Liu Hu (劉虎) (died November 341), also known as Wulugu (烏路孤), posthumously named Emperor Jing (景皇帝), was a

Tiefu Xia (), known in historiography as Hu Xia (胡夏), Northern Xia (北夏), Helian Xia (赫連夏) or the Great Xia (大夏), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Helian clan of Tiefu-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. ...

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

chieftain during the

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...

period. He was the founder of the Tiefu tribe and was the great-grandfather of the Helian Xia state's first emperor,

Helian Bobo Helian Bobo ( zh, t=赫連勃勃; Middle Chinese Guangyun: ; 381 – September 425), né Liu Bobo (劉勃勃), courtesy name Qujie (屈孑), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wulie of Xia (夏武烈帝), was the founding emperor of ...

. Due to

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly ...

, he is referred to as Liu Wu (劉武) in the ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

''.

Life

Liu Hu was a descendant of the

Southern Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209& ...

''chanyus'' and the grandson of the Right Virtuous King (or Left Virtuous King according to the ''

Book of Wei The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...

''),

Qubei Qubei (; pinyin: Qùbēi, 195–216) was a leader of the Southern Xiongnu and supervisor of the Five Divisions who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. An uncle to the last ''chanyu'' of the Southern Xiongnu, Huchuquan, Qubei ...

. In 272, Liu Hu's uncle, the Right Virtuous King, Liu Meng, was killed after his rebellion in

Bingzhou Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (–2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Treatise ...

against the ruling

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

, allowing Liu Hu's father, Liu Gaoshengyuan, to take charge of his people. Following Gaoshengyuan's death in 309, Liu Hu succeeded him and founded a tribe he named the "Tiefu" (鐵弗), a word used to refer to people with a Xiongnu father and a

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

mother. Initially, Liu Hu submitted to the neighbouring

Tuoba The Tuoba (Chinese language, Chinese) or Tabgatch (, ''Tabγač''), also known by #Names, other names, was an influential Xianbei clan in early imperial China. During the Sixteen Kingdoms after the fall of Han and the Three Kingdoms, the Tuoba e ...

-Xianbei tribe, but in 310, after amassing enough followers, he revolted against them. At the same time, the Bai tribe of the Xianbei had also raised an army, so Liu Hu allied with them to attack Xinxing (north of present-day

Xinzhou Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (), is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. As ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

) and

Yanmen Yanmen Pass, also known by its Chinese name Yanmenguan and as Xixingguan, is a mountain pass which includes three fortified gatehouses along the Great Wall of China. The area was a strategic choke point in ancient and medieval China, contro ...

commanderies, which were governed by the Jin Inspector of Bingzhou,

Liu Kun Liu Kun (; born December 1956) is a Chinese politician who served as the Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2023. Previously he served as director of Budgetary Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress, vice minister of Finance, and vi ...

. In response, Liu Kun requested the Tuoba tribe for reinforcements, to which the chieftain,

Tuoba Yilu Tuoba Yilu (; died 316) was the chieftain of the western Tuoba territory from 295 to 307, supreme chieftain of the Tuoba from 307 to 316, Duke of Dai from 310 to 315, and first ruler of the Dai kingdom from 315 to 316. He was the son of Tuoba Sham ...

, sent 20,000 cavalry units under

Tuoba Yulü Tuoba Yulü (; died 321) ruled as prince of the Tuoba Dai 316 to 321. He was the son of Tuoba Fu, and the father of Tuoba Yihuai and Tuoba Shiyiqian. In 310, Tuoba Yulü was ordered by Tuoba Yilu to assist Liu Kun, the Governor of Bingzhou (� ...

to assist him. Liu Kun and Yulü routed Liu Hu and the Bai, killing many in their camps and tribes. Liu Hu fled west to

Shuofang Commandery Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved du ...

by crossing the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

and offered his submission to the Xiongnu-led

Han-Zhao The Han-Zhao ( zh, s=汉赵, t=漢趙, p=Hàn Zhào; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao ( zh, s=前赵, t=前趙, p=Qián Zhào), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Liu ( Luandi) clan of Chuge-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms per ...

state. The emperor of Han, Liu Cong, considered Liu Hu to be a member of his clan, so he conferred him the title of Duke of Loufan. He was also appoint General Who Stabilises the North, General of the Household, Gentlemen of the

Dingling The Dingling (174 BCE); (200 BCE); Eastern Han Chinese: *''teŋ-leŋ'' < Old Chinese: *''têŋ-rêŋ'' were an ancient people who appear in Chinese historiography in the context of the 1st century BCE. The Dingling are considered to have been ...

and Chief Controller of the Xianbei. In 318, Liu Hu marched from Shuofang to attack Dai, the Tuoba tribe's state. However, he was badly defeated by the Prince of Dai, Tuoba Yulü and forced to flee north of the Great Wall. His nephew, Liu Lugu took his own followers to surrender to Dai, where he married a daughter of Tuoba Yulü. In 341, Liu Hu attacked Dai on its western borders but was once again routed after the Prince of Dai,

Tuoba Shiyiqian Tuoba Shiyiqian (; 320–376) was the last prince of the Xianbei-led Dai dynasty of China and ruled from 338 to 376 when Dai was conquered by the Former Qin dynasty. He was the son of Tuoba Yulü and the younger brother of Tuoba Yihuai, whom he ...

, sent an army to deal with him. Liu Hu barely escaped with his life, but soon died of natural causes and was succeeded by his son, Liu Wuhuan.( ��国四年��十月，劉虎寇西境。帝遣軍逆討，大破之，虎僅以身免。虎死，子務桓立，始來歸順，帝以女妻之。) ''Wei Shu'', vol.1 After Liu Hu's great-grandson, Helian Bobo established Xia in 407, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Jing.

References

* Wei, Shou (554). ''

'' (''Wei Shu''). * Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

'' (''Jin Shu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Hu 341 deaths Xia (Sixteen Kingdoms) people