Community hub
0 subscribers8 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Lady Mi.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Lady Mi
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
Key Information
Lady Mi (fl. 190s CE) was a younger sister of warlord Liu Bei's subordinate Mi Zhu who arranged a marriage between her and Liu Bei after Liu Bei's wife or wives and children had been captured by Lü Bu in 196 CE. Though information on her life is scarce, she is mostly remembered for sacrificing her life in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms at the Battle of Changban to ensure the safety of Zhao Yun and the infant Liu Shan from their pursuers.
Life
[edit]Lady Mi was from Qu County (朐縣), Donghai Commandery (東海郡), which is present-day Lianyungang, Jiangsu. She had two brothers: Mi Zhu and Mi Fang from the influential and wealthy Mi clan in the Xu Province (present-day northern Jiangsu), who previously served the warlord Tao Qian. After Tao Qian's death, they supported Liu Bei to be the Governor of Xu Province and joined his side. When Lü Bu led his forces to seize Xiapi (下邳; present-day Pizhou, Jiangsu), the capital of Xu Province from Zhang Fei. Mi Zhu sponsored Liu Bei with all of his family wealth and Lady Mi become Liu Bei's first wife during his family absence. Some domestic complications must have followed, for we are told Liu Bei made peace with Lü Bu soon afterwards and his family was returned to him. Lady Mi is never referred to again.
Liu Bei's family was captured once more by Lü Bu in 198, to be again returned later, and in 200 he was obliged to abandon his dependents to Cao Cao: that group never rejoined him. Had the Lady Mi been involved in those later incidents, one might expect that she would have been mentioned, so she probably died earlier about 197.[1]
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
[edit]
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, during the Battle of Changban, Lady Mi was lost in the midst of the battle and was injured while carrying Liu Bei's infant son Liu Shan with her. Zhao Yun went to search for them and found them beside a well. Zhao urged her to follow him but she refused, not wishing to burden him. After entrusting Liu Shan to Zhao, Lady Mi committed suicide by throwing herself into the well. Zhao knocked down a wall to cover the well to prevent their pursuers from finding her body.
A poem honored her sacrifice with those lines:
The embattled captain had to have his steed;
On foot he could not save the little prince.
Her death preserved the Liu dynastic line:
For bold decision mark this heroine.
Later on, when Guan Yu met Liu Bei after they escaped with Lady Gan and saw that Lady Mi was absent, he asked his brother why he couldn't see his other sister in law. Liu Bei could only recount her heroic sacrifice to save Liu Shan in Dangyang. Guan Yu sighed and reproached him not going with his advice during Cao Cao's hunting expedition at the capital.[2]
In popular culture
[edit]Video games
[edit]Mei Sanniang from Kessen II is based upon Lady Mi. In the game, she is an old friend of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. She serves as a political adviser and leads a cavalry unit into battle.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220 AD) by Rafe de Crespigny
- ^ Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).
Lady Mi
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Historical Background
Family and Origins
Lady Mi originated from Qu County (朐縣) in Donghai Commandery (東海郡), a region in the late Eastern Han dynasty that corresponds to present-day Lianyungang in Jiangsu province.[4] Her family had engaged in commerce for generations, accumulating substantial wealth estimated in the hundreds of millions and employing over ten thousand servants and retainers, which elevated their status among the elite of the commandery.[5] No exact birth date for Lady Mi is recorded in historical sources, but her family's prominence flourished during the turbulent 190s CE amid the dynasty's collapse.[5] As the younger sister of Mi Zhu (courtesy name Zizhong), a prominent advisor and financier, and Mi Fang (courtesy name Zifang), who served as a general and administrator, Lady Mi was part of a influential sibling trio that leveraged their resources to support regional warlords.[5] Mi Zhu, in particular, rose from commoner status to become aide-de-camp under Tao Qian, the Inspector of Xu Province, using the family's fortune to aid military efforts and secure alliances.[5] This wealth and network positioned the Mi family as key backers in the power struggles of the era, transitioning their support from Tao Qian to other figures seeking stability in Xu Province.[5]Marriage to Liu Bei
In 196 CE, during the first year of the Jian'an era, Liu Bei faced significant setbacks in Xu Province following the death of Tao Qian, who had entrusted the region's governance to him.[1] Lü Bu's forces invaded and seized Xiapi, capturing Liu Bei's wife and son while Liu Bei was away campaigning against Yuan Shu, forcing him to retreat to Haixi in Guangling Commandery.[1] This loss exacerbated Liu Bei's precarious military and political position amid the chaotic conflicts of the late Eastern Han dynasty.[1] Mi Zhu, a prominent local administrator and loyal supporter of Liu Bei, arranged the marriage between Liu Bei and his younger sister, Lady Mi, as a means to solidify their alliance.[1] The union served a strategic purpose, leveraging the Mi family's considerable wealth and resources—Mi Zhu provided Liu Bei with 2,000 servants, gold, and funds—to help rebuild his forces after the defeats.[1] This marriage strengthened Liu Bei's ties to influential Xu Province elites, enhancing his legitimacy and logistical support in the region.[1] Lady Mi entered Liu Bei's household as a consort, without receiving a formal title such as empress, reflecting the informal nature of such alliances during wartime.[1] The arrangement marked a pivotal moment in Liu Bei's efforts to stabilize his base amid ongoing threats from rivals like Lü Bu.[1]Role and Fate in History
Service and Influence
Lady Mi's position as a consort to Liu Bei was closely intertwined with the Mi family's extensive logistical support for his military endeavors during the turbulent years of 196–200 CE in Xu Province and the early phases of his activities in Jing Province. Her brother, Mi Zhu, a prominent figure from a wealthy Donghai family, facilitated the marriage and provided critical resources to Liu Bei amid the ongoing conflicts, including the siege of Xiapi by Lü Bu in 198 CE. This support encompassed 2,000 family servants who were mobilized as troops, alongside substantial amounts of gold and currency to provision the army and maintain operations during Liu Bei's precarious hold on Xu Province.[1] The Mi family's contributions extended beyond immediate relief, bolstering Liu Bei's capacity to regroup and campaign effectively in the region. Mi Zhu's role as an early and loyal advisor to Liu Bei further amplified this aid, as he declined offers from rival warlords like Cao Cao to remain committed to Liu Bei's cause, thereby ensuring sustained familial backing tied to Lady Mi's marital alliance. Historical records, however, attribute no specific domestic, advisory, or public actions directly to Lady Mi herself, limiting her documented influence to the indirect benefits derived from her family's prominence and resources.[1] This period of service aligned with Liu Bei's broader struggles to consolidate power in Xu Province following his appointment as its governor in 196 CE, where he faced repeated defeats and retreats, culminating in his flight to Jing Province by 200 CE after Cao Cao's intervention. The Mi clan's provisions and manpower were pivotal in sustaining Liu Bei's household and forces through these displacements, underscoring the strategic value of such elite family alliances in the fragmented politics of the late Eastern Han dynasty.[6]Death and Disappearance from Records
Historical records offer scant details on the death of Lady Mi, with her presence in the annals effectively ceasing after the early 200s CE. Her marriage to Liu Bei was arranged by her brother Mi Zhu in 196 or 197 CE to solidify the alliance when Liu Bei took control of Xu Province.[7] In 198 CE, during Lü Bu's conquest of Xiapi, Liu Bei's wives were captured as part of his household. The family was later returned to Liu Bei following Cao Cao's defeat of Lü Bu in 199 CE.[6] In 200 CE, following defeats in Runan and Xu Province, Liu Bei fled to Yuan Shao, abandoning some dependents, but official histories provide no further references to Lady Mi or specific captures of his wives at that time. Her ultimate fate remains unknown, with no records after the early 200s CE; she is presumed to have died naturally prior to Liu Bei's subsequent marriage to Lady Sun in 209 CE. The Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), compiled by Chen Shou in the third century CE, mentions Lady Mi only indirectly through her brother's biography, exemplifying the broader gaps in documentation for female figures of the era, whose roles were often subsumed under male relatives or omitted entirely.[6] As one of Liu Bei's early supporters through her family's resources, Lady Mi's historical legacy remains tied to this brief period of alliance-building, as noted in modern biographical compilations.Fictional Portrayal in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Depiction in the Novel
In Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lady Mi is portrayed as one of Liu Bei's consorts and the younger sister of his loyal subordinate Mi Zhu, whose marriage to Liu Bei as his second wife—after Lady Gan—serves to strengthen the political alliance between them.[8] This union positions her as a key figure in Liu Bei's household, embodying familial loyalty amid the chaos of the late Han dynasty's collapse. Lady Mi's most prominent role unfolds during the dramatized events of the Battle of Changban in 208 CE, where Liu Bei's forces are pursued by Cao Cao's army. Separated from the main retreat with her co-consort Lady Gan—who is the mother of their infant son Liu Shan (also known as A'dou)—Lady Mi becomes isolated in a village under attack. Severely wounded in the thigh and unable to flee, she is discovered by the general Zhao Yun (Zilong) hiding near an old well behind a ruined house.[9] Recognizing the imminent danger from pursuing Tiger Scouts, she entrusts the infant Liu Shan to Zhao Yun, refusing to burden his horse with her injured form and urging him to prioritize the child's escape to preserve the Liu lineage. In a heroic act of self-sacrifice, Lady Mi throws herself into the well to avoid capture, ensuring she does not become a liability or bargaining chip for the enemy. Zhao Yun, moved by her resolve, later seals the well with nearby rubble to honor her as a makeshift grave.[9] Upon reuniting with Liu Bei after the battle, Zhao Yun reports Lady Mi's fate, prompting a moment of interaction involving Guan Yu. As the group rests in safety, Guan Yu inquires about "his sister, the second wife of his brother, Lady Mi," and upon hearing of her sacrifice, he laments the hardships they have endured, implicitly acknowledging her devotion through his sorrowful response.[10] The novel underscores her loyalty not only through narrative action but also via a poetic tribute immediately following her death: "Brave mother! Who died to preserve the son of her husband’s line; / Heroine was she, bold and decisive!" This verse elevates Lady Mi as a virtuous exemplar of wifely and maternal sacrifice.[9] Symbolically, Lady Mi's depiction in the novel represents unwavering devotion to her husband and the preservation of the imperial Liu lineage, her well-side immolation serving as a poignant emblem of personal loss amid the broader struggle for dynastic legitimacy.[9]Differences from Historical Accounts
In the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lady Mi's death is dramatically placed during the Battle of Changban in 208 CE, where she commits suicide to aid Liu Bei's escape with their son Liu Shan, an event entirely absent from primary historical records such as Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), which mentions her only briefly as Mi Zhu's sister married to Liu Bei in 196 CE without any reference to her involvement in later campaigns or her demise.[1] Historical texts do not record her death or mention her after 196 CE. No such act appears in Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government), which chronicles the battle's chaos without noting Lady Mi's presence or sacrifice, focusing instead on military maneuvers and Zhao Yun's rescue of Liu Shan alone.[6]Representations in Popular Culture
Video Games
Lady Mi has been featured in several video games inspired by the Three Kingdoms period, often portraying her loyalty to Liu Bei and her role in key historical events like the Battle of Changban. In Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series, she primarily appears as a non-playable character in cutscenes, emphasizing her sacrificial bravery by entrusting her son Liu Shan to Zhao Yun before perishing to aid the escape during the Changban scenario in Dynasty Warriors 4 and subsequent titles.[11] Her depiction highlights themes of self-sacrifice and family devotion, though she is not a standard playable character in the main action-oriented entries; players can recreate her in empire-building modes of later games like Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires, where custom officers can incorporate archery elements to represent her noble background.[11] In the strategy game Total War: Three Kingdoms, Lady Mi is implemented as a unique legendary commander hero who begins in Tao Qian's faction in 190 CE and joins Liu Bei in 194 CE and 200 CE, reflecting her historical marriage arranged by her brother Mi Zhu.[12] Her traits include Loyal (+8 expertise, -50% desire for higher office), Determined (+6 resolve, +2 instinct), and Humble (+6 authority, +10 satisfaction), which underscore her unwavering allegiance to Liu Bei and family ties in gameplay mechanics.[12] She excels in cavalry leadership through skills like Nobility (+8 authority, +20% ranged block chance for melee cavalry units), allowing her to boost mounted troops' defensive capabilities in battles, while abilities such as Unbreakable from her Meditation skill enhance unit morale and resolve during strategic campaigns.[12] Lady Mi also influences the character Mei Sanniang in Koei Tecmo's Kessen II, a real-time tactics game set in a romanticized Three Kingdoms era, where Mei serves as a political adviser to Liu Bei's Shu forces and leads cavalry units with a focus on strategic counsel and battlefield mobility.[13] This portrayal draws inspiration from Lady Mi's historical loyalty and combines it with fictional elements, positioning Mei as a tutorial guide and key supporter emphasizing diplomatic and familial bonds within Shu's hierarchy.[13] Across these titles, gameplay variations often center on Lady Mi's or her inspired characters' loyalty mechanics, such as marriage events in strategy simulations that strengthen alliances with Liu Bei or bonuses to family-related units, promoting themes of devotion over individual combat prowess. In the real-time strategy game Three Kingdoms: Fate of the Dragon, she appears in narrative scenes depicting her sacrifice at Changban, where she hands Liu Shan to a general before jumping into a well to avoid hindering the retreat, integrating her story into mission objectives focused on protection and escape.[14] Recent adaptations up to 2025, including mobile and PC strategy games in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series like the 2025 remake of Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8, continue to include her as a supporting officer with intellect and politics attributes, allowing recruitment to bolster Liu Bei's faction through events tied to her familial connections.Film, Television, and Other Media
Lady Mi's portrayal in film and television adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms typically highlights her role as a devoted wife, emphasizing themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and tragedy during key events like the Battle of Changban. These depictions often draw from the novel's fictionalized account rather than sparse historical records, portraying her as a virtuous figure who aids Liu Bei's escape at great personal cost.[15] In the 2010 Chinese television series Three Kingdoms, Lady Mi is played by actress Shang Yisha across three episodes, where she appears in household scenes supporting Liu Bei and demonstrates implied loyalty amid political turmoil. The series blends historical events with dramatic elements, showing her as a stabilizing presence in Liu Bei's early struggles for power.[15][16] The 1994 television adaptation Romance of the Three Kingdoms features Lady Mi portrayed by Xu Di and Wang Luyao, focusing on her novel-based sacrifice to protect Liu Shan during the retreat at Changban, underscoring her selflessness in the face of Cao Cao's pursuing forces. This portrayal reinforces the narrative's emphasis on familial duty and heroic tragedy.) In the 2011 Hong Kong-Chinese film The Lost Bladesman, directed by Alan Yuen, Lady Mi is depicted by Zhao Ke as Liu Bei's second wife, appearing in scenes that blend historical drama with fictional romance during Zhao Yun's rescue mission. The film integrates her character into the broader chaos of the Battle of Changban, portraying her brief but poignant contribution to the Shu faction's survival.[17][18] Modern adaptations extend to animated media, such as the 1991 Japanese anime series Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi, an adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga based on the novel. Here, Lady Mi is reimagined as the original character Xianglan, Liu Bei's apprentice who becomes his wife and dies heroically from injuries at Changban, voiced by Tomoe Jinbo; this alteration adds depth to her backstory while preserving the tragic essence.[11][19] Lady Mi also features in traditional Chinese opera, exemplifying virtues of resilience and maternal sacrifice. In a 2015 Peking opera performance of Battle of Changban by the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company at Tianchan Theatre, she is played by Guo Ruiyue in a scene addressing Zhao Yun before her suicide, highlighting her dramatic resolve through stylized gestures and aria singing. Such stage interpretations in Jingju (Peking opera) often amplify the novel's themes of tragedy and loyalty, portraying her as an archetypal devoted consort in ensemble productions.[20]References
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Changban_Peking_Opera_6.jpg