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 ...
Bo'an; died 193) was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the
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 ...
.
Life
Liu Yu's
ancestral home
An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
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 ...
. His ancestor was Liu Jiang (劉彊; 25–58 CE), a son and heir apparent of
Emperor Guangwu
Emperor Guangwu of Han (; 15 January 5 BC – 29 March AD 57), born Liu Xiu (), courtesy name Wenshu (), was a Chinese monarch. He served as an emperor of the Han dynasty by restoring the dynasty in AD 25, thus founding the Eastern Han (Later ...
who was deposed in 43 CE and became the Prince of Donghai (東海王). His grandfather Liu Jia (劉嘉) served as Minister of the Household (光祿勳), while his father Liu Shu (劉舒) served as the Administrator (太守) of Danyang Commandery (丹陽郡).
Liu Yu held various appointments in the Han government during the reign of Emperor Ling ( 168–189), including Chancellor of Ganling State (甘陵國相), Minister of the Imperial Clan (宗正), Inspector of
You Province
You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture ('' zhou'') in northern China during its imperial era.
"You Province" was cited in some ancient sources as one of the nine or twelve original provinces ...
(幽州刺史) and Grand Commandant (太尉). During his tenure, he gained a strong reputation for good, incorrupt and benevolent governance. Even the ethnic minority tribes (e.g.
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...
) in You Province and foreign kingdoms near the Han Empire's northern borders (e.g.
Buyeo
Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korea ...
,
Yemaek
Yemaek or Yamaek () was an ancient tribal group in the northern Korean Peninsula and Manchuria who are regarded by some scholars as the ancestors of modern Koreans. They had ancestral ties to various Korean kingdoms including Gojoseon, Buyeo, Go ...
) so highly respected him that they did not dare to cause trouble in his jurisdiction. In recognition of his efforts, the Han government enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Xiangben (襄賁侯).
In the 190s, Liu Yu and another warlord
Gongsun Zan
Gongsun Zan () (before 161 - April or May 199), courtesy name Bogui, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Life
Little is known of Gongsun Zan's early life. He and Liu Bei stu ...
got into conflict because of opposing views on how to deal with the ethnic minority tribes and foreign kingdoms: Liu Yu adopted a peaceful and pacifist policy towards them, while Gongsun Zan preferred to use armed force to keep them under control. In 193, Liu Yu rallied an army of about 100,000 and prepared to attack Gongsun Zan. He instructed his troops to focus on eliminating Gongsun Zan and keep casualties and damage as low as possible. However, one of his subordinates, Gongsun Ji (公孫紀), betrayed him and told Gongsun Zan about his plan. Due to Liu Yu's approach of minimising casualties and damage, he lost the battle against the more aggressive Gongsun Zan and was forced to retreat to Juyong County (居庸縣). Gongsun Zan attacked Juyong County, conquered it within three days, captured Liu Yu and brought him as a prisoner to Ji County (薊縣; in the vicinity of present-day
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
and
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
).
Around the time, the Han central government had sent an emissary, Duan Xun (段訓), to bestow additional honours upon Liu Yu and grant him authority to oversee affairs in the four provinces in northern China. Gongsun Zan seized the opportunity to coerce Duan Xun into transferring the titles and honours to him instead. After falsely accusing Liu Yu of plotting treason with
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...
, Gongsun Zan forced Duan Xun to order Liu Yu's execution and bring Liu Yu's head back to the imperial capital
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...
. Along the way, one of Liu Yu's former subordinates seized Liu Yu's head from Duan Xun and had it buried with the proper funeral rites. As Liu Yu was a highly popular and respected figure in You Province, many people mourned his death.
Family
Liu Yu's son, Liu He (劉和), served as a Palace Attendant (侍中). He was captured and held hostage by 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 ...
but later escaped to join Yuan Shu's half-brother, the warlord
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...
. With backing from Yuan Shao, he and his father's former subordinates sought revenge against
Gongsun Zan
Gongsun Zan () (before 161 - April or May 199), courtesy name Bogui, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Life
Little is known of Gongsun Zan's early life. He and Liu Bei stu ...
.
In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''
In 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 ...
'', when the
Yellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt in China against the Eastern Han dynasty. The uprising broke out in 184 CE during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although the main rebelli ...
breaks out in 184, Liu Yu is then serving as the Governor of
You Province
You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture ('' zhou'') in northern China during its imperial era.
"You Province" was cited in some ancient sources as one of the nine or twelve original provinces ...
. His call for volunteers to assist government forces in suppressing the rebellion is the event which leads to
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 ...
,
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 ...
Oath of the Peach Garden
The Oath of the Peach Garden is a fictional event in the 14th century Chinese historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong. This event is set at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty around the time of the Yellow Turban ...
and forming their first militia to fight the rebels. This account, however, is historically inaccurate, as Liu Yu did not become the Inspector of You Province until 188.
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 ...
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 ...
Book of the Later Han
The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...
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 ...