Shi Jingcun (史敬存) (died 11 June 884), known as Shi Jingsi (史敬思) in

Chinese historiography Chinese historiography is the study of the techniques and sources used by historians to develop the recorded history of China. Overview of Chinese history The recording of events in Chinese history dates back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 ...

likely for

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

reasons, was a minor general in

imperial China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

under the

Shatuo The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...

military leader

Li Keyong Li Keyong () (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 a Prince of Jin (, ''Jin Wang''), which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dyn ...

near the end of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. He sacrificed his life to help his inebriated lord escape an assassination attempt by Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong) in Zhu's territory.

Biography

Shi Jingsi was from Yanmen (雁門; around modern

Datong Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 cens ...

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 started his career as an assistant captain (牙校) there. Once the

leader

took over Yanmen, Shi was named the protector-general (都督) of nine districts (府). He was further promoted to an assistant general (裨將) in the major city 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. ...

(in modern Shanxi), the capital of Li Keyong's administrative territory. In early 884, Li Keyong led his troops to attack the anti-government rebel force of

Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty. Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...

, and Shi was the

vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

general to assist the besieged cities of Chenzhou (陳州; in modern

Zhoukou Zhoukou (; Postal romanization, postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Zhumadian to the southwest, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the north ...

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 Xuzhou (許州; in modern

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province of China, province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the s ...

, Henan). Huang then besieged Bianzhou (汴州; 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 ...

) as Bianzhou's Xuanwu (宣武; headquartered at Bianzhou)

military governor A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong) sought emergency aid from Li Keyong. Li soundly defeated Huang near Bianzhou, and Shi chased the enemy until

Xuzhou Xuzhou (徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城) in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in the built-up area ma ...

(in modern

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

) and Yanzhou (兗州; around modern

Jinxiang County Jinxiang County () is a county of southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jiangsu province to the southeast. It is under the administration of Jining Jining () is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong ...

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 would often fight at the forefront and was well known for his bravery. On 11 June 884, Shi accompanied Li as the latter accepted an invitation from Zhu for a feast in Bianzhou to celebrate the victories. At the banquet, Li got very drunk and verbally offended Zhu, although Zhu, an ambitious man in a time of almost nonexistent imperial control, possibly already had unspeakable intentions all along. After Li retreated to the so-called Shangyuan Lodging (上源驛), Zhu dispatched hundreds of soldiers to kill him. The assassins placed felled trees, fences and wagons around the place to prevent anyone from escaping. With Li taking a long time to wake up, Shi, who also consumed much wine, climbed a tower and killed dozens of assassins using arrows. While other guards including

Li Siyuan Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reignin ...

helped Li Keyong escape in the downpour of the night, Shi stayed behind and fended off Zhu's soldiers at a bridge until he was tragically butchered. Li Keyong climbed the city wall to escape to safety, mourned Shi deeply, and began (although not immediately) a warfare with Zhu that would span several decades. Shi Jingsi's son Shi Jiantang (史建瑭) would become a notable general under Li Keyong and Li's successor

Li Cunxu Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923� ...

Modern reference

Shi Jingsi's heroics were reenacted in the 1970 Hong Kong

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

The Heroic Ones ''The Heroic Ones'' is a 1970 Hong Kong Shaw Brothers Studio martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. It was originally released on 14 August 1970 in Hong Kong and was one of the top grossing Hong Kong films between the years of 1970 and 1972. ...

'', where he was portrayed by

Ti Lung Ti Lung (born 19 August 1946) is a Hong Kong actor, known for his numerous starring roles in a string of Shaw Brothers Studio's films, particularly '' The Blood Brothers'', '' The Avenging Eagle'', ''Clans of Intrigue'', '' The Duel'', ''The Senti ...

. He was portrayed by Wai Tin-chi in the 1982 Hong Kong TV series ''The Wild Bunch''.

References

* * {{cite book, last=Sima Guang, author-link=Sima Guang, year=1086, title=

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 ...

''(資治通鑑)'', trans-title=Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government, ref={{harvid, ''Zizhi Tongjian'' 884 deaths Tang dynasty generals from Shanxi 9th-century births People from Datong