Liu Pi, Prince of Wu

Biography

On 26 January 196 BC, he was made Marquess of Pei at the age of 20. He later demonstrated his combat ability as a cavalry general in the campaign against Ying Bu. On 30 November 196 BC, Emperor Gao promoted Liu Pi to Prince of Wu due to his growing concerns about the Wu provinces.

When Emperor Wen of Han was on the throne, Liu Pi's son Liu Xian and Crown Prince Qi (later Emperor Jing of Han) were involved in a game of Liubo which ended in the two getting into an argument and the crown prince killing Liu Pi's son with the chess board. Out of revenge and reflecting his growing distrust of the Emperor, Liu Pi started building up his wealth and military power within his territory. Emperor Wen believed his son was at fault for Liu Xian's death and did not hold Liu Pi accountable for his aggressive actions.

After Crown Prince Qi became emperor, based on the advice from Chao Cuo, Emperor Jing began to centralize power in an attempt to reduce the strength of the regional princes. In February 154 BC, Liu Pi convinced six other princes to rebel against the emperor, thereby starting the Rebellion of the Seven States. The emperor appointed Zhou Yafu as commander and he defeated Liu Pi's army. Liu Pi fled to the Prince of Dongyue, who killed him under the inducement of the imperial court; the kingdom of Wu was later abolished.

References

References

1. Liu Pi's biographies in vol.106 of ''Shiji'' and vol.35 of ''Han Shu'' recorded that he was 20 (by East Asian reckoning) when he campaigned against Ying Bu.
2. Liu Pi's biographies in ''Shiji'' and ''Han Shu'' recorded that Liu Pi claimed to be 62 (by East Asian reckoning) at the start of the rebellion in {{circaFebruary 154 BC. As the rebellion was crushed within three months, Liu Pi either died in the 2nd or 3rd month of the 3rd year of Emperor Jing's reign; the months correspond to 7 Mar to 4 May 154 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar.
3. Ban Biao. "Book of Han".
4. ''guisi'' day of the 12th month of the 11th year of Liu Bang's reign (including his tenure as King of Han), per vol.18 of ''Shiji'' and vol.15 of ''Han Shu''.
5. ''xinchou'' day of the 10th month of the 12th year of Liu Bang's reign (including his tenure as King of Han), per vol.12 of ''Zizhi Tongjian''. In the modified ''Zhuanxu'' calendar used during the era, the 12th year of Liu Bang's reign starts from 12 Nov 196 BCE and ends on 01 Nov 195 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar.
6. Ban Biao. "Book of Han".
7. Sima Qian. "Records of the Grand Historian".
8. 1st month of the 3rd year of Emperor Jing's reign, per Emperor Jing's biographies in ''Shiji'' and ''Han Shu''; the month corresponds to 6 Feb to 6 Mar 154 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar.