Liu Bao 劉豹
| Occupation | ROfficial · Gentleman Consultant | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Liu Bao (劉豹) served under Liu Bei as a Gentleman Consultant before Liu Bei took the imperial throne, and held the noble title of Marquis of Yangquan. The Records give him no biography of his own, and his name appears once, in the Biography of the First Sovereign in Records of Shu 2. In the 25th year of Jian'an (220), after Emperor Wen of Wei assumed the imperial title and a rumour spread that the Han emperor had been killed, his name heads the list of officials who submitted a document urging Liu Bei to take the imperial throne, citing the River Chart and the Luo Writing, the prophetic and apocryphal texts, and the signs of Heaven. Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, his origin or anything of him afterwards. Records, Shu 2 §55–59
In the Romance he appears in only one of its 120 chapters, Chapter 80, and no chapter has his name in its title. When Zhuge Liang, having won the consent of the King of Hanzhong on the pretext of illness, strikes the screen, he is named as 'Liu Bao, Marquis of Yangquan' among the civil and military officials who come in from outside, prostrate themselves and ask him to perform the great ceremony. Romance, Ch. 80 §34–37
In the Records
According to the Biography of the First Sovereign, in the 25th year of Jian'an (220) Emperor Wen of Wei assumed the imperial title and changed the era name to Huangchu. When a rumour spread that the Han emperor had been killed, the First Sovereign (Liu Bei) announced mourning, put on mourning garments and conferred on him the posthumous title Emperor Xiaomin. After this, reports of all kinds of auspicious omens came in from many places, day after day and month after month. Records, Shu 2 §55
Thereupon the Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of Yangquan Liu Bao submitted a document together with the Marquis of Qingyi Xiang Ju, the Lieutenant Generals Zhang Yi (張裔) and Huang Quan, the Headquarters Attendant Officer Yang Hong, the Attendant Officer for Deliberation Du Qiong, the Attendant Officers for Encouraging Learning Yin Mo and Qiao Zhou, and other officials. The document said that the River Chart, the Luo Writing and the prophetic and apocryphal texts of the Five Classics had been sifted and made clear by Confucius, and that their proofs and responses had come down from the distant past, and it cited passages such as 'In the ninth generation, meeting Bei (備), they unite to make the time of an emperor' from the Luo Writing: Zhen Yao Du and 'The emperor is established three times; in the ninth, meeting Bei (備)' from the Classic of Filial Piety: Gou Ming Jue Lu. Records, Shu 2 §55–56
The document also cited the words of one official's father, Qun (群), who had said in his lifetime that for many years a yellow vapour several zhang high had risen straight up in the southwest; the vapour like a banner that several times during the 22nd year of Jian'an (217) passed across the middle of the sky from the west to the far east; and the fact that in that year Venus, Mars and Saturn constantly followed Jupiter. While the emperor at Xu was still alive, it said, the officials had not dared to let a word slip, but recently Mars had again followed Jupiter and appeared in the lodges Wei, Mao and Bi; and it begged the Great King to respond to Heaven and accord with the people, and swiftly take up the great enterprise so as to bring peace to all within the seas. Records, Shu 2 §57–59
Next the Grand Tutor Xu Jing, the General Who Pacifies the Han Mi Zhu, the Military Adviser General Zhuge Liang, the Minister of Ceremonies Lai Gong, the Minister Steward Wang Mou and others also submitted a letter, saying that more than eight hundred officials had submitted letters one after another, all citing auspicious signs and prophecies. In the 4th month of the 26th year of Jian'an (221) the First Sovereign took the imperial throne south of Wudan in Chengdu. Records, Shu 2 §60 · 65
In Chen Shou's main text this one passage in the Biography of the First Sovereign is the only place where this Liu Bao's name appears, and his courtesy name, his origin and what became of him afterwards are not recorded. Another Liu Bao (劉豹) of the same name appears in the Biography of Deng Ai in Records of Wei 28: the Worthy King of the Right in Bing Province, who merged several tribes into one, and Deng Ai cited this in a memorial saying that Liu Bao's tribe should be split in two to divide its power. Records, Shu 2 §55Records, Wei 28 §56–57
In the Romance
In Chapter 80 of the Romance, when a rumour reaches Chengdu that Cao Pi has made himself emperor of Great Wei and that the Han emperor has already been killed, the King of Hanzhong weeps aloud all day, has all the officials put on mourning and confers the posthumous title Emperor Xiaomin. When the King of Hanzhong falls ill from grief over this and entrusts all affairs of government to Kongming, Kongming consults the Grand Tutor Xu Jing and the Grandee of Splendid Happiness Qiao Zhou, intending to raise the King of Hanzhong to emperor. Qiao Zhou cites as omens the auspicious winds and propitious clouds, the yellow vapour that rose up at the northwest corner of Chengdu, and the Emperor Star that appeared in the field of Bi, Wei and Mao. Romance, Ch. 80 §29–30
Kongming and Xu Jing lead the officials in submitting a memorial, but the King of Hanzhong asks whether they mean to make him a disloyal and unrighteous man, shakes out his sleeves and goes in. When they ask again three days later, he still refuses, saying that although he is a descendant of Emperor Jing he has bestowed no benefits on the people. Kongming devises a plan, instructs the officials, and stays away on the pretext of illness; when the King of Hanzhong comes to him in person, Kongming confides his worry that the officials harbour resentment and will soon scatter, and draws from him the answer that it will not be too late to proceed once the Military Adviser has recovered. Romance, Ch. 80 §31–36
When Kongming springs up from his couch and strikes the screen, the civil and military officials waiting outside all come in, prostrate themselves and ask that, since His Highness has already consented, he choose a day and perform the great ceremony. Among them, alongside the Grand Tutor Xu Jing, the General Who Pacifies the Han Mi Zhu and the Marquis of Qingyi Xiang Ju, is the Marquis of Yangquan Liu Bao, together with the Headquarters Officer Yang Hong, the Officer for Deliberation Du Qiong, the Minister of the Household Huang Quan, the Scholar Yin Mo, the Director of Studies Qiao Zhou, the Lieutenant General Zhang Yi (張裔), the Attendant Gentleman Qin Mi and others. The King of Hanzhong exclaims in alarm that it is they who have plunged him into unrighteousness. Romance, Ch. 80 §37–38
With the Erudite Xu Ci and the Gentleman Remonstrant Meng Guang in charge of the ceremonies, an altar is built south of Wudan in Chengdu, and in the 4th month of the 26th year of Jian'an, after Qiao Zhou reads the prayer on the altar, the King of Hanzhong receives the imperial seal, ascends the throne and changes the era name to the 1st year of Zhangwu. The Romance records nothing more of Liu Bao after this. Romance, Ch. 80 §38–39 · 41–42
Where the Romance differs
Where his name appears: In Chapter 80 of the Romance, Liu Bao appears as one of the officials who come in, bow and ask for the great ceremony when Zhuge Liang strikes the screen. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, his name heads the list of officials who submitted a document urging accession to the imperial throne, citing the signs of Heaven and the prophetic and apocryphal texts. Romance, Ch. 80 §37Records, Shu 2 §55
Office: Chapter 80 of the Romance gives only his noble title, 'Marquis of Yangquan'. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, he is a Gentleman Consultant as well as Marquis of Yangquan. Romance, Ch. 80 §37Records, Shu 2 §55
Who reported the omens: In Chapter 80 of the Romance, Qiao Zhou, conferring with Zhuge Liang and Xu Jing, cites the auspicious winds, the yellow vapour northwest of Chengdu and the Emperor Star. In the Records, the yellow vapour in the southwest, the movements of the stars and prophecies such as the Luo Writing are contained in the document submitted jointly by the officials headed by Liu Bao. Romance, Ch. 80 §30Records, Shu 2 §55–58
How the accession was urged: In Chapter 80 of the Romance, when the King of Hanzhong repeatedly refuses, Zhuge Liang uses a ruse, pleading illness, to win his consent. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records gives in turn the document of Liu Bao and others and the letter of Xu Jing, Mi Zhu, Zhuge Liang and others, and the Biography of Zhuge Liang records that when the First Sovereign would not consent, Zhuge Liang persuaded him by citing the words of Geng Chun. The ruse of feigned illness does not appear. Romance, Ch. 80 §34–37Records, Shu 2 §55 · 60Records, Shu 5 §19–20
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
- LEA3331−2
- STR3131±0
- INT4038−2
- POL4542−3
- CHA4040±0
- VIR4545±0
- ADP4846−2
- SCH4240−2
- DIP4038−2
- DIS3533−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RPut his name to a document citing auspicious signs to urge the First Sovereign's accessionShu 2 §55
NStood among the civil and military officials asking the King of Hanzhong to take the imperial throneCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his roles as Gentleman Consultant and Marquis of YangquanShu 2 §55
NNo direct record — estimated from his rank as Marquis of YangquanCh. 80 §37
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
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