Liu Cong was the second son of the famous warlord
Liu Biao during the
Three Kingdoms period of
China.
Biography
Liu Zong and his elder brother,
Liu Qi, were both the sons of
Liu Biao's late first wife. Liu Zong was favoured by his stepmother and the Cai clan because Liu Zong's wife was the niece of his stepmother. Due to this, the Cai clan was naturally inclined to support Liu Cong due to their strengthened relationship through the marriage and assisted him in claiming the throne, which would traditionally have passed to his older brother. Liu Zong only ruled for a month after his father's death in August, 208. In September, 208,
Cao Cao, a prominent warlord from the north, began his invasion of
Jingzhou. Liu Cong surrendered in the same month. His fate after the surrender is uncertain and not mentioned in historical records.
In fiction
In the novel,
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Cong is depicted as the son of Liu Biao's second wife and a member of the Cai clan; one of the largest, most powerful and influential local families which controlled the military. Successfully conspiring to have Liu Qi removed, Liu Cong's mother ensured that her son would take the throne after Liu Biao's death. Liu Zong quickly submitted to Cao Cao at the onset of invasion, yielding the troops and territories under his control. His older brother, however, refused to submit to Cao Cao, taking what few troops he had and allying with one of Cao Cao's enemies,
Liu Bei.
Following his surrender to Cao Cao, Liu Cong was then appointed as the protector of
Qing. This, however, would prove to be a feint, as Liu Cong and his mother would then be assassinated by Cao Cao's general
Yu Jin. Cao Cao believed Liu to be a nuisance and had ordered that he be removed whilst travelling to his "post".
Personal information
See also
Category:Liu Biao and associatesCategory:Officials under Cao Caoca:Liu Cong (Tres Regnes)ko:유종 (촉한)ja:劉ソウth:เล่าจ๋องzh-classical:劉琮zh:劉琮 (劉表之子)
