Li Fu

Historical Record

As for Li Fu, the official Records of the Three Kingdoms and its related sources contain no clear record. In the surviving historical materials, the name Li Fu never appears, and his life and deeds, offices, the faction he belonged to, and his interactions with other figures of the Three Kingdoms period are all impossible to verify. Therefore, from the standpoint of historical record, Li Fu is a figure with no clear record in history; whether he existed and what he specifically did cannot be confirmed through the official histories.

In the Novel

In the literary narrative of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Fu, as a general of Wei, has his image shaped chiefly at the critical moment when Meng Da rebelled against Wei and Sima Yi led troops to put down the revolt. Together with Deng Xian, he played a crucial role in the Battle of Xincheng. When Meng Da betrayed Wei, intending to ally with Shu Han, Sima Yi swiftly marched out and besieged Xincheng. As the fighting reached a deadlock, Li Fu and Deng Xian, the defending generals within the city, wavered in their loyalty to Meng Da. They secretly made contact with Sima Yi and ultimately decided to betray Meng Da, surrendering the city to the Wei army ^c:12334.

In the novel, the betrayal by Li Fu and Deng Xian directly brought about Meng Da's defeat. By Sima Yi's stratagem, Shen Dan and Shen Yi feigned coming to support Meng Da, luring him out of the city. When Meng Da rode out to give battle, Li Fu and Deng Xian on the city wall loudly cursed him as a "rebel" and clearly declared that they had already surrendered the city to the Wei army. This act left Meng Da caught between advance and retreat, and he was at last cut down in pursuit by Shen Dan ^c:12334. After Meng Da's death, Li Fu and Deng Xian threw open the city gates to receive Sima Yi into the city, and were thereby rewarded by the Wei sovereign Cao Rui, appointed to continue garrisoning the lands of Xincheng and Shangyong ^c:12334. In the novel, although Li Fu's appearance is brief, his actions had a decisive effect on the course of the battle and were a key link in Sima Yi's suppression of Meng Da's rebellion. His image is that of the typical opportunist, who, for his own interests and prospects, did not hesitate to betray his old master and turn to a new one.

Key Relationships

* Meng Da: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Fu was once a subordinate of Meng Da, but at the crucial moment betrayed Meng Da, directly bringing about his defeat and death ^c:12334 (novel only).
* Deng Xian: Li Fu and Deng Xian acted together in the novel; the two jointly betrayed Meng Da and surrendered the city to Sima Yi ^c:12334 (novel only).
* Sima Yi: By betraying Meng Da and surrendering the city to Sima Yi, Li Fu won Sima Yi's approval and the Wei sovereign's reward ^c:12334 (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

Li Fu's most iconic scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the moment when, together with Deng Xian, he betrayed Meng Da and from atop the city wall cursed him as a "rebel." With Sima Yi besieging Xincheng and Shen Dan and Shen Yi feigning to come to the rescue, Meng Da rode out to give battle. At this point Li Fu and Deng Xian, standing atop the city wall, loudly cursed Meng Da: "We have already surrendered the city!" ^c:12334. This scene not only utterly cut off Meng Da's hope of retreating back into the city, plunging him into a hopeless plight, but also directly brought about his downfall. This scene fully displays Li Fu's image as a key turncoat in the novel; his actions played a decisive role in the outcome of the entire Battle of Xincheng and are his best-known deed in the novel.