Liu Dai (died 192),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Gongshan, was a Chinese 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 ...

of China.

Life

Liu Dai was from Mouping County (牟平縣), Donglai Commandery (東萊郡), which is in present-day

Muping District Muping District (), formerly also known as Ninghai or Ninghaichow, is a district of China, district administered by the prefecture-level city of Yantai, Shandong province of China, province, People's Republic of China, and is the easternmost coun ...

Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. He served as a Palace Attendant (侍中) and the Inspector of

Yan Province Yan Province or Yanzhou was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China, a list of regions compiled by Yu the Great when he toured the land after stopping the Great Flood and succeeding Emperor Yao. Description In the Shang Shu, translated b ...

(兗州刺史) under the Han dynasty. In the spring of 190, Liu Dai joined the

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

of warlords led by

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 tow ...

to oppose

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful ...

, a tyrannical warlord who controlled the central government and held

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until his abdication and subsequent end ...

hostage. Later Liu Dai had disagreements with

Qiao Mao Qiao Mao () (died 190), courtesy name Yuanwei, was an official and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In 190, he joined a coalition of warlords who launched a campaign against Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord ...

, the Administrator of

Dong Commandery Dong Commandery ( zh, 東郡) was a commandery in historical China from the Warring States period to Sui dynasty. Its territories were situated in present-day Henan, Hebei and Shandong provinces. The commandery was established by the state of Qin i ...

, so he killed Qiao Mao and replaced him with Wang Gong (王肱). Liu Dai then arranged for marriages between his family and the clans of Yuan Shao and

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. Early life and battles with foreign tribes Gongsun Zan was born in Ling ...

. Yuan Shao allowed his family members to stay with Liu Dai, while Gongsun Zan sent his follower Fan Fang (范方) to lead troops to support Liu Dai. When Yuan Shao later developed a rivalry with Gongsun Zan, the latter broke off relations with Liu Dai as well. Gongsun Zan said to Fan Fang, "If Liu Dai does not drive away Yuan Shao's family members, you will lead your men back to our territory. I'll attack Liu Dai after I've eliminated Yuan Shao." Liu Dai was at a loss over how to handle the crisis when his adviser Wang Yu (王彧) told him to consult Cheng Yu, and Liu Dai heeded his suggestion. Cheng Yu urged Liu Dai to stand on Yuan Shao's side and Liu followed the advice. Gongsun Zan was defeated and conquered by Yuan Shao eventually. In 192, thousands of former Yellow Turban rebels from

Qing Province Qingzhou or Qing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China dating back to BCE that later became one of the thirteen provinces of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Nine Provinces were first described in the ''Tribute ...

swarmed into Yan Province and gathered in Dongping County. Liu Dai wanted to attack the rebels but Bao Xin advised him against it. Liu Dai ignored Bao Xin and proceeded to attack the Yellow Turbans, and was defeated and killed in battle.

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 and ...

'', when Yan Province was conquered by the warlord

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 ...

, Liu Dai had no choice but to surrender. After losing his domain, he attacked

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 ...

, but was defeated and robbed of his position. Liu Dai followed his adviser Bao Xin's suggestion to join Cao Cao and had since been engaged in suppressing the Yellow Turban remnants. As his achievements increased, Liu Dai became more overconfident and he refused to listen to Bao Xin, which resulted in their deaths.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

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

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated 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 the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Dai 2nd-century births 192 deaths Han dynasty people killed in battle Han dynasty government officials Han dynasty warlords

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References