Kou Zhun ( 961 – 24 October 1023),

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 Theob ...

Pingzhong, was a much-praised official in ancient China's Northern

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

. He was the chancellor from 1004 to 1006 during

Emperor Zhenzong Emperor Zhenzong of Song (23 December 968 – 23 March 1022), personal name Zhao Heng, was the third emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 997 to his death in 1022. His personal name was originally Zhao Dechang, but was change ...

's reign.

Biography

Kou Zhun became a ''jinshi'' after passing 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 ...

in 979. Kou Zhun was a great speaker and had a reputation of offering criticism as he saw fit. Once, Emperor Taizong got offended and decided to leave, but Kou Zhun grabbed his robe and forced him to sit down and finish listening. Emperor Taizong remarked, "Having Kou Zhun is like

Emperor Taizong of Tang 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 ...

having

Wei Zheng Wei Zheng (580–643), courtesy name Xuancheng, posthumously known as Duke Wenzhen of Zheng, was a Chinese politician and historian. He served as a chancellor of the Tang dynasty for about 13 years during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He was al ...

." In 1004, during

's reign, the Liao forces from the North initialized a major invasion and came surprisingly close to the Song capital. When other officials such as Wang Qinruo suggested that the emperor desert the city and find a new capital in Southern China, Kou Zhun suggested the emperor come to the front line to boost the Song army's morale. Emperor Zhenzong listened to Kou Zhun's suggestion, and the Song forces successfully resisted the Liao invasion, ending in the

Chanyuan Treaty The Chanyuan Treaty () was signed between the Northern Song dynasty and the Liao dynasty in 1005, and marked a pivotal point in Chinese history and in the relations between the two dynasties. The treaty laid the foundation for approximately a cent ...

. Wang Qinruo, another Song official, was notably jealous of Kou Zhun and talked Emperor Zhenzong into distrusting Kou Zhun with words such as "Does my majesty know about gambling? When gamblers are about to lose everything, they take out all of their money for a last gamble. Kou Zhun was using your majesty as his stake (in that battle), which was incredibly dangerous." Soon Kou Zhun was banished from his post.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kou, Zhun Chinese judges 960s births 1023 deaths Song dynasty politicians from Shanxi Song dynasty chancellors Politicians from Jinzhong