Xue Ping (薛平) (c. 753? – February 25, 832''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 2.),

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 ...

Tantu (坦途), formally the Duke of Han (韓公), was a general 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 ...

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 ...

, whose father

Xue Song Xue Song () (died 773), formally the Prince of Pingyang (), was a general of the Chinese rebel state Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals ...

ruled Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, then-headquartered 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 ...

) semi-independently from the imperial government. After Xue Song's death, Xue Ping declined the soldiers' request for him to take over Zhaoyi Circuit and fled to imperial territory. Subsequently, he had a long career as a general of the imperial armies.

Background and career under Emperors Daizong, Dezong, and Shunzong

Xue Ping was born in 753, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. When he was 11, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's grandson Emperor Daizong, he was made the prefect of Ci Prefecture (磁州, 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 ...

), one of the prefectures then under the rule of his father

, 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 Zhaoyi Circuit, a former general of the rebel

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...

state of the

Anshi Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general offi ...

who submitted to

rule in the aftermaths of Yan's collapse but who thereafter ruled Zhaoyi Circuit semi-independently from the imperial government.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 124. When Xue Song died in 773, the soldiers demanded that Xue Ping inherit the command of the circuit. Xue Ping initially pretended to agree, but then yielded the command to his uncle

Xue E Xue E (薛崿) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, briefly ruling Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, then headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan) after the death of his brother Xue Song. Nothing is known about Xue E's career under his brother or ...

and, in the middle of the night, took his father's casket and fled back to his father's ancestral home of Jiang Prefecture (絳州, 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 ...

).''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 224. Xue E subsequently was unable to stand against the attacks by the neighboring warlord

Tian Chengsi Tian Chengsi (705– March 4, 779), formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician. He served as a military general in the rebel state of Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, ...

the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan) and forced to flee; part of Zhaoyi Circuit was merged into Weibo Circuit and part was merged with the imperially-controlled Zelu Circuit (澤潞, 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 ...

), with the newly constituted circuit still named Zhaoyi. Meanwhile, after Xue Ping completed his period of mourning for his father, Emperor Daizong made him a general of the imperial guards — where he stayed for over 30 years.

Career under Emperors Xianzong and Muzong

Later, during the reign of Emperor Daizong's great-grandson

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 Shunzong ...

, the

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 ...

Du Huangchang Du Huangchang (杜黃裳) (738 or 739Du Huangchang's biographies in the ''Old Book of Tang'' and ''New Book of Tang'' disagree as to his age at death — the ''Old Book of Tang'' gave his age at death as 70, while the ''New Book of Tang'' gave it as ...

believed that Xue Ping was talented and recommended him to be the prefect of Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern

Pingdingshan Pingdingshan (), also known as Eagle City ( zh, s=鹰城, p=Yīngchéng, t=鷹城), is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, China. It had 4,904,701 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,756,333 lived in the built-up (or metro) are ...

), and Xue governed with distinction. By 812, Xue was referred to as a major general of the imperial guards, when he was made the military governor of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern

) in the aftermaths of the death of the warlord

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) ...

(Tian Chengsi's grandson) the military governor of Weibo, as part of the imperial maneuvering to try to control Weibo.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 238. (Subsequently, Tian Ji'an's relative Tian Xing (who was later renamed Tian Hongzheng) seized control of Weibo from Tian Ji'an's son

Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for generations. The ...

and submitted to the imperial government.) While Xue Ping was at Yicheng, he dealt with the issue of

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 ...

flooding his circuit — as Yicheng's capital Hua Prefecture () was just two '' li'' (about one kilometer) away from the Yellow River and often suffered from catastrophic floods. Xue Ping conducted surveys and found traces of the old Yellow River bed. After a joint petition he made with Tian Hongzheng (who became the military governor of Weibo), they dug into the old river route for 14 ''li'' (about seven kilometers) to divert some of the water from then-route of the Yellow River, and thus decreasing the threat of flooding for Yicheng. Xue was at Yicheng for six years before being recalled to again serve as a general of the imperial guards, but was soon sent back to Yicheng to again serve as military governor. In 819, after Emperor Xianzong destroyed the warlord

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 ...

, who ruled 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 divided Pinglu into three circuits, with the circuit that kept the Pinglu name having its headquarters moved to Qing Prefecture (青州, in modern

Weifang Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the L ...

). He made Xue the military governor of Pinglu,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241. as well as the official in charge of relations with

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

and

Balhae Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...

. (It was because Xue was familiar with the customs of the region north of the Yellow River and his faithfulness to the imperial government that, when, in 821, by which time Emperor Xianzong's son Emperor Muzong was emperor,

Liu Zong Liú Zǒng () (died May 2, 821), dharma name Dàjué (), formally Duke of Chǔ (), was a general of the Táng Dynasty. He took over control of Lúlóng Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) in 810 after killing his father Liú Jì () ...

the military governor of Lulong Circuit (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 ...

), which had also long been ruled independently from the imperial government, surrendered Lulong to imperial control, Liu recommended dividing Lulong into three circuits with Xue, the former chancellor

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, ...

, and the official Lu Shimei () taking the commands of the three circuits, although Liu's recommendations were not heeded, and the command of Lulong was given to Zhang with only a small portion carved out and given to Lu.) Later in 821, the Lulong soldiers rebelled against Zhang and arrested him, and soon thereafter, the 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 ...

) soldiers also rebelled and killed Tian (who had been transferred to Chengde). In the aftermaths, the imperial government waged an ultimately unsuccessful campaign against Lulong and Chengde, and during the campaign, the rebels threatened Di Prefecture (棣州, in modern

Binzhou Binzhou (, ), formerly Putai, is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong Province in the People's Republic of China. The city proper sits on the northern bank of the Yellow River, while its administrative area straddles both sides of its ...

) of Pinglu's neighboring 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 ...

). Xue sent his officer Li Shuzuo () to help defend Di Prefecture, but when Wang Ji () the prefect of Di Prefecture did not supply the Pinglu soldiers to their satisfaction, the soldiers mutinied and supported the officer Ma Tingfu () as their leader and returned to Qing Prefecture to attack it. At that time, Qing Prefecture had few troops and could not defend against the attack, but Xue expended both the circuit treasury and his own wealth to hire some 2,000 soldiers, and with these soldiers he defeated and killed Ma.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 242. As a result, Emperor Muzong gave Xue the honorary title of ''You Pushe'' () and created him the Duke of Wei.

Career under Emperors Jingzong and Wenzong

Xue Ping remained at Pinglu for six years, and it was said that he prepared the troops well and taxed in a fair manner. When, in 825, during the reign of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong, Xue was set to go to 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 pay homage to Emperor Jingzong and remain there, the residents were said to be so saddened that they tried to block his way to stop him from leaving. When he arrived at Chang'an, he was briefly made the minister of census (戶部尚書, ''Hubu Shangshu'') and acting ''Zuo Pushe'' (), one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''). In a month, however, he was commissioned as the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng) and acting ''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 ...

). In 828, after two prefectures were added to his circuit, he was further made acting ''Situ'' (司徒, also one of the Three Excellencies); his title was also changed to Duke of Han.''New Book of Tang'', vol. 111. He was recalled in 830 to serve as senior advisor to 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 ...

.However, as there was no crown prince at the time, the post was entirely honorary. He requested retirement in 831 and was allowed to do so. He died in 832 and was given posthumous honors.

Notes and 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. 124. * ''

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. 111. * ''

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. 224,

238 __NOTOC__ Year 238 ( CCXXXVIII) was a common 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 Pius and Pontianus (or, less frequently, year 991 ''Ab ...

241 Year 241 ( CCXLI) was a common year starting on Friday (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 Pompeianus by the Romans (or, less frequently, year ...

242 Year 242 ( CCXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Lepidus (or, less frequently, year 995 ''Ab urbe cond ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Xue Ping 750s births 832 deaths Tang dynasty jiedushi of Yicheng Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Pinglu Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hezhong Circuit