Liu Shan
Encyclopedia
Liu Shan, (207–271) was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han
during the Three Kingdoms
era of Chinese history
. As he ascended the throne at the young age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang
and Imperial Secretariat Li Yan. During Liu Shan's reign, many campaigns were led against the rival state of Cao Wei
, primarily by Zhuge Liang and his successor Jiang Wei
, but to little avail. Liu Shan eventually surrendered to Wei in 263 after Deng Ai
led a surprise attack on the Shu capital Chengdu
. He was quickly relocated to Luoyang
, capital of Wei, and enfeoffed as Duke Anle. There he enjoyed his last years peacefully before dying, most probably of natural causes, in 271.
Widely known by his infant name "A'dou" or "E'dou" (阿斗), Liu Shan was commonly perceived as an incapable, even retarded ruler. He was also accused of indulging in pleasures while neglecting state affairs. Some critics, however, believe that Liu Shan, like his father Liu Bei
, had excellent people management skills, being able to balance the interests of the two major factions in his court, headed respectively by Zhuge Liang and Li Yan. These critics also praise Liu Shan for feigning incompetence in the most ingenious and natural way after the fall of Shu so as to avoid personal harm. Nevertheless, the name "A'dou" is today still commonly used to describe incapable people who would not achieve anything even with significant assistance.
The given name of Liu Shan, when combined with that of Liu Feng
, whom Liu Bei adopted before the birth of Liu Shan, would become "fengshan" (封禪), meaning "to ascend the throne in a ceremony". Scholars like Yi Zhongtian
believe that this is an implication of Liu Bei's ambition to become the emperor, even long before the abdication of Emperor Xian
. This undermines Liu Bei's claim that he was forced to declare himself emperor so as to carry on the lineage of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
As Chen Shou
, the author of Records of Three Kingdoms
, noted, contrary to tradition, Zhuge Liang banned official historians at Liu Shan's court, and after Zhuge's death, it appeared Liu did not revive that post. Therefore many of the events during his reign were unrecorded, causing limited details about Liu Shan's reign in historic records.
. In the next year, the warlord Cao Cao
, who had by then occupied the entire northern China, launched a campaign against Jing Province (荆州; covering present-day Hubei
and Hunan
). During his retreat south, Liu Bei was caught up by an elite cavalry force led by Cao Cao at the Battle of Changban
, and forced to leave behind Lady Gan and Liu Shan to resume his escape. Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun
stayed behind to protect the family members of Liu Bei. Holding the infant Liu Shan in his arms, Zhao Yun led the mother and child to safety. (It appears likely that Lady Gan had died sometime before 209, because when Liu Bei's wife Lady Sun
effectively divorced Liu Bei in 211, he was in her custody.)
An alternative story of Liu Shan's early life was given in A Brief History of Wei
by Yu Huan
. It was said that Liu Shan, then already several years old, was separated from Liu Bei when the latter was attacked by Cao Cao in Xiaopei (小沛; present-day Pei County
, Jiangsu
) in 200. He somehow landed in Hanzhong
and was sold by human traffickers. Only when Liu Bei declared himself emperor in 221 was Liu Shan reunited with his father. However, this story was rejected by Pei Songzhi
, annotator of the Records of Three Kingdoms, taking into account of various sources.
After Liu Bei declared himself the first emperor of Shu in 221, Liu Shan was formally made the crown prince. In the next year, Liu Bei left the capital Chengdu on a campaign against Sun Quan
(then a nominal vassal of Wei who would soon declare his independence as the first emperor of Eastern Wu
). Liu Bei was defeated at the Battle of Xiaoting
and, having retreated to the city of Baidicheng, eventually died in 223. With his last breaths, Liu Bei entrusted the young Liu Shan to the care of his chancellor, Zhuge Liang. Liu Bei even told Zhuge Liang to take the throne if Liu Shan proved to be incapable.
, Dong Yun
, Guo Youzhi
and Xiang Chong (向寵) into key positions. Under Zhuge Liang's advice, Liu Shan entered into an alliance with the state of Wu, helping both states to survive against the much larger state of Wei. During Zhuge Liang's regency, the government was largely efficient and not corrupt, allowing the relatively small state of Shu to prepare itself for military campaigns.
In 223, Liu Shan married Zhang Fei's daughter, Empress Zhang
.
In the aftermaths of Liu Bei's death, the southern Nanman
tribes had peeled away from Shu dominion. In 225, Zhuge Liang headed south and was able to, by both military victories and persuasion, reintegrate the southern region into the empire. For the rest of Zhuge Liang's regency, the southern Nanman people would be key contributors to Shu's campaigns against Wei.
Starting in 227, Zhuge Liang launched his five Northern Expeditions against Wei, but all except one were military failures (albeit not military disasters) in that Zhuge Liang's forces ran out of food before they were able to inflict significant damage on Wei and therefore were forced to withdraw. It was during one of Zhuge Liang's campaigns that the only real political crisis during Zhuge's regency would occur. In 231, unable to supply the troops sufficiently, Li Yan forged an edict by Liu Shan, ordering Zhuge Liang to retreat. When Zhuge Liang discovered this, he recommended that Li Yan be removed from his office and put under house arrest, and Liu Shan accepted the recommendation.
In 234, while Zhuge Liang was on his final campaign against Wei, he grew seriously ill. Hearing about Zhuge's illness, Liu Shan sent his secretary Li Fu (李福) to the front line to visit Zhuge Liang and to request Zhuge to leave instructions on important state matters. Among other things, Zhuge recommended that Jiang Wan
succeed him, and that Fei Yi succeed Jiang Wan. Zhuge Liang refused to answer Li Fu's next question—who should succeed Fei Yi. Zhuge Liang died soon thereafter. Liu Shan followed Zhuge's instructions and installed Jiang Wan as the new regent.
to Fu County (涪縣; in present-day Mianyang
, Sichuan
). From that point on, Shu was generally in a defensive posture and no longer posed a threat to Wei. (This was in fact misinterpreted by many Wu officials as a sign that Shu was abandoning the alliance and entering into a treaty with Wei, but was correctly read by Wu's emperor Sun Quan as merely a sign of weakness, not an abandonment of the alliance.)
In 237, Empress Zhang died. That year, Liu Shan took her younger sister as a consort, and in 238 created her empress. Her title remained the same as her sister, Empress Zhang
In 243, Jiang Wan grew ill and transferred most of his authority to Fei Yi and Fei's assistant Dong Yun. In 244, when Wei's regent Cao Shuang
attacked Hanzhong, it was Fei Yi who led the troops against Cao Shuang and dealt Wei a major defeat in the Battle of Xingshi
. Jiang Wan, however, remained influential until his death in 245. Soon after Jiang Wan's death, Dong Yun also died — allowing the eunuch Huang Hao
, a favorite of Liu Shan's, whose power Dong Yun had curbed, to start aggrandizing his power. Huang Hao was viewed as corrupt and highly manipulative in domestic matters, and the governmental efficiency that was achieved during Zhuge Liang's and Jiang Wan's regencies began to deteriorate.
as Fei Yi's assistant, but both were largely involved only in military matters, as Liu Shan gradually became more self-assertive in non-military matters. It was also around this time that he became more interested in touring the countryside and increasing the use of luxury items, both of which added stress on the treasury, albeit not cripplingly so. Jiang Wei was interested in resuming Zhuge Liang's policies of attacking Wei aggressively, a strategy that Fei Yi partially agreed with — as he allowed Jiang Wei to make raids on Wei's borders, but never gave him a large amount of troops, reasoning that Shu was in no position for a major military confrontation with Wei.
In 253, Fei Yi was assassinated by the general Guo Xun (郭循) -- a former Wei general who had been forced to surrender but who secretly maintained his loyalty to Wei. Fei Yi's death left Jiang Wei as the leading official of the empire, but with a power vacuum in domestic matters, as Jiang Wei continued to be on the borders, conducting campaigns against Wei. Huang Hao's influence increased greatly as a result.
-- but while they were troubling to Wei's de facto rulers Sima Shi
and Sima Zhao
(who had rendered Wei's emperors figureheads after succeeding their father Sima Yi
), the attacks largely inflicted no real damage against Wei, as Jiang Wei's campaigns were plagued by one problem that had plagued Zhuge Liang's -- the lack of adequate food supply—and largely had to be terminated after a short duration. These campaigns instead had a detrimental effect on Shu, whose government no longer had the efficiency that it had during Zhuge Liang's and Jiang Wan's regencies, and therefore was unable to cope with the drain of resources that Jiang Wei's campaigns were having.
In 253, Jiang Wei made a coordinated attack on Wei, along with Wu's regent Zhuge Ke
, but was eventually forced to withdraw after his troops ran out of food supplies — allowing Sima Shi to concentrate against Zhuge Ke, dealing Wu forces a devastating defeat that eventually caused so much resentment that Zhuge Ke was assassinated. This was the last of the coordinated attacks by Shu and Wu on Wei in the duration of the Shu-Wu alliance.
In 255, on one of Jiang Wei's campaigns, he dealt Wei forces a major defeat in the Battle of Didao
, nearly capturing the important Wei border city Didao
(狄道; in present-day Dingxi
, Gansu
), but in 256, as he tried to again confront the Wei forces, he was instead dealt a defeat by Deng Ai
, and this was a fairly devastating loss that left Jiang Wei with a weakened standing with the people. Many officials now openly questioned Jiang Wei's strategy, but Liu Shan took no actions to stop Jiang. Further, in 259, under Jiang Wei's suggestion, Liu Shan approved a plan where the main troops were withdrawn from major border cities to try to induce a Wei attack, with troops positioned in such a way as to intend a trapping of the Wei troops — a strategy that would be used several years later, in 263, when Wei did attack, but which would prove to be a failure.
By 261, Huang Hao's power appeared paramount. Among the key domestic officials, only Dong Jue
and Zhuge Liang's son Zhuge Zhan
were able to maintain their posts without flattering Huang Hao. In 262, Huang Hao would in fact try to remove Jiang Wei and replace him with his friend Yan Yu (閻宇). Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei advised Liu Shan to execute Huang Hao, but the emperor denied the request, saying that the eunuch was but a servant who ran errands. Fearing retaliation, Jiang Wei left Chengdu to garrison troops at Tazhong (沓中; northwest of present-day Zhouqu County, Gansu
).
According to the Wu ambassador Xue Xu
, who visited Shu in 261 at the order of Sun Xiu
, the status that Shu was in at this point was:
near the border. However, Huang Hao persuaded Liu Shan with fortunetelling to take no action on Jiang Wei's requests for war preparations.
In 263, Sima Zhao launched his attacks, led by Deng Ai, Zhuge Xu, and Zhong Hui. Liu Shan followed Jiang's previous plans and ordered the border troops to withdraw and prepare to trap Wei forces, rather than to confront them directly. The plan, however, had a fatal flaw—it assumed that Wei forces would siege the border cities, which, instead, Deng Ai and Zhong Hui ignored, and they advanced instead on Yang'an Pass (陽安關; in present-day Hanzhong
, Shaanxi
), capturing it. Jiang Wei was able to meet their troops and initially repel them, but Deng Ai led his army through a trecherous mountain pass and deep into Shu territory. There he launched a surprise attack on Jiangyou (江油; in present-day Mianyang
, Sichuan
). After defeating Zhuge Zhan there, Deng Ai had virtually no Shu troops left between his army and the capital Chengdu. Faced with the prospect of defending Chengdu against Deng Ai's troops with no defenses, Liu Shan took the advice of Secretary Qiao Zhou
and promptly surrendered. While the surrender was criticized by many, Wang Yin
(王隱) in his Records of Shu (蜀記) described the move as a policy that placed the welfare of the people on top.
In 264, the ambitious Zhong Hui would carry out an attempt to seize power — which Jiang Wei, who had surrendered to Zhong Hui, tried to take advantage of to revive Shu. He advised Zhong Hui to falsely accuse Deng Ai of treason and arrest him, and, with their combined troops, rebel against Sima Zhao. Zhong Hui did so, and Jiang Wei planned to next kill Zhong Hui and his followers, and then redeclare Shu's independence under emperor Liu Shan, and had in fact written Liu Shan to inform him of those plans. However, Zhong Hui's troops rebelled against him, and both Jiang Wei and Zhong Hui were killed in battle. Liu Shan himself was not harmed in the disturbance, although his crown prince Liu Xuan
was killed in the confusion.
This phrase became a Chinese idiom le bu si shu (樂不思蜀; literally meaning "too joyful to think about home", but often with a negative implication). This was noted by Sima Zhao as a sign that Liu Shan was an incompetent fool; however, some later historians believed that it showed Liu Shan's wisdom in intentionally displaying a lack of ambition so that Sima Zhao would not view him as a threat.
Liu Shan died in 271, in Luoyang, and was given the posthumous name Duke Si of Anle (安樂思公; literally "the deep-thinking duke of Anle"). His dukedom lasted several generations during Wei's successor state, the Jin Dynasty
, before being extinguished in the turmoils caused by the Wu Hu
. Liu Yuan
, the founder of one of the Wu Hu Sixteen Kingdoms
, Han Zhao
, who claimed to be a legitimate successor of the Han Dynasty, gave Liu Shan the posthumous name Emperor Xiaohuai (孝懷皇帝; literally "the filial and kind emperor").
, a 14th century historical novel by Luo Guanzhong
, is a romanticization of the events that occurred before and during the Three Kingdoms
era. The novel generally portrays Liu Shan as an incapable ruler who was easily swayed by words, especially those from his favorite eunuch, Huang Hao. Two famous stories from the novel involving Liu Shan are:
, another consort of Liu Bei and younger sister of Mi Zhu
, so that Zhao Yun could concentrate on protecting the infant Liu Shan.
Refusing to take the only horse Zhao Yun had, which was sorely needed to break out of the enemy ranks, Lady Mi leapt into a dried well and killed herself. Zhao Yun then pushed the well over to cover up Lady Mi's corpse for fear of desecration by the enemy, before securing Liu Shan to his chest. He singlehandedly broke out of the enemy encirclement. Cao Cao was so impressed with the general's bravery that he ordered his troops not to fire arrows in the hope of capturing Zhao Yun alive. When Zhao Yun did catch up with Liu Bei and the rest, however, Liu Bei threw the child onto the ground to show that his officers were more important to him than his own son.
. The sickness, however, was a lie to persuade Sun Shangxiang to bring along Liu Shan, who would then be used as a hostage to exchange for Jing Province with Liu Bei. When Zhao Yun learned of her departure, he rushed down to the quay, where Sun Shangxiang had already boarded the boat manned by Zhou Shan
, whom Sun Quan sent to fetch his sister.
Grabbing hold of a small fishing boat, Zhao Yun caught up with the larger boat and leapt onto it. Zhou Shan's soldiers were not able to stop him. Although Zhao Yun was able to forcibly retrieve Liu Shan from his stepmother, he was not able to get off the boat, which was speeding down the river back to Jiangdong. Fortunately, the boat was intercepted by a fleet led by Zhang Fei. When Zhou Shan tried to resist, Zhang Fei slew him. The two generals then brought the only son of Liu Bei safely back while Sun Shangxiang returned to Jiangdong.
of Koei's Dynasty Warriors
video game series.
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
era of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. As he ascended the throne at the young age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
and Imperial Secretariat Li Yan. During Liu Shan's reign, many campaigns were led against the rival state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
, primarily by Zhuge Liang and his successor Jiang Wei
Jiang Wei
Jiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...
, but to little avail. Liu Shan eventually surrendered to Wei in 263 after Deng Ai
Deng Ai
Deng Ai was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. His talent was recognized by Sima Yi, who recommended him to take up...
led a surprise attack on the Shu capital Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
. He was quickly relocated to Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, capital of Wei, and enfeoffed as Duke Anle. There he enjoyed his last years peacefully before dying, most probably of natural causes, in 271.
Widely known by his infant name "A'dou" or "E'dou" (阿斗), Liu Shan was commonly perceived as an incapable, even retarded ruler. He was also accused of indulging in pleasures while neglecting state affairs. Some critics, however, believe that Liu Shan, like his father Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
, had excellent people management skills, being able to balance the interests of the two major factions in his court, headed respectively by Zhuge Liang and Li Yan. These critics also praise Liu Shan for feigning incompetence in the most ingenious and natural way after the fall of Shu so as to avoid personal harm. Nevertheless, the name "A'dou" is today still commonly used to describe incapable people who would not achieve anything even with significant assistance.
The given name of Liu Shan, when combined with that of Liu Feng
Liu Feng
Liu Feng was an adopted son of the warlord Liu Bei, and served as a general in Liu Bei's army during the late Han Dynasty of China.-Early life:...
, whom Liu Bei adopted before the birth of Liu Shan, would become "fengshan" (封禪), meaning "to ascend the throne in a ceremony". Scholars like Yi Zhongtian
Yi Zhongtian
Yi Zhongtian is a Chinese writer, historian, scholar and television personality.-Biography:Yi spent his childhood in Changsha, Hunan, and spent his adolescent years in Wuhan, Hubei. In 1965, after graduating from high school, Yi was sent to Xinjiang as a member of the Xinjiang Production and...
believe that this is an implication of Liu Bei's ambition to become the emperor, even long before the abdication of Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han
Emperor Xian of Han , personal name Liu Xie, style name Bohe, was the last emperor of the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
. This undermines Liu Bei's claim that he was forced to declare himself emperor so as to carry on the lineage of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
As Chen Shou
Chen Shou
Chen Shou was a historian during the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history. He is best known as the author of Records of Three Kingdoms, a historical account of the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period.-Biography:...
, the author of Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms , is regarded as the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history covering the years 184-280 CE. Written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei , Shu Han and...
, noted, contrary to tradition, Zhuge Liang banned official historians at Liu Shan's court, and after Zhuge's death, it appeared Liu did not revive that post. Therefore many of the events during his reign were unrecorded, causing limited details about Liu Shan's reign in historic records.
Early life
Born in 207, Liu Shan was the oldest son of the wandering warlord Liu Bei, by his concubine Lady GanLady Gan
Lady Gan was Liu Bei's first wife and mother of Liu Shan. Very little is mentioned about her. She was posthumously named as Empress Zhaolie and was buried alongside Liu Bei.-See also:*List of people of the Three Kingdoms...
. In the next year, the warlord Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
, who had by then occupied the entire northern China, launched a campaign against Jing Province (荆州; covering present-day Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
). During his retreat south, Liu Bei was caught up by an elite cavalry force led by Cao Cao at the Battle of Changban
Battle of Changban
The Battle of Changban was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 208 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
, and forced to leave behind Lady Gan and Liu Shan to resume his escape. Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun
Zhao Yun
Zhao Yun was a military general who lived during the late Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. For most of his career, Zhao served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of state of Shu Han...
stayed behind to protect the family members of Liu Bei. Holding the infant Liu Shan in his arms, Zhao Yun led the mother and child to safety. (It appears likely that Lady Gan had died sometime before 209, because when Liu Bei's wife Lady Sun
Lady Sun
Lady Sun, known as Sun Shangxiang in Chinese opera and contemporary culture, was a noble lady in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was a daughter of Sun Jian and younger sister of the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan, who laid the foundation for the state of...
effectively divorced Liu Bei in 211, he was in her custody.)
An alternative story of Liu Shan's early life was given in A Brief History of Wei
Weilüe
The Weilüe written by Yu Huan between CE 239, the end of Emperor Ming’s reign, and 265 CE, the end of the Cao Wei . Although not an "official historian," Yu Huan has always been held in high regard amongst Chinese scholars....
by Yu Huan
Yu Huan
Yu Huan was a scholar and writer of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Works:Yu was a native of present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi, and most notable for two works of his, the Weilue , and Dianlue, which are listed in the Book of Sui as volumes 33 and 89 respectively...
. It was said that Liu Shan, then already several years old, was separated from Liu Bei when the latter was attacked by Cao Cao in Xiaopei (小沛; present-day Pei County
Pei County
Pei County is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Xuzhou city. It has an area of 1,576 square kilometers and a population of 1,217,400.-External links:**...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) in 200. He somehow landed in Hanzhong
Hanzhong
Hanzhong is a municipality in southwest Shaanxi Province, China, occupying a historically significant valley in the mountains between the Xi'an area, home to many Chinese capitals, and the fertile but isolated Sichuan Basin...
and was sold by human traffickers. Only when Liu Bei declared himself emperor in 221 was Liu Shan reunited with his father. However, this story was rejected by Pei Songzhi
Pei Songzhi
Pei Songzhi was commissioned by Emperor Wen of Liu Song to write a commentary on Chen Shou's Records of Three Kingdoms, providing additional detail omitted from the original work. His commentary, completed in 429, became integral to later editions of the Records, making the joint work three times...
, annotator of the Records of Three Kingdoms, taking into account of various sources.
After Liu Bei declared himself the first emperor of Shu in 221, Liu Shan was formally made the crown prince. In the next year, Liu Bei left the capital Chengdu on a campaign against Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
(then a nominal vassal of Wei who would soon declare his independence as the first emperor of Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
). Liu Bei was defeated at the Battle of Xiaoting
Battle of Xiaoting
The Battle of Xiaoting, also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting, was fought between the states of Eastern Wu and Shu Han in 222 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
and, having retreated to the city of Baidicheng, eventually died in 223. With his last breaths, Liu Bei entrusted the young Liu Shan to the care of his chancellor, Zhuge Liang. Liu Bei even told Zhuge Liang to take the throne if Liu Shan proved to be incapable.
Zhuge Liang's regency
During the early years of his reign, Liu Shan was not an unwise ruler. While Zhuge Liang was alive, Liu Shan treated him as a father figure, allowing Zhuge to handle all state affairs. Zhuge Liang recommended many trusted officials, including Fei YiFei Yi
Fei Yi, style name Wenwei , was an official of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He succeeded Jiang Wan as regent of Shu Han, and avoided major expedition against rival state, Cao Wei...
, Dong Yun
Dong Yun
Dong Yun , style name Xiuzhao , was a minister of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, Guo Youzhi
Guo Youzhi
Guo Youzhi, style name Yanchang , was a minister of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Before the Northern Expeditions, Guo Youzhi was described by Zhuge Liang in the Chu Shi Biao as exceedingly loyal and faithful, along with Dong Yun and Fei Yi. Guo Youzhi was afterwards...
and Xiang Chong (向寵) into key positions. Under Zhuge Liang's advice, Liu Shan entered into an alliance with the state of Wu, helping both states to survive against the much larger state of Wei. During Zhuge Liang's regency, the government was largely efficient and not corrupt, allowing the relatively small state of Shu to prepare itself for military campaigns.
In 223, Liu Shan married Zhang Fei's daughter, Empress Zhang
Empress Zhang (Liu Shan, former)
Empress Zhang , personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Jing'ai was an empress of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the daughter of Zhang Fei and his wife Lady Xiahou, and the first wife of Liu Shan, the second emperor of Shu Han...
.
In the aftermaths of Liu Bei's death, the southern Nanman
Nanman
Nanman were aboriginal tribes who lived in southwestern China. They may have been related to the Sanmiao, dated to around the 3rd century BC. The Nanman were multiple ethnic groups including the Miao, the Kinh, the Thai, and some Tibeto-Burman groups such as the Bai. There was never a single...
tribes had peeled away from Shu dominion. In 225, Zhuge Liang headed south and was able to, by both military victories and persuasion, reintegrate the southern region into the empire. For the rest of Zhuge Liang's regency, the southern Nanman people would be key contributors to Shu's campaigns against Wei.
Starting in 227, Zhuge Liang launched his five Northern Expeditions against Wei, but all except one were military failures (albeit not military disasters) in that Zhuge Liang's forces ran out of food before they were able to inflict significant damage on Wei and therefore were forced to withdraw. It was during one of Zhuge Liang's campaigns that the only real political crisis during Zhuge's regency would occur. In 231, unable to supply the troops sufficiently, Li Yan forged an edict by Liu Shan, ordering Zhuge Liang to retreat. When Zhuge Liang discovered this, he recommended that Li Yan be removed from his office and put under house arrest, and Liu Shan accepted the recommendation.
In 234, while Zhuge Liang was on his final campaign against Wei, he grew seriously ill. Hearing about Zhuge's illness, Liu Shan sent his secretary Li Fu (李福) to the front line to visit Zhuge Liang and to request Zhuge to leave instructions on important state matters. Among other things, Zhuge recommended that Jiang Wan
Jiang Wan
Jiang Wan , style name Gongyan , was an official of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. After Zhuge Liang's death, he succeeded Zhuge as the regent for the Shu emperor, Liu Shan.-Early career:...
succeed him, and that Fei Yi succeed Jiang Wan. Zhuge Liang refused to answer Li Fu's next question—who should succeed Fei Yi. Zhuge Liang died soon thereafter. Liu Shan followed Zhuge's instructions and installed Jiang Wan as the new regent.
Jiang Wan's regency
Jiang Wan was a capable administrator, and he continued Zhuge Liang's domestic policies, leaving the government largely efficient. He was also known for his tolerance of dissension and his humility. Not having much military aptitude, however, he soon abandoned Zhuge Liang's policy of waging war against Wei, and indeed in 241 withdrew most of the troops from the important border city of HanzhongHanzhong
Hanzhong is a municipality in southwest Shaanxi Province, China, occupying a historically significant valley in the mountains between the Xi'an area, home to many Chinese capitals, and the fertile but isolated Sichuan Basin...
to Fu County (涪縣; in present-day Mianyang
Mianyang
Mianyang is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Its administrative area includes the city proper of Mianyang, with 985,586 inhabitants in the built up area , the county-level city of Jiangyou, and six counties, covering an area of over and a population...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). From that point on, Shu was generally in a defensive posture and no longer posed a threat to Wei. (This was in fact misinterpreted by many Wu officials as a sign that Shu was abandoning the alliance and entering into a treaty with Wei, but was correctly read by Wu's emperor Sun Quan as merely a sign of weakness, not an abandonment of the alliance.)
In 237, Empress Zhang died. That year, Liu Shan took her younger sister as a consort, and in 238 created her empress. Her title remained the same as her sister, Empress Zhang
Empress Zhang (Liu Shan, later)
Empress Zhang, personal name unknown, was an empress of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the daughter of Zhang Fei and his wife Lady Xiahou, and the second wife of Liu Shan, the second emperor of Shu Han. Liu Shan's first wife was her sister, and after her...
In 243, Jiang Wan grew ill and transferred most of his authority to Fei Yi and Fei's assistant Dong Yun. In 244, when Wei's regent Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang , style name Zhaobo , was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the son of Cao Zhen...
attacked Hanzhong, it was Fei Yi who led the troops against Cao Shuang and dealt Wei a major defeat in the Battle of Xingshi
Battle of Xingshi
The Battle of Xingshi was a failed invasion on the state of Shu Han by its rival Cao Wei in 244 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
. Jiang Wan, however, remained influential until his death in 245. Soon after Jiang Wan's death, Dong Yun also died — allowing the eunuch Huang Hao
Huang Hao
Huang Hao was a eunuch serving Liu Shan, second and last emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. Highly favoured by Liu Shan, he was commonly blamed for misguiding the latter into surrendering to the Kingdom of Wei and considered one of the most corrupt and...
, a favorite of Liu Shan's, whose power Dong Yun had curbed, to start aggrandizing his power. Huang Hao was viewed as corrupt and highly manipulative in domestic matters, and the governmental efficiency that was achieved during Zhuge Liang's and Jiang Wan's regencies began to deteriorate.
Fei Yi's regency
After Jiang Wan and Dong Yun's deaths, Liu Shan named Jiang WeiJiang Wei
Jiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...
as Fei Yi's assistant, but both were largely involved only in military matters, as Liu Shan gradually became more self-assertive in non-military matters. It was also around this time that he became more interested in touring the countryside and increasing the use of luxury items, both of which added stress on the treasury, albeit not cripplingly so. Jiang Wei was interested in resuming Zhuge Liang's policies of attacking Wei aggressively, a strategy that Fei Yi partially agreed with — as he allowed Jiang Wei to make raids on Wei's borders, but never gave him a large amount of troops, reasoning that Shu was in no position for a major military confrontation with Wei.
In 253, Fei Yi was assassinated by the general Guo Xun (郭循) -- a former Wei general who had been forced to surrender but who secretly maintained his loyalty to Wei. Fei Yi's death left Jiang Wei as the leading official of the empire, but with a power vacuum in domestic matters, as Jiang Wei continued to be on the borders, conducting campaigns against Wei. Huang Hao's influence increased greatly as a result.
Jiang Wei's semi-regency
After Fei Yi's death, Jiang Wei assumed command of Shu's troops and began a number of campaigns against WeiJiang Wei's Northern Expeditions
Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions refer to a series of nine military campaigns launched by Shu Han general Jiang Wei against the rival state of Cao Wei from 247 to 262 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Each expedition was aborted eventually due to inadequate food supplies or...
-- but while they were troubling to Wei's de facto rulers Sima Shi
Sima Shi
Sima Shi , style name Ziyuan , was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, allowing the Sima family to become paramount authority in the state, and he...
and Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
(who had rendered Wei's emperors figureheads after succeeding their father Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...
), the attacks largely inflicted no real damage against Wei, as Jiang Wei's campaigns were plagued by one problem that had plagued Zhuge Liang's -- the lack of adequate food supply—and largely had to be terminated after a short duration. These campaigns instead had a detrimental effect on Shu, whose government no longer had the efficiency that it had during Zhuge Liang's and Jiang Wan's regencies, and therefore was unable to cope with the drain of resources that Jiang Wei's campaigns were having.
In 253, Jiang Wei made a coordinated attack on Wei, along with Wu's regent Zhuge Ke
Zhuge Ke
Zhuge Ke , style name Yuanxun , was a military general and regent of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhuge Jin and nephew of Zhuge Liang. He succeeded Lu Xun after the latter's death...
, but was eventually forced to withdraw after his troops ran out of food supplies — allowing Sima Shi to concentrate against Zhuge Ke, dealing Wu forces a devastating defeat that eventually caused so much resentment that Zhuge Ke was assassinated. This was the last of the coordinated attacks by Shu and Wu on Wei in the duration of the Shu-Wu alliance.
In 255, on one of Jiang Wei's campaigns, he dealt Wei forces a major defeat in the Battle of Didao
Battle of Didao
The Battle of Didao, also known as the Battle of Taoxi, was fought between the states of Shu Han and Cao Wei in 255 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle concluded with a Wei Pyrrhic victory.-Prelude:...
, nearly capturing the important Wei border city Didao
Lintao County
Lintao County is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. In ancient times, Lintao was centered around present day Min County.-Geography:...
(狄道; in present-day Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), but in 256, as he tried to again confront the Wei forces, he was instead dealt a defeat by Deng Ai
Deng Ai
Deng Ai was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. His talent was recognized by Sima Yi, who recommended him to take up...
, and this was a fairly devastating loss that left Jiang Wei with a weakened standing with the people. Many officials now openly questioned Jiang Wei's strategy, but Liu Shan took no actions to stop Jiang. Further, in 259, under Jiang Wei's suggestion, Liu Shan approved a plan where the main troops were withdrawn from major border cities to try to induce a Wei attack, with troops positioned in such a way as to intend a trapping of the Wei troops — a strategy that would be used several years later, in 263, when Wei did attack, but which would prove to be a failure.
By 261, Huang Hao's power appeared paramount. Among the key domestic officials, only Dong Jue
Dong Jue
Dong Jue, style name Gongxi , was an official and military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.Along with Fan Jian, Dong Jue served as a secretary under Shu's chancellor Zhuge Liang during the Southern Campaign and Northern Expeditions, and attained the titles of...
and Zhuge Liang's son Zhuge Zhan
Zhuge Zhan
Zhuge Zhan , style name Siyuan , was a politician and military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
were able to maintain their posts without flattering Huang Hao. In 262, Huang Hao would in fact try to remove Jiang Wei and replace him with his friend Yan Yu (閻宇). Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei advised Liu Shan to execute Huang Hao, but the emperor denied the request, saying that the eunuch was but a servant who ran errands. Fearing retaliation, Jiang Wei left Chengdu to garrison troops at Tazhong (沓中; northwest of present-day Zhouqu County, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
).
According to the Wu ambassador Xue Xu
Xue Xu
Xue Xu was a minister of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the son of Xue Zong. Xue Xu was at one time dispatched to Shu Han. Upon his return he reported the misgovernment in Shu to Eastern Wu's emperor Sun Xiu. Xue participated in attacking Jiaozhi along with...
, who visited Shu in 261 at the order of Sun Xiu
Sun Xiu
Sun Xiu , formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Early life:...
, the status that Shu was in at this point was:
- The emperor is incompetent and does not know his errors; his subordinates just try to get by without causing trouble for themselves. When I was visiting them, I heard no honest words, and when I visited their countryside, the people looked hungry. I have heard of a story of swallows and sparrows making nests on top of mansions and being content, believing that it was the safest place, not realizing that the haystack and the support beams were on fire and that disaster was about to come. This might be what they are like.
Fall of Shu
In 262, aggravated by Jiang Wei's constant attacks, Wei's regent Sima Zhao planned to carry out a major campaign to terminate the Shu threat once and for all. Upon hearing rumors of this plan, Jiang Wei submitted a request to Liu Shan, warning him about the mustering of Wei troops under the generals Deng Ai, Zhuge Xu, and Zhong HuiZhong Hui
Zhong Hui was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher and politician of Wei....
near the border. However, Huang Hao persuaded Liu Shan with fortunetelling to take no action on Jiang Wei's requests for war preparations.
In 263, Sima Zhao launched his attacks, led by Deng Ai, Zhuge Xu, and Zhong Hui. Liu Shan followed Jiang's previous plans and ordered the border troops to withdraw and prepare to trap Wei forces, rather than to confront them directly. The plan, however, had a fatal flaw—it assumed that Wei forces would siege the border cities, which, instead, Deng Ai and Zhong Hui ignored, and they advanced instead on Yang'an Pass (陽安關; in present-day Hanzhong
Hanzhong
Hanzhong is a municipality in southwest Shaanxi Province, China, occupying a historically significant valley in the mountains between the Xi'an area, home to many Chinese capitals, and the fertile but isolated Sichuan Basin...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), capturing it. Jiang Wei was able to meet their troops and initially repel them, but Deng Ai led his army through a trecherous mountain pass and deep into Shu territory. There he launched a surprise attack on Jiangyou (江油; in present-day Mianyang
Mianyang
Mianyang is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Its administrative area includes the city proper of Mianyang, with 985,586 inhabitants in the built up area , the county-level city of Jiangyou, and six counties, covering an area of over and a population...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). After defeating Zhuge Zhan there, Deng Ai had virtually no Shu troops left between his army and the capital Chengdu. Faced with the prospect of defending Chengdu against Deng Ai's troops with no defenses, Liu Shan took the advice of Secretary Qiao Zhou
Qiao Zhou
Qiao Zhou , style name Yunnan , was a minister of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Qiao formerly served under Liu Zhang. Qiao is remembered in later fiction as a very gifted astrologer whose readings of the sky were of use to Zhuge Liang's dispatch of troops...
and promptly surrendered. While the surrender was criticized by many, Wang Yin
Wang Yin
Wang Yin is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Wang Yin is the Secretary of Military Affairs serving under the rebel leader, Fang La, one of the antagonists and enemy of the 108 Liangshan outlaws...
(王隱) in his Records of Shu (蜀記) described the move as a policy that placed the welfare of the people on top.
In 264, the ambitious Zhong Hui would carry out an attempt to seize power — which Jiang Wei, who had surrendered to Zhong Hui, tried to take advantage of to revive Shu. He advised Zhong Hui to falsely accuse Deng Ai of treason and arrest him, and, with their combined troops, rebel against Sima Zhao. Zhong Hui did so, and Jiang Wei planned to next kill Zhong Hui and his followers, and then redeclare Shu's independence under emperor Liu Shan, and had in fact written Liu Shan to inform him of those plans. However, Zhong Hui's troops rebelled against him, and both Jiang Wei and Zhong Hui were killed in battle. Liu Shan himself was not harmed in the disturbance, although his crown prince Liu Xuan
Liu Xuan (Three Kingdoms)
Liu Xuan , style name Wenheng , was a prince of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the oldest son of Liu Shan, the second and last ruler of Shu. Liu Xuan became crown prince in 238. After the fall of Shu to the rival state of Wei, Liu Xuan was caught up...
was killed in the confusion.
Life after the fall of Shu
In 264, Liu Shan and his entire family was relocated to the Wei capital Luoyang. He was created the Duke of Anle (安樂公; literally meaning "duke of peace and comfort"), and his sons and grandsons were created marquesses. According to the Spring and Autumn Annals of Han and Jin (漢晉春秋) by Xi Zuochi (习鑿齒), Sima Zhao, the Duke of Jin and de facto ruler of Wei, one day invited Liu Shan and his followers to a feast, during which Sima Zhao arranged to have entertainers perform traditional Shu music and dance. The former Shu officials present were all saddened, but Liu Shan was visibly unmoved. When asked by Sima Zhao if he missed his former state, Liu Shan replied:I enjoy life here and do not think of Shu at all. (此間樂，不思蜀)
This phrase became a Chinese idiom le bu si shu (樂不思蜀; literally meaning "too joyful to think about home", but often with a negative implication). This was noted by Sima Zhao as a sign that Liu Shan was an incompetent fool; however, some later historians believed that it showed Liu Shan's wisdom in intentionally displaying a lack of ambition so that Sima Zhao would not view him as a threat.
Liu Shan died in 271, in Luoyang, and was given the posthumous name Duke Si of Anle (安樂思公; literally "the deep-thinking duke of Anle"). His dukedom lasted several generations during Wei's successor state, the Jin Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, before being extinguished in the turmoils caused by the Wu Hu
Wu Hu
Wu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non-Chinese nomadic tribes which caused the Wu Hu uprising, and established the Sixteen Kingdoms from 304 to 439 AD.-Definition:...
. Liu Yuan
Liu Yuan (Han Zhao)
Liu Yuan , courtesy name Yuanhai , formally Emperor Guangwen of Han was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao.-Family background:...
, the founder of one of the Wu Hu Sixteen Kingdoms
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas from 304 to 439 AD after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties...
, Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
, who claimed to be a legitimate successor of the Han Dynasty, gave Liu Shan the posthumous name Emperor Xiaohuai (孝懷皇帝; literally "the filial and kind emperor").
Family
- Father: Liu BeiLiu BeiLiu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
, Emperor Zhaolie
- Mother: Lady GanLady GanLady Gan was Liu Bei's first wife and mother of Liu Shan. Very little is mentioned about her. She was posthumously named as Empress Zhaolie and was buried alongside Liu Bei.-See also:*List of people of the Three Kingdoms...
, posthumously honoured as Empress Zhaolie
- Spouses:
- Empress Jing'aiEmpress Zhang (Liu Shan, former)Empress Zhang , personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Jing'ai was an empress of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the daughter of Zhang Fei and his wife Lady Xiahou, and the first wife of Liu Shan, the second emperor of Shu Han...
, older daughter of Zhang Fei, instated in 223, died in 237 - Empress ZhangEmpress Zhang (Liu Shan, later)Empress Zhang, personal name unknown, was an empress of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. She was the daughter of Zhang Fei and his wife Lady Xiahou, and the second wife of Liu Shan, the second emperor of Shu Han. Liu Shan's first wife was her sister, and after her...
, younger daughter of Zhang Fei, instated in 238, followed Liu Shan to Luoyang after the fall of Shu Han - Consort Wang (王貴人), bore Liu Xuan and Liu Yao
- Consort Li (李昭儀), committed suicide in 264 after the fall of Shu Han
- Empress Jing'ai
- Children:
- Liu XuanLiu Xuan (Three Kingdoms)Liu Xuan , style name Wenheng , was a prince of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the oldest son of Liu Shan, the second and last ruler of Shu. Liu Xuan became crown prince in 238. After the fall of Shu to the rival state of Wei, Liu Xuan was caught up...
, instated as crown prince at the age of 15, killed during Zhong HuiZhong HuiZhong Hui was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher and politician of Wei....
's rebellion in 264 - Liu Yao (劉瑤), Prince of Anding, born in 238
- Liu Cong (劉琮), the Prince of Xihe, born in 252, died in 262
- Liu Zan (劉瓚), Prince of Xinping, born in 256
- Liu ChenLiu ChenLiu Chen , Prince of Beidi , was the fifth son of Liu Shan, the second ruler of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Liu Chen opposed the plans of Qiao Zhou to surrender to the opposing force under general Deng Ai from the rival state of Cao Wei...
, Prince of Beidi, born in 242, committed suicide in 263 - Liu Xun (劉恂), Prince of Xinxing, born in 259, inherited the title of Duke of Anle
- Liu Qu (劉璩), Prince of Shangdang, born in 259
- Liu Xuan
Titles held
- Crown Prince (太子) of Shu
- Emperor of Shu
- Duke of Anle (安樂公)
- The following titles were granted to Liu Shan posthumously
- Duke Si of Anle (安樂思公)
- Emperor Xiaohuai (孝懷皇帝)
In fiction
Romance of the Three KingdomsRomance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
, a 14th century historical novel by Luo Guanzhong
Luo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
, is a romanticization of the events that occurred before and during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
era. The novel generally portrays Liu Shan as an incapable ruler who was easily swayed by words, especially those from his favorite eunuch, Huang Hao. Two famous stories from the novel involving Liu Shan are:
Battle of Changban
In 208, Liu Bei was routed by an elite cavalry force led by the powerful warlord Cao Cao at Changban (northeast of present-day Dangyang County, Hubei) and was forced to leave behind Lady Gan and Liu Shan in his retreat. The general Zhao Yun stayed behind to protect the family members of Liu Bei. Although in history Zhao Yun led both mother and child to safety without incident, the novel in Chapter 41 fabricated the suicide of Lady MiLady Mi
Lady Mi was the second wife of the warlord Liu Bei, who lived during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Lady Mi was the sister of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, who previously served the warlord Tao Qian before joining Liu Bei's side...
, another consort of Liu Bei and younger sister of Mi Zhu
Mi Zhu
Mi Zhu was an advisor to the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also Liu's brother-in-law, as his sister, Lady Mi, married Liu. He was the older brother of Mi Fang, who served Liu Bei as well until his defection to Sun Quan's side in 219...
, so that Zhao Yun could concentrate on protecting the infant Liu Shan.
Refusing to take the only horse Zhao Yun had, which was sorely needed to break out of the enemy ranks, Lady Mi leapt into a dried well and killed herself. Zhao Yun then pushed the well over to cover up Lady Mi's corpse for fear of desecration by the enemy, before securing Liu Shan to his chest. He singlehandedly broke out of the enemy encirclement. Cao Cao was so impressed with the general's bravery that he ordered his troops not to fire arrows in the hope of capturing Zhao Yun alive. When Zhao Yun did catch up with Liu Bei and the rest, however, Liu Bei threw the child onto the ground to show that his officers were more important to him than his own son.
Zhao Yun rescues A'dou from Lady Sun
In Chapter 61, Sun Shangxiang, younger sister of Sun Quan, married Liu Bei to secure an alliance between the two warlords, returned to her homeland to visit her sick mother, Lady WuLady Wu
Lady Wu was the wife of the warlord Sun Jian, who lived during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. She had five children: four sons, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Sun Yi, Sun Kuang, and a daughter, Lady Sun...
. The sickness, however, was a lie to persuade Sun Shangxiang to bring along Liu Shan, who would then be used as a hostage to exchange for Jing Province with Liu Bei. When Zhao Yun learned of her departure, he rushed down to the quay, where Sun Shangxiang had already boarded the boat manned by Zhou Shan
Zhou Shan
Zhou Shan is a fictional character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.-Biography:Zhou served under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty. He was sent by his lord to fetch Lady Sun back to Eastern Wu. Lady Sun brought Liu Bei's young son, Liu Shan, along...
, whom Sun Quan sent to fetch his sister.
Grabbing hold of a small fishing boat, Zhao Yun caught up with the larger boat and leapt onto it. Zhou Shan's soldiers were not able to stop him. Although Zhao Yun was able to forcibly retrieve Liu Shan from his stepmother, he was not able to get off the boat, which was speeding down the river back to Jiangdong. Fortunately, the boat was intercepted by a fleet led by Zhang Fei. When Zhou Shan tried to resist, Zhang Fei slew him. The two generals then brought the only son of Liu Bei safely back while Sun Shangxiang returned to Jiangdong.
Modern references
Liu Shan is first introduced as a playable character in the seventh installmentDynasty Warriors 7
is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....
of Koei's Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...
video game series.
See also
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms
- List of Chinese monarchs
- List of Dynasty Warriors characters