Liu Wu () (died September 25, 825), formally the Prince of Pengcheng (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the
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 ...
, whose killing of his superior, the warlord
Li Shidao
Li Shidao (; died March 8, 819''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.) was a Chinese military general and politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty, who, as the successor to his brother Li Shigu, ruled Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern ...
, and subsequent submission to the imperial government, were the high point of
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 ...
's campaign to end warlordism. During the subsequent reign of
Emperor Muzong, however, Liu, angered by a conspiracy between an imperial
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
and one of his subordinates, drifted away from the imperial government and ruled Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern
Changzhi
Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrat ...
,
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 ...
) semi-independently.
Background
It is not known when Liu Wu was born. His grandfather Liu Zhengchen () had served as the Tang 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 Pinglu Circuit (平盧, then headquartered in modern
Chaoyang, Liaoning
Chaoyang () is a prefecture-level city in western Liaoning province, People's Republic of China.
With a vast land area of almost , it is by area the largest prefecture-level city in Liaoning, and borders on Hebei province and the Inner Mongolia ...
) during the
Anshi Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general offi ...
and combatted the army of the rebel
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 indepe ...
, but was unable to capture the Yan northern capital
Fanyang before being poisoned by his own subordinate Wang Xuanzhi ().
['']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 ...
'', vol. 214. During the time that Liu Wu's uncle Liu Quanliang () served as the military governor of 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 ...
), as he valued Liu Wu for Liu Wu's bravery and decisiveness, he made Liu Wu an officer under him, but Liu Wu subsequently committed a crime and fled to Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern
Changzhi
Changzhi () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas (see Administrat ...
,
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 ...
), where the military governor of Zhaoyi, Wang Qianxiu (), made him an officer. Liu Wu soon became ill and resigned, and he went to the eastern 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 ...
. Liu Quanliang had a storage of money at Luoyang, and Liu Wu broke into it and spent it. Liu Wu also associated with violent young men who killed people and dogs. As a result, Liu Wu was arrested and held at the jail of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region), but the defender of Luoyang Wei Xiaqing () released him.
[
]
Service under Li Shigu and Li Shidao
Liu Wu subsequently fled to Pinglu Circuit (by this point 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 ...
) to serve under the military governor Li Shigu,['']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. 161. who ruled the circuit in ''de facto'' independence from the imperial government. Liu was not initially well known in the Pinglu army. On one occasion, when the officers were playing polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
, his horse charged Li Shigu's horse, causing Li Shigu's horse to fall. Li Shigu, in anger, was set to execute him. Liu responded with proud words without fear. Li Shigu was amazed and pardoned him, and found a wife for him. He thereafter was promoted several times, until he became army commander (兵馬使, ''Bingmashi'').[
In 818, after ]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 ...
declared a general campaign against Li Shigu's brother and successor Li Shidao
Li Shidao (; died March 8, 819''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.) was a Chinese military general and politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty, who, as the successor to his brother Li Shigu, ruled Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern ...
,[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 240.] Li Shidao had Liu command troops to defend against imperial armies' attack, in position at Cao Prefecture (曹州, in modern Heze
Heze, formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively.
History
Caozhou was at the center ...
, 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 ...
). It was said that Liu was lenient and simplified the military laws, and as a result the soldiers were happy to be under his command — such that he was referred to as "Father Liu."[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.] After Tian Hongzheng
Tian Hongzheng () (764 – August 29, 821), né Tian Xing (), courtesy name Andao (), formally Duke Zhongmin of Yi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Under his governance, Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered i ...
the military governor of Weibo Circuit (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 ...
, 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 ...
) crossed 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 ...
and pressured Pinglu's capital Yun Prefecture () directly in winter 818,[ Liu stationed his army at Yanggu (陽穀, in modern ]Liaocheng
Liaocheng (), is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand ...
, 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 ...
) to defend against Tian. Tian's army repeatedly prevailed over Liu's, and there were accusations by some of Li Shidao's associates that Liu was plotting against him. Li Shidao thus summoned Liu back to Yun Prefecture under the guise of a strategic meeting but planned to execute him. Yet other associates of Li Shidao's counseled that if he put Liu to death without proof of treachery, no one would remain faithful to him. After keeping Liu at Yun Prefecture for 10 days, Li Shidao ordered him to return to Yanggu and gave him gifts to try to secure his loyalty. However, because Liu Wu's son Liu Congjian Liu Congjian () (803–843''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214.), formally the Duke of Pei (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty who is most known for his term as the military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭 ...
served in Li Shidao's guard corps, he found out about what Li Shidao had originally intended and reported it to Liu Wu, so Liu Wu secretly took precautions.
In spring 819, Li Shidao became resolved to kill Liu Wu. He sent two messengers to Liu's deputy Zhang Xian (), ordering Zhang to execute Liu and take over the army. When the messengers informed Zhang, Zhang, who was friendly with Liu, secretly informed Liu, who immediately put the two messengers to death. Liu then called a meeting with all of his officers, declaring that he was set to turn against Li Shidao and follow imperial orders. When some officers hesitated, he executed them, as well as a number of others that soldiers had resented. The other officers were intimidated into submission. At night, they launched a surprise attack on Yun Prefecture, and the Yun Prefecture defenders, believing that Liu was returning on Li Shidao's orders, allowed them in. Liu Wu controlled the city and arrested Li Shidao and his two sons, putting them to death. He then sent messengers to surrender to Tian, but continued to maintain control over Yun Prefecture.[
]
As ''Jiedushi''
Because Emperor Xianzong had previously issued an edict stating that whoever killed Li Shidao would be conferred all of Li Shidao's titles, Liu Wu believed that he would be given Pinglu's 12 prefectures, and therefore started making personnel changes for the entire circuit. Meanwhile, though, Emperor Xianzong was secretly planning to divide Pinglu into three circuits and transferring Liu elsewhere, but was concerned that Liu might resist. He ordered Tian to evaluate the situation, and Tian thus sent messengers to Liu, ostensibly to befriend Liu, but secretly to observe Liu. As Liu was strong and liked arm wrestling, within three days, he was encouraging soldiers to arm wrestle and watching them doing so in excitement. When the Weibo messengers reported this back to Tian, Tian opined to Emperor Xianzong that Liu, if transferred elsewhere, would not resist. Soon thereafter, Emperor Xianzong issued an edict commissioning Liu as the military governor of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang
Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively.
It had a ...
, 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 ...
). Liu was surprised and decided to submit — and, as soon as he left the city, Tian, approaching with Weibo and other circuits' troops, met him and gave him the seals of the Yicheng governorship. Liu took with him several colleagues who had unsuccessfully counseled Li Shidao not to resist imperial authority — Li Gongdu (), Li Cun (), Guo Hu (), and Jia Zhiyan () — with him, and invited them to serve under him at Yicheng.[ Liu's submission to imperial authority was considered the apex of Emperor Xianzong's campaign to end warlordism in his realm, referred to historians as the Yuanhe Restoration (元和中興, ''Yuanhe'' being Emperor Xianzong's ]era name
A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...
).['']Bo Yang
Bo Yang (; 7 March 1920 – 29 April 2008), sometimes also erroneously called Bai Yang, was a Chinese historian, novelist, philosopher, poet, and politician based in Taiwan. He is also regarded as a social critic. According to his own memoir, t ...
Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 58 19 Emperor Xianzong created Liu the Prince of Pengcheng and awarded him a mansion and an estate.[ In spring 820, Liu went to Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Xianzong.][
Late in 820, by which time Emperor Xianzong had died and been succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong, ]Wang Chengzong
Wang Chengzong () (died 820) was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who served a military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). He, like his grandfather Wang Wujun and father Wang ...
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 ...
) died. His brother Wang Chengyuan
Wang Chengyuan () (801 – February 3, 834http://dbo.sinica.edu.tw/ftms-bin/kiwi1/luso.sh?lstype=2&dyna=%AD%F0&king=%A4%E5%A9v&reign=%A4%D3%A9M&yy=7&ycanzi=&mm=12&dd=&dcanzi=%AC%D1%A5f''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 2.), formally the Duke of ...
, fearing the fate of Li Shidao, offered to surrender the circuit's control to the imperial government. Emperor Muzong, as a result, made a number of transfers of military governors around Chengde — transferring Tian to Chengde, Wang Chengyuan to Yicheng, Liu to Zhaoyi Circuit, and Li Su 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 ...
), and also making Tian's son Tian Bu
Tian Bu () (785 – February 6, 822), courtesy name Dunli (), was a Chinese military general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the son of the general Tian Hongzheng, and after Tian Hongzheng's death at the hands of Chengde Circuit (成德, headqu ...
the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo
Jiaozuo ( ; postal: Tsiaotso) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Henan province, China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to the east, Jiyuan to the ...
, 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 ...
).[ In 821, after soldiers at Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered 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 ...
) mutinied and put the imperially-commissioned military governor 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 ...
under house arrest and supported the officer 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 ...
to take over the circuit, Emperor Muzong made Liu the military governor of Lulong, intending to have him suppress the mutiny, but Liu, fearing the strength of Zhu's troops, declined, suggesting that Zhu be commissioned. Emperor Muzong thus allowed Liu to remain at Zhaoyi.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 242.]
Meanwhile, the eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
monitor of the army that Emperor Muzong stationed at Zhaoyi, Liu Chengjie (), because of the favor that both Emperor Muzong and the emperor's mother Empress Dowager Guo showed him, was arrogant and often insulted Liu Wu, and allowed his subordinates to disobey the law. He also conspired with Liu Wu's subordinate Zhang Wen () the prefect of Ci Prefecture (磁州, in modern Handan) to arrest Liu Wu and let Zhang replace him. When Liu Wu found out about this, he encouraged his subordinates to act against Liu Chengjie and Zhang, and in a subsequent mutiny, soldiers killed Zhang and arrested Liu Chengjie, intending to kill him as well. Jia, however, warned Liu Wu:[
Liu Wu thanked Jia for his honest advice and did not kill Liu Chengjie, but instead only kept him under arrest. Emperor Muzong ordered Liu Wu to deliver Liu Chengjie to Chang'an, and Liu Wu refused, claiming that if he did, the soldiers would mutiny again. At the advice of the ]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 ...
Pei Du
Pei Du () (765 – April 21, 839), courtesy name Zhongli (), formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin (), was a Chinese politician. He served a government official of the during Tang dynasty, as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xian ...
, who was also aware of Liu Chengjie's arrogance and improper activities, suggested to Emperor Muzong that he ordered that Liu Chengjie be executed, to maintain the faith of not only Liu Wu but other military governors who resented eunuch monitors' interference with them. Emperor Muzong, however, declined to do so, but at Pei's further advice ordered Liu Chengjie exiled. Only after receiving such an order did Liu Wu release Liu Chengjie back into imperial custody. Emperor Muzong subsequently gave Liu Wu the honorary title of acting ''Situ'' (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies
The Three Ducal Ministers (), also translated as the Three Dukes, Three Excellencies, or the Three Lords, was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD a ...
, as ''Sikong'' was). It was said that after this incident, Liu Wu became arrogant and no longer obedient of the imperial government, often gathering bandits to serve under his command.[ In 823, he was further given the honorary chancellor title of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' ().][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.]
Liu Wu died suddenly in 825. A final request to then-reigning Emperor Jingzong (Emperor Muzong's son) in Liu Wu's name requested that Liu Congjian be allowed to inherit the command. The officials in the imperial government argued among each other about whether Liu Wu's son Liu Congjian should be allowed to do so, but finally, with the 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 ...
and the powerful eunuch Wang Shoucheng
Wang Shoucheng (王守澄) (died November 3, 835) was a powerful eunuch of the Tang dynasty of China, wielding substantial powers during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Muzong, Emperor Jingzong, and Emperor Wenzong. By 835, however, two ...
in favor, Liu Congjian was allowed to inherit the circuit.[ Liu Wu was given posthumous honors.][
]
Notes and references
* ''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. 161.
* ''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 ...
'', vol. 214.
* ''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. 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 ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Wu
8th-century births
825 deaths
Tang dynasty generals
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Lulong Circuit
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Yicheng Circuit
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Zhaoyi Circuit
Tang dynasty nonimperial princes