Liu Gui

Biography & Historical Record

Liu Gui was an imperial scion and nobleman of the late Eastern Han dynasty, recognized historically as one of the younger sons of Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province (Jingzhou Mu). Hailing from Gaoping in Shanyang Commandery, Liu Gui belonged to the prestigious Han imperial lineage through the royal house of Emperor Jing of Han. Documented in Chen Shou’s official dynastic history Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi – Book of Wei, Biography of Liu Biao) and Pei Songzhi’s annotations, Liu Gui was raised within the prosperous and refined provincial court at Xiangyang, living amidst the cultural flourishing and political intrigues of Jing Province during the warlord era.

Following the death of his father Liu Biao in the autumn of 208 AD, the governance of Jing Province was embroiled in factional infighting led by Lady Cai and her brother Cai Mao. When Cao Cao’s colossal northern expeditionary force advanced south toward Xiangyang, the Cai faction orchestrated the unconditional surrender of Liu Cong and the Jing Province administrative apparatus. As a younger son of the late governor, Liu Gui complied with the collective capitulation of the ruling clan. Upon receiving the submission of Xiangyang, Cao Cao treated the sons of Liu Biao with formal clemency, conferring minor titular appointments, noble ranks, and residential stipends upon them to pacify the local gentry. Liu Gui subsequently relocated northward under the oversight of Cao Cao’s administration, living out the remainder of his life in quiet retirement away from frontline military conflicts.

Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In Luo Guanzhong’s classic 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Gui appears as part of the aristocratic family circle of Liu Biao during the tumultuous surrender of Jing Province to Cao Cao in Chapters 34 and 40.

The novel portrays the internal decline of the Liu clan in Jing Province, contrasting the elder brother Liu Qi’s virtue and alignment with Liu Bei against the factional manipulation of Lady Cai and Cai Mao. In Chapter 40, when Cao Cao leads his grand army south to conquer Jing Province, Lady Cai and Cai Mao draft a forged testament installing Liu Cong and compelling the family members—including the younger sons like Liu Gui—to submit unconditionally without resisting. When Cao Cao takes possession of Xiangyang, the members of Liu Biao’s household are stripped of territorial governance and escorted toward the Central Plains with titular promotions. Luo Guanzhong highlights the fate of Liu Biao’s scions as a cautionary tale of how internal family discord and political subservience lead to the inevitable loss of a great sovereign heritage.

Liu Gui (劉瑰) — Historical & Literary Timeline

For detailed historical records, archives, and official chronicles, explore Liu Gui on Wikipedia.

Key Relationships

Family

• Liu Biao (刘表, Lưu Biểu) — Father; Governor of Jing Province and a prominent Han warlord.
• Lady Cai (蔡夫人, Thái Phụ Nhân) — Stepmother; influential member of the Cai faction that directed the surrender of Xiangyang.
• Liu Qi (刘琦, Lưu Kỳ) — Elder brother; aligned with Liu Bei and defended Jiangxia against Cao Cao.
• Liu Cong (刘琮, Lưu Tông) — Elder brother; succeeded Liu Biao as Governor and later surrendered Jing Province to Cao Cao.
• Liu Xiu (刘秀, Lưu Tú) — Younger brother; member of the Liu clan serving in the local gentry.

Friends

• No information

Enemies

• Cao Cao (曹操, Tào Tạo) — Chancellor of the Han who led the northern expedition; his forces compelled Liu Gui’s clan to surrender in 208 AD.

Other

• Emperor Xian (献帝, Hiến Đế) — Nominal Han emperor during Liu Gui’s lifetime; Liu Gui, as a member of the imperial clan, owed loyalty to the throne.