Liu Bei’s Charge at Baidicheng
Also called: Liu Bei’s deathbed charge
Defeated at Yiling, Liu Bei fell ill at Baidicheng and, dying in 223, entrusted his son Liu Shan and the kingdom to his chancellor Zhuge Liang: "If my son can be helped, help him; if not, take the throne yourself."
Gisling · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
After his crushing defeat at Yiling in 222, Liu Bei did not return to Chengdu but stayed at Baidicheng (Yong’an), where he fell ill. In April 223 he summoned Zhuge Liang: "Your talent is ten times Cao Pi’s; you will surely bring peace and achieve great things. If my son can be helped, help him; if he is unworthy, take the throne yourself." Weeping, Zhuge Liang vowed loyalty to the end.
To his son Liu Shan, Liu Bei left the words: "Do not do evil because it is small; do not leave good undone because it is small." The seventeen-year-old Liu Shan became emperor, and Zhuge Liang as chancellor took charge of all the affairs of Shu Han.