Liao Hua (late 180s - 264),

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 ...

Yuanjian, originally named Liao Chun, was a military general of the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

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 Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. Like Zhang Yi and

Zong Yu Zong Yu (late 180s - 264), courtesy name Deyan, was a military general and diplomat of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Like Liao Hua and Zhang Yi, Zong was one of few officials who served the Shu-Han state throug ...

, Liao was one of few officials who served the Shu-Han state throughout its entire existence.

Early career as Guan Yu's subordinate

Liao Hua was from

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

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 ...

. He was a registrar () under

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 ...

, a general who served under the warlord

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...

and guarded Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. In late 219, while Guan Yu was away at the

Battle of Fancheng The Battle of Fancheng or the Battle of Fan Castle was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It is named after Fancheng in present-day Xiangyang, Hubei, a fortress that played a significant ro ...

, Liu Bei's ally,

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime ...

, broke the Sun–Liu alliance by launching an invasion of Jing Province and conquering most of Liu Bei's territories in the province. Guan Yu was captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. Liao Hua became a prisoner-of-war of Sun Quan, but he constantly thought of returning to Liu Bei's side, so he faked his own death and succeeded in deceiving his captors and escaping. He brought his elderly mother with him and headed west towards

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(covering present-day

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

), where Liu Bei's domain was based.

Career in Shu Han

In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

a military campaign against Sun Quan to retake his lands in Jing Province and avenge Guan Yu. Liao Hua and his mother encountered the Shu army at Zigui County. Liu Bei was very pleased to see Liao Hua and he appointed the latter as the Administrator of Yidu Commandery (宜都郡; around present-day Yidu, Hubei). After Liu Bei died in 223, Liao Hua became an army adviser () under

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is ...

, the Imperial Chancellor of Shu. He was later assigned to be in charge of Guangwu Commandery (廣武郡; around present-day Yongdeng County,

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibe ...

) and was subsequently promoted to Right General of Chariots and Cavalry (). He was also appointed as the Inspector of Bing Province even though Bing Province was not under Shu's jurisdiction, and enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Central District (). He was known for his fiery personality and determination. His position in the Shu military was equivalent to Zhang Yi while higher than

. During September of the year 238, Liao Hua led his troops to attack the encampment where the Inspector of Yong Province (雍州刺史), at the time Guo Huai stationed along with the main Wei army of the region. In response, Guo Huai dispatched his subordinates Wang Yun (王赟) Administrator of Guangwei (廣魏) along with You Yi (游奕) Administrator of Nan'an (南安) to counter this offensive. The Wei commanders wanted to disperse their forces to encircle the Shu army and occupy the strategic points between the mountains to prevent them from escaping, however at the same time this strategy had the Wei army scattered with many of You Yi's camps exposed in a dangerous position. Liao Hua saw through this and quickly seized the opportunity to defeat them while they were still unprepared. You Yi's army was forced to retreat while Wang Yun was killed in battle by an arrow. Liao Hua was critical of the Shu general

Jiang Wei Jiang Wei (202 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Boyue, was a military general of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in Ji County (present-day Gangu County, Gansu), Jiang Wei started his career as a military officer ...

, who continued Zhuge Liang's aggressive foreign policy against Shu's rival state,

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < a series of eleven campaigns to attack Cao Wei between 240 and 262. He participated in the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

and fourth campaigns in 247 and 249 respectively. In 262, when Jiang Wei was about to embark on the eleventh campaign, Liao Hua remarked: "'One who does not refrain from using military force will end up burning himself.' This is Boyue(Jiang Wei)'s current situation. He is inferior to the enemy in terms of intelligence and military power, yet he keeps attacking them. How can he expect to overcome them? The events of today are exactly as described in this line from the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...

'': 'Why were these things not before me? Or why were they not after me?'"

Life after the fall of Shu

In late 263, Shu's rival state,

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < launched a campaign to conquer Shu and succeeded in doing so within a year when the Shu emperor

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge ...

surrendered. After the fall of Shu, Liao Hua was ordered to move out of former Shu territory to the Wei capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of 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 southeast, Nanyan ...

. He died of illness on the journey. Liao Hua's birth year could not be determined because his age at the time of his death was not recorded in history. However, it could be deduced that he was in his 70s when he died: Around 261, when

Zhuge Zhan Zhuge Zhan (227–263), courtesy name Siyuan, was a military general and official of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Zhuge Liang, the first Imperial Chancellor of Shu. Early life When Zhuge Zhan ...

took charge of affairs in the Shu imperial court, Liao Hua visited

, who said: "Both of us are already above the age of 70, ..."

''Sao Mi Zhou''

The ''Sao Mi Zhou'' (掃迷帚; literally ''The broom sweeping away superstitions''), a novel written by a certain Zhuangzhe (壯者; literally "strong man") during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, contained a saying about Liao Hua: "There is no young reliable commander in Shu, so old generals like Liao Hua still have to be the vanguard." (蜀中無大將，廖化作先鋒) It can be interpreted as: Shu was so lacking in young talents in its twilight years that elderly Liao Hua (more than 70 years old at that time) had to lead the vanguard of the Shu army in battle. The proverb is to describe a situation that there is a lack of young talents in a group or company and hence, old but experienced people will have to take the responsibilities themselves. However, it can also be understood to describe a situation in which a person who is seemingly unfit for a job is forced into doing it, but is willing to face what seems to be insurmountable odds against him/her. This interpretation can be criticized as Liao Hua was adept in military affairs and he was one of a few people who experienced the whole ups and downs of the Shu Han regime. He is regarded one of four cornerstones of the late Shu Han regime in the

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as ...

region, together first with Wang Ping and Ju Fu then with Zhang Yi (Bogong) and him.

''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

Liao Hua 2016 Temple of Guan Yu (Xuchang)

The 14th-century historical novel ''

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 ...

'' has a few stories about Liao Hua which are not found in historical records. In Chapter 27, Liao Hua, a bandit chief and former Yellow Turban rebel, encountered

while the latter was on a quest to reunite with Liu Bei. He was accepted by Guan Yu as a subordinate after rescuing Liu Bei's two kidnapped wives,

Lady Gan Lady Gan (died 210) was a concubine of Liu Bei, the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China and Liu Shan's mother. She was later posthumously honoured as Lady Huangsi which means "the Lady whom the Emp ...

and

Lady Mi Lady Mi (190s) was a younger sister of Liu Bei's associate Mi Zhu who arranged a marriage between her and Liu Bei after Liu Bei's wife or wives and children had been captured by Lü Bu in 196. Though information on her life is scarce, she is mo ...

, from a fellow bandit named Du Yuan. In Chapter 73, Liao Hua took control of the vanguard during Guan Yu's march on Xiangyang. He successfully lured the enemy generals

Cao Ren Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – ...

and Zhai Yuan out of their castle, allowing Guan Yu to seize it. In the subsequent

, Liao Hua was stationed at Sizhong where he was in mutual support of

Guan Ping Guan Ping () (died January or February 220) was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Guan Ping was the eldest son of Guan Yu. Little about him is documented in historical recor ...

's encampment at Yancheng. When the enemy general

Xu Huang Xu Huang () (died 227), courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first ...

captured both Sizhong and Yancheng, Liao Hua and Guan Ping fought their way south to join Guan Yu. When Guan Yu received news that Liu Bei's territories in

had been conquered by

's army, he retreated to Maicheng () and was besieged there by Sun's forces. In Maicheng, Liao Hua volunteered to break out of the siege and seek reinforcements from

Liu Feng Liu Feng (died 220) was an adopted son of Liu Bei, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He traced his lineage to a certain marquis whose family name was "Kou ...

and

Meng Da Meng Da () (died 228), courtesy name Zidu, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served the warlords Liu Zhang and Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty before defec ...

in Shangyong (). However, Liu Feng and Meng Da refused to help Guan Yu, so Liao Hua had no choice but to travel to

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

to report the situation to Liu Bei. By then, Guan Yu had been captured in an ambush and executed by Sun Quan. In his later life and career, Liao Hua actively participated in the Shu campaigns (

Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions were a series of five military campaigns launched by the state of Shu Han against the rival state of Cao Wei from 228 to 234 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. All five expeditions were led by Zhuge ...

and

Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions refer to a series of eleven military campaigns launched by the state of Shu Han against its rival state, Cao Wei, between 240 and 262 CE during the Three Kingdoms period in China. The campaigns were led by Jia ...

) against

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

. One of his most celebrated moments came in Chapter 103, when

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 ...

was retreating from Shangfang Valley. Liao Hua pursued the fleeing general into a dense forest and, being a proficient horseman, was able to catch up and get close enough to strike him down. However, when Sima Yi swerved around a tree, Liao Hua missed the shot and his sword became lodged into the wood, allowing Sima Yi to escape. During the chase, however, Sima Yi dropped his golden helmet. Liao Hua took the helmet and traveled back to Zhuge Liang who rewarded him with the first grade of merit for his attempt. This event angered Wei Yan who felt Liao Hua was being unfairly praised. Zhuge Liang noticed this but said nothing, leading to a mild distaste for Wei Yan's jealousy. The helmet was henceforth used as a means of mocking and provoking the Wei army. Following Zhuge Liang's death, Liao Hua moved up the ranks under Jiang Wei, eventually receiving the second-in-command military rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry. As Jiang Wei's senior general, Liao Hua was often tasked with the most important of duties, such as leading the vanguard and dueling enemy generals. Despite his steadfast loyalty to Shu, Liao Hua disagreed with Jiang Wei's constant invasions of Wei and his attempts to claim victory through overpowering numbers, believing these tactics to be a drain on resources and morale; he let it be known that he would run the military differently if he were in command, and this led to quarrels between Jiang Wei and himself. When

eventually submitted to Wei in Chapter 119, Liao Hua succumbed to grief and died.''Sanguo Yanyi'' ch. 92-119.

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''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * 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 ...