Sui and Tang · Warlord

Liu Wuzhou 劉武周

First attested AD 617; died AD 619 to AD 622

Passages: 6
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

Liu Wuzhou was a warlord.

Life and dates

Death

AD 619 to AD 622 劉武周以兵入寇
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 92, passage 99

Attested activity

AD 619 to AD 622 劉武周以兵入寇
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 92, passages 95, 99
AD 617 劉武周起兵
Directly stated · Book of Sui 43, passage 109
AD 617 to AD 622 破劉武周
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 21, passages 200, 208

Key source chapters

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Yuan Junzhang (苑君璋) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 92, passage 97

Events and relationships

Defeated by
Military · Defeated party · With Taizong (太宗)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 21, passages 200, 208
Invaded south and was defeated
Military · Commander · With Yuan Junzhang (苑君璋)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 92, passage 97
Rose in arms
Rebellion · Rebel leader · At Mayi 馬邑
Directly stated · Book of Sui 43, passage 109

References in the histories

Book of Sui, Chapter 43Volume 43 Biographies 8: He Jian Wanghong, Yang Chugang, Yang Zichong, Guang De, Wang Xiong · 1 passage

歲餘，朔方梁師都、馬邑劉武周等各稱兵作亂，郡中諸胡複相嘯聚。 A little over a year later, Liang Shidu in Shuofang and Liu Wuzhou in Mayi each rose in arms, and the non-Han peoples of the commandery likewise began gathering in rebellion.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 21Volume 21 Treatises 11: Rites and Music 11 · 2 passages

太宗為秦王，破劉武周，軍中相與作秦王破陣樂曲。 As Prince of Qin, Taizong defeated Liu Wuzhou; the army composed Prince of Qin Breaks the Array.

太常卿蕭瑀曰：「樂所以美盛德形容，而有所未盡，陛下破劉武周、薛舉、竇建德、王世充，願圖其狀以識。」 Director Xiao Yu said: "Music should glorify virtue fully—yet victories over Liu Wuzhou, Xue Ju, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong remain undepicted; let us chart them."

New Book of Tang, Chapter 92Volume 92 Biographies 17: Du, Kan, Wang, Li, Yuan, Luo, Wang · 3 passages

劉武周以兵入寇，君璋曰：「唐以一州兵掇取三輔，所向風靡，此殆天命，非人謀，不可爭也。 When Liu Wuzhou invaded with his army, Yuan Junzhang said, "Tang took the capital with the forces of a single province and swept all before them wherever they marched. This looks like Heaven's mandate, not mere human scheming. It cannot be opposed.

武周不聽，使君璋守朔州，引眾內侵，未幾敗，泣曰：「廢君言，乃至此！」 Liu Wuzhou would not heed him. He left Yuan Junzhang to guard Shuozhou and led his main force south to invade. Before long he was defeated. Weeping, he said, "I ignored your counsel, and now it has come to this!"

武周死，突厥以君璋為大行臺，統武周部曲，使郁射設監兵，與舊將高滿政夜襲代州，不克。 After Liu Wuzhou died, the Turks appointed Yuan Junzhang Grand Executive and placed him in command of Wuzhou's former troops. They sent Yushe Shad to oversee the army; together with the veteran general Gao Manzheng, he launched a night attack on Dai Prefecture but failed to take it.