Liu Pi

Historical Record

Liu Pi was one of the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army in Runan at the end of the Eastern Han. While Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in stalemate at Guandu, Liu Pi and his comrades answered Yuan Shao's call and raised troops in Runan in revolt against Cao Cao ^c:4761. Yuan Shao thereupon dispatched Liu Bei to lead troops and join forces with Liu Pi and the others, together advancing on Cao Cao's capital at Xu. During this period, Guan Yu returned from Cao Cao's side and was reunited with Liu Bei. On hearing of this, Cao Cao sent Cao Ren to attack Liu Bei; after his defeat, Liu Bei returned to Yuan Shao's army. Liu Bei then urged Yuan Shao to make contact with Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, and Yuan Shao, adopting his advice, again sent Liu Bei to lead his old followers to Runan, where they joined another band of Yellow Turbans under Gong Du and others, gathering several thousand men ^c:4761. Cao Cao again sent Cai Yang to campaign against them, but Cai Yang was killed by Liu Bei. In the historical sources Liu Pi appears mainly as a Yellow Turban leader, his activities centered on Runan; he established ties with Yuan Shao and Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao together, but his final fate is not recorded in detail in the sources ^c:4761.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Pi's image receives richer literary treatment, his appearances closely tied to the experiences of Liu Bei and Guan Yu. As a leader of the Runan Yellow Turbans, he operated in the Runan region together with Gong Du ^c:4762. While Guan Yu was under Cao Cao's command, Cao Cao once sent Guan Yu to pacify the Yellow Turban bandits of Runan, and Liu Pi and Gong Du came into contact with Guan Yu in this campaign. In the novel, Sun Qian secretly made contact with Liu Pi and Gong Du, having them feign defeat at Guan Yu's hands so that Guan Yu could escort his two sisters-in-law to Yuan Shao's side to reunite with Liu Bei ^c:4763.

Later, while Liu Bei was with Yuan Shao, Liu Pi and Gong Du received and sheltered him. When Guan Yu came to Runan in search of his brother, Liu Pi and Gong Du informed Guan Yu that Liu Bei, lacking sufficient troops, had already gone to Yuan Shao in Hebei ^c:8429. In the novel Liu Pi shows great loyalty and support toward Liu Bei. After Cao Cao crushed Yuan Shao, Liu Bei once again assembled tens of thousands of troops under Liu Pi, Gong Du, and others in Runan. When Cao Cao campaigned north into Hebei, Liu Bei sent Liu Pi to garrison Runan while he himself struck at the undefended Xu Chang ^c:4764. After Liu Bei's defeat, Liu Pi led the routed troops to escort Liu Bei's family to safety and joined up with Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Mi Fang, and others ^c:8430. This episode displays Liu Pi's protection of, and loyalty to, Liu Bei in a moment of crisis. Liu Pi's end in the novel, however, is also rather tragic: he was killed in battle against Gao Lan while protecting Liu Bei ^c:670.

Key Relationships

* Yellow Turban Army (lord_of): Liu Pi was one of the leaders of the Runan Yellow Turbans, attested in both the histories and the novel ^c:4761.
* Yuan Shao's Faction (defected_to): During the Battle of Guandu, Liu Pi answered Yuan Shao's call, raised troops against Cao Cao, and acted together with the Liu Bei whom Yuan Shao had dispatched ^c:4761.
* Liu Bei's faction (serves): In the novel Liu Pi shows the highest loyalty to Liu Bei, repeatedly receiving and protecting Liu Bei and his family and fighting to the death for him ^c:8430. In history, too, Liu Bei was sent by Yuan Shao to join forces with Liu Pi.
* Gao Lan (dies_in): In the novel Liu Pi ultimately fought Gao Lan, a general who had surrendered to Yuan Shao, while protecting Liu Bei, and was cut down by Gao Lan ^c:670 (unique to the novel).

Signature Scenes

* Raising troops in Runan in answer to Yuan Shao: At the critical period of the Battle of Guandu, Liu Pi and the Yellow Turbans under Gong Du and others raised troops in Runan in revolt against Cao Cao, answered Yuan Shao's call, and joined Liu Bei to threaten Cao Cao's rear ^c:4761. This event is Liu Pi's most important political and military action in history, directly affecting the course of the Guandu campaign.
* Guan Yu meets Liu Pi while seeking his brother in Runan: When Guan Yu rode a thousand li alone in search of his brother and came to Runan, Liu Pi and Gong Du informed Guan Yu of Liu Bei's whereabouts, bringing about the reunion of Guan Yu and Liu Bei ^c:8429 (unique to the novel).
* Dying in fierce battle with Gao Lan to save Liu Bei: When Liu Bei was pursued by Cao Cao and driven to a desperate strait, Liu Pi stepped forward, clashed with the pursuing Gao Lan, and ultimately fell in battle, protecting Liu Bei with his life ^c:670 (unique to the novel). This scene is Liu Pi's most tragic and heroic moment in the novel, profoundly displaying his loyalty to Liu Bei.