Liu Fan 劉範
| Occupation | RNGeneral · General of the Household of the Left | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Jiangxia Commandery Jingling County Unverified | |
| Died | Place of death | RHuaili County NChang'an County | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Liu Fan was a son of Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province. Together with his brothers Liu Dan and Liu Zhang he was in Chang'an attending Emperor Xian, and there he served as General of the Household of the Left. Records, Shu 1 §9
While Li Jue, Guo Si and others held the court in their grip, he planned to have Ma Teng, General Who Conquers the West, who was stationed at Mei County, attack Chang'an, while he himself, together with the Palace Attendant Ma Yu and the Grandee Remonstrant Chong Shao, would act in support from within. The plot leaked, and he fled to Huaili and was killed; his father Liu Yan, grieving over the loss of his sons, died in the 1st year of Xingping (194). Records, Wei 6 §21–22Records, Shu 1 §10–11
He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once each in the biography of his father Liu Yan and in the account of Li Jue and Guo Si in Records of Wei 6. In the Romance he appears in only one of its 120 chapters, Chapter 10, and his name is in no chapter title. Together with Ma Yu and Chong Shao he acts as an inside agent for Ma Teng and Han Sui, but when the affair comes to light he is beheaded in the marketplace. Records, Shu 1 §9–10Records, Wei 6 §22Romance, Ch. 10 §6 · 12–13
In the Records
Liu Fan was a son of Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province. At the time when Liu Yan's ambitions were steadily growing and he had more than a thousand sets of carriages and fittings of the kind used by the Son of Heaven made, Liu Fan as General of the Household of the Left, Liu Dan as Secretary Censor and Liu Zhang as Chief Commandant of Imperial Equipages were all in Chang'an attending Emperor Xian, and only Liu Mao, Major of a Separate Command, had always remained with Liu Yan. Emperor Xian sent Liu Zhang to admonish Liu Yan, but Liu Yan kept Liu Zhang with him and did not send him back. Records, Shu 1 §9
When Li Jue, Guo Si and Fan Chou were running the government of the court as they pleased, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others surrendered and came to Chang'an with their followers, and Ma Teng was made General Who Conquers the West and stationed at Mei County. The Palace Attendant Ma Yu plotted with the Grandee Remonstrant Chong Shao, the General of the Household of the Left Liu Fan and others to have Ma Teng attack Chang'an while they themselves acted in support from within to kill Li Jue and the rest. The Biographies of the Two Governors Liu records this affair as Liu Yan and Liu Fan conspiring with Ma Teng to lead troops and attack Chang'an. Records, Wei 6 §21–22Records, Shu 1 §10
When Ma Teng led his troops to Changping Lodge, the plot leaked, and Ma Yu and the others fled to Huaili. Fan Chou attacked Ma Teng, who was defeated and returned to Liang Province, and Fan Chou then attacked Huaili, where Ma Yu and the others all died. The Biographies of the Two Governors Liu records that Liu Fan was killed then and there, and that Liu Dan was consequently arrested and punished. Records, Wei 6 §22Records, Shu 1 §10
The Gentleman Consultant Pang Xi, whose family had long been on close terms with Liu Yan's, gathered men and took Liu Yan's grandsons into Shu. Liu Yan moved his seat of government to Chengdu, but grieving over the loss of his sons and distressed by the calamity of his city being burned by fire from Heaven, he died of a malignant ulcer on his back in the 1st year of Xingping (194). Chen Shou's main text does not state separately the year in which Liu Fan died. Records, Shu 1 §10–11
In the Romance
In Chapter 10 of the Romance, while Li Jue and Guo Si hold supreme power and abuse the people, Ma Teng, Administrator of Xiliang, and Han Sui, Inspector of Bing Province, march on Chang'an with more than 100,000 troops, declaring that they will attack the rebels. The two commanders had earlier sent men into Chang'an to join hands with three men, the Palace Attendant Ma Yu, the Grandee Remonstrant Chong Shao and the General of the Household of the Left Liu Fan, so that they would act as inside agents. The three had secretly petitioned Emperor Xian to have Ma Teng enfeoffed as General Who Conquers the West and Han Sui as General Who Guards the West, and each had received a secret edict to join forces against the rebels. Romance, Ch. 10 §5–6
Ma Chao runs Wang Fang through and captures Li Meng alive, but when Li Jue and Guo Si, following Jia Xu's plan, simply hold the passes firmly, the Xiliang army runs out of provisions in less than two months. Just then a household servant of Ma Yu denounces his master for plotting with Liu Fan and Chong Shao to join hands with Ma Teng and Han Sui outside and act as their inside agents. In a great rage, Li Jue and Guo Si seize the old and young, free and servile, of all three households and behead them in the marketplace, and hang the three men's heads before the gate as a warning. Seeing that even their inside agents have been exposed, Ma Teng and Han Sui break camp and withdraw their troops. Romance, Ch. 10 §10–13
Where the Romance differs
Relationship with Liu Yan: Chapter 10 of the Romance describes Liu Fan only as General of the Household of the Left and does not say that he was Liu Yan's son. In the Records he was a son of Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province, and was in Chang'an attending Emperor Xian together with his brothers Liu Dan and Liu Zhang, and Liu Yan too conspired with Ma Teng together with Liu Fan. Romance, Ch. 10 §6Records, Shu 1 §9–10
Ma Teng's appointment as General Who Conquers the West: In Chapter 10 of the Romance, the three men Ma Yu, Chong Shao and Liu Fan petition Emperor Xian to have Ma Teng enfeoffed as General Who Conquers the West. In the Records, when Han Sui and Ma Teng surrendered and came to Chang'an, Ma Teng was made General Who Conquers the West and stationed at Mei County, and it was after that that Ma Yu and the others plotted to have Ma Teng attack Chang'an. Romance, Ch. 10 §6Records, Wei 6 §22
How the plot came to light: In Chapter 10 of the Romance, the affair comes to light when, as the Xiliang army is running out of provisions, a household servant of Ma Yu denounces it. The Records say only that the plot leaked when Ma Teng reached Changping Lodge, and do not explain how it leaked. Romance, Ch. 10 §12Records, Wei 6 §22Records, Shu 1 §10
Death: In Chapter 10 of the Romance, Li Jue and Guo Si seize all three households, behead them in the marketplace and hang up the three men's heads. In the Records, Liu Fan and the others fled to Huaili, Fan Chou attacked Huaili and Ma Yu and the others all died, and the Biographies of the Two Governors Liu records that Liu Fan was killed then and there. Romance, Ch. 10 §13Records, Wei 6 §22Records, Shu 1 §10
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.
Records total387 / 1000Rank 693 of 996 · Top 70%Romance total409 / 1000Rank 453 of 1,113 · Top 41%
Romance adaptation index+22Romance total − Records total
- LEA3835−3
- STR3533−2
- INT3845+7
- POL3838±0
- CHA3838±0
- VIR5062+12
- ADP3535±0
- SCH3838±0
- DIP4250+8
- DIS3535±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RWhen the plot leaked he fled to Huaili and was soon killedShu 1 §10
NThe plot came to light when a household servant of Ma Yu denounced itCh. 10 §12
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)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Parents | Liu Yan(劉焉) Records |
|---|---|
| Siblings | Liu Zhang Records |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.