There is a saying in folklore: Liang controls the three kingdoms, Liu Bowen unifies the empire. view, although the Shu Han Prime Minister Zhuge Liang devoted his life to Liu Bei and worked hard to stabilize the Shu kingdom, he only helped Liu Bei secure his position in the Shu region. In contrast, Liu Bowen, a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, helped Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang unify the entire country. In comparison, Liu Bowen’s wisdom and achievements seem to stand out more.
The second reason for Liu Bowen’s relatively low rank is his relatively short service. He joined Zhu Yuanzhang’s campaign in 1360, but he had already served the Yuan Dynasty for 24 years before that. After joining Zhu’s ranks, he served for just over ten years. Given his later start and the fact that he primarily served as an adviser, his reward could not compare to those who had been with Zhu Yuanzhang from the beginning or those who held military or administrative positions. Finally, the incident where Zhu Yuanzhang hang ascended the throne, Liu Bowen was appointed as the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Court and the Grand Historian, and he advocated for strict laws and encouraged the censors to report on officials' misconduct. While this helped establish his authority, it also made him enemies, especially among other founding ministers, including Li Shanchang. Li Shanchang and many other influential ministers, such as Xu Da and Guo Xing, came from Zhu Yuanzhang’s hometown in the Huai region, and together they formed a powerful faction known as the Huaixi Group. Liu Bowen, on the other hand, was from Zhejiang Qingtian, and was allied with figures from the Zhejiang East faction. This division led to political struggles between the two factions, and Zhu Yuanzhang clearly favored his old hometown allies, making Liu Bowen's position more difficult. Thus, Liu Bowen was not only granted a lower but was also forced to return to his hometown the following year. Notably, the Huaixi faction, led by Li Shanchang, had Liu Bowen’s income revoked, and Liu Bowen was forced to visit the capital to apologize. He remained in Nanjing, wary of the Huaixi faction’s possible retaliation. Despite his caution, Liu Bowen eventually died mysteriously after taking medicine sent by Hu Weiyong, a member of the Huaixi faction. This political conflict between the Huaixi and Zhejiang East factions ultimately prevented Liu Bowen from receiving the full recognition he deserved. In summary, Liu Bowen did not possess the supernatural abilities often attributed to him in folklore. He joined Zhu Yuanzhang’s camp relatively late, and his contributions, though significant, were not as outstanding as those of other key figures. His later service and political rivalries with the Huaixi faction also contributed to his relatively low rank and eventual tragic end.
