Liu Kun (Jin dynasty)
Liu Kun, courtesy name Yueshi, was a writer, poet, and military general of the Jin dynasty. He was a famous writer during the Western Jin dynasty and was known for his services as the Inspector of Bingzhou where he continuously fought with the growing Xiongnu threat of Han Zhao. Despite his determination and active role in fighting back Han Zhao, he lacked the sufficient skills in administration and military to match his enemies and suffered repeated losses to Liu Yao and Shi Le. He was eventually driven out from Bingzhou after suffering a decisive defeat to Shi Le in 316 and fled to Youzhou, where he allied with the Xianbei, Duan Pidi. However, after Pidi suspected him of betrayal, he was eventually executed via strangulation in 318.
Early life and career
Liu Kun was born in Weichang county, Zhongshan commandery and it was said that he was a descendant of the Han prince, Liu Sheng. Both his father Liu Fan and grandfather Liu Mai had both served as government officials. Together with his brother Liu Yu, Liu Kun achieved celebrity status for his talent in writing whilst working in the Jin capital in Luoyang. The two brothers earned the epithet junlang, which meant "outstanding and bright" and were apart of Shi Chong’s inner circle called the ‘Twenty-Four Companions ”, a group of writers who were close associates with Empress Jia’s brother, Jia Mi. Unfortunately, none of Liu Kun's works during his time with the group survived.War of the Eight Princes
Service under Sima Lun and Sima Jiong
A civil war broke out in 301 when Emperor Hui of Jin’s regent, Sima Lun deposed him and declared himself emperor. Liu Kun’s family sided with Sima Lun against Sima Jiong, Ying and Yong’s coalition as Kun’s sister was married to Sima Lun’s daughter. Liu Kun commanded an army at the Battle of Huangqiao but he and his allies retreated after being decisively defeated. By the middle of the year, Sima Lun was overthrown and forced to commit suicide while Sima Jiong becomes Emperor Hui’s new regent. Jiong had many of Lun’s subordinate executed but he was impressed with the talents possessed by Liu Kun’s family, so he gave them appointments in his new government. After Jiong was killed in battle against Sima Ai in 303, the Liu family went to serve the Prince of Fanyang, Sima Xiao.Service under Sima Xiao and war with Liu Qiao
In 305, Sima Xiao entered a coalition led by Sima Yue against Sima Ying and Yong with Liu Kun as his Marshal. The Inspector of Yuzhou, Liu Qiao, defected from Sima Yue to Sima Yong after Xiao was chosen to replace his command in Yuzhou. In a letter to the court, he denounced Liu Kun and Liu Yu for crimes and offenses while stating his intention in attacking Sima Xiao’s base in Xuchang. Due to Xuchang’s poor defences, the city easily fell to Liu Qiao and Sima Xiao with Liu Kun and Liu Yu fled to Jizhou.At Jizhou, Liu Kun managed to convince its inspector, Wen Xian, who happened to be a relative of his, to give up his post to Sima Xiao. With a province at hand, Liu Kun was sent to Youzhou to request assistance from the commander of the province, Wang Jun. Wang Jun provided him with his Xianbei and Wuhuan cavalries and with them Liu Kun defeated the enemy general Wang Chen at Heshang. Liu Kun continued a string of victory over Shi Chao at Xingyang and Sima Mao at Linqiu before finally routing Liu Qiao in 306. Liu Qiao fled while Sima Xiao reclaimed Xuchang.
Liu Qiao’s demise caused Sima Yong to panic, and he tried to sue for peace with Sima Yue. He beheaded his Grand Commander Zhang Fang and delivered the head to Yue, but the offer was rejected. Instead, the head was given to Liu Kun, who used it to convince Lü Lang and Sima Yong’s other generals to surrender.
Inspector of Bingzhou
Restoring Bingzhou
The war neared its end, and Sima Yue, at the advice of Liu Yu, appointed Liu Kun as the Inspector of Bingzhou to guard the northern borders. The province at the time was ravaged with poor harvests and constant raids by barbarians and bandits. When the previous inspector Sima Teng left, the bandits took over the roads, forcing Liu Kun to fight his way to his base in Jinyang. Liu Kun reached Jinyang in 307, and along the way he found the countryside and ministers plundered or burnt to the ground. The Xiongnu noble, Liu Yuan, who had established his state of Han Zhao back in 304, ordered his general Liu Jing to intercept Liu Kun from reaching Jinyang but he was defeated. Liu Kun restored order over the region, and within a year Bingzhou would recover from its poor state.The following year, Liu Yuan invaded Bingzhou again, this time sending Liu Cong, Wang Mi and Shi Le to conquer Huguan county. Liu Kun sent his subordinate Huang Su and Han Shu to reinforce the county but Liu Cong killed the two of them in battle while reinforcements sent by Sima Yue were routed by Wang Mi. In the end, his Administrator of Shangdang, Pang Chun, surrendered Huguan to Han.
Alliance with Tuoba Yilu and conflict with Wang Jun
Shortly after this defeat, Liu Kun campaigned against the Tiefu Xiongnu, led by Liu Hu, and the Xianbei Bai tribe who had sided with Liu Yuan. In 310, Liu Kun allied himself with Tuoba Yilu, chieftain of the Tuoba Xianbei, and with Yilu’s nephew, Tuoba Yulü, they routed Liu Hu and his allies. Soon after, Liu Kun developed a brotherly bond with Tuoba Yilu. As a reward for his assistance, Liu Kun sent a petition to the court, demanding that Yilu be appointed Grand Chanyu and receive Dai commandery as a fief. The petition was accepted but it also angered Liu Kun’s colleague, Wang Jun, who saw Dai as a part of his territory. Wang Jun attack Yilu but his forces were repelled. Because of this, Liu Kun and Wang Jun developed a heated rivalry, one that would be exploited by their enemies in Han.The next year, Liu Kun discovered that the mother and nephew of Han’s general, Shi Le were wandering in his territory. Liu Kun delivered Lady Wang and Shi Hu to Shi Le, along with a letter convincing him to side with Jin. Shi Le rejected his letter but still returned him gifts for returning him his mother. Later that year, Liu Kun realized that population growth in Bingzhou was stagnant, and with the recent battles, the population was beginning to decline. To fix this, Liu Kun ordered his kinsman Liu Xi to gather people from Wang Jun’s territories while also requesting from Tuoba Yilu for additional troops. Liu Xi’s failed at his task, as Wang Jun discovered his intrusion and had his generals defeat and kill Liu Xi in battle. His deal with Tuoba Yilu also ended disastrously, as an altercation between Yilu’s candidate, Tuoba Liuxiu and Liu Kun’s officer Xing Yan led to Xing defecting and surrendering Xinxing commandery to Han.
Xu Run affair
In 312, Liu Kun appointed a man named Xu Run as the Prefect of Jinyang. Xu had impressed Liu Kun through his musical talents to earn his position, but his administration showed his cruelty and corruption. The Army Protector, Linghu Sheng urged Liu Kun to get rid off Xu Run but his advice fell on deaf ears. Hearing this, Xu Run slandered Linghu Sheng to the point that Liu Kun decided to execute him. Sheng’s son, Linghu Ni fled to Han, where he revealed to the now emperor Liu Cong of Kun’s situation. Liu Cong sent Liu Yao and Liu Can with Linghu Ni as a guide to conquer Bingzhou, and the Han forces managed to force Liu Kun out of Jinyang. Linghu Ni also killed both of Liu Kun’s parents while they were fleeing with him. Liu Kun managed to recapture Jinyang with Tuoba Yilu’s assistance but by that time the city had been sacked by Liu Yao. Liu Kun regathered his scattered forces and made way to his new capital in Yangqu.Fall of Bingzhou
The following year, Liu Kun and Tuoba Yilu attacked Xiping but movements by Han troops persuaded them to retreat. In 314, Shi Le was planning to finish off Wang Jun in Youzhou. Shi Le wrote a letter pretending to look weak by asking Liu Kun for permission to attack Wang while also sending hostages to him. Liu Kun believed the letter and was delighted, even going as far as to spread this news throughout his domain. However, things took a turn after Shi Le captured and executed Wang Jun, causing Liu Kun to realize that he had been trick. Furthermore, Shi Le’s recent victory prompted many of those in Tuoba Yilu’s domain to defect, forcing Yilu to purge many families in Dai.Tuoba Yilu was assassinated by Tuoba Liuxiu in 316. Dai fell into civil war between Liuxiu and Tuoba Pugen which caused Yilu’s general Ji Dan and Wei Xiong to join Liu Kun with thousands of families and livestock. Morale in Liu Kun’s territory arose as their recent fortunes meant that there was a chance to turn the tides. However, not long after, Shi Le besieged the Administrator of Leping, Han Ju at Diancheng. Liu Kun accepted Han Ju’s call for help and insisted on using his newly received forces. Ji Dan and Wei Xiong remonstrated him, saying that the troops were not loyal to him yet and that they should be kept for the future. Liu Kun ignored their advices and ordered Ji Dan with the whole army to attack Shi Le. Shi Le greatly routed Ji Dan, causing him and Wei Xiong to flee back to Dai. Meanwhile, Han Ju abandoned Tiancheng to Shi Le as reinforcements failed to relief him. With Liu Kun’s army on the brink of destruction, Liu Kun’s Chief Clerk, Li Hong, handed over Bingzhou to Han.
Final years and death
Alliance with Duan Pidi
After the loss of Bing Province, Liu Kun was left with nothing and nowhere to go. Hearing this, Inspector of Youzhou and a head of the Duan tribe, Duan Pidi, sent a letter to Liu Kun inviting him to his headquarters in Jicheng. Liu Kun met him, and the two men started a mutual relationship, arranging a marriage between their relatives. In 317, they swore an oath with each other and sent a joint petition to Sima Rui in Jiankang insisting he claim the imperial title. Liu Kun's envoy was Wen Jiao, whose aunt was married to Liu Kun. The same year, both men planned an attack against Shi Le with Duan Pidi's brothers, but the plan was axed as Pidi's brothers refused to take orders from him. The following year, after Sima Rui ascended the throne as Emperor Yuan of Jin, Liu Kun was appointed Palace Attendant and Defender-in-Chief and was presented a famous sword.Accusation of betrayal and death
Despite his newfound ally and base, Liu Kun would soon meet his end at the hands of Duan Pidi. Duan Pidi's brother and chieftain of the Duan, Duan Jilujuan passed away. His cousin Duan Mopei took advantage of his death to usurp the tribe's power. After killing his uncle and cousin's successor, Duan Shefuchen, Duan Mopei attacked Duan Pidi who was travelling to attend the funeral, causing him to retreat. In the assault, Liu Kun's eldest son, Liu Qun was captured by Duan Mopei. Duan Mopei treated him with respect and even convinced him to write a letter to his father inviting him over to his side. The letter, however, was intercepted by Duan Pidi's scouts.Duan Pidi showed the letter to Liu Kun, who at the time had not known of the events that happened. Liu Kun assured Pidi that he would not betray him, even if the letter was indeed from his son. Duan Pidi initially let him off but his younger brother, Duan Shujun, told him: "We are tribesmen, after all, and anyone who can retain the loyalty of the Jin people will fear our own forces. Now there is this strife within our family, splitting apart the flesh and the bones, and Liu Kun must have planned for this day all along. If you allow Liu Kun to rise, it will mean the end of all our clan." Duan Pidi heeded his advice and arrested Liu Kun. Liu Kun's other son, Liu Zun, gave fight and defended his camp but was defeated. On the 22nd of June, Duan Pidi had Liu Kun strangled along with four of his sons and nephews.