Liu Jing 劉靖

Liu Jing's father Liu Fu, courtesy name Yuanying, was a man of Xiang County in Pei State. When Taizu memorialized to make him Inspector of Yang Province, Liu Fu rode alone to Hefei, then an empty city, and set up the provincial seat there; he founded schools, expanded the military colonies and repaired Quebei and other weirs to irrigate the rice fields. Liu Fu died in the 13th year of Jian'an (208). Records, Wei 15 §2–4 · 6

In the Huangchu era Liu Jing moved from Gentleman of the Yellow Gate to Administrator of Lujiang. An edict said that his father had formerly governed that province and that he now held this commandery in turn, so he could be said to be well able to carry on the family's work. Liu Jing was transferred to Henei, then promoted to Master of Writing and granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes, and went out to become Intendant of Henan. Records, Wei 15 §8

The Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary Ying Qu sent Liu Jing a letter praising his government, saying that at court he had served as a transmitter of words (a Master of Writing) and outside it he had taken on duties in the capital region. He had raised fences high and steep to cut off any thought of climbing walls to steal, had the five grains planted separately to keep away the calamities of flood and fire, made sure that farm tools were always ready, and had straw mats prepared to cover the silkworms and the wheat. Moreover, widowers, widows, orphans and childless elders received relief from the granaries, and he exposed hidden wrongdoing and upheld the law firmly without bending, so that even the government of Zhao and Zhang and the three Wangs of old fell short of his. Records, Wei 15 §8–10

Chen Shou wrote that Liu Jing's government was generally like this: at first it seemed petty and over-meticulous, but in the end the people found it convenient, and it carried on the style Liu Fu had left behind. Liu Jing left office on his mother's death, later served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of the Guards, and was raised in enfeoffment to Marquis of Guanglu Village with a fief of 300 households. Records, Wei 15 §10

Liu Jing submitted a memorial setting out the foundations of Confucian instruction. He said that although the Imperial Academy had been exalted and established for more than twenty years since the Huangchu era, few had achieved anything, because the Erudites were chosen lightly, the students entered to avoid labour service, and the sons of eminent families were ashamed to be counted among such company. He therefore asked that men whose conduct could be a model for others and whose learning fitted them to be teachers be chosen as Erudites and put in charge of educating the sons of the state; that, following the ancient rules, the sons and grandsons of officials of 2,000 shi and above all enter the Imperial Academy at the age of fifteen; and that a path be fixed by regulation for promoting those versed in the classics and upright in conduct and dismissing those who neglected their lessons and abandoned their studies. Records, Wei 15 §10–12

Later Liu Jing was transferred to General Who Guards the North, granted the tally and made Commander of All Military Affairs north of the Yellow River. Holding that no great and constant rule was better than guarding and defending so as to keep the people and the barbarians apart, he expanded the frontier defenses and stationed garrison troops at strategic points. He also repaired and widened the great weir of the Liling Canal to irrigate the land north and south of Ji County, so that rice could be planted in three rotations, and the frontier people benefited from it. Records, Wei 15 §12

Liu Jing died in the 6th year of Jiaping (254). He was posthumously made General Who Conquers the North, raised in enfeoffment to Marquis of Jiancheng District and given the posthumous name Marquis Jing. His son Liu Xi succeeded him. Records, Wei 15 §13

In his assessment in Records of Wei 15, Chen Shou said that since the end of the Han the inspectors had overseen the commanderies and administered government in the provinces, and that the men of this volume had all been praised and had reputations matching the reality, thoroughly understanding the crux of affairs and showing both authority and kindness. The assessment does not name Liu Jing separately. Records, Wei 15 §89