Liu Cong

Who was Liu Cong?

Liu Cong, courtesy name Xuanmen, nickname Zai, formally Emperor Zhaowu of Han, was an emperor of the Xiongnu state Han Zhao.

Liu Cong's reign was one filled with contradictions. He was a ruler who was obviously intelligent and capable of logical reasoning, and during his father Liu Yuan's reign, he was a capable general as well. On the other hand, as his reign progressed, he became increasingly cruel, unstable, extravagant, and unable to listen to proper advice. Toward the end of his reign, any official who dared to speak against his actions faced the potential of death. During his reign, both he and the Han Zhao state displayed great potential, as Han Zhao expanded from a small state occupying modern southern Shanxi to encompassing nearly all of modern Shanxi, Shaanxi, eastern Gansu, and significant portions of Shandong, Hebei, and Henan—although the eastern half of the empire was under the control of the general Shi Le and arguably only nominally under Han Zhao's rule. Liu Cong and his state would never realize their potential.