Qin Qiong
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Qin Qiong (died 638),
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 ...
Shubao, better known as Qin Shubao, was a Chinese general who lived in 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 ...
of China. Along with
Yuchi Gong Yuchi Gong (尉遲恭) or Yuchi Rong (尉遲融) (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (敬德), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a prominent general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another ...
, he continues to be worshipped in China as a
door god Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the H ...
. He is also known by his
posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...


During Sui Dynasty

It is not known when Qin Shubao was born, but it was known that he was from Qi Province (齊州, roughly modern
Jinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...
,
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 ...
). He became a soldier under the service of the major general Lai Hu'er () during the reign of
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 ...
. When Qin's mother died, Lai, extraordinarily, sent a messenger to mourn her death, and when Lai's secretary found this odd, Lai responded, "This man is brave and fierce, and he is also full of ambition and integrity. One day he will gain his own honors, and I cannot treat him as if he were base." Late in Emperor Yang's reign, Qin served under the general
Zhang Xutuo Zhang Xutuo, courtesy name Guo, was one of the most celebrated generals during the Sui dynasty. He was best known for his achievements in suppressing rebellions and uprisings during Emperor Yang's reign. In history Zhang Xutuo originally served i ...
(). In 614, when Zhang was facing the agrarian rebel general Lu Mingyue () with no more than 20,000 men, while Lu had more than 100,000 men, Zhang planned to set a trap where he would retreat, wait for Lu to chase after him, and then send part of his army to launch a surprise attack on Lu's base. The mission was considered dangerous, but Qin and another officer,
Luo Shixin Luo Shixin (c. 600–622) was a general during the transitional period between the Sui and Tang dynasties of China. History Luo Shixin was originally a young soldier under Zhang Xutuo, one of top generals of the Sui Dynasty during Emperor Y ...
(), volunteered, and so Zhang gave them 1,000 men each and had them hide. Zhang then withdrew, and when Lu gave chase, Qin and Luo fought their way into Lu's camp, causing Lu's forces to panic and allowing Zhang to defeat and capture most of Lu's men. Qin also later defeated another rebel general, Sun Xuanya (), and was promoted in rank. In 616, with the major rebel leaders
Zhai Rang Zhai Rang (; died December 14, 617) was a key agrarian rebel leader near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. Believing prophecies that appeared to indicate that Li Mi would be emperor, he supported Li as leader and offered to serve under L ...
and Li Mi threatening 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 ...
, Emperor Yang sent Zhang to attack them, and Qin followed Zhang. Zhang, however, was killed in battle, and Qin thereafter served under the command of the general Pei Renji (). In 617, Pei, angry that he was not awarded for his victories and fearful that other Sui officials were defaming him, surrendered to Li Mi, and Qin came under Li Mi's command. Li Mi put him and
Cheng Zhijie Cheng Zhijie (589 – 26 February 665), courtesy name Yizhen, better known by his original name Cheng Yaojin, was a Chinese general who served under the emperors Gaozu, Taizong and Gaozong in the early Tang dynasty. His portrait was on display ...
() in charge of his guard corps of 8,000 men, and stated, "These 8,000 men are capable of standing up against a million men."


Service under Li Mi and Wang Shichong

In 618, Emperor Yang was killed in a coup at Jiangdu (江都, 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 ...
), led by the general
Yuwen Huaji Yuwen Huaji (; died March 22, 619) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against and murdered Emperor Yang of Sui. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao emperor and ...
. Yuwen subsequently abandoned Jiangdu and advanced back north with the elite Xiaoguo Army (), approaching Luoyang. Both Li Mi and the Sui officials at Luoyang (who declared Emperor Yang's grandson
Yang Tong Yang Dong (; 600s–619), known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue (越王) or by his era name as Lord Huangtai (皇泰主), posthumous name (as bestowed by Wang Shichong) Emperor Gong (恭皇帝), courtesy name Renji ...
emperor) were apprehensive of Yuwen, and they forged an alliance. When Li Mi subsequently engaged Yuwen, during a battle, Li Mi was hit by an arrow and fell off his horse. The other guards were not around, and only Qin Shubao defended and saved him, and Qin then further fought Yuwen's troops, forcing them to withdraw back to camp. After a number of battles, Yuwen could not defeat Li Mi, and therefore left the area 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 ...
north. Subsequently, however, the Sui general
Wang Shichong Wang Shichong (; 567– August 621), courtesy name Xingman (行滿), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Sui dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state ...
overthrew the officials in favor of the peace with Li Mi, taking over as Yang Tong's regent, and later that year, he defeated Li Mi in a surprise attack. Li Mi fled to
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 ...
territory and surrendered to Tang. Most of Li Mi's subordinates, including Qin and Cheng Zhijie, surrendered to Wang. Wang was impressed by both and treated both well, but they believed Wang to be treacherous and did not want to serve him. In 619, when the Tang general
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 ...
the Prince of Qin ( Emperor Gaozu's son) was attacking Wang, Qin and Cheng, along with Wu Heita () and Niu Jinda (), acted as if they were going to resist Tang forces but instead headed some distance away from Wang, and then got off their horses and bowed, stating to Wang: :''We had received great honors from you, Duke, and we have long sought to repay your kindness. However, you are suspicious and often believe in defamations, and we cannot serve you. Please allow us to leave.'' They then surrendered to Li Shimin.


During Emperor Gaozu's reign

Emperor Gaozu put Qin Shubao under Li Shimin's command. Around the new year 620, with
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 '' ti ...
the Dingyang Khan having seized most of Tang territory in modern
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 ...
and aiming to attack further south, Emperor Gaozu sent Li Shimin to resist Liu, and Qin and
Yin Kaishan Yin Jiao (), better known by his courtesy name Kaishan (), titled Duke Jie of Xun, was a general and officer in Sui and Tang dynasties of China. Because of his remarkable contributions during the unification wars of Tang dynasty, Yin Kaishan was ...
() were able to defeat Liu's general
Yuchi Gong Yuchi Gong (尉遲恭) or Yuchi Rong (尉遲融) (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (敬德), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a prominent general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another ...
at Meiliang River (美良川, flowing through 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 ...
), repelling Yuchi's offensive. Impressed, Emperor Gaozu sent a messenger to award Qin a golden bottle, stating to him: :''You disregarded your wife and children to follow me, and you have accomplished great things. If my flesh can be beneficial to you, I would be willing to cut it off for you, and I will spare no servants, jade, or silk. Be encouraged.'' Qin then followed Li Shimin in defeating Liu's major general Song Jin'gang (), contributing to Li Shimin's final victory over Liu later in 620. Emperor Gaozu awarded Qin with a large supply of gold and silk. Later that year, Li Shimin launched a major attack against Wang, who by this point had deposed Yang Tong and declared himself emperor of a new state of Zheng. During the campaign, Li Shimin selected some 1,000 elite soldiers, clad in black uniform and black armor, commanded by Li Shimin himself, to serve as the forward advance corps, with Qin, Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi (who by this point had surrendered to Tang), and Zhai Zhangsun () as his assistants. This corps subsequently accomplished much during the campaign against Wang and
Dou Jiande Dou Jiande (; 573 – 3 August 621) was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Generally considered the kindest and most able of the agrarian rebel leaders ...
the Prince of Xia, who came to Wang's aid. During initial engagement against Xia troops, Qin, Yuchi, and
Li Shiji Li Shiji (594?The ''Old Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 75 at the time of his death, while the ''New Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 85 at the time of his death. Compare ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 67 with ''New Book of Tang ...
were able to defeat Xia forward troops, and Li Shimin subsequently wrote Dou, citing the battle as a reason why he should stop his campaign to aid Wang. Dou did not relent, and in summer 621, his and Li Shimin's troops engaged at the
Battle of Hulao The Battle of Hulao () or Battle of Sishui (汜水之戰, Wade–Giles: Ssŭ Shui), on 28 May 621 was the main and final battle of the Luoyang–Hulao campaign between the rival Tang, Zheng, and Xia regimes during the transition from Sui to Tan ...
. Qin contributed much during the battle, which ended with Dou's being captured by Tang forces. Wang subsequently surrendered, and both Zheng and Xia territory were seized by Tang (although later that year Dou's general
Liu Heita Liu Heita () (died 623) was an agrarian rebel leader during China's transition period from Sui Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, who initially successively served under Hao Xiaode (), Li Mi, and Wang Shichong. He eventually followed Dou Jiande the Prin ...
rose against Tang rule and briefly recaptured nearly all of Xia territory). For his achievements against Zheng and Xia forces, Qin was created the Duke of Yi. In 622, he also followed Li Shimin in fighting against Liu Heita. It was said that whenever Qin was following Li Shimin in battle, where there would be enemy soldiers who dared to display their bravery and taunt Li Shimin, Li Shimin would send Qin to attack them, and often Qin was able to target them and destroy them. Li Shimin therefore was particularly impressed with him, and Qin was proud of his own abilities. in 626, Li Shimin, then locked in an intense rivalry with his older brother
Li Jiancheng Li Jiancheng (; 589 – July 2, 626, formally Crown Prince Yin (, literally, "the hidden crown prince"), nickname Vaishravana (; Sanskrit: Vaiśravaṇa), was the first crown prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the found ...
the
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 ...
and fearful that Li Jiancheng would kill him, set an ambush for Li Jiancheng and another brother,
Li Yuanji Li Yuanji (李元吉) (603 – 2 July 626The date of the incident at Xuanwu Gate was the fourth day of the sixth month of the ''Wude'' era, which translates to July 2, 626, according to the Academia Sinicabr>), formally Prince La of Chao (巢剌 ...
the Prince of Qi, who supported Li Jiancheng, at Xuanwu Gate. Qin was one of the key commander of Li Shimin's forces, which subsequently killed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Li Shimin then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince and then pass the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).


During Emperor Taizong's reign

Emperor Taizong increased Qin Shubao's fief by 700 households and gave him great honors. However, during Emperor Taizong's reign Qin was often ill. He once stated, "I had been a soldier since youth, and I have fought over 200 battles. I was often wounded, and I must have bled several ''hu'' 斛, a large measurement unit) How could it be that I do not get sick?" He died in 638 and was buried near Emperor Taizong's future tomb. To commemorate Qin's battlefield accomplishments, Emperor Taizong ordered that statues of soldiers and horses be sculpted inside Qin's tomb. His title was posthumously changed to Duke of Hu in 639. In 643, when Emperor Taizong commissioned the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion to commemorate the 24 great contributors to Tang rule, Qin's was one of the portraits commissioned.


Popular culture

Qin Shubao continues to be venerated as a
door god Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the H ...
in
Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...
. He is also one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'', also known as ''Sangokushi 11'' (三國志11), is the 11th installment in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sangokushi'') grand strategy game series by Koei. The game was released for the PC on March ...
'' by
Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...
. His formal name "Qin Qiong" is used in the game.


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. 68. * ''
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. 89. * ''
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. 182, 183, 185, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191. {{DEFAULTSORT:Qin, Shubao 638 deaths Sui dynasty people Chinese gods Deified Chinese people Year of birth unknown People from Jinan Tang dynasty generals from Shandong Transition from Sui to Tang