Gao Huaide (高懷德) ( 926 – 982)

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Cangyong was a general in ancient China, first in the

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei (E ...

military and later in the Northern

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

military.

Life

Gao Huaide's father

Gao Xingzhou Gao Xingzhou () (885'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 123. – September 10, 952''History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 112.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Shangzhi (), formally Prince Wuyi of Qin (), wa ...

was a general in the

military. In 944, just 18 years old, Gao Huaide accompanied his father in resisting the invasion by the Liao forces from the north. In Qicheng (near today's

Puyang Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei ...

Henan Province 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 ...

), his father was surrounded by the Liao forces and with no aid in sight, Gao Huaide fought a way out and saved his father on his horseback. In 957, the Later Zhou military tried to invade Shouchun (in today's

Shou County Shou County or Shouxian () is a county in the north-central part of Anhui Province, China, and is located on the southern (right) bank of the Huai River. It is the southernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city A prefectur ...

Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

) which was occupied by

Southern Tang Southern Tang () was a state in Southern China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which proclaimed itself to be the successor of the former Tang dynasty. The capital was located at Nanjing in present-day Jiangsu Province ...

kingdom. At night, Gao Huaide and a few men went across the

Huai River The Huai River (), Postal Map Romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in China. It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

for

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

and in the morning caught a Southern Tang soldier who provided important information. When

Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou Chai Rong () (27 October 921 – 27 July 959), later known as Guo Rong (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, was the second emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty of China, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...

watched the battle from a height, he noticed a general who fought many enemies by himself, even taking the

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

from the enemy's hands. He was informed that was Gao Huaide. When Later Zhou was overthrown by the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

Emperor Taizu of Song Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

arranged for Gao Huaide to marry his younger sister, Princess Chang of Yan Kingdom. Along with

Shi Shouxin Shi Shouxin () (928–984) was a military general in imperial China, first serving the Later Zhou during the last years of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and later the Song Dynasty. Career under Later Zhou Shi Shouxin first followe ...

, Gao Huaide defeated Li Yun's rebellion.

References

* Toqto'a et al., '' History of Song'', vol. 250 (Gao Huaide) 920s births 982 deaths Later Zhou people Song dynasty generals {{china-mil-bio-stub