Liang Qian 梁虔
| Occupation | ROfficial · Grand Prolonger NOfficial · Prefect of Shanggui | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Liang Qian was the Recorder of Tianshui Commandery. He has no biography of his own in the main text of Chen Shou, and appears only twice, in the account of Jiang Wei in the Biographies of Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and Jiang Wei in Records of Shu 14. In the 6th year of Jianxing (228), when Zhuge Liang's army was heading for Mount Qi, he accompanied the Administrator of Tianshui, who was touring his jurisdiction, together with Jiang Wei, Liang Xu and Yin Shang, and when the Administrator, suspecting them, fled by night, he went over to Zhuge Liang together with them. Later he became Grand Prolonger in Shu, and he died before Shu fell. Records, Shu 14 §29–30 · 50
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 92 as the Recorder of Ma Zun, Administrator of Tianshui, and he appears in 2 of its 120 chapters; no chapter has his name in its title. In Chapter 93 he joins Ma Zun in a pincer attack on Zhao Yun, and while holding Shanggui he denounces Jiang Wei, who has surrendered to Shu, as a traitor and drives him away, but when summoned by his elder brother Liang Xu he comes out of the city, surrenders to Kongming and becomes Prefect of Shanggui. Romance, Ch. 92 §45Romance, Ch. 93 §4 · 13 · 22 · 28–29
In the Records
In the 6th year of Jianxing (228), when the army of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang was heading for Mount Qi, the Administrator of Tianshui happened to be out touring his jurisdiction, accompanied by Jiang Wei, the Officer of Merit Liang Xu, the Registrar Yin Shang, the Recorder Liang Qian and others. Hearing that the Shu army was about to arrive and that the counties were responding to it, the Administrator suspected that Jiang Wei and the others all harbored disloyal intentions, and so he fled by night to hold Shanggui. Records, Shu 14 §29–30
Jiang Wei and the others realized that the Administrator had gone and pursued him, but too late; when they reached the city gate it was already shut, and they were not admitted. Jiang Wei and the others went back together to Ji County, but Ji County would not admit Jiang Wei either, and in the end they all went over to Zhuge Liang together. Just then Ma Su was defeated at Jieting, and Zhuge Liang took more than a thousand households of Xi County, along with Jiang Wei and the others, and went back. Records, Shu 14 §30–31
After citing Xi Zheng's essay, the account of Jiang Wei records that among those who had once come to Shu with Jiang Wei, Liang Xu rose to the office of Grand Herald, Yin Shang became Bearer of the Golden Mace and Liang Qian Grand Prolonger, and that all of them died before Shu fell. These two passages are the only places in the main text of Chen Shou where Liang Qian appears, and his courtesy name, origins and year of death are not recorded. Records, Shu 14 §49–50
In the Romance
In Chapter 92 of the Romance, Ma Zun, Administrator of Tianshui Commandery, hears that Xiahou Mao is trapped in the city of Nan'an and gathers his civil and military officials to consult. The Officer of Merit Liang Xu, the Registrar Yin Shang, the Recorder Liang Qian and others say that the Imperial Son-in-law Xiahou is a branch of gold and a leaf of jade, so that if anything should befall him it would be hard to escape the charge of having sat by and watched, and they urge Ma Zun to raise all the troops of his command to rescue him. But as Ma Zun is about to raise his troops, Jiang Wei comes in and stops him, saying that the Administrator has fallen into Zhuge Liang's trap. Romance, Ch. 92 §45 · 47
In Chapter 93, following Jiang Wei's plan, Ma Zun gives him picked troops to lie in ambush, and himself leads troops out of the city with Liang Qian to wait, leaving Liang Xu and Yin Shang to hold the city. While Zhao Yun, who has come up below the city of Tianshui, is fighting Jiang Wei, Ma Zun and Liang Qian turn back with their troops and catch him in a pincer attack, and Zhao Yun cuts his way out and flees. When Kongming comes in person, they divide their forces into four as Jiang Wei advises, and Ma Zun, Liang Qian and Yin Shang each lead a unit to lie in ambush outside the city. Romance, Ch. 93 §2 · 4–5 · 8
On news that the Shu army has divided into three columns to attack Ji and Shanggui, Ma Zun has Jiang Wei hold Ji with 3,000 troops and Liang Qian hold Shanggui with 3,000 troops. Later, when Jiang Wei, who has also been shot at and driven away from the city of Tianshui, rides up to the city of Shanggui, Liang Qian, on the wall, loudly denounces him, asking how a traitor who has betrayed his country dares to come to trick him out of his city and saying that he already knows Jiang Wei has surrendered to Shu, and showers him with arrows. With no way to explain himself, Jiang Wei looks up to heaven, sighs and weeps, and flees toward Chang'an. Romance, Ch. 93 §12–13 · 22
When Liang Xu and Yin Shang open the city gates to let in the Shu army and Xiahou Mao and Ma Zun flee to Qianghu City, Kongming asks for a plan to take Shanggui. Liang Xu says that the city is held by his own younger brother Liang Qian and that he will call on him to surrender, and that same day he goes to Shanggui and calls Liang Qian out of the city to surrender to Kongming. Kongming rewards them generously and makes Liang Xu Administrator of Tianshui, Yin Shang Prefect of Ji and Liang Qian Prefect of Shanggui. Romance, Ch. 93 §27–29
Where the Romance differs
Attitude toward Jiang Wei: In Chapter 93 of the Romance, Liang Qian stays on Ma Zun's side and holds Shanggui, denouncing Jiang Wei, who has surrendered to Shu, as a traitor and driving him away with arrows. In the account of Jiang Wei in the Records, Liang Qian accompanied the Administrator together with Jiang Wei, was suspected by the Administrator along with him, and was left outside the city gate together with Jiang Wei and the others. Romance, Ch. 93 §22Records, Shu 14 §30
Shanggui: In the Romance, Ma Zun has Liang Qian hold Shanggui, and later Liang Qian comes out of the city and surrenders. In the Records, the one who fled by night to hold Shanggui was the Administrator, and the account of Jiang Wei says nothing of Shanggui surrendering. Romance, Ch. 93 §13 · 28Records, Shu 14 §29–31
Relationship with Liang Xu: Chapter 93 of the Romance makes Liang Qian Liang Xu's own younger brother. The account of Jiang Wei in the Records names the Officer of Merit Liang Xu and the Recorder Liang Qian side by side, without stating how the two were related. Romance, Ch. 93 §28Records, Shu 14 §30 · 50
How he went to Shu: In the Romance, after Liang Xu and Yin Shang open the city gates to let in the Shu army, Liang Xu calls Liang Qian out and has him surrender. In the Records, Jiang Wei and the others, turned away at both Shanggui and Ji County, went over to Zhuge Liang together, and no one opened any city gate. Romance, Ch. 93 §27–28Records, Shu 14 §30
Office and afterward: In Chapter 93 of the Romance, Kongming makes Liang Qian Prefect of Shanggui, and Liang Qian does not appear again. In the Records, Liang Qian later became Grand Prolonger and died before Shu fell, and there is no mention of his becoming Prefect of Shanggui. Romance, Ch. 93 §29Records, Shu 14 §50
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.
- LEA4048+8
- STR3340+7
- INT4242±0
- POL5245−7
- CHA4038−2
- VIR4545±0
- ADP5052+2
- SCH4031−9
- DIP3840+2
- DIS3835−3
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 career as RecorderShu 14 §30
NHeld Shanggui with 3,000 troops and caught Zhao Yun in a pincer attack with Ma ZunCh. 93 §13Ch. 93 §4
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a civil officialShu 14 §30
NNo direct record — estimated from his taking part in the pincer attackCh. 93 §4
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsShu 14 §30
NAdvised that failing to rescue Xiahou Mao would make it hard to escape blameCh. 92 §45
RRose in office in Shu to Grand ProlongerShu 14 §50
NWas appointed Prefect of Shanggui after surrenderingCh. 93 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsShu 14 §30
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 93 §13
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsShu 14 §30
NDenounced Jiang Wei as a traitor, but surrendered at his elder brother's summonsCh. 93 §22Ch. 93 §28
RWhen abandoned by the Administrator, went over to Zhuge Liang together with Jiang WeiShu 14 §30
NWhen his elder brother Liang Xu called him, came out of the city and surrendered to Zhuge LiangCh. 93 §28
RNo direct record — estimated from his office of RecorderShu 14 §30
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a military officerCh. 93 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsShu 14 §30
NUrged Administrator Ma Zun to send out troops to the rescueCh. 92 §45
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsShu 14 §30
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 93 §29
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Romance · Romance ch. 92 「主记梁虔」 · Q124454035
Family
| Siblings | Liang Xu Unverified Romance |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (1)
- Jiang Wei Submits to Zhuge Liang 228 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).