Liu Yan (Han dynasty warlord)
| Liu Yan | |
|---|---|
| Warlord | |
| Born | (Unknown) |
| Died | 194 |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 劉焉 |
| Simplified Chinese | 刘焉 |
| Pinyin | Liú Yān |
| Wade–Giles | Liu Yen |
| Courtesy name | Junlang (Chinese: 君郎; pinyin: Jūnláng; Wade–Giles: Chün-lang) |
Liu Yan (died 194),courtesy name Junlang, was a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was also a member of the extended family of the Han emperors. For most of his career he served as Governor of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), which he developed into an independent power base. His domain was passed on to his son Liu Zhang, and eventually to Liu Bei, who founded the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period.
Liu Yan was a descendant of Liu Yu, who was Prince of Lu during the first half of the Han dynasty. Because his branch of the Liu family was powerful, and because he proved himself to be an able statesman, he quickly rose through the ranks of the court. The highest post he reached was that of Minister of Ceremonies (Taichang, 太常), or person responsible for ceremonies related to the emperor. During the reign of Emperor Ling, the central court became a politically dangerous place, which Liu Yan wanted to distance himself from. An advisor of his, Dong Fu (董扶), suggested requesting to be governor of Yi Province, at that time considered a backward and distant province of the Han empire. Liu Yan took the advice, and with his private army set off for his new post in 188.
After arriving in Yi Province, Liu Yan was confronted with his first crisis. Ma Xiang (馬相) and Zhao Zhi (趙祗) started a rebellion in the region, claiming to be part of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Liu Yan enlisted the help of powerful local families to raise an army and put down the rebellion.
Once firmly in control of the region, he plotted to gain independence from the central Han government. The first step in his plan was to send Zhang Lu and Zhang Xiu (張脩) to attack the forces of the official Han governor of Hanzhong, Su Gu (蘇固) and take over his territory. Zhang Lu first killed Zhang Xiu, and after absorbing the latter's armies he successfully managed to kill Su Gu and take control of the territory, which created an independent buffer state between Liu Yan's Yi Province and the Han central government.
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