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Li Chao: Biography and Historical Record
Li Chao (died 222 AD), courtesy name Weinan, was an esteemed scholar and administrative official serving the Shu Han regime during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originating from Qi County in Guanghan Commandery, he was celebrated alongside his younger brothers as one of the renowned “Three Phoenixes of the Li Family” due to their exceptional literary intellect and administrative acumen.
He entered civil service after Liu Bei secured Yi Province in 214 AD. Demonstrating steadfast allegiance, he was among the prominent local gentry who co-signed the historic 219 AD memorial petitioning Emperor Xian to confer the title of Prince of Hanzhong upon Liu Bei. Following the imperial accession, Li Chao was appointed as the Biejia Congshi (Chief Clerk to the Provincial Governor), taking charge of core bureaucratic affairs.
In 222 AD, he accompanied the imperial forces during the eastern campaign against Eastern Wu. After the catastrophic collapse at the Battle of Yiling, he retreated alongside Liu Bei’s remaining retinue to Yong’an (Baidi City). Exhausted by the arduous retreat, Li Chao fell severely ill and died that same year, shortly before Chancellor Zhuge Liang arrived to stabilize the government.
His distinguished lineage endured through the Western Jin dynasty. His grandson, Li Mi, became an acclaimed scholar celebrated throughout Chinese history for composing the timeless classical petition Chen Qing Biao.
Literary Depiction and Historical Legacy
In Luo Guanzhong’s classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the historical figure is omitted to streamline the military narrative. Nonetheless, official records remember him as a vital provincial administrator whose scholarly pedigree shaped the early foundation of the Shu Han bureaucracy.
Key Relationships
- Li Shao: Younger brother who served as an attendant officer and shared his intellectual prestige.
- Li Mi: Grandson and famous Western Jin scholar who authored the classical text Chen Qing Biao.
- Liu Bei: Founding Emperor of Shu Han who relied on his administrative counsel and appointed him Chief Clerk.
- Zhuge Liang: Chancellor who recognized the administrative capabilities of the Guanghan gentry.
- Lu Xun: Eastern Wu commander whose decisive victory at Yiling precipitated the fatal retreat to Yong’an.
In Novel
Li Chao (李朝, Lý Triều) does not have a securely verified named appearance under the exact Chinese name 李朝 in the supplied novel text. No chapter is assigned without exact textual evidence.
In History
Identity and Service
- Li Chao (李朝, Lý Triều) was a lesser-known figure of the Three Kingdoms period. The surviving historical record concerning him is brief and does not preserve a continuous biography.
Historical Record
- His name appears in the historical tradition among the officials and military figures of the period, but the available evidence does not establish a detailed sequence of offices or campaigns without risking confusion with other men named Li Chao.
Historical Significance
- Li Chao is therefore best treated as a minor historical figure whose importance lies in his documented place within the political world of the Three Kingdoms rather than in a major independent career.