Liu An 劉安

In Chapter 19 of the Romance, when Lü Bu takes advantage of his momentum to break into Pei, Xuande has no time to go home, abandons his wife and children, and flees alone on horseback through the west gate. When Sun Qian, who has come after him, suggests that they first take refuge with Cao Cao and plan for the future, Xuande follows his advice and takes byways toward the capital Xu. On the way his provisions run out and he goes into villages to seek food, and wherever he goes, people who hear that he is Liu of Yu Province vie to offer him food and drink. Romance, Ch. 19 §2 · 5

One day, when he goes to a house and asks to stay the night, a young man of the household comes out and bows to him; asked his name, he turns out to be the hunter Liu An. Hearing that the Governor of Yu Province has come, Liu An wants to find game to serve him, but when he cannot obtain any at once, he kills his own wife and gives her to him to eat. When Xuande asks what meat it is, Liu An answers that it is wolf meat, and Xuande, suspecting nothing, eats a full meal and, as night falls, goes to sleep. Romance, Ch. 19 §6

At dawn, going to the back courtyard to fetch his horse before setting out, Xuande sees a woman lying dead in the kitchen with all the flesh cut from her arms. Only when he asks in shock does he learn that what he ate the night before was the flesh of Liu An's wife; overcome with grief, he mounts his horse shedding tears. Liu An says that he had wished to follow His Excellency but, with his aged mother at home, dares not travel far, and Xuande thanks him and takes his leave. Romance, Ch. 19 §6–7

Taking the road out to Liangcheng, Xuande meets Cao Cao's great army and tells him in detail how he lost Pei, was separated from his two younger brothers and had his wife and children captured, and Cao Cao too sheds tears for him. When Xuande also tells how Liu An killed his wife to feed him, Cao Cao has Sun Qian take a hundred taels of gold to bestow on him. The Romance does not mention Liu An again after this. Romance, Ch. 19 §7–8