Liu Kun (271Liu Kun's biography in Book of Jin indicated that he was 48 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be 271. – 22 June 318gui'chou day of the 5th month of the 1st year of the Da'xing era, per Emperor Yuan's biography in Book of Jin), courtesy name Yueshi, was a Chinese military general and poet of the Jin dynasty. An esteemed writer during the early years of his career, he was also known for his time as the Inspector of Bing province, during which he spearheaded Jin's efforts in fighting back against the Han-Zhao dynasty. Despite his determination and active role in the war against Han, he lacked the sufficient military and administrative skills to quash the growing Han threat, suffering repeated defeats and having to heavily rely on his alliance with the Tuoba-Xianbei. He was eventually driven out from Bing following a decisive defeat to Shi Le in 316 and fled to You province, where he allied with the chieftain, Duan Pidi. After Pidi suspected him of betrayal, he was arrested and 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.(劉琨，字越石，中山魏昌人，漢中山靖王勝之後也。) Book of Jin, Volume 62 Both his father Liu Fan (劉蕃) and grandfather Liu Mai (劉邁) had both served as government officials. Together with his elder 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 (儁朗), which meant "outstanding and bright" and were part of Shi Chong's inner circle called the "Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu (二十四友)”, a group of celebrities who were close associates with Empress Jia’s nephew, Jia Mi.(石崇、歐陽建、陸機、陸雲之徒，並以文才降節事謐，琨兄弟亦在其間，號曰「二十四友」。) Book of Jin, Volume 62 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 the coalition of Sima Jiong, Sima Ying and Sima Yong, since his elder sister was married to Sima Lun’s heir Sima Fu.(倫子荂，即琨姊婿也，故琨父子兄弟並爲倫所委任。及篡，荂爲皇太子，琨爲荂詹事。) Book of Jin, Volume 62 Liu Kun commanded an army at the Battle of Huangqiao (黃橋, in present-day Wen County, Henan) but he and his allies retreated after being decisively defeated.(許超等與成都王穎軍戰于黃橋，殺傷萬餘人... 而士猗、伏胤、孫會皆杖節各不相從。倫復授太子詹事劉琨節，督河北將軍，率步騎千人催諸軍戰。會等與義軍戰于激水，大敗，退保河上，劉琨燒斷河橋。) Book of Jin, Volume 59 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 partisans 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 January 303, the Liu family went to serve the Prince of Fanyang, Sima Xiao.
Service under Sima Xiao In 305, after Sima Yong had forcibly relocated Emperor Hui from Luoyang to Chang'an, Sima Xiao joined a coalition led by his cousin the Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue,Sima Yue and Sima Xiao were both grandsons of Sima Kui, per vol.37 of Book of Jin. to retrieve the emperor back to Luoyang. Shortly after declaring the coalition, Sima Yue gave out a number of appointments on his own accord, which Liu Kun and his family benefitted from. Liu Fan was appointed Army Protector of Huaibei, Liu Yu was appointed Administrator of Yingchuan while Liu Kun was made a Marshal by Sima Xiao. Meanwhile, the Inspector of Yu province, Liu Qiao, was transferred to Inspector of Ji province, with his old position being given to Sima Xiao.
Although Liu Qiao was a member of the coalition, he became angry at Sima Yue for acting beyond his discretion without the emperor's approval, and he extended his anger to Liu Kun and Liu Yu. As a result, he defected to Sima Yong and sent a letter to his court in which he denounced Liu Kun and Liu Yu for their crimes while stating his intention in attacking Sima Xiao’s base in Xuchang. Due to Xuchang’s poor defences, Liu Qiao easily captured the city along with Liu Kun's parents. Liu Kun tried leading soldiers to save the city but was unable to arrive in time, so he, Liu Yu and Sima Xiao fled north to Ji province.
At Ji, Liu Kun managed to convince its inspector, Wen Xian (溫羨), 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 You province to request assistance from the commander of the province, Wang Jun. With the help of Wang Jun's Xianbei and Wuhuan "charging cavalries", Liu Kun and Sima Xiao attacked Liu Qiao's forces north of the Yellow River and killed the general, Wang Chan (王闡). They later crossed the river and attacked Xingyang, where they also killed Shi Chao.
As Liu Qiao fell back to Kaocheng (考城, in modern Shangqiu, Henan), Liu Kun and another general, Tian Hui (田徽), routed his ally, Sima Mao at Linqiu (廩丘, in present-day Heze, Shandong). Liu Kun then divided his troops and advanced to Xuchang, whereupon its inhabitants welcomed him without a fight. Finally, Liu Kun marched to Xiao County to link up with Sima Yue, whose army had been blocked from marching into the Guanzhong region by Liu Qiao's son, Liu You (劉祐). Liu Kun defeated and killed Liu You, causing Liu Qiao's army to scatter.(劉琨說冀州刺史太原溫羨，使讓位於范陽王虓。虓領冀州，遣琨詣幽州乞師於王浚；浚以突騎資之，擊王闡於河上，殺之。琨遂與虓引兵濟河，斬石超於滎陽。劉喬自考城引退。虓遣琨及督護田徽東擊東平王楙於廩丘，楙走還國。琨、徽引兵東迎越，擊劉祐於譙；祐敗死，喬衆遂潰，喬奔平氏。司空越進屯陽武，王浚遣其將祁弘帥突騎鮮卑、烏桓爲越先驅。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 86
Liu Qiao’s defeat 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 (呂朗) and Sima Yong’s other generals to surrender. (顒先遣將呂朗等據滎陽，范陽王虓司馬劉琨以方首示朗，於是朗降。) Book of Jin, Volume 59 After Sima Yue's forces captured Chang'an, Liu Kun was awarded the title of Marquis of Guangwu.
Inspector of Bing province
Restoring Bing province While the War of the Eight Princes was happening, the tribes of the Five Divisions in Bing province, led by Liu Yuan, broke away from Jin and established the Han-Zhao in 304. In addition to an ongoing famine, the new Han state brought instability to the province and was becoming a growing threat to Jin. Sima Yue, at the advice of Liu Yu, appointed Liu Kun as the Inspector of Bing to guard the northern borders, replacing Sima Teng.(輿說越遣其弟琨鎭幷州，以爲北面之重；越表琨爲幷州刺史，以東燕王騰爲車騎將軍、都督鄴城諸軍事，鎭鄴。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 86
When Sima Teng left, Han forces and bandits had occupied most of the roads in Bing, forcing Liu Kun to fight his way to his capital in Jinyang (晉陽縣; present-day Jinyuan District, Taiyuan, Shanxi). Liu Yuan sent his general Liu Jing (劉景) to intercept Liu Kun, but Liu Kun defeated him and eventually reached Jinyang.(騰懼，率并州二萬餘戶下山東，遂所在為寇... 以其前將軍劉景為使持節、征討大都督、大將軍，要擊并州刺史劉琨于版橋，為琨所敗，琨遂據晉陽。) Book of Jin, Volume 101 At Jinyang, Liu Kun found that the government buildings were all burnt down and the surrounding towns and countrysides were desolated. Liu Kun managed to restore some order in the province and attracted refugees to his domain.(劉琨至上黨，東燕王騰卽自井陘東下。時幷州饑饉，數爲胡寇所掠，郡縣莫能自保。州將田甄、甄弟蘭、任祉、祁濟、李惲、薄盛等及吏民萬餘人，悉隨騰就穀冀州，號爲「乞活」，所餘之戶不滿二萬；寇賊縱橫，道路斷塞。琨募兵上黨，得五百人，轉鬬而前。至晉陽，府寺焚毀，邑野蕭條，琨撫循勞徠，流民稍集。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 86
The following year, Liu Yuan sent Liu Cong, Wang Mi and Shi Le to conquer Huguan county. Liu Kun sent his subordinate Huang Su (黃肅) and Han Shu (韓述) 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 (龐淳), surrendered Huguan to Han.
Alliance with Tuoba Yilu and conflict with Wang Jun Shortly after this defeat, Liu Kun campaigned against the Tiefu tribe, led by Liu Hu, and the Xianbei Bai tribe (白部) who had sided with Liu Yuan. In 310, Liu Kun allied himself with Tuoba Yilu, chieftain of the Tuoba Xianbei, and routed Liu Hu and his allies. Soon after, Liu Kun formed 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.(三年，晉并州刺史劉琨遣使，以子遵為質。帝嘉其意，厚報饋之。白部大人叛入西河，鐵弗劉虎舉眾於雁門以應之，攻琨新興、雁門二郡。琨來乞師，帝使弟子平文皇帝將騎二萬，助琨擊之，大破白部；次攻劉虎，屠其營落... 晉懷帝進帝大單于，封代公。) Book of Wei, Volume 1 The petition was accepted but it also angered Liu Kun’s colleague, Wang Jun, as Dai was under his administration in You province. Wang Jun sent his forces to attack the Tuoba but was unsuccessful.
In 311, Liu Kun discovered that the mother and nephew of Han’s general, Shi Le were wandering in his territory. Liu Kun delivered Lady Wang (王氏) and Shi Hu to Shi Le, along with a letter convincing him to side with Jin. Shi Le rejected his letter but still sent him gifts for returning him his mother.(初，勒之爲人所掠賣也，與其母王氏相失。劉琨得之，幷其從子虎送於勒，因遺勒書曰︰「將軍用兵如神，所向無敵，所以周流天下而無容足之地，百戰百勝而無尺寸之功者，蓋得主則爲義兵，附逆則爲賊衆故也。成敗之數，有似呼吸，吹之則寒，噓之則溫。今相授侍中、車騎大將軍、領護匈奴中郎將、襄城郡公，將軍其受之！」勒報書曰︰「事功殊途，非腐儒所知。君當逞節本朝，吾自夷難爲效。」遺琨名馬、珍寶，厚禮其使，謝而絕之。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 87
At the same time, Liu Kun's population was dwindling, as although he attracted refugees to his territory, many of them soon left for safer refuges further north. He had to rely on the Tuoba for their elite cavalry, and knowing his circumstances, the Tuoba pressured him into granting them territory north of Gouzhu Pass (句注, northwest of present-day Dai County, Shanxi). Liu Kun sent his kinsman, Liu Xi (劉希) to gather more followers from Wang Jun's domain, but upon discovering his intrusion, Wang Jun dispatched his forces and killed Liu Xi. Tuoba Yilu sent his son, Tuoba Liuxiu (拓跋六脩) to help Liu Kun against Wang Jun, but Liuxiu entered into a dispute with Liu Kun's officer, Xing Yan (邢延), leading to Xing Yan surrendering Xinxing commandery (新興, in present-day Xinzhou, Shanxi) to Han.(琨牙門將邢延以碧石獻琨，琨以與六脩，六脩復就延求之，不得，執延妻子。延怒，以所部兵襲六脩，六脩走，延遂以新興附漢，請兵以攻幷州。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 87
Battle of Jinyang
In February 312, the Han sent their generals, Jin Chong (靳沖) and Bo Ku (卜珝) to attack Liu Kun and besiege Jinyang, but they were repelled by reinforcements from Tuoba Yilu the following month. Soon after, Liu Kun sent his nephew, Liu Yan to occupy the city of Ye, which had been abandoned a few years prior due to the war. At the time, the Han generals, Zhao Gu and Wang Sang (王桑), were making their way towards the Han capital, Pingyang. Fearing that Liu Yan would intercept them, they feigned surrender to him, so Liu Kun appointed Zhao Gu the Inspector of Yong province and Wang Sang the Inspector of Yu province. When the two generals surrendered back to Han, however, many of their followers rebelled and joined Liu Yan at Ye.
Later that year, Liu Kun assigned the office of Prefect of Jinyang to a man named Xu Run after he won him over with his musical talents. However, Xu Run's administration soon highlighted his cruelty and corruption. The Army Protector, Linghu Sheng (令狐盛) urged Liu Kun to get rid off him but his advice fell on deaf ears. Hearing these complaints, Xu Run slandered Linghu Sheng to the point that Liu Kun decided to execute him.(劉琨移檄州郡，期以十月會平陽，擊漢。琨素奢豪，喜聲色。河南徐潤以音律得幸於琨，琨以爲晉陽令。潤驕恣，干預政事；護軍令狐盛數以爲言，且勸琨殺之，琨不從。潤譖盛於琨，琨數盛，殺之。琨母曰：「汝不能駕御豪傑以恢遠略，而專除勝己，禍必及我。」) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 88