Shang Rang (尚讓) (died 884) was a major follower of
Huang Chao
Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...
, an agrarian rebel leader against the rule of the
Chinese Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
and carried prominent titles after Huang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. As Huang neared defeat in 884, Shang turned against him and submitted to the Tang general
Shi Pu
Shi Pu (時溥) (d. May 9, 893Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259.), formally the Prince of Julu (鉅鹿王), was a warlord of the late Tang dynasty, who controlled Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered ...
and participated in the final destruction of Huang's army. Shang himself was later killed by Shi.
Background
It is not known when Shang Rang was born. He had at least one older brother, Shang Junzhang (尚君長), who, along with
Wang Xianzhi, rose in rebellion against the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
in 874 at Changyuan (長垣, in modern
Xinxiang
Xinxiang ( zh, s= , t= , p=Xīnxiāng ; Postal romanization, postal: Sinsiang) is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan provinces of China, province, China.
It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to its southwest, Kaifeng to its sou ...
,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
).
['']Zizhi Tongjian
The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...
'', vol. 252. Shang Rang probably followed his brother in this rebellion, and he, either at that time or subsequently, became a follower of Wang's as well.
Service under Wang Xianzhi
As of 876, Shang Rang was a major agrarian rebel commander, as it is known that that year,
Yang Fuguang the
eunuch
A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...
monitor of the army
Emperor Xizong sent against Wang Xianzhi, reported that Shang Rang had occupied
Mount Chaya (查牙山, in modern
Zhumadian
Zhumadian ( zh, s= , t= , p=Zhùmǎdiàn; Postal romanization, postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang, Henan, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to ...
,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
), forcing the imperial forces sent against him to withdraw to Deng Prefecture (鄧州, in modern
Nanyang,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
).
[
Late in 876, Wang, through the Tang official Wang Liao (王鐐), the cousin or brother of the ]chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
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 of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Yizong of Tang, Emperor Yiz ...
, and Pei Wo (裴偓) the prefect of Qi Prefecture (蘄州, in modern Huanggang
Huanggang is a prefecture-level city in easternmost Hubei, Hubei Province, China. It is situated to the north of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is bounded in the north by the Dabie Mountains and is named after Mount Huanggang, Huang ...
, Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
), was negotiating a peaceful submission to Tang authority. Under Wang Duo's insistence, Emperor Xizong commissioned Wang Xianzhi an officer of the imperial Left Shence Army (左神策軍) and delivered the commission to Qi Prefecture. However, Wang Xianzhi's ally Huang Chao
Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...
angrily objected, causing the rebel army to turn against the peace agreement. Wang Xianzhi, fearing the wrath of his own army, turned against Pei and pillaged Qi Prefecture. However, afterwards, the rebel army broke up into two groups, with one group following Wang Xianzhi and Shang Junzhang, and one group following Huang.[ Presumably, Shang Rang continued to follow Wang Xianzhi and his brother Shang Junzhang at this point, although soon thereafter, Shang Rang joined forces with Huang at Mount Chaya.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 253.]
Yang, however, continued to negotiate with Wang Xianzhi, and in late 877, the talks had progressed to such a point that Wang Xianzhi sent Shang Junzhang to Yang's camp to negotiate further. However, the Tang general Song Wei (宋威), who was against the negotiations, ambushed Shang Junzhang's party and took him and the other rebels on the way to Yang's camp captive. He then submitted a report to Emperor Xizong claiming to have captured Shang Junzhang and the others in battle. Despite Yang's petition contradicting Song's claims and clarifying that Shang Junzhang and the others were negotiating, Emperor Xizong executed Shang Junzhang and the others, causing Wang Xianzhi to break off the negotiations.[
In spring 878, the Tang general Zeng Yuanyu (曾元裕) defeated Wang Xianzhi and killed him in battle. Shang Rang took Wang Xianzhi's remnants and joined forces with Huang, serving under Huang thereafter.][
]
Service under Huang Chao
Before Huang's claim of imperial title
At the time that Shang Rang joined Huang Chao, Huang Chao was besieging Bo Prefecture (亳州, in modern Bozhou
Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at ...
, Anhui
Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
). Shang supported Huang as the leader of the movement, and Huang subsequently claimed the title of ''Chongtian Dajiangjun'' (衝天大將軍, "Generalissimo Who Charges to the Heavens") and changed the era name
A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...
to ''Wangba'', to show independence from the Tang regime.[
Shang subsequently followed Huang in his marauding south to modern ]Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
and then return north in 879. He participated in Huang's battle against the Tang general Li Xi (李係) at Tan Prefecture (in modern Changsha
Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...
, Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
), in which Huang crushed Li Xi's troops. Shang subsequently, with an army that claimed to be 500,000 strong, attacked Jiangling, causing Wang Duo, then overseeing the operations against Huang, to flee Jiangling. (After Wang's departure from Jiangling, Wang's officer Liu Hanhong
Liu Hanhong (劉漢宏) (died 887?Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.According to the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', Liu Hanhong was captured and executed in the 12th month of the lunar year that roughly correspo ...
pillaged Jiangling and started his own independent rebel campaign as well.) Subsequently, Huang and Shang attacked Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
), but were defeated by the Tang military governor (''Jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...
'') of Shannan East, Liu Jurong (劉巨容) and another Tang general, Cao Quanzhen (曹全晸). Huang and Shang fled, but Liu and Cao failed to give chase, allowing Huang and Shang to regroup.[
By late 880, Huang had crushed all Tang defense on his path to the Tang capital ]Chang'an
Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
, causing Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu
Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254.] When Huang entered Chang'an, Shang declared to the people of Chang'an:[
Despite Shang's declaration, Huang's rebel soldiers often pillaged the city, and neither Huang nor Shang was able to stop them. Soon thereafter, Huang claimed imperial title and declared a new state of Qi. He gave Shang the titles of ''Taiwei'' (太尉, 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 ...
) and ''Zhongshu Ling'' (中書令, i.e., head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省), one of the chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
s).[
]
During Huang's state of Qi
As the Tang general Zheng Tian
Zheng Tian (, 821?''New Book of Tang'', vol. 185./825?''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 178.–883?), courtesy name Taiwen (), formally Duke Wenzhao of Xingyang (), was a Chinese politician and military commander of the late Tang dynasty who served ...
continued to resist Qi at the nearby Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji ( zh, s= , t= , p=Bǎojī; ) is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.
Geography
The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
), in spring 881, Huang Chao sent Shang Rang and Wang Bo (王播), with 50,000 troops, to attack Zheng. The Qi forces took Zheng lightly, considering Zheng (who was formerly a Tang chancellor) a civilian who did not know military matters, and Zheng, along with Tang Hongfu (唐弘夫), laid a trap for Qi troops at Longwei Slope (龍尾陂, in modern Baoji), crushing them there.[
Meanwhile, at Chang'an, an anonymous person wrote poems satirizing the Qi officials at the executive bureau (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''). Shang, in anger, gouged out the eyes of the government workers who were on duty and hung them upside down, while arresting all in the city who were capable of writing poetry, putting some 3,000 of them to death.][
Soon thereafter, Tang forces under the commands of Tang Hongfu, Wang Chongrong, ]Wang Chucun
Wang Chucun () (831–895) was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) in late Tang. He was one of the main contributors in Tang's eventual defeat of the agrarian rebel ...
, Tuoba Sigong, and Zheng surrounded Chang'an, and Huang briefly withdrew from Chang'an. However, once Tang forces entered Chang'an, they began pillaging the city and were bogged down in their progress. Huang thus counterattacked and retook the city, dealing Tang forces heavy losses. Subsequently, Tang and Qi forces repeatedly engaged in battles outside the city with indecisive results. In one of those battles in fall 881, Shang joined forces with Zhu Wen
Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...
to repel the Tang generals Li Xiaochang (李孝昌) and Tuoba at the East Wei River
The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization. In ancient times, such as in the Records ...
Bridge, near Chang'an.[ However, when Shang attacked Yijun Camp (宜君寨, in modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi) in fall 882, he encountered a serious snowstorm, causing some 20-30% of his army to freeze to death.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255.]
By spring 883, Tang forces, with 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 ...
chieftain Li Keyong
Li Keyong ( zh , c = 李克用 , p = Lǐ Kèyòng ) (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 the Prince of Jin ( zh, t=晉王, p=Jìn Wáng), which would becom ...
joining the Tang cause, were again pressuring the Qi forces at Chang'an. Shang commanded some 150,000 Qi soldiers and engaged the forces of Li Keyong, Wang Chongrong, Wang Chucun, and Yang Fuguang. The Qi forces were crushed. Meanwhile, the Qi generals Wang Fan (王璠) and Huang Kui (黃揆, Huang Chao's brother) recaptured Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan
Weinan ( zh, s=渭南 , p=Wèinán) is a prefecture-level city in east-Guanzhong, central Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, northwest China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provinc ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
), but Li Keyong then put it under siege. Huang Chao thus sent Shang to Hua Prefecture, trying to lift the siege. Soon thereafter, however, Huang Chao abandoned the Chang'an region entirely and fled east, and it appeared that Shang followed him.[
As Huang Chao marched east, he put Chen Prefecture (陳州, in modern ]Zhoukou
Zhoukou ( zh, s=周口 , p=Zhōukǒu, w=Chou-k’ou; 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, Ka ...
, Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
) under siege. Shang was by this point stationing his troops at Taikang (太康, in modern Zhoukou). Huang had Chen Prefecture under siege for 10 months but was unable to capture it. Meanwhile, Li Keyong arrived with several other circuits' troops and attacked Shang, capturing Taikang, as well as Xihua (西華, in modern Zhoukou as well), defended by Huang's brother Huang Siye (黃思鄴), forcing Shang and Huang Siye to flee. Only then did Huang Chao become apprehensive and abandon the siege on Chen Prefecture.[
Huang Chao then changed target, deciding to attack Bian Prefecture (汴州, in modern ]Kaifeng
Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...
, Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
), where Zhu Wen—who had by this point submitted to Tang and was serving as Tang's military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered at Bian Prefecture), and had changed his name to Zhu Quanzhong—was. Shang took 5,000 cavalry soldiers and made the initial attack on Bian Prefecture, but he was fought off by Zhu's officers Zhu Zhen (朱珍) and Pang Shigu (龐師古). Li Keyong, hearing that Huang was attacking Bian Prefecture, quickly followed, and crushed the Qi forces as they were crossing the Yellow River
The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...
north. Shang surrendered to Shi Pu
Shi Pu (時溥) (d. May 9, 893Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259.), formally the Prince of Julu (鉅鹿王), was a warlord of the late Tang dynasty, who controlled Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered ...
the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou
Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () 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 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
), one of the Tang generals participating in the campaign.[
]
Submission to Tang and death
Shang Rang then came under Shi Pu's command, and Shi sent Li Shiyue (李師悅) and Shang to chase after Huang Chao. They caught up with Huang at Xiaqiu (瑕丘, in modern Jining
Jining () is a former capital of Shandong. Is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the no ...
, Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
) and crushed his forces. Nearly all of Huang's forces were eliminated by this point, and he fled into Langhu Valley (狼虎谷, in modern Laiwu
Laiwu () was a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province (China), Province, China. Bordered the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east and Tai'an to the southwest, it was the smallest prefecture-level city in the p ...
, Shandong
Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...
). Huang's nephew Lin Yan (林言) then killed Huang, his brothers, his wife, and his children, and tried to surrender with their heads, but was on the way killed by Tang soldiers, who presented his, as well as their, heads to Shi.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.]
What happened to Shang thereafter was not clearly stated in historical resources, but at some point, it was said that Shi killed him, and his wife Lady Liu became a concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...
of Shi's—yet later becoming Zhu Quanzhong's concubine, and then the wife of Zhu's trusted subordinate Jing Xiang.['']Old History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' ( zh, t=舊五代史, pinyin=, p=Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ) was an official history mainly focusing on Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern C ...
'', vol. 18.
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 ...
'', vols. 252
Year 252 ( CCLII) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Trebonianus and Volusianus (or, less frequently, year 1005 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 252 for t ...
, 253
__NOTOC__
Year 253 ( CCLIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Volusianus and Claudius (or, less frequently, year 1006 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...
, 254
Year 254 ( CCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1007 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 254 for th ...
, 255, 256
Year 256 ( CCLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 1009 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 256 for this y ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shang, Rang
9th-century births
9th-century deaths
Qi (Huang Chao)
Chinese chancellors
Tang dynasty rebels