Liu Tian, living during the Three Kingdoms period, was the son of Liu Bei, naturally blessed with glory and wealth. However, his childhood was fraught with challenges as he was a pawn caught in the hands of fate, often shifting allegiances.
As history shows, in “The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms,” it was recorded that in the year of Jian An, when Liu Bei died while fighting in Bai County (present-day Zhi Zhou), Cao Cao led his troops to invade, decisively taking over. Liu Tian, when he was only 10 years old, was swept into the chaos of war, resulting in his family’s misfortune as they were sold into servitude to the state of Wu.
When it was the year of Jian An, Liu Tian was sold to a family named Liu Huo (possibly Liu Qiao). Liu Huo was a renowned fortune-teller, and seeing Liu Tian did not resemble an ordinary person, he nurtured him as part of his family. Later on, Liu Tian was recognized by a local official from Wu and was quickly reported to Cao Cao.
Cao Cao summoned Liu Tian to the court but did not dare to confirm immediately, only attempting to assess the military situation. Liu Tian, while being naturally talented, did not hesitate to answer correctly, as Cao Cao strongly believed that this young man was indeed the son of Liu Bei.
Cao Cao was a man of ruthless reputation, capable of unspeakable deeds, but in dealing with Liu Tian, he was exceedingly cautious. It should be noted that Liu Tian lived in the state of Wu for 7 years in relative comfort and prosperity, to the point that he almost forgot his origin from the state of Shu. Seven years later, at the age of 17, Liu Tian had grown into a handsome young man. Cao Cao believed it was time to take him back to the West Xuan region.
Before leaving, Cao Cao told Liu Tian: “These years have not been long, but they have not been short either. People have already understood the situation. Now we are sending you to the home of Liu Bei, but you must absolutely not say that you lived there, you just need to be careful not to forget us. As for the other side, we must be careful with them.” This was indeed a last warning from Cao Cao to Liu Tian. Shortly after, Liu Tian returned to his father’s side, who was Liu Bei.
Some people may wonder why this detail is not mentioned in the history of Shu, yet there is “The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms”?
Now let us analyze the reason why the Shu family chose to conceal this truth.
Liu Tian had returned to the Shu Han, being the son of Liu Bei, which meant he was part of the royal lineage. Although Liu Tian’s identity was confirmed, many years spent outside made it unclear what truly transpired. Liu Tian’s heart remained an enigma, so for someone who did not know the history, the Shu family was not fully trustworthy.
Thus, Liu Bei could only keep the lid on his true identity to shape Liu Tian’s image in the eyes of others. Meanwhile, Liu Bei also shared two stories to cover up, specifically the tale of Zhao Yun rescuing Liu Bei’s son in the Battle of Chang Ban and the incident of Zhao Yun crossing the river to fight against the forces of Cao Cao.
Why is it strange to say that these two events are significant?
In regard to Zhao Yun, he was the one who twice saved Liu Bei’s son, thus his contributions were immensely great. Liu Bei was deeply grateful, even to the extent that Zhuge Liang was also careful in his dealings. However, the results were such that the Liu family could not interact with Zhao Yun without undermining their authority.
During Liu Tian’s reign, he bestowed a minor official title to the loyal Zhao Yun, but not long after, Zhuge Liang had already taken over.
This is a clear indication that Zhao Yun’s merits had not been formally recognized with Liu Tian, had it not been for Zhuge Liang’s significant contributions during the Shu dynasty.
After taking power, Liu Tian did not receive even a fraction of the prestige that Liu Bei had, as the Shu Han was rapidly declining. After Zhuge Liang’s passing, no one could keep Liu Tian in check, and he gradually became complacent, focusing solely on enjoying the comforts of power. Shortly thereafter, the state of Wu sent troops to attack Xue Xuan, and before the troops even arrived, Liu Tian had already been captured.
It is widely believed that what Cao Cao had seen previously was indeed correct. Seven years later, everyone could see that Liu Tian was, in fact, a person who possessed no authority, and thus he had no choice but to be careful, lest he bring disaster to the state of Shu, and he himself remained in a position of “the man who takes the blame.”
Source: Sohu
