Liu Ba (Three Kingdoms)

Liu Ba (died 222),[1] courtesy name Zichu, was an official in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He originally served under the warlord Liu Zhang before becoming a subordinate of Liu Bei (the founding emperor of Shu) after Liu Zhang's surrender to Liu Bei in 214. Liu Ba was instrumental in helping Liu Bei reward his subordinates from the treasury without impoverishing the common people after their conquest of Yi Province. Liu Ba also helped write the Shu Ke (蜀科), the legal code of Shu, along with Zhuge Liang, Fa Zheng, Li Yan and Yi Ji. Liu Ba succeeded Fa Zheng as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing in 220 and held office until his death in 222.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Liu.
Liu Ba
劉巴
Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚書令)
In office
220 (220)–222 (222)
MonarchLiu Bei
Preceded byFa Zheng
Master of Writing (尚書)
In office
219 (219)–220 (220)
MonarchLiu Bei
Personal details
BornUnknown
Shaodong County, Hunan
Died222[1]
Chengdu, Sichuan
Parent
  • Liu Xiang (father)
Relatives
  • Liu Yao (grandfather)
OccupationOfficial
Courtesy nameZichu (子初)
Other namesZhang Ba (張巴)
Nickname"Lord Liu Zichu" (劉君子初)

Early life

Liu Ba's was from Zhengyang (烝陽) prefecture in Lingling (零陵) commandery. At a young age, he was already promising and famous in the province.[2]

Liu Ba's grandfather, Yao (曜) was the administrator of Cangwu Commandery. While his father, Xiang (祥) was the administrator of Jiangxia (江夏) and Annihilating Bandits General (盪寇將軍). When Sun Jian raised some troops to attack Dong Zhuo, he killed the administrator of Nanyang (南陽). Zhang Zi (張咨) for refusing to supply grains to his army. Liu Ba's father was friendly with Sun Jian so by association the elites and the people of Nanyang started to dislike him. Soon they revolted and led an army against him. They battled and Liu Xiang was defeated and killed. Liu Biao also didn't like Liu Xiang so he detained Liu Ba and wished to kill him. Repeatedly, he sent one of Xiang's trusted friend to deceive Liu Ba saying to him "Governor Liu Biao wishes to kill you however you can escape with me." Although this happened several times, Liu Ba didn't fall for his trick. Soon it was reported to Liu Biao who then did not kill Liu Ba.[3]

Adulthood

When he reached eighteen years old, Liu Ba was appointed as clerk in the Household Department, secretary clerk and master of records. At this time, Liu Xian (劉先) wanted to have Zhou Buyi (周不疑) study with Liu Ba. However Liu Ba replied :

“In the past, when I travelled to the North of Jing. When I visited my master's home and learned "perfect memorization in order to answer any questions" however it wasn't enough to have my name well known. I'm not the same as Yang Zhu (楊朱) able to maintain serenity in all circunstances neither the manner of Mo Di (墨翟) known for attending to the matters of all times. I'm like the southern star Winnow (箕) without substance and useless. You sent me a letter expressing your desire to have your worthy nephew gave up on the beauty of the phoenixes and simurghs only to wander in the world of swallows and sparrows. How would I enlighten him? I am ashamed by "having knowledge but feeling none, being full while seeming to be empty" How could I accomplish this task!”[4]

Service with Cao Cao

Liu Biao wanted to have Liu Ba appointed as a member of his staff and recommended him for the title of Abundant Talent. However Liu Ba refused both of his propositions. When Liu Biao died and Cao Cao attacked the province of Jing, Liu Bei fled south of the Yangtze with all the nobles and officials of Jing and Chu joining him. Liu Ba didn't follow Liu Bei south. Rather, he went north to join Cao Cao. Cao Cao appointed him to his staff as a Division Chief and sent him with the mission to convince Lingling, Changsha and Guiyang commanderies to submit.[5]

At this time Cao Cao has been defeated at Wulin (烏林). While returning to the north, he wanted to employ Huang Jie for a mission. However Huan Jie declined and told him that he could not match Liu Ba. Liu Ba said to Cao Cao "Right now, Liu Bei is taking over Jing Province, this is not acceptable." Cao Cao answered "If Liu Bei plans against me then I would go after him with the might of my Six Armies."[6]

However Liu Bei already had the three commanderies subjugated and so Liu Ba was unable to accomplish his mission and instead moved to the Jiachi commandery. Liu Bei deeply regretted not having Liu Ba join him.[7]

When Liu Ba was moving to Lingling but was unsuccessful and so he wished to move back to Jiao Province. When he was leaving for the capital, he knew that Zhuge Liang was at this time in Lingzheng so he wrote to him :

“During my life, I have been forced to go through danger faced with troubles and hardships. I met many people concerned about virtue and righteousness who wished to follow me, carrying on the intention of Heaven and obeying nature's will. It was not my intention to have them leave their home for a arduous task. If the path is closed and my days here end, I shall entrust my life to the azur sea not looking back again toward Jing Province.”[8]

Zhuge Liang quickly wrote him back :

“Lord Liu Bei great ability dominates the world. He occupies Jing Province and none turn their back on his virtue. He is already well aware of the comings and goings of Heaven and man. Why would you go elsewhere?”[9]

Liu Ba answered "I have received an order, came and was unsuccessful for now I'm going back. This is the righteous way. What else are you speaking of?"[10]

Joining Liu Zhang

When Liu Ba entered Jiao Province, he changed his surname to Zhang. He met and talked with the governor of the province Shi Xie however both of them were in disagreement. And therefore left the province by the Zangke road for Yi Province. He was detained in Yizhou commandery with the administrator wishing to kill him however the master of records said "This man is not an ordinary person, you cannot kill him." The master of records then asked to personally escort Liu Ba to the province seat and meet his governor Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang's father, Liu Yan, in the past was recommended as filial and incorruptible by Liu Ba's father, Xiang. Hence when Liu Zhang met Liu Ba, he was surprised and pleased. Every time there was a great affair, Liu Zhang would consult Liu Ba.[11]

However Pei Songzhi remarked that when Emperor Ling of Han was emperor, Liu Yan was already the director of the imperial clan and grand master of ceremonies and that when he was sent to be the governor of Yi Province, Liu Xiang was just the administrator of Jianxia with Sun Jian having Chansha. Hence he believes that Liu Xiang could not recommend Liu Yan as filial and incorruptible.[lower-alpha 1][12]

Advices against Liu Bei

When Liu Zhang sent Fa Zheng to welcome Liu Bei. Liu Ba reprimanded him as such "Liu Bei is known as a hero. If you let him in Yi province, he will surely bring you misfortune. You have to stop him." After Liu Bei was in the province, Liu Ba once again reprimanded Liu Zhang "If you send him against Zhang Lu, it would be like releasing a tiger in the mountains and forests." However Liu Zhang wouldn't listen and so Liu Ba stopped leaving his house and claimed illness. When Liu Bei surrounded Chengdu, he ordered inside the armies that anyone who would harm Liu Ba would suffer execution to third degrees. When Liu Bei finally met him, he was deeply happy.[13]

Service under Liu Bei

Soon Yi Province was conquered by Liu Bei. And Liu Ba apologized to him but Liu Bei did not hold him culpable. Moreover, Zhuge Liang repeatedly praised and recommended him for high position so Liu Bei appointed him to his own staff as Left General's West Department Official Head.[14]

Conflict with Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei once visited Liu Ba's home. However, Liu Ba refused to speak with him. Because of this, Zhang Fei was angered and furious. And so Zhuge Liang said to Liu Ba "Although Zhang Fei is a martial person, he deeply admires and respects you. Right now, Lord Liu Bei needs to gather many civil and military officers to help him accomplish his great mission. Even if you are a man of high moral and bright talents, you should be less condescending of others." Liu Ba's reply to Zhuge Liang was "When a real man is born in this world, he must associate himself with the greatest heroes. How can someone like you speak with a mere soldier?"[15]

When he heard of this conversation, Liu Bei was furious. He said "I wish to secure the realm under Heaven. However, Zichu (Liu Ba) wishes to throw it into disorder. His desire is to leave and return North; he is only borrowing this road. How could he help me settle my affairs?" Liu Bei also said "Zichu's ability and wisdom are far superior to any men. However even if I can employ him, I fear others wouldn't be able to." Zhuge Liang further said about Liu Ba "In logistics planning and strategies inside the tent curtains, I'm not the equal of Zichu. However if it's about beating the drums, gathering the army encampments and encouraging the common people to do their utmost, I can discuss this with others."[16]

Managing Liu Bei's economy

When Liu Bei started his campaign against Liu Zhang, he made a pact with his armies and troops "If our great entreprise is successful then the government treasury with all his goods shall be all yours." And so when his army took Chengdu, all the soldiers threw away their shields and spears and compete with one another to the various stores to take valuable items. Soon the military supplies were falling and Liu Bei was deeply worried about this. Liu Ba told him "It is simple! You simply have to cast bars worth a hundred coins, have the price for them stable and order your officials to manage the government markets." Liu Bei followed his advice and within several months, all the government treasury was full again.[17]

Service under Shu Han

In 219, Liu Bei declared himself King of Hanzhong and Liu Ba was promoted to be the Master of Writing and soon took Fa Zheng's position as Prefect of the Masters of Writing. Liu Ba himself conducted with purity and integrity. He would not engage in the management of property or production. Moreover, because he was not originally an officer of Liu Bei, he feared that he would face jealousy, doubt and suspicion. Liu Ba was also respectful and always kept his composure. He was tranquil and had no personal dealings, and would speak of nothing but official business.[18]

Around this time, the people of the central plains were not of the same mind. Everyone was looking in Yi's direction to see what Liu Bei would do, but Liu Bei was firm in his imperial ambition while Liu Ba did not think that Liu Bei should take the imperial throne yet and wanted him to change his mind. He joined with the Master of Records Yong Mao (雍茂) to disagree with Liu Bei. Later, Liu Bei used another problem as an excuse to have Yong Mao killed. And so people from far away stopped joining him.[19]

Liu Qingzhi (劉清植) remarked that all the documents, orders and decrees cited in Liu Bei's biography were written by Liu Ba because of his position. Hence, Liu Qingzhi believed that Liu Ba would not have been opposed to Liu Bei's assuming the imperial throne. He also says that the Traditions of the Former Worthies would have used critical language when speaking of people of the enemy state and that it should not be trusted.[lower-alpha 2]

When Liu Bei took the title of Emperor, Liu Ba reported it to the Imperial Heaven God Above and Lordly Earth Divine Spirit. All the various writings such as the documents, admonitions and decrees were all written by Liu Ba. He died in the second year of Zhangwu (222). After his death, when the Supervisor of the Masters of Writing Chen Qun of Wei wrote to Zhuge Liang asking for words of Liu Ba, in the letter, Chen Qun referred to him as "Lord Liu Zichu" (劉君子初), so great was Chen's respect for him.[20]

Anecdote with Zhang Zhao and Sun Quan

The Wu general who assists the state, Zhang Zhao, once criticized Liu Ba, saying to Sun Quan that he was narrow minded and should not have refused Zhang Fei so extremely. Sun Quan's reply to Zhang Zhao was "If Zichu had chosen to follow the world in being superficial and only acting to please Liu Bei dealing with improper persons, then how could he be worthy to be praised as a lingshi (令士; a virtuous scholarly gentleman)?"[21]

Appraisal

Chen Shou, who wrote Liu Ba's biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), appraised Liu Ba as follows: "Liu Ba followed the integrity of the pure and exalted.... Along with Dong He, Ma Liang, Chen Zhen and Dong Yun, he was one of the best officials in Shu."[22]

See also

Notes
  1. It could be that the favor Liu Ba's father did to Liu Yan was mistaken or just lost over time.
  2. Authorship has been attributed to Sima Biao, a member of the Jin royal family, however J. Mansvelt Beck has questioned the attribution. See Mansvelt Beck, The Treatises of the Later Han: Their Author, Sources, Content and Place in Chinese Historiography

References
  1. Liu Ba's biography in Sanguozhi stated that he died in the 2nd year of the Zhangwu era (221-223) in Liu Bei's reign. (章武二年卒。)
  2. (劉巴字子初，零陵烝陽人也。少知名，) Sanguozhi vol. 39
  3. (零陵先賢傳曰：巴祖父曜，蒼梧太守。父祥，江夏太守、盪寇將軍。時孫堅舉兵討董卓，以南陽太守張咨不給軍糧，殺之。祥與同心，南陽士民由此怨祥，舉兵攻之，與戰，敗亡。劉表亦素不善祥，拘巴，欲殺之，數遣祥故所親信人密詐謂巴曰：「劉牧欲相危害，可相隨逃之。」如此再三，巴輒不應。具以報表，表乃不殺巴。) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  4. (欲遣周不疑就巴學，巴答曰：「昔游荊北，時涉師門，記問之學，不足紀名，內無楊朱守靜之術，外無墨翟務時之風，猶天之南箕，虛而不用。賜書乃欲令賢甥摧鸞鳳之豔，遊燕雀之宇，將何以啟明之哉？愧於『有若無，實若虛』，何以堪之！」) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  5. (荊州牧劉表連辟，及舉茂才，皆不就。表卒，曹公征荊州。先主奔江南，荊、楚群士從之如雲，而巴北詣曹公。曹公辟為掾，使招納長沙、零陵、桂陽。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  6. (零陵先賢傳曰：曹公敗於烏林，還北時，欲遣桓階，階辭不如巴。巴謂曹公曰：「劉備據荊州，不可也。」公曰：「備如相圖，孤以六軍繼之也。」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  7. (會先主略有三郡，巴不得反使，遂遠適交阯，先主深以為恨。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  8. (零陵先賢傳云：巴往零陵，事不成，欲游交州，道還京師。時諸葛亮在臨烝，巴與亮書曰：「乘危歷險，到值思義之民，自與之眾，承天之心，順物之性，非余身謀所能勸動。若道窮數盡，將託命於滄海，不復顧荊州矣。」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  9. (亮追謂曰：「劉公雄才蓋世，據有荊土，莫不歸德，天人去就，已可知矣。足下欲何之？」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  10. (巴曰：「受命而來，不成當還，此其宜也。足下何言邪！」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  11. (零陵先賢傳曰：巴入交阯，更姓為張。與交阯太守士燮計議不合，乃由牂牁道去。為益州郡所拘留，太守欲殺之。主簿曰：「此非常人，不可殺也。」主簿請自送至州，見益州牧劉璋，璋父焉昔為巴父祥所舉孝廉，見巴驚喜，每大事輒以咨訪。) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  12. (臣松之案：劉焉在漢靈帝時已經宗正太常，出為益州牧，祥始以孫堅作長沙時為江夏太守，不得舉焉為孝廉，明也。) Pei Songzhi's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  13. (零陵先賢傳曰：璋遣法正迎劉備，巴諫曰：「備，雄人也，入必為害，不可內也。」既入，巴復諫曰：「若使備討張魯，是放虎於山林也。」璋不聽。巴閉門稱疾。備攻成都，令軍中曰：「其有害巴者，誅及三族。」及得巴，甚喜。) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  14. (俄而先主定益州，巴辭謝罪負，先主不責。而諸葛孔明數稱薦之，先主辟為左將軍西曹掾。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  15. (零陵先賢傳曰：張飛嘗就巴宿，巴不與語，飛遂忿恚。諸葛亮謂巴曰：「張飛雖實武人，敬慕足下。主公今方收合文武，以定大事；足下雖天素高亮，宜少降意也。」巴曰：「大丈夫處世，當交四海英雄，如何與兵子共語乎？」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  16. (備聞之，怒曰：「孤欲定天下，而子初專亂之。其欲還北，假道於此，豈欲成孤事邪？」備又曰：「子初才智絕人，如孤，可任用之，非孤者難獨任也。」亮亦曰：「運籌策於帷幄之中，吾不如子初遠矣！若提枹鼓，會軍門，使百姓喜勇，當與人議之耳。」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  17. (初攻劉璋，備與士眾約：「若事定，府庫百物，孤無預焉。」及拔成都，士眾皆捨干戈，赴諸藏競取寶物。軍用不足，備甚憂之。巴曰：「易耳，但當鑄直百錢，平諸物賈，令吏為官巿。」備從之，數月之間，府庫充實。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  18. (建安二十四年，先主為漢中王，巴為尚書，後代法正為尚書令。躬履清儉，不治產業，又自以歸附非素，懼見猜嫌，恭默守靜，退無私交，非公事不言。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  19. (零陵先賢傳曰：是時中夏人情未一，聞備在蜀，四方延頸。而備銳意欲即真，巴以為如此示天下不廣，且欲緩之。與主簿雍茂諫備，備以他事殺茂，由是遠人不復至矣。) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  20. (先主稱尊號，昭告于皇天上帝后土神祇，凡諸文誥策命，皆巴所作也。章武二年卒。卒後，魏尚書僕射陳群與丞相諸葛亮書，問巴消息，稱曰劉君子初，甚敬重焉。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  21. (零陵先賢傳曰：輔吳將軍張昭嘗對孫權論巴褊阨，不當拒張飛太甚。權曰：「若令子初隨世沈浮，容悅玄德，交非其人，何足稱為高士乎？」) Lingling Xianxian Zhuan annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 39.
  22. (評曰： ... 劉巴履清尚之節， ... 皆蜀臣之良矣。) Sanguozhi vol. 39.
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