Liu Dai

Historical Record

Liu Dai, courtesy name Gongshan, has a relatively brief record of his life and deeds in the official histories, yet they sketch out his image as a commandery administrator and a subordinate general of Cao Cao. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Dai once served as Administrator of Dong Commandery. There was a rift between him and Qiao Mao, and Liu Dai ultimately killed Qiao Mao, with Wang Gong succeeding to the post of Administrator of Dong Commandery.^[1] This event reflects the cruel struggle among local powers for territory and resources during the period of warlord melee at the end of the Eastern Han.

In the military confrontation between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, Liu Dai also played a part. Between the fourth year (199 CE) and the fifth year (200 CE) of Jian'an, Liu Bei rebelled against Cao Cao in Xu Province and allied with Yuan Shao. At the time, Cao Cao dispatched Liu Dai and Wang Zhong together to lead troops to attack Liu Bei, but they were unable to succeed.^[2] This shows that Liu Dai held a certain military standing in Cao Cao's camp and could lead troops in battle, although the outcome of this campaign was not satisfactory. Thereafter, Cao Cao campaigned against Liu Bei in person; Liu Bei was crushingly defeated, his household was captured, and Guan Yu was taken prisoner. Liu Dai, as a general under Cao Cao, took part in military actions that were part of Cao Cao's strategy to unify the north.

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Dai's image is given more dramatic color and detail, especially at his early appearances. He first appears in the novel in Chapter 6, when the eighteen lords chastised Dong Zhuo and Liu Dai took part as Administrator of Yanzhou. In this allied action, Liu Dai sought to borrow grain from the Administrator of Dong Commandery, Qiao Mao; when Qiao Mao declined and would not give, Liu Dai led troops in a surprise attack on Qiao Mao's camp, killing him and absorbing Qiao Mao's men.^[3] This episode accords with the historical record of Liu Dai killing Qiao Mao, but the Romance places it within the anti-Dong alliance and describes in detail the specific situation of taking up arms after the failure to borrow grain, highlighting the chaotic-age scene of lords each harboring their own designs and attacking one another.

In the later part of the Romance, especially around the time of the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, Liu Dai is mentioned again. In Chapter 22, in order to pin down Liu Bei, Cao Cao dispatched Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to lead an army of fifty thousand to attack Xu Province.^[4] By this time Liu Dai had already been received in surrender by Cao Cao and appointed an Assistant General. The Romance depicts Cao Cao's distrust of the abilities of Liu Dai and Wang Zhong, holding that they were no match for Liu Bei; the move was more a show of force, awaiting Cao Cao's main force to defeat Yuan Shao before dealing with Liu Bei. In the course of their advance, Liu Dai and Wang Zhong, out of fear of Liu Bei, dared not advance rashly, even deciding by drawing lots who should attack the city first.^[5] This detail greatly diminishes Liu Dai's military talent and daring, shaping him into a prudent and even somewhat cowardly general—a contrast with his historical image of daring to kill Qiao Mao, and serving to set off Liu Bei's heroism and Cao Cao's strategy from the side.

Key Relationships

* Qiao Mao (enemy_of): In both history and the Romance, Liu Dai's relationship with Qiao Mao ended in hostility. The history records that Liu Dai and Qiao Mao were on bad terms, and Liu Dai ultimately killed Qiao Mao.^[1] The Romance makes this concrete: Liu Dai's request to borrow grain from Qiao Mao failed, whereupon he made a surprise attack and killed Qiao Mao.^[3] This relationship is an important turning point in Liu Dai's life, showing his decisive and even ruthless side in a chaotic age.
* Cao Wei (serves): In history, Liu Dai was a general under Cao Cao, who was once ordered together with Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei.^[2] In the Romance, Liu Dai surrendered to Cao Cao after Cao Cao took Yanzhou, was appointed an Assistant General, and continued to serve Cao Cao, taking part in the military action against Liu Bei.^[4] This shows that Liu Dai ultimately submitted to Cao Cao and became a member of the Cao Wei group, his military career closely bound to the expansion of Cao Cao's power.
* Liu Bei (enemy_of): Whether in history or the Romance, Liu Dai once, as a general of Cao Cao, engaged in military confrontation with Liu Bei. The history records that Liu Dai and Wang Zhong, by Cao Cao's order, struck at Liu Bei but were unable to succeed.^[2] In the Romance, Liu Dai and Wang Zhong were ordered to attack Liu Bei in Xu Province but dared not act rashly out of fear of Liu Bei.^[5] This establishes the hostile relationship between Liu Dai and Liu Bei, although in the Romance Liu Dai posed no substantial threat to Liu Bei.
* Wang Zhong (ally): In both history and the Romance, Liu Dai acted together with Wang Zhong, jointly carrying out Cao Cao's order to attack Liu Bei.^[2],^[4] In the Romance, the two even decided by drawing lots who should attack the city first, further depicting their allied relationship and their respective characters^[5] (Romance only).

Signature Scenes

* Killing Qiao Mao and seizing Dong Commandery: This is one of Liu Dai's most decisive actions in both history and the Romance. The history records that Liu Dai and Qiao Mao were on bad terms and that he ultimately killed him.^[1] The Romance makes this event concrete as a resort to arms after a failure to borrow grain: Liu Dai led troops into Qiao Mao's camp, beheaded him, and absorbed his men.^[3] This scene displays both Liu Dai's decisiveness and ruthlessness and the cruel reality of the strong preying on the weak among the lords at the end of the Eastern Han.
* Ordered to attack Liu Bei yet hesitating to advance: In the Romance, Cao Cao dispatched Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to lead troops to attack Liu Bei in Xu Province. Liu Dai and Wang Zhong, however, in fear of Liu Bei's reputation, dared not rashly advance, even deciding by drawing lots who should go into battle first.^[5] This scene is an important piece of the Romance's shaping of Liu Dai, depicting him as a general lacking daring and excessively cautious—a sharp contrast with his historical image of daring to kill Qiao Mao, and serving as a footnote to Liu Bei's heroism and Cao Cao's discernment in employing men (or his "show of force") (Romance only).
* As Cao Cao's pawn to pin down Liu Bei: On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, in order to divide the attention of Yuan Shao and Liu Bei, Cao Cao dispatched Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei. Cao Cao well knew that Liu Dai was no match for Liu Bei; the move was intended as a show of force to pin down Liu Bei.^[4] This scene reveals Liu Dai's place in Cao Cao's strategic design—more a pawn than a general capable of standing alone—reflecting Cao Cao's superior strategic vision and his precise assessment of the abilities of his subordinate generals (Romance only).