Liu Bao

Liu Bao (died 279) was a Southern Xiongnu leader 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.

Life
Liu Bao was a member of the Luandi clan as the son of the Southern Xiongnu chanyu, Yufuluo. When Yufuluo died in 195, his younger brother 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). In 216, Huchuquan travelled to Ye (present-day Handan, Hebei) to receive nominal titles from the Han imperial court and remained in city. The Southern Xiongnu in Bing province were divided into five divisions, and Liu Bao, along with the Wise Prince of the Right (or Wise Prince of the Left), Qubei, was appointed to supervise them in Huchuquan's stead.

During the Jiaping era (249–254), Liu Bao unified the five divisions, which caught the attention of the Cao Wei general, Deng Ai. Deng Ai advocated to the Wei paramount ruler, Sima Shi for the Southern Xiongnu to be divided into two, although it would not be until the Xianxi era (264–266) when they were re-split into three and then into four. Liu Bao also had to send his son, Liu Yuan to the imperial capital, Luoyang, as a hostage to prevent him from rebelling. Soon, the Southern Xiongnu in Bing were once again living in five divisions. Liu Bao died in 279 and was succeeded Liu Yuan, who found the Han-Zhao dynasty in 304.

Some modern Chinese scholars like Tang Changru (唐长孺) and Chen Yong (陈勇) have cast doubt on the claim of Liu Bao being the son of Yufuluo due to discrepancies in the record, such as the long time span between when Liu Bao was first active as Wise Prince of the Left in 195 and his death in 279. Tang in particular believed that Liu Bao was a member of the non-related but powerful Tuge tribe (屠各部), also known as Xiuchuge (休屠各). Liu Yuan may have fabricated his ties to the chanyu family and the Han dynasty (due to the marriage between the first chanyu, Modu Chanyu and a Han princess) to increase his legitimacy with the establishment of Han-Zhao.

Liu Bao may have also been the Wise Prince of the Left who took the poet, Cai Wenji 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. 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.