Liu Bao ( 195–274) was a leader of the Xiongnu Five Divisions (五部) who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. His son, Liu Yuan, founded the Han-Zhao dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

Life

According to official hustory, Liu Bao was a member of the Luandi clan as the son of the Southern Xiongnu chanyu, Yufuluo. When Yufuluo died in 195, his younger brother Huchuquan inherited the position of chanyu in accordance with the lateral succession order and appointed Liu Bao as the Wise Prince of the Left (or Wise Prince of the Right). In 216, Huchuquan travelled to Ye (present-day Handan, Hebei) to receive nominal titles from the Han imperial court and remained in city. The Southern Xiongnu in Bing province were divided into Five Divisions; they were all placed under the supervision of Huchuquan's uncle, Qubei, and each of the Five Divisions had their own commander, with Liu Bao commanding the Left Division. During the Jiaping era (249–254), Liu Bao unified the Five Divisions, which caught the attention of the Cao Wei general, Deng Ai. Deng Ai advocated to the Wei paramount ruler, Sima Shi for the Southern Xiongnu to be divided into two, although it would not be until the Xianxi era (264–266) when they were re-split into three and then into four. Liu Bao also had to send his son, Liu Yuan to the imperial capital, Luoyang, as a hostage to prevent him from rebelling. Soon, the Southern Xiongnu in Bing were once again living in Five Divisions. After his death, his positions were inherited by Liu Yuan, who went on to found the Han-Zhao dynasty in 304.

Skepticism and theories on lineage

Some modern Chinese scholars like Tang Changru (唐长孺) and Chen Yong (陈勇) have cast doubt on the claim of Liu Bao being the son of Yufuluo due to discrepancies in the record, such as the long time span between when Liu Bao was first active as Wise Prince of the Left in 195 and his death after Tufa Shujineng began his rebellion, which should be after 274. It is believed that Liu Bao was a prominent member of the non-related but influential Chuge tribe, also known as Xiuchuge, who overthrew the Southern Xiongnu chanyu and sent Yufuluo into exile in 188. In fact, several passages in historical records refer to Liu Yuan and his family as Chuge. It is likely that Liu Yuan had fabricated his ties to the chanyu family and by extension the Han dynasty through their ancient practice of marrying Han princesses, as a means of establishing his legitimacy with the founding of Han-Zhao. Liu Bao may have also been the Wise Prince of the Left who took the poet Cai Wenji as his concubine after Li Jue's coup in Chang'an in 195. The pair would go on to have two children. However, the powerful warlord Cao Cao arrived and paid a heavy ransom to Liu Bao, demanding that he release Cai Wenji, to which Liu Bao did without hesitation. However, it is highly uncertain if the Wise Prince of the Left was indeed Liu Bao, given that the records do not mention him by name, that he may have instead been the Wise Prince of the Right, and that there are doubts regarding his relationship to Yufuluo.