Liu Bao

Not to be confused with Liu Biao.

Liu Bao (onyomi: Ryū Hō) is a ruler of the Xiongnu tribe in Bing Province and the son of Yufuluo. He allegedly captured Cai Wenji during the turmoils in the capital and made her his concubine. His son Liu Yuan became the founder of the Han Zhao Dynasty that would eventually drive Jin into southern China during the War of the Eight Princes and thus effectively destroy the Western Jin Dynasty.

Role in Games
Dynasty Warriors has Liu Bao appear as a minor generic. The sixth title has him appear along with his father as a general of the Yellow Turbans. Later on, he serves as a sub-officer of Yuan Shao at the Battle of Guan Du. In Dynasty Warriors 8, he returns as a recruitable officer in Ambition Mode.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms has him appear as either a free officer in the northern cities or as a Xiongnu general who will eventually succeed his uncle Huchuquan as the Xiongnu leader. Possessing an average range of stats in the 60's, certain scenarios may have him as the spouse of Cai Wenji. Liu Bao is among the longest lived of officers in the era, usually appearing as a free officer after the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition and surviving well after the Fall of Shu.

Historical Information
Liu Bao was the son of Xiongnu chieftain Yufuluo. When his father died in 195, Liu Bao's uncle Huchuquan became the official successor to the position as Chanyu and appointed Liu Bao as "Worthy Prince of the Left". Around 216, Cao Cao detained Huchuquan and Liu Bao became his successor. During his rule as chieftain, Liu Bao avoided military conflict against Wei. Instead, he focused on successfully uniting many Hun tribes in northwestern China. In 251, Deng Ai sent a memorial to the court, in which he warned about Liu Bao's growing influence among the tribes and suggested to stir up trouble in the area. Although the Jin general Hu Fen fought against some of the Hun tribes during Liu Bao's reign, the Southern Xiongnu were generally not involved in these battles. Liu Bao died in 279 and was succeeded by his son Liu Yuan, who created the Han Zhao Dynasty in 304.

There are debates whether Liu Bao's original name had been changed to Liu Bao. Liu Yuan claimed that Liu Bao's name was indeed Liu Bao and used it to magnify the legitimacy of his new dynasty. This and the fact that the rulers of the Southern Xiongnu were a branch of the Liandi (攣鞮) family suggest that Liu Yuan changed his and Liu Bao's original names to create a fictive connection to the Imperial Liu family and their original names were in fact different, similar to that of Liu Bao's father Yufuluo.

Some historians claim that when Cai Wenji was abducted by the Xiongnu tribes in 195, she was given to Liu Bao as a concubine. She was indeed given to a Xiongnu chief, who served as the "Worthy Prince of the Left" and whose name in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is given as Ce Xian, and bore him two children. Liu Bao, however, only had one known son, Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan himself was even stated to have been born to Liu Bao and his wife Lady Huyan (呼延). While some historians argue that this was an alternate name for Cai Wenji, it seems unlikely since she was ransomed by Cao Cao in 206. Some sources also state that Liu Yuan was born in the early 250's, eliminating any possibilities of Cai Wenji being his mother. Additionally, Deng Ai's Sanguozhi biography states that Liu Bao was rather the "Worthy Prince of the Right". This may suggest that Cai Wenji had no relationship with Liu Bao at all.