The Twin Swords are Liu Bei’s characteristic weapons in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As a paired sword set, they give the future ruler a martial identity distinct from Guan Yu’s great blade and Zhang Fei’s long spear.
Chapter 1 places their making at the beginning of the three brothers’ military career. After receiving horses, money, and iron from merchants, Liu Bei has craftsmen forge the swords while his companions obtain their own signature arms. The weapons belong to the founding moment of their shared undertaking.
In the confrontation with Lü Bu in chapter 5, Liu Bei joins his brothers with the twin swords. Their importance is literary and visual: they identify a leader who enters the struggle alongside his companions. The novel’s weapon should not be presented as a securely documented possession of the historical Liu Bei.
