Liu Ye | |
---|---|
劉曄 | |
Palace Counsellor (太中大夫) | |
In office ? –234 | |
In office 232 –? | |
Monarch | Cao Rui |
Grand Herald (大鴻臚) | |
In office ? –? | |
Monarch | Cao Rui |
Palace Attendant (侍中) | |
In office 220 –? | |
Monarch | Cao Pi |
Personal details | |
Born | 167s Shou County,Anhui |
Died | 234 [a] |
Relations | Liu Huan (brother) |
Children |
|
Parent |
|
Occupation | Official |
Courtesy name | Ziyang (子揚) |
Posthumous name | Marquis Jing (景侯) |
Peerage | Marquis of Dong Village (東亭侯) |
Liu Ye (late 160s [2] - 234), [a] courtesy name Ziyang, was an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, he served as an official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, serving under Cao Pi and Cao Rui. He was a member of the House of Liu, the imperial clan of the Han dynasty, and a direct descendant of Emperor Guangwu, via Guangwu's seventh son Liu Yan. He had two sons: Liu Yu (劉寓) and Liu Tao (劉陶).
Liu's mother died when he was six. On her deathbed, she told him and his brother Liu Huan to kill a dangerous and treacherous servant belonging to his father Liu Pu once they were older. [3] Liu killed the servant six years later. Liu Pu was angry and asked his son the reason for the murder. [4] Liu Ye replied that he was just following his mother's last wish and was ready to take punishment. After hearing the explanation, Liu Pu had a change of heart, and forgave Ye. [5]
While Xu Shao was at Yangzhou, he praised Liu Ye as someone with the ability to help a sovereign govern his realm. [6]
Due to his family background and act of killing the servant, Liu already had a great reputation when he was in his early twenties. During this time, some local rich landowners had formed their own private armies. Among them, Zheng Bao (郑宝) was the strongest and he wanted to force people living in Huainan to move to another prefecture. [7] Zheng wanted to take advantage of Liu's reputation to assist with the eviction; Liu Ye was unwilling to do so. Around this period, an emissary from Cao Cao came to visit Liu Ye to discuss current state of affairs; Liu Ye persuaded the emissary to stay with him for a few days. [8] Zheng Bao wanted to meet Cao Cao's emissary, so he went to Liu's home with hundreds of soldiers, bringing along cows and wine. [9] Liu Ye then entertained Zheng with a feast. During the feast, he killed Zheng during a toast and threatened the now-leaderless soldiers to withdraw by claiming that by Cao Cao's orders, anyone who attacked would be guilty of the same offences as Zheng. [10] After the feast, Liu went to Zheng Bao's military camp with several servants. At the camp, Liu persuaded Zheng's private army to surrender by analysing the situation for the soldiers. Liu Ye felt that as a member of the imperial Liu clan, he should not have his own army as the Han dynasty was by then floundering; he then gave these thousands of surrendered soldiers to the local governor, Liu Xun (劉勛). [11] After this incident, Liu Ye became a counselor serving under Liu Xun.
Liu Ye could be the "Liu Ziyang" mentioned in Lu Su's biography in Sanguozhi, who was a friend of Lu and wrote a letter to him, asking him to join Zheng Bao. Sima Guang, author of Zizhi Tongjian , was skeptical that "Liu Ziyang" was Liu Ye. [12]
While Liu Ye was serving under Liu Xun, Sun Ce invited Liu Xun to attack Shangliao City (上缭城); Sun sent Liu Xun gifts and Sun's emissary was overly humble. Liu Ye advised Liu Xun not to attack Shangliao, but Liu Xun did not listen. During the attack on Shangliao, Sun Ce attacked Liu Xun. The defeated Liu Xun then decided to join Cao Cao, and Liu Ye followed suit. [13]
Before Wei Feng's rebellion, he had an excellent reputation, and many middle- and low- ranking officials were close friends of Wei. However, Liu Ye, upon seeing Wei for the first time, claimed that Wei will eventually rebel. [14]
After Guan Yu's death, Cao Pi once held a meeting with court officials to discuss if Liu Bei would invade Wu to avenge Guan. Most officials were of the opinion that Shu was a "small country" and only had one famous general: Guan; now that Guan was dead and his troops scattered, Shu would be filled with fear and would not dare to attack. However, Liu Ye gave a different opinion: "Shu may be weak, but given Liu Bei's desire to have a show of force, he'll definitely mobilise his armies to show that he is still a threat to be reckoned with. Also, Guan Yu and Liu Bei have a deep relationship: they are sovereign and subject, as well as father and son. If Liu Bei cannot mobilise his armies to avenge Guan, it would not be a fitting end to this relationship." [15]
In late 220 or early 221, [16] not long after Cao Pi crowned himself emperor, Meng Da defected to Wei and brought with him 4000 soldiers. Meng Da received various important appointments and the title of a marquis. In addition, Cao Pi merged the three commanderies of Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng (西城) to form a larger commandery, Xincheng (新城), and he appointed Meng Da as the Administrator (太守) of Xincheng and tasked him with defending Wei's southwestern border. Liu Ye advised Cao Pi, "Meng Da is always looking out for rewards which are not rightfully his, and he is prone to schemes due to his talent. Thus, he will not be grateful to Your Excellency. Xincheng borders Sun Quan's and Liu Bei's territories. If the regional situation changes, it will create troubles for the realm."; Cao Pi ignored Liu. [17]
Also in 220, Liu Ye was made Palace Attendant (侍中) and bestowed the peerage of a Secondary Marquis (關內侯). At that time, Cao Pi asked his court whether Liu Bei would avenge Guan Yu, who was killed during Sun Quan's attack on Jingzhou. Most of them opined that Shu was a small state and that Guan Yu was its only famous general. But Liu Ye thought that Liu Bei would definitely wage war to revive his prestige; he also believed that Liu Bei and Guan Yu had a very close relationship and so Liu would avenge Guan. [18] In the end, Liu Bei did attack Sun Quan the following year. By then, Sun Quan was mobilising the power of the entire state of Wu to deal with the invasion, and he proclaimed himself a vassal to Cao Wei. Many officials congratulated Cao Pi, but Liu Ye believed that Sun Quan had no intention of submitting, and submitted himself as a vassal only as a last resort. Liu Ye even suggested that Cao Pi take advantage of the situation to lead troops to attack Wu to avoid future troubles. But Cao Pi disagreed. [19]
When Zhang Liao fell ill while stationed at Yongqiu, Cao Pi sent Liu Ye, along with imperial physicians, to visit Zhang. [20] Also, just before Cao Pi's death, he asked various officials, including Liu Ye, about Yang Fu. At the officials' recommendations, Cao Pi wanted to promote Yang, but died before he could do so. [21]
Liu Ye's downfall came when Cao Rui was warned by someone that Liu was second-guessing him. Cao Rui decided to test this out; when he realised that Liu Ye was indeed pandering to him, he began to avoid Liu. [22]
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 most of his early exploits. Guan Yu played a significant role in the events leading up to the end of the Han dynasty and the establishment of Liu Bei's state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. While he is remembered for his loyalty towards Liu Bei, he is also known for repaying Cao Cao's kindness by slaying Yan Liang, a general under Cao Cao's rival Yuan Shao, at the Battle of Boma. After Liu Bei gained control of Yi Province in 214, Guan Yu remained in Jing Province to govern and defend the area for about seven years. In 219, while he was away fighting Cao Cao's forces at the Battle of Fancheng, Liu Bei's ally Sun Quan broke the Sun–Liu alliance and sent his general Lü Meng to conquer Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. By the time Guan Yu learned about the loss of Jing Province after his defeat at Fancheng, it was too late. He was subsequently captured in an ambush by Sun Quan's forces and executed at Linju, Xiangyang Commandery.
The Battle of Xiaoting (猇亭之戰), also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting, was fought between the state of Shu and the state of Wu, between the years 221 and 222 in the early Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle is significant because Wu was able to turn the situation from a series of initial losses into a defensive stalemate, before proceeding to win a decisive victory over Shu. The Wu victory halted the Shu invasion and preceded the death of Liu Bei, Shu's founding emperor.
Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande (玄德), was a Chinese warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China.
Lu Xun, courtesy name Boyan, also sometimes called Lu Yi, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He began his career as an official under the warlord Sun Quan in the 200s during the late Eastern Han dynasty and steadily rose through the ranks. In 219, he helped Sun Quan's general Lü Meng invade Jing Province, which led to the defeat and death of Liu Bei's general Guan Yu. In 222, he served as the field commander of the Wu army in the Battle of Xiaoting against Liu Bei's forces and scored a decisive victory over the opponent. Lu Xun reached the pinnacle of his career after this battle as Sun Quan regarded him more highly, promoted him to higher positions, and bestowed upon him unprecedented honors. Throughout the middle and later parts of his career, Lu Xun oversaw both civil and military affairs in Wu while occasionally participating in battles against Wu's rival state, Wei. In his final years, Lu Xun was drawn into a succession struggle between Sun Quan's sons and fell out of Sun Quan's favor as a consequence. He managed to retain his appointment as Imperial Chancellor—an office he assumed in 244—but died a year later in frustration. Lu Xun's role in the Wu government was likened to that of a custos morum, as he believed firmly in and upheld Confucian principles and practices. On the one hand, he provided constant and timely advice to Sun Quan to exercise benevolence and consider the people's welfare. On the other, he vehemently objected to Sun Quan's idea of replacing his legitimate heir apparent in favor of a younger son.
Cao Rui, courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarried Cao Pi, the first ruler of Wei. Based on conflicting accounts of his age, Pei Songzhi calculated that, in order to be Cao Pi's son, Cao Rui could not have been 36 when he died as recorded, so the recorded age was in error; late-Qing scholars Lu Bi (卢弼) and Mao Guangsheng (冒广生) argued instead that Cao Rui was Yuan Xi's son.
Zhuge Jin, courtesy name Ziyu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Zhuge Jin started his career in the 200s as an official under the warlord Sun Quan, who later became the founding emperor of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period. In 215, he served as Sun Quan's representative in a territorial dispute over southern Jing Province between Sun Quan and his ally, Liu Bei. In 219, he joined Sun Quan's general Lü Meng in an invasion of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province after Sun Quan broke the Sun–Liu alliance. He was subsequently appointed as a general and commandery administrator. Before the Battle of Xiaoting of 221–222, Zhuge Jin attempted to dissuade Liu Bei from going to war with Sun Quan but was unsuccessful. The battle ultimately concluded with victory for Sun Quan's side; both sides made peace later and reestablished an alliance between the Eastern Wu and Shu Han states against their rival state, Cao Wei. From 222 until his death in 241, despite being rather incompetent in military affairs, Zhuge Jin served as one of Eastern Wu's top generals and participated in some battles against Cao Wei forces.
Lu Su (172–217), courtesy name Zijing, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty. In the year 200, when Sun Quan had just taken over the reins of power, his adviser Zhou Yu recommended Lu Su as a talent to Sun Quan. As one of Sun Quan's most important advisers in the warlord's early career, Lu Su is best known for making some significant contributions. Firstly, in 200 he drafted a long-term strategy for Sun Quan's power bloc to emerge as one of three major contending powers in China – a plan similar to Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan, which was proposed about seven years later. Secondly, before the Battle of Red Cliffs in late 208, he was the first person to persuade Sun Quan to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao. Thirdly, he succeeded Zhou Yu as the frontline commander of Sun Quan's forces in 210 after Zhou's death and maintained the Sun–Liu alliance. Fourthly, in 215, he represented Sun Quan at the negotiations with Liu Bei's general Guan Yu during the Sun–Liu territorial dispute over Jing Province.
Guo Jia, courtesy name Fengxiao, was an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Throughout his 11 years of service, Guo Jia aided Cao Cao greatly with his brilliance and foresight, and his strategies were instrumental to Cao Cao's triumphs over rival warlords such as Lü Bu and Yuan Shao. For example, four years before Cao Cao's decisive victory over Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guandu, Guo Jia already foresaw that Cao Cao would win when he pointed out ten advantages Cao Cao had over Yuan Shao.
Pang Tong (179–214), courtesy name Shiyuan, was a Chinese politician who served as a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In his youth, Pang Tong was disregarded because he was plain-looking. The hermit scholar Sima Hui, however, held him in high esteem and called him the "Crown of Scholars in Jing Province". Pang Tong studied under Sima Hui along with Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and Xiang Lang, and he was given the nickname "Fledgling Phoenix". Owing to his friendly attitude, he worked as an appraiser in Nan Commandery. When he reviewed someone, he would prioritise their virtues over their abilities and encourage them to help others.
Fa Zheng (176–220), courtesy name Xiaozhi, was a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Born in a family of high social status and of noble descent, Fa Zheng travelled to Yi Province in the late 190s and became a subordinate of Liu Zhang, the provincial governor. However, his feelings of alienation and perception of Liu Zhang as an incompetent governor eventually led him to betray Liu Zhang and defect to Liu Bei in 211. Between 211 and 214, Fa Zheng assisted Liu Bei in overcoming Liu Zhang and seizing control of Yi Province, and became one of Liu Bei's most trusted advisers. In 217, he urged Liu Bei to launch the Hanzhong Campaign to capture the strategic Hanzhong Commandery from a rival warlord, Cao Cao, but died a year after Liu emerged victorious in the campaign.
Meng Da, 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 defecting to Wei. In Wei, he served under the first two rulers, Cao Pi and Cao Rui. Around late 227, he started a rebellion in Wei and aimed to rejoin the Shu-Han but the revolt was swiftly suppressed by the Wei general Sima Yi. Meng Da was captured and executed for treason.
Liu Zhang, courtesy name Jiyu, was a Chinese politician and warlord who served as provincial governor who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He became the Governor of Yi Province, succeeding his father Liu Yan and ruled the region until 214, when he surrendered to Liu Bei. Six years later, Liu Zhang again surrendered to Eastern Wu, and died shortly afterwards. Liu Zhang is often considered an incapable leader but is noted to have been the original lord of some of Shu Han's most famous generals and officials such as Fa Zheng, Meng Da, Zhang Ni, Liu Ba, Huang Quan, Wu Yi, Li Yan, Dong He and others.
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Wang Lang, courtesy name Jingxing (景興), was a Chinese politician and minor warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served notably in the Han central government as Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery and in the later state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was also a maternal great-grandfather of Sima Yan, the founding emperor of the Jin dynasty, through his granddaughter Wang Yuanji's marriage with Sima Zhao.
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Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province was fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the winter of 219–220 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Sun Quan's forces, led by Lü Meng, invaded Liu Bei's territories in southern Jing Province, which covered present-day Hubei and Hunan. The campaign occurred after the Battle of Fancheng and concluded with victory for Sun Quan's forces, who completely captured all of Liu Bei's territories. Guan Yu, Liu Bei's general guarding those territories, was captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. The fall of Jing Province and Guan Yu's death provided the trigger for the Battle of Xiaoting between Liu Bei and Sun Quan between 221 and 222.
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Wei Feng, courtesy name Zijing, was a government official who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Cao Zhi, courtesy name Yungong (允恭), posthumously known as Duke Ding of Juancheng (鄄城定公), was a son of Cao Zhi, Prince Si of Chen, and his unnamed concubine, and a grandson of Cao Cao. Besides his heritage, Cao Zhi was best known for his friendship with Sima Yan, and his support of Sima You remaining in the capital to help in the administration of the empire, against Yan's wishes.