Liu Cong (Han Zhao)
| Liu Cong | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of Han Zhao | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | August 31 318 |
| Reign | September 28, 310 – August 31, 318 |
| Predecessor | Liu He |
| Successor | Liu Can |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 劉聰 |
| Simplified Chinese | 刘聪 |
| Pinyin | Liú Cōng |
| Wade–Giles | Liu Ts‘ung |
| Courtesy name | Xuanming |
| Posthumous name | Emperor Zhāowǔ (昭武皇帝, meaning "accomplished and martial") |
| Era names | Guāngxīng (光興) 310-311 Jiāpíng (嘉平) 311-315 Jiànyuán (建元) 315-316 Línjiā (麟嘉) 316-318 |
| Temple name | Lièzōng (烈宗) |
| Other names | Zai (載) |
Liu Cong (Chinese: 劉聰; died 318), courtesy name Xuanming (玄明), nickname Zai (載), formally Emperor Zhaowu of Han (Zhao) (漢(趙)昭武帝), was an emperor of the Xiongnu state Han Zhao. He captured two subsequent Chinese emperors, and executed them back in Pingyang after forcing them to act as cupbearers. These raids finally forced the Chinese to move their capital from Luoyang to Nanjing.
Liu Cong's reign was one filled with contradictions. He was a ruler who was obviously intelligent and capable of logical reasoning, and during his father Liu Yuan's reign, he was a capable general as well. On the other hand, as his reign progressed, he became increasingly cruel, unstable, extravagant, and unable to listen to proper advice. Toward the end of his reign, any official who dared to speak against his actions faced the potential of death. During his reign, both he and the Han Zhao state displayed great potential, as Han Zhao expanded from a small state occupying modern southern Shanxi to encompassing nearly all of modern Shanxi, Shaanxi, eastern Gansu, and significant portions of Shandong, Hebei, and Henan—although the eastern half of the empire was under the control of the general Shi Le and arguably only nominally under Han Zhao's rule. Liu Cong and his state would never realize their potential.
Liu Cong was Liu Yuan's fourth son, by his concubine Consort Zhang. When he was young, he was considered both intelligent and strong, and when he studied in the Jin capital Luoyang, his knowledge was said to have impressed the Jin officials Le Guang (樂廣) and Zhang Hua. Eventually, he was invited by the ambitious Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian to be on his staff, but he was concerned that since his father was on the staff of Sima Ying the Crown Prince, he would be considered to have divided loyalties. He therefore fled to Sima Ying and served as a junior officer.
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