Campaigners › Frontier Generals
Li Bo
Former Liang chief clerk of the Western Regions at Loulan, whose draft letters to local kings, the Li Bo documents, are rare autographs of the early fourth century
On a desert ridge, a rammed-earth watchtower and a long wall run across sand and rock toward the distance; a sentry stands on the tower with his back turned, smoke rises from a far beacon tower, and a small camel caravan crosses the sand at the right.
Also known as Li Bo, Chief Clerk of the Western Regions and Marquis Within the Pass
- Roles
- Frontier Generals
Li Bo served Zhang Jun of the Former Liang as chief clerk of the Western Regions, with the rank of Marquis Within the Pass, at the protectorate office near Loulan. The Book of Jin says he asked to attack the rebel commander Zhao Zhen and was defeated, and that Zhang Jun refused calls for his execution. In 1909 the Otani expedition found at Loulan drafts of his letters to the kings of Karashahr and other states, signed by Li Bo, chief clerk and marquis; usually dated around 328, these Li Bo documents are held by Ryukoku University and are key evidence for Former Liang rule in the region and for the handwriting of the time.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active c. 328