雷被 / Lei Bei (Western Han)

Overview

雷被 / Lei Bei is a Huainan retainer presented by Hanji 304-1 as an early denouncer of 刘安 and 刘迁 whose survival becomes the comparison for 伍被’s later, unsuccessful confession.

Current Profile

Hanji 304-1 infers from Lei Bei’s survival that he disclosed the Huainan conspiracy when he went to Chang’an with a grievance. It further argues that the court handled Liu An cautiously because an unresolved Xiongnu war made premature confrontation with a vassal king dangerous.

Lei Bei matters here less as a complete biography than as a timing comparison. His alleged early disclosure remained useful while the center wanted intelligence without immediate escalation; Wu Bei’s later confession arrived after arrests and exposure had changed the court’s priorities.

Key Characteristics

• Huainan insider associated by the episode with Liu An’s intimate retainer circle.
• Early complainant or denouncer who goes to Chang’an and survives the Huainan case.
• Alleged source of information about Liu An and Liu Qian’s conspiracy.
• Comparison case showing how timing and central political need can alter the value of defection.

Evidence

Early denunciation:

• Hanji 304-1 says Lei Bei reported Liu An and Liu Qian early enough to escape the executions that reached other members of the Huainan circle.

Political timing:

• Hanji 304-1 attributes the court’s restraint to fear that open action during the Xiongnu war could trigger princely revolt.

Qualifications

The source infers that Lei Bei fully disclosed the rebellion because he survived; it does not reproduce a complete confession or independently establish what the court knew, when it knew it, or why it spared him. His membership in the 淮南八公 and the claim that he directly inspired Wu Bei also remain episode-attributed.

What Changed

• Created the profile as the early-disclosure comparison in the Huainan case, with survival and motive kept source-scoped.

Relationships

• 淮南王刘安 - prince whom Lei Bei allegedly denounced.
• 淮南太子刘迁 - crown prince included in the alleged early report.
• 伍被 - later confessor whom the host treats as imitating Lei Bei’s route.
• 汉武帝 - ruler whose court allegedly chose caution at the earlier stage.
• 倒戈宽免的时机依赖 - concept for the changing institutional value of his denunciation.