Liu Cong 劉琮
| Occupation | ROther · Prince of Xihe | Faction | Shu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Zhuo Commandery Zhuo County Unverified |
| Died | R262 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Liu Cong was a son of the Later Sovereign of Shu Han. He has no biography of his own in Chen Shou's text and appears twice in the Biography of the Later Sovereign. He was made Prince of Xihe in the 15th year of Yanxi (252) and died in the 1st month of spring in the 5th year of Jingyao (262). He is a different person from Liu Cong, the youngest son of Liu Biao of Jing Province. Records, Shu 3 §32 · 42Records, Wei 6 §90–91
Chen Shou's text does not record his courtesy name, mother, age or the cause of his death, and the assessment in the Biography of the Later Sovereign, where he appears, does not treat him either. In the Romance he is named only once, in Chapter 118, as the third of the Later Sovereign's seven sons; he thus appears in one of the 120 chapters, and his name is in no chapter title. The Romance lists him as a son at the deliberation over whether the Later Sovereign should surrender to Deng Ai, but in Chen Shou's text he died the year before Shu fell. Records, Shu 3 §42 · 53Romance, Ch. 118 §4Records, Shu 4 §25
In the Records
In the 15th year of Yanxi (252), the year Sun Quan, King of Wu, died, the Later Sovereign made his son Liu Cong Prince of Xihe. Chen Shou's text does not give his courtesy name, his mother or his age at the time. The Biographies of the Consorts and Sons of the Two Rulers, which record the Later Sovereign's consorts and sons, have no entry for him either; their entries on imperial sons cover only Liu Yong and Liu Li, sons of the First Sovereign, and Liu Xuan, Crown Prince of the Later Sovereign. Records, Shu 3 §32Records, Shu 4 §16–25
The Later Sovereign's other sons were likewise made Crown Prince or princes one after another in the Biography of the Later Sovereign. In the 1st month of spring in the 1st year of Yanxi (238) he made Liu Xuan Crown Prince and Liu Yao Prince of Anding; in the 19th year (256) he made Liu Zan Prince of Xinping; and in the 6th month of summer in the 2nd year of Jingyao (259) he made Liu Chen Prince of Beidi, Liu Xun Prince of Xinxing and Liu Qian Prince of Shangdang. Chen Shou's text does not give the order of these sons by age. Records, Shu 3 §19 · 36 · 39
In the 1st month of spring in the 5th year of Jingyao (262), Liu Cong, Prince of Xihe, died. That year Jiang Wei again led his host out to Houhe, was defeated by Deng Ai and returned to stay at Tazhong. Chen Shou's text records neither the cause of Liu Cong's death nor who succeeded him. Records, Shu 3 §42
In the winter of the following year, the 6th year of Jingyao (263), Shu fell. The Later Sovereign adopted the plan of Qiao Zhou, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and surrendered to Deng Ai, and on that day Liu Chen, Prince of Beidi, grieving over the fall of the state, first killed his wife and children and then took his own life. The Later Sovereign's whole household moved east to Luoyang, and Chen Shou writes that more than fifty of his sons and grandsons became one of the three commandants (sandu wei) or were enfeoffed as marquises. Records, Shu 4 §25Records, Shu 3 §43 · 46 · 48 · 52
In his assessment in the Biography of the Later Sovereign, Chen Shou argues only that the Later Sovereign was a ruler who followed reason when he entrusted affairs to a worthy chancellor but became a foolish and benighted sovereign when he was led astray by eunuchs; he does not treat Liu Cong. Records, Shu 3 §53
In the Romance
In Chapter 118 of the Romance, when news reaches Chengdu that Deng Ai has taken Mianzhu and that Zhuge Zhan and his son are already dead, Qiao Zhou, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, says it would be better to surrender to Wei than to seek refuge with Wu, and the next day he submits another memorial to remonstrate. When the Later Sovereign, following Qiao Zhou's words, is about to go out and surrender, his fifth son, Liu Chen, Prince of Beidi, comes out from behind a screen and rebukes Qiao Zhou. Romance, Ch. 118 §1 · 3–4
In this scene the Romance lists the Later Sovereign's seven sons: the eldest Liu Xuan, the second Liu Yao, the third Liu Cong, the fourth Liu Zan, the fifth Liu Chen, Prince of Beidi, the sixth Liu Xun and the seventh Liu Qu. Of the seven, it says, only Liu Chen had been intelligent and quick-witted beyond others from childhood, while all the rest were weak and meek. This is the only time Liu Cong's name appears in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 118 §4–5
The next day, when the Wei army arrives in force, the Later Sovereign, leading the Crown Prince, the princes and more than sixty officials, binds his own hands behind his back, carries a coffin on a cart and goes out ten li beyond the north gate to surrender. Romance, Ch. 118 §13
Where the Romance differs
Time of death: Chapter 118 of the Romance names Liu Cong as the third of the Later Sovereign's seven sons at the deliberation over surrender. In the Biography of the Later Sovereign in Chen Shou's text, Liu Cong had already died earlier, in the 1st month of spring in the 5th year of Jingyao (262), and Shu fell in the winter of the following year, the 6th year of Jingyao (263). Romance, Ch. 118 §4Records, Shu 3 §42Records, Shu 4 §25
Prince of Xihe: In Chen Shou's text, Liu Cong was made Prince of Xihe in the 15th year of Yanxi (252). The Romance merely names him once in Chapter 118 and does not mention his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe. Records, Shu 3 §32Romance, Ch. 118 §4
Brothers and birth order: Chapter 118 of the Romance names Liu Cong as the third son. The Biography of the Later Sovereign in Chen Shou's text only records that Liu Xuan, Liu Yao, Liu Cong, Liu Zan, Liu Chen, Liu Xun and Liu Qian were made Crown Prince or princes, giving no order among the brothers, and Liu Qu does not appear. Romance, Ch. 118 §4Records, Shu 3 §19 · 32 · 36 · 39
Character: Chapter 118 of the Romance writes that of the seven sons only Liu Chen was intelligent and quick-witted, while all the rest were weak and meek. Chen Shou's text records nothing of Liu Cong's character. Romance, Ch. 118 §5Records, Shu 3 §32 · 42
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.
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT3835−3
- POL3835−3
- CHA4038−2
- VIR4542−3
- ADP4038−2
- SCH4038−2
- DIP3533−2
- 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 only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
RNo direct record — estimated only from the records of his enfeoffment as Prince of Xihe and his deathShu 3 §32Shu 3 §42
NNo direct record — estimated only from his listing as the Later Sovereign's third sonCh. 118 §4
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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