Gao Xingzhou () (885
['' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 123.] – September 10, 952
[''History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 112.]Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
br>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
),
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 ...
Shangzhi (), formally Prince Wuyi of Qin (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician that served the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
states
Jin, Jin's successor state
Later Tang,
Later Jin Later Jin may refer to two states in imperial China:
* Later Jin (Five Dynasties) (後晉; 936–947), one of the Five Dynasties
* Later Jin (1616–1636) (後金; 1616–1636), precursor to the Qing dynasty
See also
* Jin (disambiguation)
Jin ...
,
Liao Dynasty
The Liao dynasty (; Khitan: ''Mos Jælud''; ), also known as the Khitan Empire (Khitan: ''Mos diau-d kitai huldʒi gur''), officially the Great Liao (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 916 and 1125, ruled by the Yelü ...
,
Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China:
*Eastern Han (25–220), the second period of the Han dynasty, also called Later Han
* Later Han (947–951), a dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
See al ...
, and
Later Zhou. His son
Gao Huaide
Gao Huaide (高懷德) ( 926 – 982) courtesy name Cangyong was a general in ancient China, first in the Later Zhou military and later in the Northern Song military. Life
Gao Huaide's father Gao Xingzhou was a general in the Later Zhou military ...
was later a famed general in the succeeding
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 ...
.
Background
Gao Xingzhou was born in 885, during the reign of
Emperor Xizong of Tang. His family was originally from You Prefecture (幽州, in modern
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 ...
), but his male-line ancestors had served for several generations (since his great-grandfather Gao Shunli () at Huairong Base () at Gui Prefecture (媯州, in modern
Zhangjiakou
Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...
,
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 ...
), which belonged to Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered at You Prefecture), and Gao Xingzhou was born at the fortress at Huairong. Gao Xingzhou's father Gao Siji () and Gao Siji's two brothers (one older, one younger, whose names are lost to history) were all known in the region for being brave and capable in military matters.
[ In 895, when the major warlord Li Keyong 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 Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
) was preparing to conquer Lulong, Li Keyong claimed to be avenging the prior military governor of Lulong, Li Kuangwei Li Kuangwei () (d. 893) was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) after inherited it from his father Li Quanzhong in 886, until he was overthrown by his brother Li ...
, as then-military governor of Lulong, Li Kuangchou
Li, li, or LI may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects
* Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...
, was a younger brother of Li Kuangwei's but had seized Li Kuangwei's circuit in a coup. The Gao brothers, believing in Li Keyong's assertions, joined the Hedong army and participated in the successful Hedong operations to conquer Lulong.['']New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 48.
After the Hedong army conquered Lulong, Li Keyong left the former Lulong officer Liu Rengong Liu Rengong () (died 914) was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) from 895 (when his one-time lord Li Keyong conquered Lulong and left him in charge of it) to 907 ...
in command of Lulong, while leaving a Hedong army at Lulong to assist and guard Lulong.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260.] Liu made the Gao brothers the commanders of the forward, the middle, and the rear armies of Lulong, respectively, but either he himself (per the '' History of the Five Dynasties'')[ or Li Keyong (per the '']New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'')[ was deeply suspicious of the Gao brothers, believing that they would eventually try to take over the circuit. Meanwhile, the Gao brothers imposed strict discipline on both the Lulong army and the Hedong soldiers that Li Keyong left at Lulong, and many were executed for violating laws. Li Keyong was displeased at the killing of the Hedong soldiers and complained to Liu. Liu blamed this on the Gao brothers, killing them. Wanting to appease the people of the circuit, however, as the Gao brothers were popular with the people, Liu made the Gao brothers' sons officers,][ and at the time, the more prominent one was Gao Xingzhou's cousin Gao Xinggui (), the son of Gao Siji's older brother. Gao Xingzhou was still young at the time, but was also made an officer.][ (Liu would eventually turn against Li Keyong, turning his Lulong Circuit into a domain independent of Li Keyong's.)
In 913, by which time Tang had fallen, and neither Li Keyong nor Liu Rengong was ruling his domain (by this time known respectively as the states of Jin and ]Yan
Yan may refer to:
Chinese states
* Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty
* Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC
* Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...
) any more (Li Keyong had died in 908 and been succeeded by his son Li Cunxu as the Prince of Jin, while Liu Rengong had been overthrown by his son Liu Shouguang and put under arrest, with Liu Shouguang subsequently claiming the title of Emperor of Yan) the Jin army was launching a major attack on Yan. Gao Xinggui was then the prefect of Wu Prefecture (武州, in modern Zhangjiakou), and, unable to stand the attack of the Jin general (Li Cunxu's adoptive brother) Li Siyuan, surrendered Wu to Li Siyuan. When the major Yan general Yuan Xingqin
Yuan Xingqin (元行欽) (died 26 May 926 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 275.), known as Li Shaorong (李紹榮) c. 915–926, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Five Dynasties and T ...
heard this, he attacked Wu Prefecture. Gao Xinggui then sent Gao Xingzhou as a hostage to Li Siyuan and sought emergency aid. Li Siyuan, with Gao Xingzhou serving as his guide, was subsequently able to defeat Yuan, forcing Yuan's surrender. Subsequently, both Yuan and Gao Xingzhou remained as officers under Li Siyuan, with Gao and Li Siyuan's adoptive son Li Congke often serving as commanders of Li Siyuan's personal guards.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 268.]
In 915, Li Cunxu was trying to build an elite guard corps serving under himself, and he requisitioned Yuan to serve as an officer of the corps. Li Siyuan felt compelled to allow Yuan to do so, and Li Cunxu subsequently gave Yuan the royal surname of Li, with a new name of Shaorong. Subsequently, there was a battle where Li Shaorong was surrounded by enemy soldiers (presumably soldiers of Jin's archrival Later Liang Later Liang may refer to the following states in Chinese history:
* Later Liang (Sixteen Kingdoms) (後涼; 386–403), one of the Sixteen Kingdoms
* Western Liang (555–587), also known as Later Liang (後梁), a state during the Southern and Nor ...
), when Gao Xingzhou fought into the encirclement and rescued Li Shaorong. Impressed, Li Cunxu also wanted Gao to serve under him, but did not feel that he could make another request to Li Siyuan. Instead, he secretly sent messengers to Gao, trying to entice him with higher offices. Gao declined, stating:[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 269.]
Service during Later Tang
In spring 923, Li Cunxu declared himself the emperor of a new Later Tang (as Emperor Zhuangzong). At that time, the Later Tang and Later Liang forces were stalemated on 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 ...
. Li Siyuan suggested a surprise attack on Later Liang's Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an
Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng to ...
, Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
), south of the Yellow River. Emperor Zhuangzong agreed, and in the subsequent surprise attack on Tianping's capital Yun Prefecture (), Gao Xingzhou served under Li Siyuan in capturing the city. (During the surprise attack on Yun, Li Siyuan's army was initially hindered by pouring rain, but Gao pointed out that this would make the defenders of Yun even less cautious about a potential attack, and encouraged the rest of the army to continue on.) Emperor Zhuangzong was thus able to use Yun as the base for another surprise operation later in 923, capturing Later Liang's capital Daliang and destroying Later Liang.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 272.] After destroying Later Liang, Emperor Zhuangzong made Gao the prefect of Duan Prefecture (端州, in modern Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing (), alternately romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,113,594, with 1,553,109 living in the built-up (or metro) area made of Duanzhou, Dinghu a ...
, 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) ...
) (i.e., an honorary position, as Duan was then the territory of Southern Han), and later the prefect of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
).[
Gao was still serving under Li Siyuan in 926, when the Later Tang realm was overrun with mutinies in light of Emperor Zhuangzong's recent killing of major generals Guo Chongtao and without justification. When Li Siyuan was sent to combat mutineers at Yedu (鄴都, 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 ...
, 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 ...
), according to traditional accounts, his own soldiers mutinied and forced him to join the Yedu mutineers. Subsequently, he tried to send a number of officers, including Gao, to nearby Li Shaorong, to try to get Li Shaorong to join him in jointly acting against the mutineers, but Li Shaorong, suspecting Li Siyuan's intentions, did not respond, and subsequently reported to Emperor Zhuangzong that Li Siyuan had joined the mutiny. Unable to show himself to be still faithful to Emperor Zhuangzong, Li Siyuan headed south toward the capital Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
,[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.] where Emperor Zhuangzong was then killed in a mutiny before Li Siyuan reached there. When Li Siyuan arrived, he declared himself regent, and later emperor (as Emperor Mingzong).
Emperor Mingzong was said to respect Gao's abilities,[ and in 928, when Wang Du the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, ]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 ...
), whose domain had been semi-independent from the Later Tang imperial government, openly broke with the Later Tang, Gao served under the general Wang Yanqiu
Wang Yanqiu () (869?''New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 46./873?'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 64.-930?/932?Wang Yanqiu's biography in the ''History of the Five Dynasties'' gave his death year as 932 and indicated that he died a ...
in quelling Wang Du's rebellion and had much accomplishment during the campaign. After the campaign against Wang Du, he was made the military prefect (團練使, ''Tuanlianshi'') of Ying Prefecture (潁州, in modern Fuyang, Anhui
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 ...
). Early in Emperor Mingzong's ''Changxing'' era (930–933), as at that time Later Tang's northern borders were often attacked by the Khitan Empire, Gao was made the military governor of Zhenwu (振武, headquartered in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
) to help defend the border.[ The next year, as Emperor Mingzong was preparing for an operation against the ''de facto'' independent Dingnan Circuit's military governor Li Yichao (), Gao was made the military governor of Zhangwu Circuit (彰武, headquartered in modern ]Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
) to prepare for the operation.[As the actual operations against Li Yichao was in 933, this suggests that Gao's commission was in 933 or slightly earlier. See ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 278.]
Li Congke later became emperor after Emperor Mingzong's death, and early in his ''Qingtai'' era (934–937), Gao was made the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
).[ When, in 936, Li Congke's brother-in-law (Emperor Mingzong's son-in-law) ]Shi Jingtang
Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name Gaozu (), was the founding emperor of imperial China's short-lived Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms pe ...
the military governor of Hedong rebelled against Li Congke and solicited aid from Khitan's Emperor Taizong, Li Congke commissioned the general Zhang Jingda as the commander of the overall operations against Shi and had Gao serve under Zhang. Zhang's army quickly put Hedong's capital Taiyuan
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
under siege, but was subsequently crushed by the Liao emperor's army and forced to retreat to Jin'an Fortress (晉安寨, near Taiyuan) and then was surrounded there by the joint Liao/Hedong army, unable to fight its way out, but Zhang refused to surrender. Another general serving under Zhang, Yang Guangyuan, wanted to assassinate Zhang and surrender to the Liao/Hedong army. Gao, knowing this, often followed Zhang around the camp to protect him, but Zhang, not knowing this, in fact became suspicious of Gao's intentions, such that Gao did not dare to continue this. Eventually, Yang was able to assassinate Zhang and then surrender the Later Tang army to the Liao/Hedong army. (As, during the Jin'an siege, the Khitan emperor had created Shi the emperor of a new Later Jin Later Jin may refer to two states in imperial China:
* Later Jin (Five Dynasties) (後晉; 936–947), one of the Five Dynasties
* Later Jin (1616–1636) (後金; 1616–1636), precursor to the Qing dynasty
See also
* Jin (disambiguation)
Jin ...
(as its Emperor Gaozu), the surrendered Later Tang army was then folded into the Hedong army to become the Later Jin army.)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280.]
Service during Later Jin
The joint Liao/Later Jin forces (now enlarged with the remnants of the Later Tang army at Jin'an) then engaged another Later Tang army sent to combat it, commanded by Zhao Dejun Zhao Dejun () (died 937), né Zhao Xingshi (), known as Li Shaobin () during the reign of Li Cunxu, formally the Prince of Beiping (), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Tang (and Later Tang's predecesso ...
the military governor of Lulong, at Tuanbo Valley (團柏谷, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
), crushing it. Zhao Dejun and his son Zhao Yanshou fled to and tried to defend Zhaoyi's capital Lu Prefecture (). The Later Jin emperor sent Gao Xingzhou back to Zhaoyi, and when he reached Lu, he persuaded Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou to surrender. With the Zhaos out of the way, nothing was left to block the Liao/Later Jin forces from advancing on the Later Tang capital Luoyang, and so, as Emperor Gaozu did so (Liao's Emperor Taizong opined that if he advanced on Luoyang with Khitan troops, the people would panic, and therefore chose not to), Li Congke and his family committed suicide, ending Later Tang. Emperor Gaozu entered Luoyang and took over the rest of the Later Tang realm.[ He allowed Gao to return to his post at Zhaoyi, and bestowed on Gao the honorary ]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 ...
designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' ().[
In 937, ]Fan Yanguang
Fan Yanguang () (died September 30, 940),''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 282. courtesy name Zihuan () (per the '' History of the Five Dynasties'')'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 97. or Zigui () (per the ''New History of the Five Dynasties'') ...
the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered at Yedu) rebelled against Emperor Gaozu. Initially, Emperor Gaozu ordered Gao to attack Yedu from the west, but then decided to attack Fan himself, instead making Gao the defender of Luoyang and the mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) to defend it in Emperor Gaozu's absence. Gao wanted to carry out a major construction project to remodel the palaces at Luoyang, but at the urging of the official Xue Rong (), Emperor Gaozu did not approve the project. After Fan surrendered later in the year, Emperor Gaozu initially made Yang Guangyuan the military governor of Tianxiong, but later, fearing that Tianxiong was too powerful of a military command and Yang was difficult to control, decided to divide Tianxiong — carving out Yedu itself out as Guangjin Municipality () and making Gao its defender and mayor, while dividing the rest of Tianxiong into two circuits.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 281.]
In 941, as Emperor Gaozu went to Yedu, in anticipation of a rebellion by An Chongrong the military governor of Chengde Circuit (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 ...
), he apparently moved Gao back to Luoyang — for Gao was referred to as the defender of Luoyang when, shortly afterwards, An Congjin An Congjin (; died 942) was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period states Later Tang and Later Jin. In 941, he rebelled against the rule of Later Jin's founding emperor Shi Jingtang, but was defeated, and he then committed ...
the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang
Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...
, Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
) rebelled. Emperor Gaozu's nephew Shi Chonggui the Prince of Zheng, whom Emperor Gaozu left in charge of then-capital Kaifeng (i.e., Daliang), commissioned Gao to head the army to be sent against An Congjin. The monitor of Gao's army, Zhang Cong'en (), quickly engaged An Congjin's army, surprising it and defeating it, forcing An Congjin to flee back to Shannan East's capital Xiang Prefecture (). Gao put it under siege.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 282.] In fall 942, Xiang Prefecture fell, and An Congjin committed suicide with his family.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.] A few months earlier, Emperor Gaozu had died and was succeeded by Shi Chonggui as emperor. Shi Chonggui moved Gao to Guide Circuit (歸德, headquartered in modern Shangqiu, 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 ...
), and gave him the greater honorary chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' ().[
Upon taking the throne, Shi Chonggui took a hardline position in relations with Khitan — refusing to subjugate Later Jin to Khitan, like Emperor Gaozu did. As a result, war began between the two states. In 944, during a major Khitan incursion (which, for some time, captured and held Yedu) to aid Yang (who had rebelled at Tianping Circuit), Gao was put in titular charge of the overall operations, but it was said that Shi Chonggui's trusted general ]Jing Yanguang Jing Yanguang () (892''Old History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 88.-January 28, 947''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 286.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Hangchuan (), was a general and official of the Chinese Five Dyna ...
, the commander of the imperial guards, was actually the one giving orders, causing the other generals to be displeased.[ During one of the battles, Khitan forces had Gao, ]Fu Yanqing
Fu Yanqing () (898'' History of Song'', vol. 251.-July 31, 975''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 8.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), né Li Yanqing (), courtesy name Guanhou (), formally the Prince of Wei (), nicknamed Fu Disi ( ...
, and Shi Gongba () under siege at Qicheng (戚城, in modern Puyang, 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 ...
). The city almost fell, and Jing did not come to its aid, but when three generals' request for emergency assistance reached Shi Chonggui, Shi Chonggui himself went to the city's rescue and lifted the siege. Shortly after this battle, Shi Chonggui relieved Jing of his post as the commanding general of the imperial guards, putting Gao in that position instead.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 284.]
In 946, Shi Chonggui launched a major attack against Khitan, putting his uncle (husband of Emperor Gaozu's sister the Princess Song), Du Wei, in command of the army. Du, however, was not fully intending to attack Khitan. He advanced only half-heartedly, and his army was shortly thereafter trapped by the Khitan army under Emperor Taizong at Zhongdu Bridge (中度橋, in modern Baoding, 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 ...
). Shi Chonggui commissioned Gao to head a rescue force, with Fu serving as his deputy, but it appeared that before the army could be launched, Du surrendered to the Khitan emperor and subsequently served as the guide for the Khitan army south. Emperor Taizong shortly after approached Kaifeng. Shi Chonggui tried to commit suicide, but was stopped by his general Xue Chao (). Subsequently, he surrendered to the Khitan, ending Later Jin.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 285.]
Between Later Jin's destruction and Later Han's firm establishment
After Shi Chonggui's surrender, both Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing also went to the Khitan emperor's headquarters to surrender as well.[ Emperor Taizong changed the name of the Khitan state to Liao and declared himself the emperor of China as well as Khitan. Distrusting the Later Jin-commissioned military governors who came to Kaifeng to submit to him, he initially kept them at Kaifeng and did not send them back to their circuits. Further, he allowed the Khitan soldiers to pillage the circuits around Kaifeng, causing the people of the former Later Jin realm to rise in agrarian rebellions against Liao. As an attempt to quell these rebellions, he began to send military governors back to their circuits, but had Khitan soldiers escort them.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 286.] Gao was apparently allowed to return to Guide during this wave of redeployments.[ Eventually, apparently sick of the rebellions and the heat, in summer 947, Emperor Taizong decided to head back to Khitan proper, leaving his brother-in-law Xiao Han in command at Kaifeng as the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit ().][
On the way back to Khitan proper, Emperor Taizong died near Heng Prefecture (恆州, Chengde's capital). By this time, the Later Jin general Liu Zhiyuan the military governor of Hedong had declared himself the emperor of a new ]Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China:
*Eastern Han (25–220), the second period of the Han dynasty, also called Later Han
* Later Han (947–951), a dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
See al ...
, as its Emperor Gaozu.[ Further, the Liao imperial succession question was unsettled — as Zhao Yanshou tried to take over the southern realm (i.e., the parts of Later Jin that Liao still controlled) but was then arrested by Emperor Taizong's nephew Yelü Ruan the Prince of Yongkang (who then claimed the throne as Emperor Shizong), but whose succession was then still opposed by Emperor Taizong's powerful mother (Emperor Shizong's grandmother) Empress Dowager Shulü Ping. With more of the realm rising against Liao control, Xiao decided to extract himself from Kaifeng. He forced Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang's youngest son ]Li Congyi
Li Congyi (李從益) (931'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 51. – June 23, 947''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), known as the Prince of Xu (許王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese ...
to accept the title of emperor, and then fled from Kaifeng.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
Kaifeng was then virtually defenseless, as Xiao only left 1,000 soldiers from Lulong to serve as Li Congyi's guards. Li Congyi's adoptive mother (Emperor Mingzong's concubine) Consort Dowager Wang knew that the situation was untenable, but initially unsure what to do. She initially sent messengers to summon Gao from Guide and Wu Xingde () from Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, 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 ...
), hoping that they would support Li Congyi, but neither responded.[ (Gao did so by claiming an illness, and privately stated, "A fallen dynasty cannot be assisted, particularly when it is a child's game.")][ (Without support from Gao or Wu, Consort Dowager Wang decided to submit to the Later Han emperor. She had Li Congyi take the lesser title of Prince of Liang and sent emissaries to Emperor Gaozu, welcoming him to Kaifeng — but upon his arrival at Kaifeng, he had her and Li Congyi executed anyway.)][
]
Service during Later Han
After Emperor Gaozu entered Kaifeng, Gao Xingzhou went to Kaifeng to pay homage to him. Most former Later Jin generals formally submitted to Emperor Gaozu, including Du Chongwei (i.e., Du Wei, who by this point had restored his name to Du Chongwei, which had been changed to Du Wei to serve naming taboo
A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...
for Shi Chonggui), who was then the military governor of Tianxiong. Du, in order to test Emperor Gaozu's attitude toward him, also offered to be moved to another circuit. Emperor Gaozu accepted his invitation and moved him to Guide and Gao to Tianxiong.[
However, as Du was only using the offer to move to test Emperor Gaozu, he rebelled against Later Han as soon as he received news of the movement. Emperor Gaozu commissioned Gao as the commander of the army against Du and made Murong Yanchao (Emperor Gaozu's half-brother) the military governor of Zhenning Circuit (鎮寧, headquartered in modern Puyang) to be Gao's deputy. They headed to Yedu, but soon had major disagreements as to strategy — Gao wanted to siege the city patiently, while Murong wanted to attack it aggressively, with Murong claiming that Gao's strategy was motivated by the fact that Gao's daughter married Du's son. With Gao and Murong having disagreement, Emperor Gaozu decided to personally head to Yedu to oversee the campaign. When he arrived there, Gao continued to advocate the slow siege strategy, wanting to wear out the city's food supply and pointing out that the city was well-defended, so an aggressive attack would cause many casualties. With Murong continuing to accuse him, he also went to Emperor Gaozu's chief assistants and ]Yang Bin
Yang Bin (楊邠) (died December 24, 950''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 289.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), formally the Prince of Hongnong (弘農王) (as posthumously honored during Later Zhou), was a chancellor of the Chinese ...
to plead his case — stuffing feces and dirt into his mouth as he was doing so, to analogize it to the kind of humiliation that he suffered from Murong. Emperor Gaozu believed Gao, went to his tent to thank him, and rebuked Murong.[
Du agreed to surrender in winter 947, but Gao initially declined the Tianxiong command, as it neighbored Zhenning and he did not want further dealing with Murong. In response, Emperor Gaozu moved Murong to Tianping.][ He also created Gao the Prince of Linqing.][ In 950, by which time Emperor Gaozu had been succeeded by his son Emperor Yin (Emperor Gaozu's having died in 948), Emperor Yin moved Gao to Tianping.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 289.] Emperor Yin also created him the Prince of Ye, and then changed the title to Prince of Qi upon the Tianping commission.[
Emperor Yin, meanwhile, was displeased that much of the power, several years after Emperor Gaozu's death, was still in the hands of several generals/officials that Emperor Gaozu designated to assist him — Yang, ]Guo Wei
Guo Wei () (10 September 904 – 22 February 954According to Guo Wei's biography in "Old Histories of the Five Dynasties", he died between 9am and 11 am on the ''renchen'' day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xiande'' era of his reign ...
, Shi Hongzhao, and , with Yang overseeing general governance, Guo overseeing military campaigns, Shi overseeing the imperial guards, and Wang overseeing the financial matters. Later in 950, Emperor Yin decided to act against them; he ambushed Yang, Shi, and Wang, killing them, while sending secret orders to Yedu (where Guo was then stationed) to kill Guo and Guo's army monitor Wang Jun (which were intercepted by Guo and not carried out) while having Guo's and Wang Jun's families, which remained at Kaifeng, slaughtered. He summoned a number of military governors, including Gao, to Kaifeng, to help defend against any disturbances, but there were no records of Gao trying to intervene on either the emperor's side or Guo's side when Guo subsequently marched on Kaifeng, defeated the imperial troops, and took over the imperial government.[ (Guo initially declared that he was going to have Emperor Gaozu's nephew Liu Yun the military governor of Wuning Circuit (武寧, headquartered in modern ]Xuzhou
Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) made emperor, but with the soldiers supporting him to be emperor instead, soon declared himself emperor of a new Later Zhou as its Emperor Taizu.)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 290.]
Service during Later Zhou
The new Later Zhou emperor formally took the throne in spring 951, and most Later Han military governors formally submitted to him as emperor, including Gao Xingzhou and Murong Yanchao. (The main exception was Liu Chong
Liu Min (劉旻) ( 895 – 954), named Liu Chong (劉崇) before 951,, also known Emperor Shizu of Northern Han by his temple name '' Shizu'' (世祖), was the founding emperor of the Northern Han state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...
the military governor of Hedong, the younger brother of Later Han's Emperor Gaozu (and father to Liu Yun, who was executed by Later Zhou), who declared himself the new emperor of Later Han, but whose state was subsequently known historically as Northern Han
The Northern Han () was a dynastic state of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was founded by Liu Min (), formerly known as Liu Chong (), and lasted from 951 to 979.
Founding of the Northern Han
The short-lived state of Later Ha ...
and not traditionally considered part of Later Han's history.) Murong, however, was apprehensive under Emperor Taizu due to his status as Emperor Gaozu's half-brother, so he gathered soldiers and food, considering a rebellion, and was in communications with Northern Han, Liao, and Southern Tang. To try to assuage concerns that Emperor Taizu may have about him, he repeatedly sent his attendant Zheng Lin () to Kaifeng to claim loyalty and to also spy on the imperial court, while submitting letters that he claimed were written by Gao in which the writer defamed the Later Zhou imperial government and offered an alliance with Murong. Emperor Taizu, however, did not believe that Gao had written these letters, and sent the letters to Gao. Gao responded by submitting a petition thanking the new emperor. Murong subsequently rebelled against Later Zhou, but his rebellion was put down by summer 952.[
Gao died in fall 952.][ He was remembered as being brave and righteous, having great accomplishments but not arrogant, willing to personally face enemies in battle, and approachable with his staff members.][ He was given posthumous honors, including the title of Prince of Qin.][
]
Notes and references
* '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 123.
* ''New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 48.
* ''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 ...
'', vols. 268
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Year 268 ( CCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paternus and Egnatius (or, less frequently, year 1021 ...
, 269
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, 272, 274
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, 280
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, 281, 282
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, 283
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, 284
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, 285
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, 287
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, 288
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, 289, 290.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Xingzhou
885 births
952 deaths
Chinese princes
Generals from Hebei
Jin (Later Tang precursor) generals
Jin (Later Tang precursor) people born during Tang
Liao dynasty jiedushi of Guide Circuit
Later Han (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Guide Circuit
Later Han (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Tianping Circuit
Later Han (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Tianxiong Circuit
Later Jin (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Guide Circuit
Later Jin (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Tianping Circuit
Later Jin (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Zhaoyi Circuit
Later Tang jiedushi of Zhangwu Circuit
Later Tang jiedushi of Zhaoyi Circuit
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