Liu Xian ( Chinese: 劉顯; died 352) was a military general of the

Later Zhao Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the ...

dynasty and ruler 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. During the Ran Wei–Later Zhao War, he defected to

Ran Wei Wei ( zh, 魏; 350–352), known as Ran Wei () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China established by Ran Min. In 350, Ran Wei usurped the throne of the Later Zhao, Later Zhao dynasty in the city ...

and assassinated the Zhao emperor, Shi Zhi, thus ending the Later Zhao. However, he then betrayed Wei and declared himself emperor in Zhao's capital, Xiangguo (襄國, in modern

Xingtai Xingtai ( zh, s= , t=邢臺, p=Xíngtái , w=Hsing2-tʻai2), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 coun ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

), but was eventually defeated and killed in 352.

Life

Virtually nothing is known about Liu Xian’s background, except that he worked as a general under the Later Zhao. In 351, the Emperor of Zhao, Shi Zhi, ordered him to lead 70,000 men and attack the

Heavenly King Heavenly King or Tian Wang (), also translated as Heavenly Prince, is a Chinese language, Chinese title for various religious deities and divine leaders throughout history, as well as an alternate form of the term ''Son of Heaven'', referring to ...

of Wei,

Ran Min Ran Min (; died 352), also known as Shi Min (石閔), posthumously honored by the Former Yan as Heavenly King Wudao of (Ran) Wei ((冉)魏武悼天王), courtesy name Yongzeng (永曾), nickname Jinu (棘奴), was a military leader during the er ...

, at Yecheng. Liu Xian marched to Mingguang Palace (明光宮), just 23 ''li'' (approx. 9.5 km) away from the city. Initially, Ran Min was startled by Liu Xian's arrival, but he eventually decided to bring his army out fight. Ran Min dealt Liu Xian a decisive defeat and pursued him to Yangping (陽平郡; in present-day Qingfeng County,

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

), killing 30,000 of Liu Xian's troops in the process. Ran Min's victory frightened Liu Xian into submission. In order to prove his worth, Liu Xian promised Ran Min that he would assassinate Shi Zhi for him. Ran Min believed him and allowed him to return to the Zhao capital, Xiangguo. In the summer of 351, Liu Xian killed Shi Zhi, the Prime Minister, Shi Bing (石炳), the Grand Governor, Zhao Shu (趙庶) and many others, totalling more than ten people. He then sent their heads to Yecheng, where Ran Min had Shi Zhi's head burnt in public. Later Zhao was at its end. For his contributions, Ran Min appointed Liu Xian as Supreme Grand General, Grand Chanyu and Governor of Jizhou. However, just three months later, Liu Xian betrayed Ran Min and attacked him at Yecheng. He was once again defeated and retreated back to Xiangguo, where he declared himself as the new emperor. In early 352, Liu Xian attacked Ran Wei at

Changshan Commandery Changshan Commandery (常山郡), or Hengshan Commandery (恒山郡), was a historical commandery of China, located in present-day southern Hebei province. The commandery was established as Hengshan by the Qin state after it annexed the state of ...

, prompting Ran Min march out with 8,000 cavalries to repel him. Meanwhile, Liu Xian's Grand Marshal, Liu Ning (劉寧), surrendered Zaoqiang (棗強, in modern

Hengshui } Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. It borders Shijiazhuang City to the west, Xingtai City to the south, and Baoding City and Cangzhou ...

) to Wei. Ran Min defeated Liu Xian and chased him back to Xiangguo. Liu Xian's Grand General, Cao Fuju (曹伏駒), opened the gates and allowed Ran Min's army to enter. As a result, Ran Min massacred Liu Xian and his followers before burning down the city palaces and forcibly relocating the population to Yecheng.(劉顯攻常山，魏主閔留大將軍蔣干使輔太子智守鄴，自將八千騎救之。顯大司馬清河王寧以棗強降魏。閔擊顯，敗之，追奔至襄國。顯大將軍曹伏駒開門納閔。閔殺顯及其公卿己下百餘人，焚襄國宮室，遷其民於鄴。) ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol.99

References

* Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'' * Cui, Hong (501-522). '' Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms'' (''Shiliuguo Chunqiu'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Xian Later Zhao generals Later Zhao emperors Ran Wei 352 deaths