Zheng Congdang (鄭從讜) (died 887?
['']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. 63
.),
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 ...
Zhengqiu (正求), was an official 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 ...
dynasty
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 ...
, twice serving 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 reign of
Emperor Xizong.
Background and early career
It is not known when Zheng Congdang was born. His family claimed ancestry from the ruling house of the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...
state
Zheng Zheng may refer to:
*Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'')
*Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China
*Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges
*Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty, ...
, and his grandfather
Zheng Yuqing served 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 Dezong and Emperor Dezong's 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 Shunzon ...
. Zheng Congdang's father Zheng Guan (鄭澣) was himself a long-time imperial official, although he was never chancellor, dying while serving as 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 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 ...
,
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 ...
) in 839 at the age of 63. Zheng Congdang had three older brothers, Zheng Yunmo (鄭允謨), Zheng Maoxiu (鄭茂休), and Zheng Chuhui (鄭處誨), each of whom served in the imperial government as well. (A third cousin,
Zheng Yanchang Zheng Yanchang (), courtesy name Guangyuan (), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor of Tang Dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, Emperor Zhaozong in the 9th century.
Ba ...
, would be a future chancellor.)
['']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. 158.
Zheng Congdang himself 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 in the ''Jinshi'' class in 842, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong's grandson
Emperor Wuzong. He started as his governmental career as a copyeditor (校書郎) at the
Palace Library
The Palace Library (; in Vietnam: 秘書所, ''Bí thư sở'') was a central government agency in monarchical China, Korea, and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents.
China
The off ...
, and thereafter served as an advisory official, and then a supervisory official at the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), eventually becoming responsible for drafting edicts. As the chancellors
Linghu Tao
Linghu Tao (), courtesy name Zizhi (), formally the Duke of Zhao (), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the leading chancellor during the last nine years of the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, but was removed from his chancel ...
and
Wei Fu both passed the imperial examinations while Zheng Guan oversaw the imperial examinations, they both felt indebted to Zheng Congdang and thus enhanced Zheng Congdang's reputation. As a result, Zheng was subsequently promoted to ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng'').
[As Linghu Chu served as chancellor from 850 to 859, and Wei Fu from 849 to 850 (when he died) (with both serving under Emperor Wuzong's uncle and successor Emperor Xuānzong, that placed a timeframe as to when they were fostering Zheng's career. See ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 172 inghu's biographyand '']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. 248
__NOTOC__
Year 248 ( CCXLVIII) was a leap 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 Philippus and Severus (or, less frequently, year 1001 '' ...
, 249 ating Wei's chancellorship
During Emperor Yizong's reign
In 862, by which time Emperor Wuzong's cousin Emperor Yizong was emperor, Zheng Congdang was made deputy minister of rites (禮部侍郎, ''Lǐbu Shilang'') and put in charge of the imperial examinations. He was later made deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, ''Xingbu Shilang'') and then deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Lìbu Shilang'', note different tone). It was said that he selected appropriate officials while overseeing the civil service, but that, as a result of refusing to bow to powerful individuals' wishes, was sent out of the capital 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. ...
, 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 ...
) as well as the mayor of its capital Taiyuan Municipality. After he served there for a year, he requested a return to the capital, but the request was not accepted; rather, he was transferred to 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 ...
, 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 ...
) to serve as its military governor and the prefect of its capital Bian Prefecture (汴州). He was said to have governed Xuanwu well, causing the powerful individuals at that time to be apprehensive that he would be promoted.[ He was thus transferred to Lingnan East Circuit (嶺南東道, headquartered in modern ]Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, 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) ...
) to serve as its military governor and the prefect of its capital Guang Prefecture (廣州). While at Guang Prefecture, he had to dealt with many incursions and non-Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
rebellions with few troops available to him and no reinforcements from the north, but he managed the situation by commissioning non-Han tribal chiefs to deal with the military matters. It was said that despite the large number of rebellions, Guang Prefecture was safe.[''New Book of Tang'', vol. 165.]
During Emperor Xizong's reign
Prior to first chancellorship
Emperor Yizong died in 873 and was succeeded by his young son Emperor Xizong.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 252.] Zheng Congdang, who did not want to remain in Lingnan East longer, submitted repeated petitions, offering even to accept an honorary position at 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 Xizong then recalled him to Chang'an to serve as minister of justice (刑部尚書, ''Xingbu Shangshu'').[ In 878, when Zheng was referred to at the minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, ''Lìbu Shangshu''), he was made ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor ''de facto''.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 253.]
First chancellorship
Not much was recorded about Zheng Congdang's acts as chancellor in his first term. At this time, Hedong Circuit had been plagued by repeated mutinies, as well as the danger of being attacked by 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 ...
rebels led by the chieftain Li Guochang and Li Guochang's son 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 ...
.[ After a mutiny in 880 led to the death of the military governor Kang Chuangui (康傳圭), the imperial government decided that it would take someone as senior as a chancellor to deal with the situation, so Zheng was commissioned as the military governor of Hedong and allowed to select his own staff members. Zheng thus invited many well-known individuals to serve on his staff, and his staff was described as a miniature imperial government. He retained the ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' title as an honorary title.][
]
Between the chancellorships
Back at Hedong, Zheng Congdang was described as apparently mild in disposition, but was full of strategies and decisive. He was able to discover mutiny plots well, and he executed those who planned mutinies, while comforting the rest. For example, the officer Zhang Yanqiu (張彥球), who was forced by his colleagues to participate in the mutiny that killed Kang Chuangui, was someone that Zheng comforted and entrusted with military commands.[
In late 880, with Chang'an under the threat of attack by the major agrarian rebel ]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 ...
, Zheng was ordered to transfer his soldiers to Zhuge Shuang Zhuge Shuang () (d. 886) was a general of the History of China, Chinese Tang Dynasty, who controlled Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) for some time and who vacillated between allegiance to Tang and to the Qi state of t ...
and Zhu Mei Zhu Mei () (died January 7, 887 Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.) was a warlord of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. Disillusioned with Emperor Xizong and the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, he tried ...
and have Zhuge and Zhu head south to try to help defend the capital, although the capital fell apparently before Zhuge and Zhu could actually do so. Huang took the throne as the emperor of a new state of Qi, but Zheng, along with other Tang generals, continued resisting. Meanwhile, in 881, Li Keyong, claiming that he was coming to the imperial government's aid, requested that Zheng allow him transit through Hedong. Zheng did not refuse, but declined to supply his troops (besides giving Li Keyong a small amount of food) and prepared for a siege of Taiyuan, causing Li Keyong to respond by pillaging Hedong Circuit. Zheng sought aid from Qibi Zhang (契苾璋) the military governor of Zhenwu Circuit (振武, headquartered in modern Hohhot
Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the capital of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrative, economic and cultural center.''The Ne ...
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
); Qibi came to his aid with ethnic Tujue and Tuyuhun
Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guənʔ''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic kingdom established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valley ...
troops, and Li Keyong withdrew north, capturing Xin (忻州, in modern Xinzhou
Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (秀荣), is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest ...
, 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 Dai (代州, also in modern Xinzhou) Prefectures.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254.]
In 882, Qibi Zhang received imperial permission (from Emperor Xizong, who was then at Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
) to attack Li Keyong, and Emperor Xizong further ordered Zheng to assist Qibi.[ However, by winter 882, the eunuch monitor of the armies against Huang, ]Yang Fuguang
Yang Fuguang () (842–883'' Old Book of Tang'', vol. 184.), formally Duke Zhongsu of Hongnong (弘農忠肅公), was a Chinese eunuch, military general, and politician of the Tang dynasty, who was considered a major contributor to the Tang ca ...
, had convinced the imperial government that it was necessary to enlist the Shatuo to defeat Huang. The chancellor in charge of the operations against Huang, Wang Duo
Wang Duo () (died 884), courtesy name Zhaofan (), formally the Duke of Jin (), was a Chinese politician of the medieval Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Yizong and Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Xizong. After th ...
, thus issued an edict in Emperor Xizong's name pardoning and summoning Li Keyong to the imperial cause, and further ordering Zheng not to interfere. Still, as Li Keyong was leading his troops south, he instructed his troops to avoid Taiyuan, but personally went to Taiyuan to greet Zheng. Zheng gave him a gift of horses and treasures. Li Keyong then continued south to join the imperial cause against Huang.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255.]
After the Tang forces recaptured Chang'an in spring 883—a battle in which Li Keyong's contribution was instrumental—Li Keyong returned to Dai Prefecture briefly, but soon, Emperor Xizong issued an edict to reward Li Keyong by making him the military governor of Hedong, while summoning Zheng to Emperor Xizong's presence. Zheng accepted the edict and yielded Hedong to Li Keyong.[ Zheng was then 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 ...
, as well as ''Menxia Shilang'' (門下侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), as well as chancellor again with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi''.[
]
Second chancellorship and death
Not much was recorded about Zheng Congdang's acts as chancellor in his second term. In 886, he was given the greater chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' (侍中, i.e., the head of the examination bureau), as well as ''Taifu'' (太傅).[ In 887, he offered to retire, and he was made a 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 ...
—an entirely honorary title since there was no crown prince at the time. He died soon thereafter.[ He was given the ]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 ...
''Wenzhong'' (文忠, "civil and faithful").[
]
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. 158.
* ''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. 165.
* ''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. 253, 254, 255, 256.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zheng, Congdang
887 deaths
Chancellors under Emperor Xizong of Tang
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hedong Circuit
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xuanwu Circuit
Tang dynasty jiedushi of Lingnan Circuit
Mayors of Taiyuan
Year of birth unknown
Zheng clan of Xingyang