Liu Xun (Wei)

Biography & Historical Record

Liu Xun (Wei) (刘勋, Lưu Huân), courtesy name Zitai (子台, Tử Đài) (? – early 3rd century), was Administrator of Lujiang (庐江, Lư Giang) under Yuan Shu (袁术, Viên Thuật), later a general and Administrator of Henei under Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo), and finally executed for arrogance and law-breaking. He is not Liu Xun (刘循, Lưu Tuần) (id 11490 /liu-xun/), son of Liu Zhang — different hanzi and slug liu-xun-wei.

A Langye man and distant imperial kinsman, Liu Xun had known Cao Cao in youth (as magistrate of Jianping in Pei). Yuan Shu raised him to Lujiang. After Yuan Shu’s death (199), he seized remnant Yuan household and generals and refused Sun Ce (孙策, Tôn Sách). Sun Ce then sent a forged friendly letter urging Liu Xun to strike Shangliao for grain; Liu Ye (刘晔, Lưu Diệp) warned him it was a ruse — Liu Xun ignored the advice, emptied Huan, and lost the city to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu (周瑜, Chu Du). He fled north with a few hundred men to Cao Cao, who appointed him General Who Pacifies Caitiffs (or Attacks Barbarians), Marquis of Huaxiang, and later Administrator of Henei. Relying on old friendship he grew haughty, sheltered law-breakers, insulted officials such as Yang Pei (杨沛, Dương Bái), and was executed; relatives in office were dismissed.

Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 29 (The Little Conqueror Slays Yu Ji in Wrath; The Green-Eyed Boy Seizes Power in Jiangdong): The novel compresses Liu Xun to a brief notice that Sun Ce defeated him and took Lujiang. The forged letter, Liu Ye’s unused counsel, the flight to Cao Cao, and the later execution for arrogance are omitted — Romance keeps only the loss of the commandery as colour on Sun Ce’s rise.

Liu Xun (刘勋) — Historical & Literary Timeline

Homonym caution: do not link or merge with Liu Xun (刘循, Lưu Tuần) of Shu.

Key Relationships

Family

• Distant kin of Emperor Xian (刘协, Lưu Hiệp): Imperial Liu surname; used in sources to mark high birth, not a close recorded father–son line.
• Elder brother (once Inspector of Yu Province) and nephew Liu Wei (刘威, Lưu Uy) — named in historical notices; no dedicated site pages.
• Lady Wang (王氏, Vương Thị) and Lady Sima (司马氏, Tư Mã Thị): Wives recorded in tradition; treat as historical household notes, not novel roles.

Friends

• Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tháo): Youth acquaintance and later sovereign; sheltered Liu Xun after Lujiang, then ordered his execution when arrogance and crime outran favour.
• Sima Zhi (司马芝, Tư Mã Chi): Upright official who refused unlawful favours to Liu Xun’s circle — the friendship-of-office that exposed his law-breaking.
• Yuan Shu (袁术, Viên Thuật): Early patron who installed him at Lujiang (overlord bond, ended with Yuan Shu’s death in 199).

Enemies

• Sun Ce (孙策, Tôn Sách): Feigned friendship, emptied Huan by the Shangliao ruse, seized Lujiang, and drove Liu Xun north.
• Zhou Yu (周瑜, Chu Du): Participated in taking Huan and Liu Xun’s fleet after the ruse.

Other

• Liu Ye (刘晔, Lưu Diệp): Adviser who correctly warned that Sun Ce’s letter was a trap; Liu Xun ignored him and lost Lujiang — the classic unheeded-counsel beat of the biography.
• Yang Pei (杨沛, Dương Bái): Local / judicial official whom Liu Xun insulted and overruled while shielding criminals under Cao Cao; part of the arrogance case that led to execution (no dedicated site page — plain text).
• Huang Zu (黄祖, Hoàng Tổ): Jiangxia ally whose reinforcements came too late in earlier Lujiang fighting against Sun Ce’s kin.
• Homonym — Liu Xun of Shu (刘循): Separate post at /liu-xun/; never merge with Zitai 刘勋.

Gallery