Fu Yanqing
Fu Yanqing / Li Yanqing | |
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Personal details | |
Born | 898 likely modern Shanxi |
Died | July 31, 975 modern Luoyang, Henan |
Children |
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Occupation | Military general, monarch, politician |
Father | Li Cunshen (Fu Cun) |
Full name | Surname: Lǐ ( Given name: Yànqīng (彥 Courtesy name: Guànhóu ( |
Nickname | "The Fourth Fu" ( |
Fu Yanqing | |||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | |||||||||
Simplified Chinese | |||||||||
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Fu Yanqing (
Background
[edit]Li Yanqing was born in 898, near the end of the Tang dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.[1] His father, then known as Li Cunshen but who was born with the name of Fu Cun, was an adoptive son of and general under the major late-Tang warlord Li Keyong the Prince of Jin.[4] Li Yanqing was said to be the fourth-born son of Li Cunshen's,[1] but only the identities of two of his older brothers, Li Yanchao (
When Li Yanqing was 12 — i.e., in 910 — by which time Tang had fallen and the Jin realm, theoretically still under Tang rule, was actually under the rule of Li Keyong's biological son and successor Li Cunxu — Li Yanqing, who was already capable of riding and archery, entered military service under Li Cunxu, being close enough to Li Cunxu that he was allowed to enter the prince's bedchamber. When he grew older, he became an officer in Li Cunxu's army. Also in his youth, he became a friend of Shi Chonggui, the nephew of Shi Jingtang, the son-in-law of Li Siyuan, also an adoptive son of Li Keyong's.[1] (However, while this was traditionally described as such in official accounts, Shi Chonggui, born in 914, was 16 years younger than Li Yanqing.)[6]
During Later Tang
[edit]In 923, Li Cunxu claimed imperial title as the emperor of a new Later Tang, and shortly after conquered his southern rival Later Liang and took over its territory.[7] Li Yanqing continued to serve as an officer of Li Cunxu's imperial guards.[1]
In 924, Li Yanqing's father Li Cunshen died, while serving as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Lulong Circuit (
In 926, many mutinies were occurring against Li Cunxu's rule.[9][10] Eventually, a mutiny even rose at the capital Luoyang itself, and it was said that when the mutiny occurred, the officers and soldiers were deserting Li Cunxu in droves, with only some 10-20 officers/soldiers, including Li Yanqing, remaining with Li Cunxu and fighting the mutineers. During the battle, Li Cunxu was hit by a stray arrow, and eventually died from that injury. Upon seeing Li Cunxu's death, Li Yanqing and the others cried and then left the area. The army of Li Siyuan (who had previously rebelled against Li Cunxu) arrived at Luoyang shortly after, and Li Siyuan claimed imperial title. Li Yanqing's older brother Li Yanchao, who was then the defender of the northern capital Taiyuan, submitted to Li Siyuan's rule shortly after; presumably, so did Li Yanqing.[10] In 927, Li Yanchao requested to change his surname to his father's original surname of Fu, and Li Siyuan granted that request; presumably, Li Yanqing and his other brothers also changed their name at that time.[11]
In 928, when Li Siyuan ordered a general campaign against the rebellious Wang Du, the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (
Early in the Qingtai era (934-936) of Li Siyuan's adoptive son and successor Li Congke, Fu was made the prefect of Yi Prefecture (
In 936, Shi Jingtang, then the military governor of Hedong Circuit (
During Later Jin
[edit]Early in Shi Jingtang's reign, Fu Yanqing was made the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (
In 942, Shi Jingtang died, and Shi Chonggui succeeded him as emperor.[14] Having been friendly with Fu since their youth, he recalled Fu from Baoda and thereafter made him the military governor of Heyang Circuit (
On a subsequently Khitan invasion in 945, the Later Jin army, then under the command of Du Wei and Li Shouzhen, encountered the Liao army near Yangcheng (
However, Fu was later falsely accused by Shi's close associates,[1] and when Shi launched a major attack against Liao under the command of Du and Li Shouzhen in 946,[16] Fu was not ordered to participate — only his soldiers were. He was instead given a few thousand weaker soldiers and stayed near Kaifeng. Only when Du and Li Shouzhen subsequently become surrounded by Emperor Taizong at Zhongdu Bridge (
During the Liao occupation
[edit]Emperor Taizong shortly after claimed to be emperor of China as well, and initially, nearly all of the Later Jin realm submitted to him. However, he allowed Liao soldiers to pillage the countryside, and many rebellions against his rule quickly rose. With his having kept the Later Jin military governors at Kaifeng, the rebellions initially went unchecked. When the rebellions became particularly rampant to the east, he allowed Fu Yanqing to return to Wuning and An Shenqi (
Not long after, Emperor Taizong, tired of dealing with Han Chinese rebellions, chose to withdraw back to Liao proper, but died on the way.[17] After a succession struggle, his nephew Yelü Ruan the Prince of Yongkang took control of the throne (as Emperor Shizong). With Han rebellions overrunning the former Later Jin lands and with his own succession being challenged by his grandmother Empress Dowager Shulü, Emperor Shizong did not try to retain control of most of the former Later Jin lands, and what he did hold was lost shortly after.[18] Chief among the Han Chinese resistance was the army led by Liu Zhiyuan the military governor of Hedong, who declared himself the emperor of a new Later Han,[17] which would receive recognition from most of the former Later Jin territory.[18]
During Later Han
[edit]After Liu Zhiyuan entered Kaifeng, Fu Yanqing went to Kaifeng to pay homage to him as emperor. Liu transferred him to Taining Circuit and gave him the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (
In 948, Liu Zhiyuan died and was succeeded by his son Liu Chengyou as emperor. Immediately after Liu Chengyou's succession to the throne, the officials that Liu Zhiyuan entrusted Liu Chengyou to, pursuant to instructions that Liu Zhiyuan left, executed Du Chongwei (i.e., Du Wei — he was known as Du Wei during Later Jin to observe naming taboo for Shi Chonggui).[18] In fear, Li Shouzhen, who was friendly with Du and who was then the military governor of Huguo Circuit (
In 950, Fu went to Kaifeng to pay homage to Li Chengxun. He was thereafter moved to Pinglu Circuit,[21] and given the honorary chancellor title Zhongshu Ling (
Later in 950, Liu Chengyou, displeased that the officials Liu Zhiyuan entrusted to were continuing to control the governance, making him feel that he was being ignored, had three of them — Guo's colleague as chief of staff, Yang Bin; the commanding general of the imperial guards, Shi Hongzhao; and the overseer of the financial agencies, Wang Zhang — killed. He also sent secret emissaries to Yedu (鄴都, in modern Handan, Hebei), where Guo Wei was at the time, to kill Guo, but the news leaked, and Guo was able to escape death, although his family members remaining at Kaifeng were killed. Anticipating a reaction from Guo, Liu Chengyou summoned a number of senior generals, including Fu, Gao Xingzhou, Guo Congyi (
During Later Zhou
[edit]After taking the throne, Guo Wei created Fu Yanqing the Prince of Huaiyang. He also awarded the Kaifeng mansion of Liu Chengyou's close associate Liu Zhu (
In 952, Murong Yanchao, then at Taining, rebelled against Later Zhou.[22] When Guo personally attacked Murong, Fu went to pay homage to him at the imperial camp, offering horses, silk, and food supplies for the imperial army. After Murong was defeated, Fu was moved to Tianping Circuit (
Guo Wei died in 954, and Guo Rong succeeded him as emperor. Shortly after, Liu Zhiyuan's brother Liu Min, who had claimed imperial title and claimed to be the lawful successor to the Later Han throne (but whose state was generally historically referred to separately as Northern Han), tried to take advantage of the Later Zhou imperial succession by attacking south from his capital Taiyuan. Guo Rong personally led the imperial forces against Liu Min, but also ordered a number of other generals, including Fu, to attack Northern Han on the flanks, with the assignment of Fu and his deputy Guo Chong the military governor of Zhenning Circuit (鎮寧, headquartered in modern Anyang) to attack toward Taiyuan through Ci Prefecture (磁州, in modern Handan). When Guo Rong himself shortly after defeated Liu Min at Gaoping (
Also in 954, Guo Rong created Fu's daughter empress.[20] She died in 956.[24] In 959, Guo created her younger sister, also a daughter of Fu's, as the new empress. (She thus became known historically as Empress Dowager Fu (Later Zhou), while the older empress became known as Empress Fu the Elder.) Guo himself died shortly after, and was succeeded by his young son Guo Zongxun. (It is not clear from historical accounts whether Guo Zongxun was the son of Empress Fu the Elder's.)[25] (Another daughter of Fu's — his sixth daughter — married Zhao Guangyi, the younger brother of the major general Zhao Kuangyin, sometime during Guo Rong's reign; she was younger than Empress Fu the Elder, although it is not clear whether she was older or younger than Empress Dowager Fu (Later Zhou).)[26] After Guo Zongxun took the throne, Fu received the title of Taiwei (
During Song
[edit]In 960, Zhao Kuangyin seized power in a coup, ending Later Zhou and starting a new Song dynasty as its Emperor Taizu. He gave Fu Yanqing the honorary title of Taishi (
Meanwhile, during the years that Fu was at Tianxiong, he left much of the governance to an administrator, Liu Siyu (
In 963, Fu went to Kaifeng to pay homage to the Song emperor. Emperor Taizu held a feast in his honor, and they spent time shooting arrows.[1] He considered keeping Fu at Kaifeng to command the imperial army. The chief of staff Zhao Pu opposed, arguing that Fu had such great reputation that he might pose a risk as commander. When Emperor Taizu responded, "Why do you, sir, suspect Fu Yanqing? We have treated Fu Yanqing so well; how could Fu Yanqing turn against us?" Zhao Pu responded, "How could Your Imperial Majesty turn against Emperor Shizong of Zhou [(i.e., Guo Rong)]?" Emperor Taizu fell silent, and did not give the command to Fu; Fu subsequently returned to Tianxiong. As Fu's governance of the circuit was believed to be lacking, Emperor Taizu subsequently commissioned several lower level imperial officials known for their talent to serve as county magistrates in Fu's realm.[29]
In 969, again believing Fu to be ineffective as a governor, Emperor Taizu moved him to Fengxiang Circuit (
Fu died in 975. He was given posthumous honors, and his funeral expenses were paid for by the imperial treasury.[1]
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x History of Song, vol. 251.
- ^ a b Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 8.
- ^ Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
- ^ a b History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 56.
- ^ Yanqing had at least one other brother, Yantu, who was mentioned in passing in their father's biography; he was mentioned to be with Cunshen during the Battle of Huliu. (
十二月 ,战于胡 柳 ...,存 审与其子彦图冒 刃 血 战,...) - ^ History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 81.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 272.
- ^ Zizhi Tongian, vol. 273.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 274.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 275.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 276.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 280.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 281.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 283.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 284.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 285.
- ^ a b c Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 286.
- ^ a b c Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 287.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 288.
- ^ a b c d e Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 291.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 289.
- ^ a b c Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 290.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 292.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 293.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 294.
- ^ History of Song, vol. 242.
- ^ Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 1.
- ^ Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 2.
- ^ Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 3.
- ^ Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 6.
- 898 births
- 975 deaths
- Chinese princes
- Jin (Later Tang precursor) people
- Later Han (Five Dynasties) jiedushi
- Pinglu jiedushi
- Taining jiedushi
- Baoda jiedushi
- Later Jin (Five Dynasties) jiedushi
- Heyang jiedushi
- Kuangguo jiedushi
- Wuning jiedushi
- Later Zhou jiedushi
- Tianping jiedushi
- Weibo jiedushi
- Liao dynasty jiedushi of Wuning Circuit
- Mayors of places in China
- People from North China
- Political office-holders in Gansu
- Political office-holders in Hebei
- Political office-holders in Jiangxi
- Song dynasty jiedushi of Tianxiong Circuit