Text: Tachiaki Idle Man (Shigeba Shinichi Original Team Member)
Liu Du, appearing in the 52nd episode of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, his real identity is Taishou of Lingling County, Jingnan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Although Liu Du had the aura of the eastern Han Dynasty's national surname and was a county guard, his name was unknown in the history books, and his origin was unknown.
Liu Du only appeared once in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and he had not yet uttered a single word, nor had he ever traced the use of literature and martial arts, not only compared with the other three counties of Jingnan, but also less brilliant than his son Liu Xian, and even than the general Xing Daorong, only one stroke. The reason why Liu Du will leave his name in history is only because Liu Bei surrendered without a fight when he conquered the four counties of Jingnan after the Battle of Chibi. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu II, and the Biography of the Ancestor Lord records that the Ancestor Qi was the Assassin of Jingzhou, and he also conquered the four counties in the south. Wuling Taishou Jinxuan, Changsha Taishou Han Xuan, Guiyang Taishou Zhao Fan, and Lingling Taishou Liu Du all descended.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong depicts the process of Liu Bei's capture of the four counties of Jingnan on the basis of historical records, and also fictionalizes and adds many plots accordingly. In the face of Liu Bei's menacing momentum and great momentum of attacking in one fell swoop, Liu Du, as the Taishou of Lingling County, attached great importance to it, and immediately discussed with his son Liu Xian whether to fight or surrender, and then followed his son's advice and sent his son and Xing Daorong out of the city to meet Liu Bei. Later, due to Liu Xian's and Xing Daorong's plan to defeat Zhuge Liang and the bravery of Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, a battle ensued, Xing Daorong was killed, Liu Xian was captured, Liu Du had to surrender Kaesong, and Lingling Commandery was easily taken by Liu Bei. In the end, Liu Du continued to be appointed by Liu Bei as the Taishou of Lingling Commandery, while his son Liu Xian followed Liu Bei to Jingzhou to accompany the army.
The world is all tiger father and dog son, blessed sun yin son, and Liu Du is the dog father and tiger son, sheltered by the son. Liu Du was famous for his son Liu Xian, who continued to serve as the Taishou of Lingling Commandery because of his son, while his son Liu Xian had to stay away from his father and follow Liu Bei to Jingzhou alone, ostensibly "following the army to do things", but in essence "acting as a hostage".
The reason why Liu Du is not brilliant is because of the following three points.
First, the Liu Bei clique made special military arrangements.
After the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei effortlessly occupied Jingzhou, Nan County, and Xiangyang. When Liu Bei was seeking a strategy to protect Jingxiang, Ma Liang, a native strategist in Jingzhou and familiar with the situation in Jingzhou, proposed that Jingxiang was attacked on all sides, not a place to be defended for a long time, but to conquer the four counties of Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling in the south, accumulate money and grain, and take the four counties of Jingnan as the foundation for future development. For this reason, the four counties of Jingnan, which had not experienced war and were sparsely populated, suddenly entered Liu Bei's legal eyes and began to lay the foundation for Liu Bei's hegemony.
Second, the unique geographical location of Lingling County.
Lingling Commandery was established in the sixth year of the Western Han Dynasty (111 BC) and was governed by Lingling County (present-day southwest of Jeonju County, Guangxi). Lingling County covers the area south of present-day Shaoyang City and Hengyang County in Hunan, west of Yongzhou City and Ningyuan County, east of Wugang City and Guilin City in Guangxi, and north of Yangshuo County and Hunan Dao County. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Quanling County (present-day Beierli, Yongzhou City, Hunan) had jurisdiction over 8 counties and 5 county-level houguo. Lingling County is located in the west of the Xiang River, the closest to Jingxiang. As Ma Liang said when answering Liu Bei's "Four Counties Should Take He County First": West of the Xiang River, Lingling is the nearest, you can take it first; take Wuling second. Then the east of the Xiang River took Guiyang; Changsha was reared. Therefore, Lingling County bore the brunt of Liu Bei's conquest of the four counties of Jingnan.
Third, Liu Du's special status.
Liu Du was the Taishou of Lingling County, the supreme administrator, whose duties were to govern the people, enter the people, decide lawsuits, prosecute adultery, and appoint and dismiss the history, rather than leading troops, fighting wars, defending the city, expanding the territory, and defending the country. In a word, the most fundamental duty of Taishou is to defend the land and govern the people, not to obey orders to fight. Therefore, it was not Liu Du's turn to lead troops to fight on the battlefield, and it was only Liu Du's turn to cheapen his son Liu Xian and his general Xing Daorong.
In view of Liu Bei's military deployment and the geographical location of Lingling, it naturally became the first target of Liu Bei's group to capture the four counties of Jingnan and the first battle of the operation to capture the four counties of Jingnan. To this end, Liu Bei personally commanded the army, Zhuge Liang accompanied him, and Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun all accompanied him on the expedition. Since then, Liu Du, the Taishou of Lingling County, has also left his name in the annals of history.
Author's Note: Mediocrity refers to ordinary, ordinary and not prominent, doing nothing. Liu Du, who was originally a good ruler of the people and decided to defend the city during the Taiping years, became a commander who engaged in the clumsy war and defending the city during the chaotic years, only because Lingling County was closest to Jingxiang, the base area where Liu Bei had just established a foothold, and became a springboard for Liu Bei's hegemonic road.