Du Yuanying (杜元穎; 769–833''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'', vol. 17, part 2.), formally the Baron of Jian'an (建安男), was an official of the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

dynasty, serving as a

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

during the reign of Emperor Muzong. His policy error while being chancellor was blamed for the imperial government's losing control over the circuits north of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

. While later serving as the military governor (''

Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...

'') of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

), he was further blamed for failure of discipline that caused his soldiers to provoke a major

Nanzhao Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzha ...

invasion against Xichuan, leading to his exile.

Background

Du Yuanying was born in 769, during the reign of Emperor Daizong.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 163. Traditional histories indicate that he was from the same clan as the famous early-

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

Du Ruhui Du Ruhui (585–630), courtesy name Keming, posthumously known as Duke Cheng of Lai, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor under Emperor Taizong in the early Tang dynasty. He and his colleague, Fang Xuanling, were often described a ...

, but provide conflicting accounts as to whether he was descended from Du Ruhui – with Du Yuanying's biography in the ''

'' indicating that he was a "descendant" of Du Ruhui's; his biography in the ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'' indicating that he was a fifth-generation descendant of Du Ruhui's;''

'', vol. 96. the table of the chancellors' family trees in the ''New Book of Tang'' indicating that he was a descendant of Du Ruhui's uncle

Du Yan Du Yan (died 628), courtesy name Zhili, posthumously known as Duke Xiang of Anji, was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty. His more famous nephew, Du Ruhui, was also a chancellor. ...

, who was himself a chancellor as well;''New Book of Tang'', vol. 72
and the ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...

'', apparently adopting that latter assertion, indicating that he was a descendant of Du Yan's.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241. In any case, the Du clan claimed original ancestry from the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

states Tang and Du and traced its ancestry to officials of Lu, Chu,

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Jin Dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had pr ...

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

, and Tang. Neither Du Yuanying's great-grandfather Du Ziyuan (杜自遠) nor grandfather Du Fan (杜繁) was listed with any offices, although Du Yuanying's father Du Zuo (杜佐) served as a judge at the supreme court. Du Yuanying had at least one younger brother, Du Yuanjiang (杜元絳). Du Yuanying himself passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

s late in the ''Zhenyuan'' era (785–805) of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, and thereafter served on the staff of a regional governor.

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

During the middle of the ''Yuanhe'' era (805–821) of Emperor Dezong's grandson

Emperor Xianzong Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzon ...

, Du Yuanying became a ''Zuo Shiyi'' (左拾遺), a low-level consultant at the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''); and then a ''You Bujue'' (右補闕), a higher-ranked consultant at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''). He was then also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, ''Hanlin Xueshi''). Du wrote things quickly and much impressed Emperor Xianzong. After Emperor Xianzong destroyed the warlord

Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817vol. 47.) He thereafter was made ''Sixun Yuanwailang'' (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Libu''), but continued to serve as imperial scholar.

During Emperor Muzong's reign

Emperor Xianzong died in 820 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong. Immediately after Emperor Muzong's ascension, he summoned Du Yuanying for a meeting and promoted him to be ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. Later that year, Emperor Muzong made Du the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, ''Hubu Shilang'') and the chief imperial scholar (承旨, ''Chengzhi''). In 821, he gave Du the title ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making Du a chancellor ''de facto''. Emperor Muzong also created him the Baron of Jian'an. It was said that no chancellor had ever risen so quickly on the path that Du took as an official responsible for imperial edicts. In 821,

Liu Zong Liú Zǒng () (died May 2, 821), dharma name Dàjué (), formally Duke of Chǔ (), was a general of the Táng Dynasty. He took over control of Lúlóng Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) in 810 after killing his father Liú Jì () ...

the military governor (''

'') of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

), whose circuit had long been ruled in a ''de facto'' independent manner from the imperial government, offered to resign and surrender control of the circuit to the imperial government. To try to ensure that the people of the circuit would submit to imperial rule, Liu proposed that the circuit be divided into three circuits, recommending the former chancellor

Zhang Hongjing Zhang Hongjing () (760 – July 24, 824), courtesy name Yuanli (), formally the Marquess of Gaoping (), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. He was blamed in traditional histo ...

, the general

Xue Ping Xue Ping (薛平) (c. 753? – February 25, 832''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 2.), courtesy name Tantu (坦途), formally the Duke of Han (韓公), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, whose father Xue Song ruled Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, ...

, and the official Lu Shimei (盧士玫) to take over the three circuits, while he also sent a number of officers, such as

Zhu Kerong Zhu Kerong () (died 826''Old Book of Tang'', :zh:s:舊唐書/卷180, vol. 180.), formally the Prince of Wuxing (), was a military governor (''Jiedushi'') of the History of China, Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who ruled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headqua ...

, that he found difficult to control to the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

, asking that they be given commissions and honors so that the soldiers of Lulong would be encouraged by the examples to obey imperial orders. Emperor Muzong accepted Liu's submission, but did not fully implement Liu's partition plan; two prefectures of Lulong were given to Lu, but the remaining prefectures were all given to Zhang, under the suggestion of Du and fellow chancellor

Cui Zhi Cui Zhi () (772 – March 2, 829''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 1.), courtesy name Gongxiu (公修), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of the Emperor Muzong. Both he and his cousin Cui Ling ...

, who did not understand the rationale of Liu's plan. Further, Zhu and the other officers that Liu sent to Chang'an were not given offices or salaries, and it was said that as they lacked income, they fell into financial desperation, even requiring loans for their food and clothing, despite their frequent submission of requests for offices to Cui and Du. When Zhang arrived at Lulong, he ordered Zhu and the others to return to Lulong, further angering them. In fall 821, Lulong soldiers mutinied and put Zhang and Lu under arrest, supporting Zhu as their leader. Eventually, the imperial government lost control not only of Lulong, but also of Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...

) and Weibo (魏博, headquartered in modern

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...

) Circuits, and traditional historians blamed the losses on Du, Cui, and fellow chancellor Wang Bo for their incompetence.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 242. In 822, a mutiny occurred at Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

), led by the officer Li Jie (李㝏), that expelled the military governor Li Yuan (李愿). Du and the director of finances Zhang Pingshu (張平叔) advocated placating Li Jie by making him military governor, while fellow chancellor

Li Fengji Li Fengji (; 758 – February 27, 835), courtesy name Xuzhou (虛舟), formally Duke Cheng of Zheng (鄭成公) or Duke Cheng of Liang (涼成公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of ...

advocated a campaign against Li Jie. Emperor Muzong accepted Li Fengji's suggestion, and Li Jie was soon killed by his own subordinate Li Zhi (李質), who then surrendered to imperial authority. In 823, Du was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

), still carrying the ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' title as an honorary title.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.

During Emperor Jingzong's and Emperor Wenzong's reigns

Emperor Muzong died in 824 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Jingzong. Because Emperor Jingzong was young, playful, and liked extravagant things, Du Yuanying, in order to please the emperor, often offered rare and valuable treasures to Emperor Jingzong. Du was thus harsh with his people in extracting wealth and treasures, and this caused much resentment toward him. Du was also said to be corrupt and had diverted funds from the soldiers' salaries and clothing and food stipends, and to lack knowledge in military matters.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244. Meanwhile, Li Fengji had accused Du and

Li Shen Li Shen () (died July 29, 846''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 248.), courtesy name Gongchui (), formally Duke Wensu of Zhao (), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign ...

of having supported Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen as Emperor Muzong's successor, but any suspicions of Emperor Jingzong on that issue were dissipated after he found, in Emperor Muzong's archives, petitions from Du and Li Shen requesting that he be made

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

. Over the years, because of Du's mistreatment of the soldiers, the soldiers, lacking food and clothing, were forced to pillage the borders of

in order to have sufficient supplies. Nanzhao reacted by giving gifts of clothing and food to these Tang soldiers in exchange for information about Xichuan Circuit. As a result, Nanzhao became highly aware of Xichuan's vulnerabilities. By 829, at which time Emperor Jingzong's brother Emperor Wenzong was emperor, the Nanzhao prince Mengcuodian (蒙嵯顛) was planning a major attack against Xichuan. When the border prefectures received rumors of Mengcuodian's plans, their warnings to Du were unheeded, and thus, when Mengcuodian, guided by Xichuan soldiers who resented Du, launched his attack, he encountered no resistance, quickly capturing Xi (雟州, in modern

Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture Liangshan (; Yi: ''Niep Sha'', pronounced ), officially the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture occupying much of the southern extremity of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China; its seat is Xichang. Liangshan ...

) and Rong (戎州, in modern

Yibin Yibin (; Sichuanese Pinyin: nyi2bin1; Sichuanese Mandarin, Sichuanese pronunciation: ) is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of Sichuan province, China, located at the junction of the Min River (Sichuan), Min and Yangtze Rivers. Its ...

) Prefectures. Du sent forces to resist Mengcuodian, but after Mengcuodian defeated Xichuan forces, Qiong Prefecture fell to Nanzhao as well. Nanzhao forces put Chengdu under siege and entered its western city, while forward troops reached as far as Zi Prefecture (梓州, in modern

Mianyang Mianyang (; formerly known as Mienchow) is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Located in north-central Sichuan covering an area of consisting of Jiangyou, a county-level city, five counties, and thre ...

), the headquarters of Xichuan's neighboring circuit Dongchuan (東川). Nanzhao forces stayed at Chengdu's western city for 10 days before pillaging Chengdu and withdrawing, taking with them tens of thousands of Xichuan craftspeople and young men and women. It was said that after this incident, Nanzhao had crafts capabilities rivaling Xichuan. Emperor Wenzong initially demoted Du to be the prefect of Shao Prefecture (邵州, in modern

Shaoyang Shaoyang (), formerly named Baoqing (Paoking) (), is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Hunan province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It has a history of 2500 years and remains an important commercial and transportation city in Huna ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

). After Mengcuodian submitted a petition accusing Du of crimes and explaining the reasons for the incursion, and further demanding Du's execution, Emperor Wenzong further demoted Du to be the military advisor to the prefect of Xun Prefecture (循州, in modern

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyua ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

). Subsequently, the military governor of Dongchuan, Guo Zhao (郭釗), was made the military governor of Xichuan and made peace with Nanzhao. Several of Du's key staff members were likewise demoted. Du died in 833 at Xun Prefecture. Before he died, he submitted a petition begging for posthumous restoration to a higher office, and Emperor Wenzong awarded him a posthumous promotion to prefect. Du Yuanying's nephew

Du Shenquan Du Shenquan (杜審權), courtesy name Yinheng (殷衡), formally Duke De of Xiangyang (襄陽德公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Yizong. (833-873) Background It is n ...

(Du Yuanjiang's son) and Du Shenquan's son

Du Rangneng Du Rangneng (杜讓能) (841–893), courtesy name Qunyi (群懿), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was an official of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Emperor Zhaozo ...

later served as chancellors as well.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 163. * ''

'', vol. 96. * ''

'', vols. vol. 241, 242,

243 __NOTOC__ Year 243 ( CCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arrianus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 996 '' Ab ...

244 __NOTOC__ Year 244 (Roman numerals, CCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tiberius Pollenius Armenius Peregrinus, Arm ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Yuanying 769 births 833 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Muzong of Tang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xichuan Circuit