Pei Du () (765 – April 21, 839),

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 ...

Zhongli (), formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin (), was a Chinese politician. He served a government official of the during

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 ...

, as a

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 ...

during the reigns 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 ...

, Emperor Xianzong's son Emperor Muzong, and Emperor Xianzong's grandsons Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Wenzong. Although a civilian official, he was also known for his military strategies, and he is best known for being in charge of the campaign against the warlord

Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817Emperor Daizong. His family was from Hedong (河東, in modern

Yuncheng Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Shaan ...

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 ...

)''

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. 170. and traced his ancestry back to a line of government officials dating back to 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 ...

Jin Dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had pr ...

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

Later Qin The Later Qin (; 384–417), also known as Yao Qin (), was a state ruled by the Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin dynasty (266–420) in China. The Later Qin is entirely distinct from the Qin dynasty, the Former Qin and the We ...

, and

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

, although Pei Du's direct ancestors was not listed with governmental offices for several generations until his grandfather Pei Youlin (), who served as a county magistrate, and his father Pei Xu () served as a county secretary general. In 789, during the reign of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, Pei Du passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

s and the special examination for grand speech. He later further passed special examinations for those who could properly criticize the government. He was thereafter made the sheriff of Heyin County (河陰, in modern

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 ...

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 thereafter was made an imperial censor with the title ''Jiancha Yushi'' (). At one point, he submitted a secret petition that criticized those who were powerful due to their associations with Emperor Dezong, and thus was sent out of the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

to serve as an administrator at the Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region) government. He later became an imperial archiver (起居舍人, ''Qiju Sheren'').

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

In 811, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson

, Pei Du was made ''Sifeng Yuanwailang'' (), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Libu''), and put in charge of drafting edicts. He was soon promoted to be ''Sifeng Langzhong'' (), a supervisorial official at the ministry of civil service affairs. In 812, after Tian Xing 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 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 ...

) submitted his circuit to imperial orders (previously, under Tian Xing's predecessor

Tian Ji'an Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang Dynasty, who, as military governor (''Jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...

and prior military governors, Weibo had been governed in a ''de facto'' independent manner from the imperial government), Emperor Xianzong sent Pei to Weibo to comfort Tian Xing and the soldiers and to give a large cash reward to the Weibo soldiers. It was said that while at Weibo, Pei often spoke of the ways of faithfulness to Tian Xing, and that Tian Xing was attentive to Pei's encouragement.''

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 ...

'', vol. 239. After Pei returned from the mission to Weibo, he was made ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''). In 814, Pei was made deputy chief imperial censor (御史中丞, ''Yushi Zhongcheng''). While serving in that office, there was an occasion in spring 815 when he interceded on behalf of the exiled official

Liu Yuxi Liu Yuxi ( Wade-Giles: Liu Yü-hsi; ; 772–842) was a Chinese poet, philosopher, and essayist, active during the Tang dynasty. Biography Family background and education His ancestors were Xiongnu nomadic people. The putative ‘seventh genera ...

, who was set to be made the prefect of Bo Prefecture (播州, in modern

Zunyi Zunyi () is a prefecture-level city in northern Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, situated between the provincial capital Guiyang to the south and Chongqing to the north, also bordering Sichuan to the northwest. Along with Guiyang an ...

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

), pointing out that, as Liu Yuxi's friend

Liu Zongyuan Liu Zongyuan (; 77328 November 819) was a Chinese philosopher, poet, and politician who lived during the Tang Dynasty. Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi. Along with Han Yu, he was a founder of the Classical Prose Movement. He has been t ...

, who was also to be exiled and who had offered to go to Bo Prefecture in Liu Yuxi's stead, that Bo Prefecture was so remote that Liu Yuxi could not possibly take his mother with him, and further pointing out that Emperor Xianzong himself also still had to support his mother ( Empress Dowager Wang). Emperor Xianzong thus made Liu Yuxi the prefect of the somewhat less remote Lian Prefecture (連州, in modern

Qingyuan Qingyuan, formerly romanized as Tsingyun, is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong province, China, on the banks of the Bei or North River. During the 2020 census, its total population was 3,969,473, out of whom 1,738,424 lived in the ...

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) ...

). By that point, Emperor Xianzong was deeply involved in a campaign against the warlord

Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817 Zhumadian Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of An ...

). He sent Pei to the front to observe the campaign. Upon return, Pei reported his belief that Wu could be defeated, and further commended the general

Li Guangyan Li Guangyan () (761–826), courtesy name Guangyuan (), né Ädiz Guangyan (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. He was known for his participation in various campaigns against regional warlords during the reigns of ...

for his bravery and righteousness. When Li Guangyan subsequently often had victories against Zhangyi troops, Emperor Xianzong came to believe Pei to have good judgment of character. In winter 815, assassins killed the

Wu Yuanheng Wu Yuanheng (; 758 – July 13, 815), courtesy name Bocang (伯蒼), formally Duke Zhongmin of Linhuai (臨淮忠湣公), was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Em ...

, who had been in charge of the campaign against Wu Yuanji; on the same morning, assassins tried to kill Pei as well, injuring Pei's head and causing Pei to fall into a ditch, but Pei's head was protected by a thick hat, allowing him to survive the attack. There was suggestions by some officials that Pei should be removed from office to appease Wu Yuanji's allies

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 ...

) and

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 moder ...

the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, 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 ...

). Emperor Xianzong rejected such talk, stating, "If I remove Pei Du from office, it will fulfill the desires of the treacherous, and the imperial government will no longer have any authority. My having Pei Du is sufficient to destroy the two bandits." He made Pei ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, as well as ''de facto'' chancellor with the title ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (). Subsequently, when Pei pointed out that then-overall commander of the campaign against Wu Yuanji, Yan Shou (), was incompetent, Emperor Xianzong made Han Hong 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 ...

) overall commander instead. Pei continued to be a steadfast advocate for continuing the campaign against Wu Yuanji. In summer 816, after the imperial general Gao Xiayu () suffered a major defeat against Zhangyi troops, there were renewed talks among officials that the campaign should end. Emperor Xianzong was said to continue to follow Pei's advice, and Emperor Xianzong spoke sternly against those who suggested ending the campaign. In winter 816, after the official Wang E () died and offered much of his wealth to the imperial government, two servants of Wang's made a report that Wang Ji () had secretly modified Wang's will and hid some of the assets. Emperor Xianzong was set to send

eunuchs 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 ...

to investigate this report, but Pei pointed out that Wang E had already offered a large amount of wealth, and investigations would cause all other officials to worry about what would happen after they died. Emperor Xianzong agreed, ended the investigation, and had Wang's servants executed. As of fall 817, the campaign against Zhangyi was still ongoing without ultimate success. Pei's colleague

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 ...

advocated ending the campaign on account of army fatigue and treasury depletion. Pei, instead, offered to personally head to the front to oversee the campaign. Emperor Xianzong agreed, and, while Han remained titular overall commander, Pei was effectively put in charge and given a staff of talented officials and military officers, and he was also made the military governor of Zhangyi in anticipation of victory. When he wanted to take the general Zhang Maohe (張茂和, a son of the general

Zhang Xiaozhong Zhang Xiaozhong () (730 – April 30, 791), né Zhang Alao (), formally Prince Zhenwu of Shanggu (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was of Kumo Xi, Xi ancestry. Initially h ...

) as a subordinate, Zhang was fearful and declined. Pei requested that Zhang be executed for refusing a direct order, but Emperor Xianzong spared Zhang and only exiled him. Also, as Pei was concerned that the imperial scholar

Linghu Chu Linghu Chu () (766 – December 18, 837), courtesy name Keshi (), formally Duke Wen of Pengyang (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and (briefly) Emperor Xianzong's son Em ...

would cooperate with Li Fengji in opposing the campaign after he left Chang'an, he accused Linghu of using inappropriate language on Pei's commissioning edict and had Linghu demoted. Before Pei departed, he stated to Emperor Xianzong:''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 240. Emperor Xianzong was greatly touched and shed tears. Once Pei reached the front, he saw that the generals were hesitant to make their own decisions because they were being monitored by eunuchs sent by Emperor Xianzong. At Pei's request, the eunuch monitors were recalled, and it was said that only thereafter did the generals dare to make their own decisions. While Pei was at the front, there was an occasion when a surprise attack by the Zhangyi general Dong Chongzhi () nearly killed him, but he was protected by Li Guangyan and

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 ...

(Tian Xing's son) and escaped the attack. Meanwhile, one of the imperial generals, Li Su the military governor of Tangsuideng Circuit (唐隨鄧, headquartered in modern Zhumadian) was planning a surprise attack on Zhangyi's capital Cai Prefecture (). When Li Su reported this plan to Pei, Pei approved of it. In winter 817, Li Su launched his attack and captured Cai Prefecture, taking Wu Yuanji captive and delivering him to Chang'an. When Pei subsequently arrived at Cai Prefecture, Li Su waited by the road to be ready to pay proper respect to Pei by military ceremony. Pei initially, in humility, wanted to avoid having Li Su bow to him, but Li Su pointed out that it was proper for them to demonstrate the proper etiquette for the imperial army before the surrendered soldiers and people of Cai Prefecture. Pei thus agreed. During the brief time that Pei was at Cai Prefecture, he used the Cai Prefecture soldiers as his own guards. When there was warning by his subordinates that there were still many rebellious individuals in the Cai Prefecture army, Pei laughed and responded: It was said that Pei's attitude touched the people of Cai Prefecture. Further, as during the rule of Wu Yuanji and his father

Wu Shaoyang Wu Shaoyang () (died September 29, 814) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who, after seizing control of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義/彰义, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) in 809, governed it in a ''de ...

the people of Cai Prefecture were under strict regulations not to congregate, not to light candles at night, and not to hold feasts, Pei repealed all of these regulations. It was said that only then was some measure of normal life restored to the people of Cai Prefecture. Around the new year 818, Emperor Xianzong was then set to recall Pei. Pei made his officer Ma Zong () the acting military governor and departed Cai Prefecture. On the way, he encountered the imperial eunuch Liang Shouqian (), who had been bestowed two swords and given order to execute Wu Yuanji's former officers. Pei accompanied Liang back to Cai Prefecture and, not following Emperor Xianzong's orders in entirety, carried out punishment according to the faults of the officers rather than executing them. Only after doing so did he again depart Cai Prefecture. Emperor Xianzong thereafter created Pei the Duke of Jin and recalled him to Chang'an to again be chancellor. While Pei was still at Zhangyi, his subordinate

Han Yu Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the devel ...

recommended the commoner Bo Qi () for a mission to persuade Wang Chengzong (whom Emperor Xianzong had believed to have been behind Wu Yuanheng's assassination and therefore declared a campaign against as well) to submit to imperial orders. Pei agreed and sent Bo. Wang, who was fearful after Wu Yuanji's destruction, sent his sons as

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

s and surrendered two of his six prefectures to imperial control, offering to submit to imperial orders. Emperor Xianzong, after Tian Xing (whose name had been changed to Tian Hongzheng by this point) spoke in favor, agreed. In 818, when Emperor Xianzong commissioned the imperial guards to construct a number of palaces, the imperial guard generals Zhang Fengguo () and Li Wenyue (), believing that the realm was not yet peaceful, did not want the constructions to commence, and so reported this to the chancellors. Pei advised Emperor Xianzong to stop the constructions, but Emperor Xianzong became angry and did not agree with Pei. He moved Zhang and Li Wenyue to other positions and then commenced the constructions anyway. However, he continued to rely on Pei's advice on military matters, and Pei's colleague

Li Yijian Li Yijian () (756 – October 13, 822'' Old Book of Tang'', vol. 16.), courtesy name Yizhi (), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. Background Li Yijian was born in 7 ...

, believing himself to be less capable than Pei, offered to resign. Li Yijian was thus sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...

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 ...

). Emperor Xianzong subsequently commissioned the officials

Huangfu Bo Huangfu Bo (皇甫鎛) (died 820) was a Chinese economist and politician. He served as an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. He was viewed by traditional historians as a wicked offici ...

and Cheng Yi as chancellors. As both Huangfu and Cheng had received imperial favor because of their gathering of money for the palace treasury. Pei, believing that neither was suitable to be chancellor and being ashamed to be chancellor with them, opposed the move. Emperor Xianzong disbelieved Pei and commissioned Huangfu and Cheng as chancellors anyway. After Wang submitted to imperial orders, Li Shidao also offered to surrender three of his 12 prefectures and submit to imperial orders, but soon reneged on the offer. Emperor Xianzong thus declared a general campaign against Li Shidao. During the campaign, Tian Hongzheng offered to immediately attack Li Shidao, but Pei, pointing out to Emperor Xianzong that if he did so, per regulations at the time, the Weibo soldiers would have to be supplied by the imperial treasury immediately. He thus suggested that Weibo soldiers be kept at Weibo until winter 818. Emperor Xianzong agreed, and when Tian finally launched his attack in winter 818, the attack was effective and 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 ...

into Pinglu territory. In spring 819, Li Shidao's subordinate Liu Wu killed Li Shidao and surrendered Pinglu to imperial control.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241. After the campaign against Pinglu was complete, it was said that because of various accusations that Huangfu and his associates made against Pei, Pei was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor 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. ...

) and the mayor of its capital Taiyuan Municipality, continuing to carry the title of chancellor as an honorary title.

During Emperor Muzong's reign

In 821, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong's son Emperor Muzong, Chengde and Lulong (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 ...

) soldiers rebelled under the leadership of

Wang Tingcou Wang Tingcou (王廷湊 or 王庭湊; died 834), formally the Duke of Taiyuan (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, in 821, during the reign of Emperor Muzong, took over control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi ...

and

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 ...

, respectively, killing Tian Hongzheng (whom Emperor Muzong had transferred to Chengde) and imprisoning

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 of Tang Dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang, ...

(a former chancellor that Emperor Muzong had transferred to Lulong). Emperor Muzong put Pei Du in command of the overall operations against Chengde and Lulong, but soon effectively gave that responsibility to Du Shuliang () as Du was put in command of the armies trying to relieve Niu Yuanyi (), the prefect of Shen Prefecture (深州, in modern

Hengshui Hengshui () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. At the 2010 census its population was 4,340,373 inhabitants whom 522,147 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') are ...

), who was holding out against Wang. Further, it was said that the imperial scholar

Yuan Zhen Yuan Zhen (; 779 – September 2, 831), courtesy name Weizhi (), was a Chinese novelist, poet, and politician of the middle Tang Dynasty. In prose literature, Yuan Zhen is particularly known for his work ''Yingying's Biography'', which has often ...

, who wanted to be chancellor, and the eunuch Wei Hongjian (), were apprehensive that if Pei were victorious, he would again be in charge of the government, and thus interfered with requests that Pei submitted to Emperor Muzong. When Pei submitted an accusation against Yuan and Wei, Emperor Muzong felt compelled to demote Wei and strip Yuan of his status as imperial scholar, but was said to continue to trust Yuan. Nevertheless, with the imperial forces paralyzed by their need to receive imperial approval on decisions the generals were making and unable to prevail over Wang and Zhu, despite having a large numerical advantage and despite the presence of Pei and capable generals

Wu Chongyin Wu Chongyin () (761 – November 30, 827), courtesy name Baojun (), formally Duke Yimu of Zhangyi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Background Wu Chongyin was born in 761, during the reign of Emperor Suzong. ...

and Li Guangyan. By 822, Emperor Muzong abandoned the campaign and commissioned Zhu, then Wang, as military governors of their circuits. (It was said that his doing so was also at Yuan's behest, as Yuan did not want to see Pei continue to wield military command.) Despite their receiving commissions, Zhu and Wang did not relent on their siege of Shen Prefecture. Pei sent them letters rebuking them, and Zhu subsequently withdrew. Wang continued his pressure on Niu, however, and Niu eventually had to fight his way out of the siege.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 242.) After the campaign ended, Pei was initially made ''Sikong'' (司空, 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 ...

) and defender of Luoyang, continuing to carry the honorary chancellor title. After the advisorial officials submitted many petitions pointing out that Pei had both civilian and military talents and should not be left in a largely ceremonial position, Emperor Muzong did not change Pei's commission initially but ordered him to first report to Chang'an to meet the emperor before heading for Luoyang. While Pei was at Chang'an, he apologized for being unable to defeat Wang and Zhu. Meanwhile, around the same time, Liu Wu, who had been made the military governor of 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 ...

), had detained the imperial eunuch monitor Li Chengjie () after Li Chengjie had disrespected him and further plotted with his subordinate Zhang Wen () to arrest him and replace him with Zhang. Pei suggested issuing an edict executing Li Chengjie, believing that such a move would regain Liu's faithfulness to the imperial government, but Emperor Muzong, as both he and his mother Empress Dowager Guo favored Li Chengjie, did not do so. Rather, he accepted Pei's alternative suggestion to order that Li Chengjie be exiled. Only after such an edict was issued did Liu release Li Chengjie, but thereafter Liu began to disobey imperial orders. Shortly after the incident involving Liu Wu, Pei was commissioned to serve as the military governor of Huainan Circuit. However, the advisorial officials again petitioned to keep Pei at the central government. Emperor Muzong thus kept Pei at the capital as chancellor and sent Wang Bo to Huainan instead. However, an incident shortly after would lead to both Pei and Yuan (who had been made chancellor by this point as well) both losing their chancellor positions. During the Chengde campaign, the official Yu Fang () had suggested to Yuan that emissaries be sent to Chengde to persuade Wang Tingcou's officers to release the siege against Shen Prefecture. Soon, however, a rumor developed that Yu and Yuan were plotting to assassinate Pei. One Li Shang () reported the rumored plot to Pei, but Pei took no heed of it. Li Shang instead reported it to the imperial

Shence Army The Shence Army () was a Tang dynasty (618–907) army unit established in 754 CE by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and based in Chang'an, forming the core of the imperial guards responsible for protecting the emperor. The command of the Shence Arm ...

. Emperor Muzong ordered an investigation, headed by the official Han Gao (). No positive evidence that Yu and Yuan plotted to assassinate Pei was discovered, but both Pei and Yuan were relieved of their chancellor duties, with Pei being made ''You Pushe'' (), one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), and Yuan made the prefect of Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern

Weinan Weinan () is a prefecture-level city in the east central Shaanxi province, China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provincial capital Xi'an, and borders the provinces of Shan ...

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 ...

). When advisorial officials again objected, Emperor Muzong stripped Yuan of his additional title as director of Changchun Palace () but left the orders otherwise unchanged. Li Fengji was made chancellor. In winter 822, Emperor Muzong suffered a stroke after being shocked by the accidental death of a eunuch at a

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 ...

game. As he was unable to rule on the petitions by the officials, the government was thrown into confusion and alarm. At the urging of Pei and Li Fengji, Emperor Muzong created his oldest son Li Zhan

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 ...

. It was said that because Li Fengji disliked Pei, and his associates often criticized Pei, In 823, Pei was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as the ...

). However, contrary to the customs at the time when former chancellors were sent out to be military governors, he was not given an honorary chancellor title.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.

During Emperor Jingzong's reign

In 824, by which time Emperor Muzong had died and been succeeded by Li Zhan (as Emperor Jingzong), Wang Tingcou, upon hearing the Niu Yuanyi, who had been serving as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern

Xiangfan 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 ...

), had died, slaughtered Niu's family, which he had detained at Chengde. Emperor Jingzong, hearing reports of the Niu household being slaughtered, sighed and blamed the incident on the chancellors' lack of ability. The imperial scholar

Wei Chuhou Wei Chuhou (韋處厚) (773 – January 29, 829''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.), né Wei Chun (韋淳), courtesy name Dezai (德載), formally the Duke of Lingchang (靈昌公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chance ...

pointed out that Pei Du had great accomplishments but had been squeezed out of the chancellorship. Further, Emperor Jingzong saw that whenever Pei submitted reports, he did not list an honorary chancellor title among his titles. Wei blamed Li Fengji's machinations for this, and the chancellor Li Cheng also advised that Pei should be shown more respect. Emperor Jingzong thus conferred the honorary chancellor title on Pei, although he did not recall Pei at that time. In winter 825, after Emperor Jingzong had sent several messengers to Shannan West's capital Xingyuan Municipality () to confer with Pei and secretly asking him to request a trip to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor, Pei did so. He arrived in Chang'an in spring 826, and, despite attacks Li Fengji and his partisans laid on Pei (including intimations that Pei had been prophesied to be emperor and was having designs on the throne), Pei was again made chancellor. Under Pei's advice, Emperor Jingzong abandoned his plans to visit Luoyang (after Pei pointed out the expenses it would take to repair the palaces at Luoyang and the palaces on the way from Chang'an to Luoyang). Meanwhile, at that time, both Wang Tingcou and Zhu Kerong were submitted impolite petitions that, on the surface, offered to send troops to help repair Luoyang's defenses, but were intending to threaten the imperial government, Emperor Jingzong, per Pei's advice, acted without undue alarm and simply declined their offers.

During Emperor Wenzong's reign

Around the new year 827, Emperor Jingzong was assassinated by the eunuch Su Zuoming (). The eunuch Liu Keming () wanted to support Emperor Jingzong's brother

Li Wu Li Wu (李悟) (died January 10, 827Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.), né Li Liao (李寮), formally the Prince of Jiàng (絳王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, a ...

the Prince of Jiàng as emperor, but another faction of eunuchs, headed by

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 ...

, Yang Chenghe (), Wei Congjian (), and Liang Shouqian (), killed Liu, Li Wu, and Liu's associates, and instead supported another brother of Emperor Jingzong's, Li Han the Prince of Jiāng (note different tone than Li Wu's title) as emperor (as Emperor Wenzong). Before Emperor Wenzong could formally take the throne, Pei served as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

for three days. Meanwhile, around this time, Li Quanlüe () the military governor of Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern

Cangzhou Cangzhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunhe, Xinhua districts and Cang County largely being conurbated had a populatio ...

) had also died, and his son

Li Tongjie Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica
Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ''

tried to take control of the circuit. Emperor Wenzong tried to induce Li Tongjie not to do so by offering him the military governorship of Yanhai Circuit (兗海, 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 ...

), but Li Tongjie refused. Emperor Wenzong ordered the military governors of the circuits around Henghai to attack Li Tongjie. Of those, Shi Xiancheng the military governor of Weibo was secretly in communication with Li Tongjie, as the two families had a marital relationship, but Pei, not knowing this, believed Shi to be dependable. Wei Chuhou, who was also chancellor by this point, however, told Shi's emissaries that he was aware of Shi's communications with Li Tongjie, and Shi thus did not dare to openly aid Li Tongjie. In 829, when

Li Deyu Li Deyu (; 787 – January 26, 850Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 174.), courtesy name Wenrao (), formally the Duke of Wei (), was a Chinese poet, politician, and writer during the Tang Dynasty, serv ...

the governor of Zhexi Circuit (浙西, headquartered in modern

Zhenjiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and b ...

) was recalled to serve as deputy minister of defense, Pei recommended Li Deyu to be chancellor, but due to the eunuchs' recommendations, another deputy minister,

Li Zongmin Li Zongmin (李宗閔) (died 846?''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 248.), courtesy name Sunzhi (損之), was a Chinese politician of the Tang Dynasty, serving twice as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. He was considered one of the leading fi ...

, was made chancellor instead. Subsequently, by this point, Pei was also serving as the director of finances. His colleague

Lu Sui Lu Sui (路隨 or 路隋) (776 – August 16, 835 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.), courtesy name Nanshi (), was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. Backgro ...

, however, opined that chancellors should not also handle financial matters, pointing out the prior examples of

Yang Guozhong Yang Guozhong () (died July 15, 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the Gregori ...

Yuan Zai Yuan Zai (元載) (713 – May 10, 777), courtesy name Gongfu (公輔), formally Duke Huang of Yingchuan (潁川荒公) and then Duke Chengzong of Yingchuan (潁川成縱公), Duke Zhong of Yingchuan (潁川忠公), was a Chinese economist, histori ...

, and Huangfu Bo. Pei thus resigned his post as director of finances, but remained as chancellor.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244. In 830, Pei, as he was old by this point, offered to resign his chancellorship. Emperor Wenzong, in response, made him ''Situ'' (司徒, also one of the Three Excellencies) and gave him the unusual chancellor title of ''Pingzhang Junguo Zhongshi'' (), ordering him to report for duties only once every three or five days. Soon thereafter, however, as Li Zongmin resented Pei for having recommended Li Deyu over him, he had Pei sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit, carrying the honorary chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' (). Once he reported to Shannan East Circuit, at his request, a large grazing range at Shannan East that was used to breed military horses, which was not yielding much results, was abolished, and the fields were returned to the farmers. In 834, he was made the defender of Luoyang. In 835, he was given the honorary chancellor title of ''Zhongshu Ling'' (). Later that year, after a major outward clash of between the officials headed by

Zheng Zhu Zheng Zhu (鄭注) (died December 18, 835Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter./ref>''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 245.), probably né Yu Zhu (魚注), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He became a trusted advisor to ...

and Li Xun and the powerful eunuchs, known as the

Ganlu Incident The Sweet Dew incident () was a failed coup on December 14, 835 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 245. by Emperor Wenzong of the Chinese Tang dynasty to seize power from the eunuchs. The emperor p ...

, led to the deaths of four chancellors (Li Xun,

Wang Ya Wang Ya (; died December 17, 835), courtesy name Guangjin (), formally Duke of Dai (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wenzong. Du ...

Jia Su Jia Su (賈餗) (died December 17, 835Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ...

, and

Shu Yuanyu Shu Yuanyu (; died December 17, 835Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 245.) was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. During Empe ...

) and massive eunuch reprisals against those viewed as Zheng's and Li Xun's associates, Pei urged leniency, and it was said that some 10 families were spared because of his efforts. In 837, Pei was again made the military governor of Hedong Circuit as well as the mayor of Taiyuan. Pei declined on the basis that he was too old to command an army, but Emperor Wenzong did not agree, issuing an edict that praised Pei but not changing the orders, so Pei was required to report to Hedong. In winter 838, he grew ill, and he requested to return to Luoyang to try to recuperate. In spring 839, Emperor Wenzong instead recalled him to Chang'an to serve as chancellor with the title of ''Zhongshu Ling''. After he arrived at Chang'an, however, he was too ill to receive the commission officially and was permitted to return home. He died shortly after and was given great posthumous honors. When Emperor Wenzong inquired about why Pei did not have a final petition as was customary for officials at the time prior to death, Pei's family submitted a draft that he had partially written — in which Pei had expressed concerns that Emperor Wenzong did not yet create a crown prince, and in which Pei did not make requests on behalf of family members — as was also customary at the time. Pei Du had 7 sons. The old book of Tang and new book of Tang only included 5 of them and thus omitted 2 remaining sons. However, the list of chancellors of new book of Tang listed all 7 of his male children. Historians did not say anything about his female offspring.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 170. * ''

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. 173. * ''

'', vols.

239 __NOTOC__ Year 239 ( CCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gordianus and Aviola (or, less frequently, year 992 ''A ...

, 240, 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 ...

244 __NOTOC__ Year 244 (Roman numerals, CCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tiberius Pollenius Armenius Peregrinus, Arm ...

, 245,

246 __NOTOC__ Year 246 ( CCXLVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 246th Year of the Common Era ( CE) and Anno Domini ( AD) designations, the 246th year of the 1st millennium, th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pei, Du 765 births 839 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Jingzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Muzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Wenzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Xianzong of Tang Mayors of Taiyuan Pei clan of Hedong Politicians from Yuncheng Regents of China Tang dynasty jiedushi of Huaixi Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hedong Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Huainan Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Shannan East Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Shannan West Circuit Tang dynasty politicians from Shanxi