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 ...
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 ...
Zunsheng (), formally the Duke of Teng (), was a
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 ...
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 va ...
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 ...
state
Later Shu
Shu (referred to as Later Shu () to differentiate it from Former Shu, other states named Shu in Chinese history), also known as Meng Shu (), was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. It was located ...
under his father
Meng Chang
Meng Chang (孟昶) (919–965), originally Meng Renzan (孟仁贊), courtesy name Baoyuan (保元), formally Prince Gongxiao of Chu (楚恭孝王) (as posthumously honored by Emperor Taizu of Song), was the second emperor of Later Shu during i ...
, the last emperor of the state. After Later Shu was destroyed by
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 ...
, Meng Xuanzhe served as a general and official for Song.
During Later Shu
Meng Xuanzhe was born in 937, during the early reign of his father Meng Chang, as Meng Chang's oldest son.''
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
'' vol. 50 His mother's identity was lost to history. He was said to be intelligent in his youth and capable in calligraphy. In 950, when Meng Chang created his brothers and sons imperial princes, Meng Xuanzhe was created the Prince of Qin; he was also given the titles of acting ''Taiwei'' (), commander of the imperial guards, and 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 ...
(''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'', 同中書門下平章事). There was a time that he wrote out, in calligraphy, the instructions that the famous
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 ...
chancellor
Yao Chong
Yao Chong (; 650 – September 28, 721), né Yao Yuanchong (姚元崇), known 700s–713 by the courtesy name of Yuanzhi (元之), formally Duke Wenxian of Liang (梁文獻公), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Wu Zhou ...
left his sons, and then had the calligraphy carved onto rocks. Meng Chang, for this work, awarded him silver vessels and colored silk.
In 958, Meng Chang gave Meng Xuanzhe the title of 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 Wude Circuit (武德, headquartered in
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 ...
,
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 ...
). In 961, he was given the greater honorary chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' (). In 962, Meng Chang created him
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 ...
. For reasons unclear to history, Meng Chang also ordered that his attendants and people who announced his arrival should refer him as "His Imperial Highness" rather than "the Crown Prince." The chancellor
Li Hao Li Hao may refer to:
* Li Hao (murderer), murderer and rapist sentenced to death in 2014
* Li Gao or Li Hao (351–417), Northern Liang official who founded the Western Liang
* Li Hao (Later Shu) (died 965), official of the Former Shu, Later Tang, ...
, believing this to be irregular, argued against the order, and the order was rescinded.''
Xu Zizhi Tongjian
''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'' (續資治通鑑; "Continuation to ''Zizhi Tongjian''") was a book chronicling Chinese history of the Song dynasty between 960 and 1279 and the Yuan dynasty between 1279 and 1370. Credited to Bi Yuan (畢沅; 1730–1797), a ...
'', vol. 2.
In spring 964, in the middle of the invasion by Later Shu's northeastern neighbor
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 ...
, the commanding general of the Later Shu troops Wang Zhaoyuan was suffering multiple defeats at the hands of the Song army. Meng Chang became fearful, and commissioned another army to head to defend
Jianmen Pass
Jianmen Pass () is a mountain pass located southwest of the city of Guangyuan in Sichuan province. It has also been called "Jianmenguan Pass"; however, that form is redundant since ''guan'' means "pass" in Chinese.
Location
Jianmen Pass is loca ...
and put Meng Xuanzhe in titular command of it, with the generals Li Tinggui () and Zhang Hui'an () in actual command. Meng Xuanzhe's banners were all adorned with silk, but when the army encountered rain, he had the silk removed and then replaced when the rain stopped — but doing so caused the silk to be hung upside down. He also took his concubines and entertainers with him, such that he became a laughing stock for doing so. Before he could reach Jianmen, however, news came that Wang and Wang's deputy Zhao Chongtao () had been again defeated and captured by Song forces. He panicked and, after initially intending to take up defensive position at Wude's capital Zi Prefecture (), instead fled back to the Later Shu capital
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 ...
. This caused major panic at the capital, leading to his father Meng Chang's decision to surrender to Song shortly after, ending Later Shu.''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 4.
During Song
Later in 965, Meng Chang and his family, as well as a group of high level Later Shu officials, were taken from Chengdu to the Song capital
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 ...
, where they formally submitted themselves to the mercies of Song's Emperor Taizu. Emperor Taizu pardoned them, and created Meng Chang the Duke of Qin. Meanwhile, Meng Xuanzhe was commissioned to be acting ''Taiwei'' and military governor of Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern
Jining
Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively. Jining ...
,
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 ...
). When Meng Chang died several days shortly after, the Song emperor, in mourning Meng Chang, gave Meng Xuanzhe bestowments of 500 goats and 500 urns of wine. Meng Xuanzhe, in turn, offered as tributes to the emperor 200 horses and saddle decorations made of jade and crystal.
Meng Xuanzhe was later moved to be the military governor of Yongqing Circuit (永清, headquartered in modern
Xingtai
Xingtai (), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 county-level cities and 12 counties. At the 2020 censu ...
,
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 spent more than a decade there, and was said to govern it capably. (However, he was also said to be overly strict in his tax regulations, causing great burdens on the people of Yongqing's capital Bei Prefecture (). His regulations, however, were not abolished until long after his death, during the ''Jingde'' era (1004-1007) of Emperor Taizu's nephew
Emperor Zhenzong
Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was changed ...
.) Early in the ''Taiping Xingguo'' era (976-984) of Emperor Taizu's brother and successor Emperor Taizong, Meng was moved to Dingwu Circuit (定武, headquartered in modern
Baoding
Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...
,
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 ...
). In 978, he was given the honorary title of ''Kaifu YItong Sansi'' (). In 977, when Emperor Taizong launched a major attack on Song's northern neighbor
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 ...
— the only remaining rival to Song in what was then considered Chinese territory — which eventually led to Song's destruction of Northern Han, Meng accompanied him on the campaign.
After destroying Northern Han, Emperor Taizong wanted to further attack northeast to capture the
Sixteen Prefectures
The Sixteen Prefectures () comprise a historical region in northern China along the Great Wall in present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei and Shanxi.
Name
It is more specifically called the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun or the Six ...
region, which
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 ...
's founder
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 ...
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 ...
in appreciation of Liao's support of his overthrow of
Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...
.''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 10. In preparation for the campaign, he had Meng take up position at Zhen Prefecture (鎮州, 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 ...
) to prepare for his next move. He then headed to the largest city in the Sixteen Prefectures region, 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 ...
), and put it under siege. Meng was one of the generals participating in the siege. However, a Liao relief army, commanded by the Liao chancellor
Yelü Sha
Yelü Sha (), courtesy name Anyin (安隱), of the Yelü clan (died 988) was a Khitan general and statesman in imperial China's Liao dynasty.
He rose to the position of the chancellor of the southern government (南府宰相) during Emperor Muzo ...
, arrived during the siege and defeated the Song army, forcing the Song army to flee. In the aftermaths of the defeat at You, Emperor Taizong, who suffered a severe leg wound that would eventually lead to his death in 997, was anticipating further Liao incursions, and he ordered Meng to take up defensive position at Dingwu's capital Ding Prefecture () and sent a number of imperial generals to Ding as well to assist him. When a Liao incursion did occur, Meng and the other imperial generals repelled them at Xu River (), leading to their retreat. For this achievement, Meng was created the Duke of Teng. He was then recalled to the imperial government to serve as a general of the imperial guards. Shortly after, he was again sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Hua Prefecture (滑州, 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 ...
).
Early in Emperor Taizong's ''Chunhua'' era (990-994), Meng became ill, and requested to be moved to a less important prefecture on 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 ...
. Accordingly, he was moved to Chu Prefecture (滁州, in modern
Chuzhou
Chuzhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Anhui Province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south and southwest, Huainan to the west, Bengbu to the northwest, and the province of Jiangsu to the east. According to ...
,
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 ...
). He died while serving there, in 991, and was given posthumous honors.
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
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 ...
Xu Zizhi Tongjian
''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'' (續資治通鑑; "Continuation to ''Zizhi Tongjian''") was a book chronicling Chinese history of the Song dynasty between 960 and 1279 and the Yuan dynasty between 1279 and 1370. Credited to Bi Yuan (畢沅; 1730–1797), a ...