[ Unifier of the Xianbei tribe. Fought often with Wei.
Officer Details
Wade-Giles: King K‘opinêng
Simplified Chinese: Undefined
Name Notes: You may also see him as Kebinang, Ke Binang, Kebe Neng, Kebe Nang, etc.
Fact vs. Fiction
Differences Between Fact and Common Fiction
- Kebineng was not historically incited by Wei to attack Shu. He was also not Wei’s ally.
Literary Appearances
Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 85
Biography
Ke Bineng was one of many Xianbei chieftains that rose in power following the victory of Cao Cao over the Wuhuan tribe. In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ke Bineng was an ally of Wei’s against the kingdom of Shu. According to the same book, Ke Bineng was a Xianbei chieftain who was bribed by Wei to assault Shu, but ended up getting ‘cold feet’ and fleeing when he learned that the powerful Shu general Ma Chao was in command of the army dispatched to stop him. In reality this was far from the truth as Ke Bineng, in actuality not being a coward at all, was a ruthless warlord who frequentely fought with fellow Xianbei kings and the Wei Empire alike.
When Ta Dun of the Wuhuan was defeated by Cao Cao, Ke Bineng and several other Xianbei tribal leaders decided to send tribute to Cao Cao. Because of this deed, Ke Bineng and these other chiefs were given kingly status. According to the Zizhi Tongjian, Ke Bineng was a just, honest and charismatic man who managed to win the support of most of the Xianbei. Ke Bineng’s greatest political rival was another Xianbei chief named Bu Dugen. After Ke Bineng lured Bu Dugen’s brother into a trap and killed him, Bu Dugen and Ke Bineng would war incessantly. Bu Dugen’s clan weakened in strength from this fighting, though Ke Bineng’s faction grew greatly in power.
After Bu Dugen went to the Imperial Chinese court to offer tribute and Ke Bineng decided to assault the Eastern branch of the Xianbei, the Han began to deem Ke Bineng as a threat and Tian Yu, the Han-appointed protector of the Wuhuan people, decided to strike at Ke Bineng’s rear while Ke Bineng was on campaign. After this incident, relations between the Xianbei tribe under Ke Bineng’s leadership and the Han Empire (and later the Wei Empire) became strained. Though the Zizhi Tongjian states that on a number of occassions generals like Tian Yu and Liang Xi heavily defeated Ke Bineng, it is unlikely that Ke Bineng’s clan was completely overwhelmed every time it engaged Han and Wei troops in battle. The power of Ke Bineng’s tribe did not significantly wane in any case until his death, but before Ke Bineng did die, he managed to initiate several devastating raids on the provinces of Yu, Ping and Bing. When Ke Bineng finally did meet his end, there was a period of relative peace between the Xianbei and China for several decades.