19 Facts About Liao Hua

Liao Hua was a registrar under Guan Yu, a general who served under the warlord Liu Bei and guarded Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province.

Liao Hua became a prisoner-of-war of Sun Quan, but he constantly thought of returning to Liu Bei's side, so he faked his own death and succeeded in deceiving his captors and escaping.

Liao Hua brought his elderly mother with him and headed west towards Yi Province, where Liu Bei's domain was based.

Liao Hua was later assigned to be in charge of Guangwu Commandery and was promoted to Right General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Liao Hua was appointed as the Inspector of Bing Province even though Bing Province was not under Shu's jurisdiction, and enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Central District.

Liao Hua was known for his fiery personality and determination.

Liao Hua saw through this and quickly seized the opportunity to defeat them while they were still unprepared.

Liao Hua participated in the third and fourth campaigns in 247 and 249 respectively.

Liao Hua is inferior to the enemy in terms of intelligence and military power, yet he keeps attacking them.

Liao Hua is regarded one of four cornerstones of the late Shu Han regime in the Hanzhong region, together first with Wang Ping and Ju Fu then with Zhang Yi and him.

The 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms has a few stories about Liao Hua which are not found in historical records.

Liao Hua was thanked by Guan Yu after rescuing Liu Bei's two kidnapped wives, Lady Gan and Lady Mi, from a fellow bandit named Du Yuan, but refused to accept him as a follower owing to his bandit roots.

Liao Hua successfully lured the enemy generals Cao Ren and Zhai Yuan out of their castle, allowing Guan Yu to seize it.

In Maicheng, Liao Hua volunteered to break out of the siege and seek reinforcements from Liu Feng and Meng Da in Shangyong.

However, Liu Feng and Meng Da refused to help Guan Yu, so Liao Hua had no choice but to travel to Chengdu to report the situation to Liu Bei.

Liao Hua pursued the fleeing general into a dense forest and, being a proficient horseman, was able to catch up and get close enough to strike him down.

However, when Sima Yi swerved around a tree, Liao Hua missed the shot and his sword became lodged into the wood, allowing Sima Yi to escape.

Liao Hua took the helmet and traveled back to Zhuge Liang who rewarded him with the first grade of merit for his attempt.

When Liu Shan eventually submitted to Wei in Chapter 119, Liao Hua succumbed to grief and died.