Liu Zhenghui () was a minister and general during the 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 ...

. A descendant of Qubei, a

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

prince during the

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 ...

, Liu Zhenghui was born in

Huazhou Huazhou may refer to: *Huazhou, Guangdong (), a county-level city in Guangdong *Huazhou District (), a district in Weinan, Shaanxi **Huazhou Subdistrict, Weinan (), subdivision of Huazhou District * Huazhou Subdistrict, Guangzhou ( zh; ), subdivisi ...

and served as a vice officer (Sima) in the Yingyang Fu (regional military office) of

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. ...

during the

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 ...

. His grandfather Liu Huanjuan was a chancellor during the

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

dynasty. His father Liu Tan was the chief official of the

Court of Judicature and Revision The Court of Judicature and Revision, also known as the Court of Judicial Review, was a central government agency in several imperial Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese. From the Chinese, the system was also studied and implemented by List of V ...

during the Sui dynasty. When

Li Yuan Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635, born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude) was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-da ...

rebelled against Sui in 617, Liu Zhenghui joined Li Yuan's rebel army. His first contribution to the establishment of the

was to help Li Yuan and

Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

execute Wang Wei and Gao Junya, two of Li Yuan's assistants sent by

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...

as spies. During the early years of the Tang dynasty, Liu Zhenghui was appointed as a governor to guard and administer the Tang's homeland of Taiyuan. He was captured by

Liu Wuzhou Liu Wuzhou (劉武周; died 622?) was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese Sui Dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style—although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was khan or '' ...

, a rival warlord based in northern

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 ...

. In Liu Wuzhou's prison, Liu Zhenghui managed to send Li Yuan a letter addressing Liu Wuzhou's military strengths and strategies in detail, and that letter helped

defeat Liu Wuzhou eventually. After he was rescued, Li Yuan restored his positions, and later promoted him to be the chief minister of the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

. Li Yuan also rewarded him with the Dukedom of Xing. In the early reign of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

, Liu Zhenghui was appointed as a regional military chief commander of

Hongzhou Hongzhou may refer to: *Hongzhou (prince) (1712–1770), a Qing dynasty prince *Hongzhou school, a Chinese school of Chán Buddhism in the Tang period * Hongzhou Town, a town in Liping County, Guizhou, China *Hongzhou Township Hongzhou () is a to ...

. He died in 635, and Emperor Taizong acknowledged his great contribution to the establishment of the Tang. He is among the 24 meritorious officials of the

Lingyan Pavilion Lingyan Pavilion () was a small tower beside Sanqing Hall () in the southwest of Taiji Palace (), Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty. Its location in modern China is roughly in the north of Xi'an, Shaanxi. The original 24 On 23 March 643, d ...

. His elder son Liu Xuanyi inherited his title, which later changed to the Duke of Yu, and he married Emperor Taizong's third daughter Princess Pingnan. His younger son Liu Qi was framed by

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

's cruel officials in 690s and was executed. One of his 4th generation grandsons, Liu Fangping, was a famous poet, and one of his 7th generation grandsons, Liu Chongwang, was a chancellor during the reign of

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed ...

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 ...

: 七世孙崇望，字希徒，及进士第......诏崇望为剑南东川节度使、同中书门下平章事。

References

635 deaths Year of birth unknown Transition from Sui to Tang {{China-mil-bio-stub