Liu Zhijun (Later Liang) facts for kids

Liu Zhijun (劉知俊), also known by his courtesy name Xixian (希賢), was a famous general in ancient China. He was nicknamed Liu Kaidao (劉開道), which means "Liu who opened the way," because he was very good at leading armies and clearing paths for them. He lived during a time when the Tang dynasty was ending, and many powerful leaders were fighting for control.

Liu Zhijun first served a strong warlord named Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen later became the first emperor of a new kingdom called Later Liang. However, Liu Zhijun eventually became worried about Emperor Taizu (Zhu Wen) and decided to leave his service. He first joined the kingdom of Qi, and then later moved to Former Shu. But even in Former Shu, the emperor, Wang Jian, was also a bit afraid of Liu Zhijun's great skills. Sadly, Liu Zhijun was later executed by Wang Jian.

Early Life and Tang Dynasty Service

We don't know exactly when Liu Zhijun was born, but we know he came from a place called Pei County. People said he was very handsome and had big dreams. He started his military career serving a leader named Shi Pu. Shi Pu thought highly of Liu Zhijun.

Becoming a General for Zhu Wen

Liu Zhijun was very brave and smart with his battle plans. This made Shi Pu a little nervous about him. Around the year 892, Liu Zhijun decided to join Zhu Wen, who was a powerful warlord. Zhu Wen was fighting against Shi Pu at the time. Liu Zhijun joining Zhu Wen was a big loss for Shi Pu's army. After this, Shi Pu's forces could not stand up to Zhu Wen's army anymore.

Zhu Wen put Liu Zhijun in charge of two special armies. He also made him the "Kaidao Commander," which is how Liu Zhijun got his famous nickname. Later, Liu Zhijun served as a governor in several important cities, including Hai Prefecture, Huai Prefecture, and Zheng Prefecture.

The Siege of Fengxiang

In 901, some powerful court officials called eunuchs captured the emperor, Emperor Zhaozong. They took him to a city called Fengxiang, which was controlled by their friend Li Maozhen. Zhu Wen then surrounded Fengxiang with his army to rescue the emperor. The siege was difficult and lasted a long time.

By late 902, Zhu Wen was thinking about giving up because of bad weather and sickness in his army. But Liu Zhijun and another general, Gao Jichang, convinced him to keep fighting. Zhu Wen followed their advice and eventually rescued the emperor in 903.

Defending the Empire's Borders

In 904, Emperor Zhaozong was moved to a new capital, Luoyang. Zhu Wen made Liu Zhijun the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit. This was an important job to protect the area around the old capital, Chang'an. He had to defend against attacks from Li Maozhen and his adopted son, Li Jihui.

In 906, when Li Jihui and other forces attacked a region called Dingnan, Zhu Wen sent Liu Zhijun to help. Liu Zhijun attacked one of their strongholds and captured a leader there. He then defeated Li Jihui in a battle, forcing him to retreat. Liu Zhijun and his allies captured several more cities. This was a big victory for Zhu Wen's army. For his success, Liu Zhijun received an honorary title, like being a special advisor to the emperor.

Serving the Later Liang Dynasty

In 907, Zhu Wen became the new emperor, ending the Tang dynasty and starting the Later Liang dynasty. However, many regional leaders did not accept him as emperor. They created their own independent states, like Qi, Jin, Wu, and Former Shu.

Battles Against Jin Forces

One of Emperor Taizu's first campaigns was against the Jin kingdom. Later Liang forces surrounded a city called Lu Prefecture. The Jin leader, Li Keyong, was very sick and couldn't send help right away. Emperor Taizu himself went to oversee the siege and called Liu Zhijun to lead the attack.

Liu Zhijun had some early successes. He wanted to stay and finish the siege, but Emperor Taizu was worried about attacks from Qi. So, he told Liu Zhijun to return to his own territory. Soon after, Jin forces launched a surprise attack and defeated the Later Liang army at Lu Prefecture. Liu Zhijun then helped another Later Liang general defend against a Jin attack, forcing the Jin army to retreat.

Protecting Chang'an

In late 908, armies from Former Shu and Qi attacked Chang'an. Jin forces were also planning to join. However, Liu Zhijun and another general defeated the Qi forces. The Former Shu and Jin armies then also pulled back. Later, Liu Zhijun also stopped an attack on Shangping Pass.

Expanding Later Liang Territory

Towards the end of 908, a leader named Hu Jingzhang died, and a cruel man named Liu Wanzi took over. Liu Wanzi was not popular, and Li Jihui believed he was secretly talking with Later Liang. So, Li Jihui had Liu Wanzi killed. In response, some of Liu Wanzi's officers, Gao Wanxing and his brother, surrendered to Liu Zhijun.

Liu Zhijun then surrounded Yan Prefecture and sent another general to attack Fang Prefecture. The new leader of Yan Prefecture surrendered to Liu Zhijun. Other Qi leaders abandoned their posts and fled. Emperor Taizu rewarded Gao Wanxing and another general for their help. He also asked Liu Zhijun to try and conquer Jingnan Circuit. Liu Zhijun thought it would be too hard and said he didn't have enough food supplies, so Emperor Taizu let him return home.

Liu Zhijun's Defection

Even though Emperor Taizu liked Liu Zhijun, Liu Zhijun started to fear the emperor's actions. Emperor Taizu was becoming very unpredictable and harsh towards other generals. Liu Zhijun became especially worried in 909 when Emperor Taizu forced another general, Wang Chongshi, to take his own life based on false reports.

Later that summer, Emperor Taizu called Liu Zhijun to him. This made Liu Zhijun very nervous. His brother, Liu Zhiwan, who was a guard commander, secretly wrote to Liu Zhijun, warning him that the emperor might want to kill him. Soon after, Liu Zhijun decided to join the Qi kingdom. He launched a surprise attack on Chang'an, captured the officer who had falsely accused Wang Chongshi, and sent him to Qi to be executed.

Liu Zhijun then set up defenses and asked for help from both Qi and Jin. Emperor Taizu tried to persuade Liu Zhijun to return, reminding him of all the good things he had done for him. Liu Zhijun replied that he was grateful but feared the same fate as Wang Chongshi. Even after Emperor Taizu sent another message saying he regretted Wang's death, Liu Zhijun did not respond. So, Emperor Taizu sent armies to attack Liu Zhijun. Liu Zhijun's family members were captured. Liu Zhijun eventually left his territory and fled to Fengxiang, the capital of Qi. The Qi leader, Li Maozhen, welcomed Liu Zhijun and gave him a high title and a lot of money.

Serving the Qi Kingdom

In late 909, Li Maozhen wanted to capture Shuofang Circuit to give territory to Liu Zhijun. He arranged for Jin forces to attack Later Liang to distract them, then sent Liu Zhijun to attack Shuofang. When the leader of Shuofang asked Later Liang for help, Emperor Taizu sent his generals to attack Jingnan Circuit to force Liu Zhijun to withdraw.

The Later Liang generals quickly captured several cities. When Liu Zhijun heard this, he quickly left Shuofang to fight them. Emperor Taizu then ordered his generals to retreat, expecting Liu Zhijun to attack them. Liu Zhijun set a trap for the retreating Later Liang army, causing them heavy losses. Only a few generals managed to escape. Because of this big victory, Li Maozhen made Liu Zhijun the military governor of Zhangyi Circuit.

The Qi-Former Shu Conflict

In 911, the alliance between Qi and Former Shu ended. This happened because the Former Shu emperor, Wang Jian, called his daughter back from her marriage to a Qi general and refused to send her back. Former Shu forces had some early successes in the battles.

However, Liu Zhijun and another Qi general then defeated the Former Shu generals at Qingni Heights. This forced the Former Shu generals to retreat. Liu Zhijun and his ally then surrounded Xingyuan Municipality. The Former Shu forces were close to giving up the city. But the Former Shu emperor, Wang Jian, arrived with more troops, which greatly boosted his army's spirits. The Qi forces suffered defeats and had to retreat.

Later, Liu Zhijun was falsely accused by an attendant of Li Maozhen. Li Maozhen took away Liu Zhijun's command. But another general, Li Jichong, told Li Maozhen that Liu Zhijun was an excellent general and should not be suspected. So, Li Maozhen executed the attendant to make Liu Zhijun feel better. Liu Zhijun then moved his family to Qin Prefecture.

Moving to Former Shu

In 915, a general named Li Baoheng killed Li Yanlu and surrendered Jingnan Circuit to Later Liang. Li Maozhen sent Liu Zhijun to surround Bin Prefecture, but the city was well-defended, and Liu Zhijun couldn't capture it quickly.

Meanwhile, in late 915, Former Shu forces attacked Tianxiong Circuit and forced Li Jichong to surrender. The Former Shu forces took over the area and captured Liu Zhijun's family. When Liu Zhijun heard this, he stopped the siege of Bin Prefecture and returned to Fengxiang. However, he became increasingly afraid. So, he took about 70 of his closest soldiers and fled to Former Shu.

Serving the Former Shu Kingdom

Wang Jian, the emperor of Former Shu, welcomed Liu Zhijun warmly at first. He made Liu Zhijun the military governor of Wuxin Circuit. In 916, Liu Zhijun served under Wang Zongbo in an attack against Qi. He also took part in surrounding Fengxiang Municipality. However, a snowstorm made the siege difficult, and Wang Jian eventually ordered his army to retreat.

Execution and Legacy

In 917, Wang Jian made Liu Zhijun the main commander for another attack on Qi. However, Liu Zhijun's subordinates were all old officers of Wang Jian, and they didn't respect him. Because of this, not much was achieved. Some people close to Wang Jian also made false accusations against Liu Zhijun.

People who were jealous of Liu Zhijun also spread a false prophecy. It was a riddle that seemed to suggest Liu Zhijun would cause trouble for Wang Jian's family. Wang Jian himself was also worried about Liu Zhijun's great talent. He secretly told his advisors, "I am getting old. Liu Zhijun is not someone who will follow your orders."

Around the new year of 918, Wang Jian had Liu Zhijun arrested and accused him of treason. Liu Zhijun was then executed. However, it seems his family was spared. Later, during the reign of Wang Jian's son, Wang Jian's daughter married Liu Zhijun's son, Liu Siyan.