Liu Cong (Three Kingdoms)

Chinese
t=劉琮
s=刘琮
p=Liú Cóng

Liu Cong was the second son of the famous warlord Liu Biao during the Three Kingdoms period of China.

Biography

Liu Cong and his elder brother, Liu Qi, were both the sons of Liu Biao's late first wife. Liu Cong was favoured by his stepmother and the Cai clan because Liu Cong's wife was the niece of his stepmother. Due to this, the Cai clan was naturally inclined to support Liu Cong due to their strengthened relationship through the marriage and assisted him in claiming the throne, which would traditionally have passed to his older brother. Liu Cong only ruled for a month after his father's death in August, 208. In September, 208, Cao Cao, a prominent warlord from the north, began his invasion of Jingzhou. Liu Cong surrendered in the same month. His fate after the surrender is uncertain and not mentioned in historical records.

In fiction

In the novel, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Cong is depicted as the son of Liu Biao's second wife and a member of the Cai clan; one of the largest, most powerful and influential local families. Successfully conspiring to have Liu Qi removed, Liu Cong's mother ensured that her son would take the throne after Liu Biao's death. Liu Cong quickly submitted to Cao Cao at the onset of invasion, yielding the troops and territories under his control. His older brother, however, refused to submit to Cao Cao, taking what few troops he had and allying with one of Cao Cao's enemies, Liu Bei.

Following his surrender to Cao Cao, Liu Cong was then appointed as the protector of Qing. This, however, would prove to be a feint, as Liu Cong and his mother would then be assassinated by Cao Cao's general Yu Jin. Cao Cao believed Liu to be a nuisance and had ordered that he be removed whilst travelling to his "post".

Personal information

* Father
** Liu Biao
* Brother
** Liu Qi

ee also

*Three Kingdoms
*Personages of the Three Kingdoms
*"Records of Three Kingdoms"
*"Romance of the Three Kingdoms"