Liu Zuan

Historical Record

Liu Zuan was a general of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period, rising to the post of General of Chariots and Cavalry. The historical record of his life and deeds is relatively sparse, concentrated mainly on his activities during the reign of Sun Hao. In the first month of the first year of the Baoding era (266 CE), the Wu lord Sun Hao dispatched the Grand Herald Zhang Yan and the Gentleman of the Five Offices Ding Zhong to the Western Jin to offer condolences at the funeral of Sima Zhao, Emperor Wen of Jin. After the envoys returned, Ding Zhong advised Sun Hao that the north had set up no defensive preparations and that Yiyang (in the area of present-day Huangchuan, Henan) could be seized by surprise. Sun Hao consulted his ministers on this; the General of the West Who Guards the State, Lu Kai, opposed it, holding that at this time the Western Jin had just absorbed Ba and Shu and was at the height of its strength, and that since it had sent envoys to seek a marriage alliance, its aim was to halt the fighting, so it was unwise to start hostilities rashly—rash pursuit of victory would bring no benefit.

Against this background, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Liu Zuan, expressed a different view. He held that "Heaven gives birth to the five resources; who can do away with arms? That cunning and deceit vie for mastery has been so from of old. If the enemy has a weakness, how can it be cast aside? We should send spies to observe their disposition". These words show that Liu Zuan held military action to be the normal condition of the state, believed one should exploit the enemy's weaknesses, and proposed sending spies to scout the enemy's situation. Sun Hao privately adopted Liu Zuan's advice, but considering that Shu Han had only just been pacified and that the Western Jin was at the peak of its power, he did not in the end take immediate military action; thereafter, however, relations between Wu and Jin were broken off. After this the histories contain few direct records of Liu Zuan, but in this important strategic deliberation he played a key role, displaying his views on military strategy. In the eighth month of the first year of Baoding, because a great cauldron was discovered in his region, Sun Hao changed the era name and granted a general amnesty, while carrying out a series of administrative reorganizations and appointments; Liu Zuan's further movements during this period are not recorded in detail.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give Liu Zuan any literary shaping; his deeds are not mentioned in the novel. Therefore, anything about Liu Zuan's image, plot, or dialogue in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a blank. This stands in sharp contrast to the record in the Records of the Three Kingdoms of him as General of Chariots and Cavalry taking part in an important military deliberation under Sun Hao. The novel's depiction of Wu in the late Three Kingdoms is relatively scant, concentrating mainly on the rise and fall of Shu Han and Cao Wei, and on the activities of major figures such as Sun Quan in the earlier period of Wu. Liu Zuan, a senior general of late Wu, though given but a few strokes in the histories, is enough to attest a certain standing in the political and military configuration of the time; yet in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms he is entirely absent, receiving no literary re-creation or plot development.

Key Relationships

* With Sun Hao (ruler-subject): As General of Chariots and Cavalry, Liu Zuan was an important subject of Sun Hao. In the strategic deliberation of the first year of Baoding (266 CE) over whether to attack Jin's Yiyang, Liu Zuan proposed to Sun Hao that spies be sent and action taken when the moment was right. Sun Hao "privately accepted Zuan's words," showing that he approved of and adopted Liu Zuan's military judgment, even though in the end, out of consideration for the times, it was not immediately put into practice. This reflects Liu Zuan's certain military influence at Sun Hao's court.
* With Lu Kai (colleagues of differing views): In the deliberation over whether to attack Yiyang, Liu Zuan's opinion was diametrically opposed to that of the General of the West Who Guards the State, Lu Kai. Lu Kai advocated halting the fighting and nurturing the people, avoiding a head-on clash with the powerful Western Jin, while Liu Zuan held that one should actively prepare for war, send spies to scout the enemy, and act when the moment was right. This divergence of views reflects the differing positions within the Eastern Wu court on foreign strategy.

Iconic Scenes

* The military council of the first year of Baoding (historical): In the first month of the first year of Baoding, at the military council Sun Hao convened to discuss whether to attack Jin's Yiyang, Liu Zuan set forth his signature strategic argument. Faced with Ding Zhong's aggressive proposal and Lu Kai's cautious view, Liu Zuan declared, "Heaven gives birth to the five resources; who can do away with arms? That cunning and deceit vie for mastery has been so from of old. If the enemy has a weakness, how can it be cast aside? We should send spies to observe their disposition". These words not only display Liu Zuan's military thinking—that war is the normal condition and one should exploit the enemy's weaknesses—but also directly moved Sun Hao to "privately accept Zuan's words," influencing Wu's foreign strategy at the time; although no troops were ultimately sent, it led to the deterioration of relations between Wu and Jin.