying at home after claiming that he was too ill to serve in the imperial court. Sima Yi knew that Cao Shuang had sent Li Sheng to check on him, so he pretended to be so ill that he was bedridden and could not consume porridge without soiling his clothes. When Li Sheng told him that he was going to Jing Province, Sima Yi pretended to mishear it as "
Bing Province
Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (c. 2200 BC-2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Tr ...
" at least twice. When Li Sheng returned to Cao Shuang, he reported that Sima Yi was already so feeble and frail that he might die soon. Cao Shuang, thinking that Sima Yi no longer posed a threat to him, lowered his guard.
In 249, while Cao Shuang and the emperor
Cao Fang
Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...
were away at the Gaoping Tombs, Sima Yi seized the opportunity to stage a ''coup d'état'' in Luoyang and take control of the imperial capital's armed forces. He promised Cao Shuang that he would spare him and his family if he surrendered. Cao Shuang believed and relinquished all his powers as regent, thus leaving Sima Yi solely in control of the Wei government and the puppet emperor Cao Fang. Later, Sima Yi broke his promise as he had Cao Shuang and his supporters arrested, charged with treason and executed along with their families. At the time, Li Sheng had yet to leave Luoyang for Jing Province, so he too was arrested and executed together with his family.
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 ...
*
Incident at Gaoping Tombs
The Incident at the Gaoping Tombs was a ''coup d'état'' that took place on 5 February 249 in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The parties involved were Sima Yi and Cao Shuang, who were both regents for ...
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– ...
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 ...
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...