How many wifes liubei have? Why he choose liushan as his succesors?
Liu Bei was formally married at least three times.
His fist wife was Lady Mi, the sister of his follower and friend Mi Zhu. Liu Bei abandoned her to his enemies several times, and the two were separated for the last time in either 200 or 208. There is no record of what became of her, though Liu Bei’s careless treatment of his sister was likely a factor in Mi Fang’s eventual defection to Wu.
Liu Bei’s second wife was Lady Sun, the younger sister of Sun Quan. The two were married around 210 in order to secure the alliance between the two factions, but this did not last. In 210, Sun Quan proposed a joint attack on Yi province with Liu Bei, but Liu Bei refused and threatened to obstruct such a campaign should Sun Quan proceed on his own. His stated reason was that Liu Zhang was a good and kind man who did not deserve violence, and that he and Liu Bei shared a bloodline so attacking him would be unacceptable. However, Liu Bei actually just wanted Yi for himself. Before Sun Quan’s proposal, Liu Bei was already plotting with Fa Zheng, Meng Da, and Zhang Song to claim Yi. Liu Bei left Lady Sun behind in Jing when he went to Hi in 211, and when he attacked Liu Zhang in 212, it was clear that he had betrayed the confidence of the Sun family. Because of this, Lady Sun returned home, effectively annulling the marriage.
After claiming Yi in 214, Liu Bei married his third wife, the future Empress Mu (Lady Wu). She had previously been married to Liu Zhang’s now-deceased brother, and her family had garnered significant influence in the local region, so Liu Bei married her to secure some local support. Historical records have little to say about her, leaving much to speculation.
Liu Bei also had several concubines, most notably Lady Gan, who was Liu Shan’s mother. She was abandoned by Liu Bei on at least four occasions, but she always returned to him. Her death around 210 was likely one of the things that prompted Liu Bei’s marriage to Lady Sun. Liu Bei’s other concubines aren’t particularly noteworthy.
Liu Shan was selected as the heir simply because he was Liu Bei’s eldest natural son. He was only 16 years old at the time of Liu Bei’s death, but he was still the eldest. Liu Bei’s other sons were far too young to even be considered as viable replacements.
Prior to his death, Liu Bei did have one older son, Liu Feng. However, Liu Feng was adopted before Liu Shan’s birth. He proved to be a talented and good-hearted commander, winning glory in several pivotal battles. However, Liu Bei feared that Liu Feng would prove a rival to Liu Shan, despite Liu Feng professing no such ambitions. In order to avoid future conflict, Liu Bei executed Liu Feng under false pretenses, on Zhuge Liang’s advice.
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