| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 伏德, 伏德, Fú Dé |
| Nickname | Empress Fu's elder brother (国舅); imperial silk rescuer |
| Other name | Phục Đức |
| INFORMATION | |
| Death Reason | Unknown — not recorded after 195 AD escape |
| FAMILY | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Eastern Han (imperial Fu clan) |
| Battles |
|
Biography & Historical Record
Fu De (伏德, Phục Đức) was the elder brother of Empress Fu Shou (伏寿) and a kinsman of the imperial Fu clan that produced Empress Fu through marriage to Emperor Xian. He is attested in the flight of Emperor Xian from Li Jue and Guo Si in 195 AD — not as a general but as a civilian court relative who improvised rescue gear during the emperor’s humiliating escape to the Yellow River. His one recorded act — supplying white silk to lower the emperor and empress down a cliff to a boat — captures the pathos of the late Han court reduced to a handful of freezing survivors.
Later Han sources tie the Fu clan to Emperor Xian’s only empress; Fu De’s brother Fu Wan (伏完) and nephew Fu Dian (伏典) appear in the Cao Cao–Empress Fu conspiracy of 214 AD. Fu De himself does not appear in that later tragedy — his literary fame rests on Chapter 13’s river escape.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 13 (Li Jue and Guo Si Pursue the Emperor; Dong Cheng Receives the Imperial Edict): After Han Xian’s court flees Li Jue and Guo Si, only a dozen attendants reach the Yellow River. A small boat is found, but the bank is too high. Yang Feng suggests tying horse reins to lower the emperor. From the crowd, Empress Fu’s elder brother Fu De steps forward carrying bundles of white silk he salvaged from the chaos, proposing to link the cloth as a rope to lower the imperial carriage. Commandant Shang Hong wraps the emperor and empress in silk; the crowd lowers them to the boat. Li Yue stands sword in hand on the prow while Fu De carries the empress aboard. Those who fail to board are cut down — fingers float in the water — and only a dozen survive to reach Dayang.
Fu De (伏德) — Historical & Literary Timeline
195 AD
Imperial flight to the Yellow River
Emperor Xian’s court breaks out of Li Jue and Guo Si’s grip; Fu De provides silk ropes to lower the sovereigns to a rescue boat.
Chapter 13
Named at the cliff
“国舅伏德” — empress’s brother — offers white silk salvaged from the rout; Shang Hong and Li Yue complete the river crossing.
195 AD (aftermath)
Refuge at Dayang and Anyi
The survivors eat coarse millet in a thatched hut; Li Yue and Han Xian’s rescuers gain rank — Fu De is not mentioned again.
214 AD (clan context)
Fu clan conspiracy (related)
Empress Fu and Fu Wan plot against Cao Cao; Fu De’s family line ends in execution — he is not named in that episode.
For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore Empress Fu on Wikipedia.
Key Relationships
Family
- Sister Empress Fu Shou (伏寿, Phục Thọ Hoàng Hậu): Emperor Xian’s empress — Fu De is her elder brother (国舅).
- Father Fu Wan (伏完, Phục Hoàn): Imperial relative, later executed in the 214 AD anti-Cao plot.
- Relative Fu Dian (伏典, Phục Điểm): Nephew involved in the later Fu conspiracy.
Friends
- Emperor Xian (汉献帝, Hán Hiến Đế) (Liu Xie): Sovereign whom Fu De helps lower to the rescue boat.
- Shang Hong (尚弘, Thượng Hoằng): Military commandant who wraps the emperor and empress in Fu De’s silk.
- Li Yue (李乐, Lý Nhạc): White Wave bandit leader who guards the boat and cuts down those who grab the cables.
Enemies
- Li Jue (李傕, Lý Quách) and Guo Si (郭汜, Quách Si): Pursuers whose armies drive the court to the Yellow River cliff.
Other
In Novel
Chapter 13
- Fu De (伏德, Phục Đức), Empress Fu's elder brother (后兄伏德): Amid pursuit by Li Jue and Guo Si, at a high Yellow River bank he produces white silk salvaged from the rout — "可接连拽辇" (can be linked to lower the carriage). Shang Hong wraps the emperor and empress; the crowd lowers them to the boat; Fu De carries the empress aboard while Li Yue guards the prow.
In History
Summary
- Fu De (伏德, Phục Đức) was elder brother of Empress Fu Shou; he aided Emperor Xian's river escape from Li Jue and Guo Si in 195 AD with improvised silk ropes.
Year: 195 AD
- Court flight from Chang'an toward the east; Yellow River crossing with fewer than twenty survivors — Fu De's silk device recorded in Hou Hanji tradition echoed by the novel.
Year: 214 AD (clan)
- Empress Fu and Fu Wan executed over anti-Cao Cao plot — Fu De not named in that event.
Historical Record
- Hou Hanshu / Hou Hanji on Emperor Xian's flight; Fu clan genealogies in empress biographies.
- Novel: Chapter 13 (Sanguo Yanyi).
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