Liu Cong (Han-Zhao)

Liu Cong (died 31 August 318), courtesy name Xuanming, nickname Zai, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Zhaowu of Han (Zhao), was an emperor of the Xiongnu-led Chinese Han-Zhao dynasty. He captured the Emperor Huai of Jin and the Emperor Min of Jin, and executed them back in Pingyang after forcing them to act as cupbearers. These raids finally forced the Jin dynasty to move its capital from Luoyang to Nanjing.

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 potential death. During his reign, both he and the Han state displayed great potential, as Han 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's rule. Liu Cong and his state would never realize their potential.