Liu Bao

 ( 3rd-century Chinese People ) 

Liu Bao ( 195–279) was a leader of the Xiongnu who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. His son, Liu Yuan, founded the Han-Zhao dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

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Life According to official history, Liu Bao was a member of the Luandi clan as the son of the Southern Xiongnu chanyu, Yufuluo. Yufuluo had been forced into exile in 188, after Southern Xiongnu rebels allied with the Xiuchuge people killed his father, Qiangqu. When Yufuluo died in 195, his younger brother Luanti Huchuquan inherited the position of chanyu in accordance with the lateral succession order and appointed Liu Bao as the Wise Prince of the Left (or Wise Prince of the Right).Some records state that Liu Bao was the Wise Prince of the Right. (是時并州右賢王劉豹並為一部...) Sanguozhi, vol.28 There are also records that assert that the Wise Prince of the Left after Huchuquan's ascension was Qubei. (韓暹及匈奴左賢王去卑...) Hou Hanshu, vol.9

In 216, Huchuquan travelled to Ye (present-day Handan, Hebei) to receive nominal titles from the Han dynasty imperial court and remained in city as an honoured prisoner. The Han chancellor, Cao Cao gathered the last vestiges of the Southern Xiongnu and reorganized them into the Five Divisions around Taiyuan Commandery in Bingzhou. The Five Divisions were placed under the supervision of Huchuquan's uncle, Qubei, and each of the Five Divisions had their own commander, with Liu Bao commanding the Left Division.Bichurin N.Ya., "Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times", 1851, vol. 1, p. 147 They later became a vassal to the Cao Wei after they replaced the Han in 220.

During the Cao Fang era (249–254), Liu Bao unified the Five Divisions and began mustering a great force. His activities caught the attention of the Wei general, Deng Ai, who urged the paramount ruler, Sima Shi to intervene. Sima Shi accepted his suggestions, but it would not be until the Xianxi era (264–266) when Liu Bao's followers were re-split into three and then four.(是時并州右賢王劉豹並為一部，艾上言曰：戎狄獸心，不以義親，強則侵暴，弱則內附，故周宣有玁狁之寇，漢祖有平城之圍。每匈奴一盛，為前代重患。自單于在外，莫能牽制長卑。誘而致之，使來入侍。由是羌夷失統，合散無主。以單于在內，萬里順軌。今單于之尊日疏，外土之威浸重，則胡虜不可不深備也。聞劉豹部有叛胡，可因叛割為二國，以分其勢。去卑功顯前朝，而子不繼業，宜加其子顯號，使居雁門。離國弱寇，追錄舊勳，此禦邊長計也。) Sanguozhi, vol.28 Liu Bao was also forced to send his son, Liu Yuan to the imperial capital, Luoyang, as a hostage to prevent him from rebelling. Soon, Liu Bao's followers were once again living as the Five Divisions.(咸熙之際，以一部太強，分爲三率，泰始之初，又增爲四... 今五部之衆...) Jin Shu, vol.56

The Zizhi Tongjian lists Liu Bao's death in 279. After his death, Emperor Wu of Jin appointed Liu Yuan to succeed him as Commander of the Left Division. Liu Yuan and the Five Divisions later went on to established the Han-Zhao in 304.

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Skepticism and theories on lineage Some modern Chinese scholars like Tang Changru (唐长孺) and Chen Yong (陈勇) have cast doubt on the claim that Liu Bao was Yufuluo's son. Among the reasons that Tang pointed out was the long time span between when Liu Bao became Wise Prince of the Left in 195 (assuming he was 20) and his death, which Tang placed at around 274. They assert that Liu Bao was instead a member of the Xiuchuge or Chuge people that overthrew the Southern Xiongnu chanyu. In fact, Liu Yuan and his family members are referred to as Chuge in several passages of contemporary records. Their theory further suggests that Liu Yuan had fabricated his ties to the chanyu as a means of establishing his legitimacy with the founding of Han-Zhao.Tang, Changru (December 2010). "〈魏晋杂胡考 一 屠各〉". 《魏晋南北朝史论丛》 (in Chinese). Beijing: Commercial Press. . Other scholars such as Zhou Weizhou (周伟洲) remain certain that Liu Yuan descended from the Southern Xiongnu chanyus, with Zhou in particular providing his refutations to Tang's theory.

zhou wei zhou (2025). 9787563359943 ISBN 9787563359943

Liu Bao may have also been the Wise Prince of the Left who took the poet Cai Yan as his concubine after Li Jue's coup in Chang'an in 195. The pair would go on to have two children. However, the powerful warlord Cao Cao arrived and paid a heavy ransom to Liu Bao, demanding that he release Cai Wenji, to which Liu Bao did without hesitation.(興平中，天下喪亂，文姬為胡騎所獲，沒於南匈奴左賢王，在胡中十二年，生二子。曹操素與邕善，痛其無嗣，乃遣使者以金璧贖之，而重嫁於祀。) Hou Hanshu, vol.84 However, it is highly uncertain if the Wise Prince of the Left was indeed Liu Bao, given that the records do not mention him by name, that he may have instead been the Wise Prince of the Right, and that there are doubts regarding his relationship to Yufuluo.

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See also

• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

• Fang Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin ( Jin Shu), Volume 101.

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