Liu Du (warlord)

Little is recorded in history about Liu Du, except that he was a former Inspector (刺史) of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) during the reign of Emperor Huan (r.  146–168). In 162, when the local tribes in Wuling Commandery (武陵郡; around present-day Changde, Hunan) started a rebellion and attacked Jiangling County, Liu Du and Li Su (李肅), the Administrator (太守) of Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), abandoned their posts and fled after the rebels defeated the government forces sent to resist them.

Sometime before the Battle of Red Cliffs (208–209), Liu Du returned to government service and served as the Administrator (太守) of Lingling Commandery (零陵郡; around present-day Yongzhou, Hunan) under Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province. After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Du nominated Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi, to be the Inspector of Jing Province.

In 209, the warlord Liu Bei led his forces to conquer the four commanderies in southern Jing Province: Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling. Liu Du surrendered to Liu Bei along with the Administrators of the other three commanderies.[1]

In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Du has a son, Liu Xian, whom he at one point sends along with Xing Daorong (also a fictional character) against Liu Bei. However, Liu Du surrenders when hearing of the defeat of Liu Xian.[2]

• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

• Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
• Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi).
• Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).