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Liu Guangshi
Early Southern Song general, son of Liu Yanqing and one of the four restoration generals, whose loss of command in 1137 set off the Huaixi mutiny
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Pingshu · Prince of Fu · Shi Wuxi
- Roles
- Commanders
Liu Guangshi, courtesy name Pingshu, came from Bao'an and was the son of the general Liu Yanqing; entering office through his father's privilege, he fought beside him against Fang La and in other campaigns. When Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan mutinied at Hangzhou in 1129 he joined Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun in restoring the emperor and was then made deputy commander of the imperial army. For years he held the Huainan and Jiangdong front and was counted with Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong and Yue Fei among the four generals of the restoration, though his official biography says he was lax in conduct, unable to discipline his men and quick to avoid battle. When he was relieved of command in 1137 his officer Li Qiong took more than forty thousand troops over to the puppet Qi state, an event known as the Huaixi mutiny. He died in 1142 at fifty-four, was named Grand Preceptor with the posthumous name Wuxi, and was later made Prince of Fu.
Life and times
Dates 1089 CE–1142 CE