Hu Jinsi
Hu Jinsi (
Background
[edit]It is not known when Hu Jinsi was born (other than that it would have been during the late Tang years), but it is known that he was from Hu Prefecture (
In 902, Qian Liu was attacked by Tian Jun, the military governor of Ningguo Circuit (
After Qian Chuanguan (whose name had been changed to Qian Yuanguan by that point) assumed the reins of the Wuyue state (and would later take the title of King of Wuyue, a title that Qian Liu had, as King Wenmu) after Qian Liu's death in 932,[4] he, remembering Hu's faithfulness, made Hu a general. Hu was eventually promoted to the post of right commander of the headquarter corps (
During Qian Hongzuo's reign
[edit]Qian Yuanguan died in 941 and was succeeded by his son Qian Hongzuo (as King Zhongxian).[5] It was said that after Qian Hongzuo's succession to the throne, the upper commander of the headquarter corps, Kan Fan (闞璠), became dominant at the headquarters such that not even the King was able to curb his powers. When the officers Zhang De'an (
However, the apparent Kan-Hu alliance later broke down. By late 945, Qian was said to have trusted the wicked officer Cheng Zhaoyue (
During Qian Hongzong's reign
[edit]In 947, Qian Hongzuo died, and was succeeded by his younger brother Qian Hongzong (King Zhongxun). Hu Jinsi remained powerful, apparently under the rationale that he helped Qian Hongzong's succession. However, Qian Hongzong was said to be displeased that during the reign of Qian Hongzuo, Qian Hongzuo had, due to his tolerance, created a culture that the generals had too much power to do as they wished, and therefore was looking to curb those powers.[9]
Later in the year, the warlord Li Da, who then controlled the region of Fu Prefecture (
Hu continued to have substantial power in the governance of the state, drawing Qian Hongzong's displeasure, and the king considered sending him out to be a prefect of a prefecture, but Hu declined. Nevertheless, from this point on, Hu's suggestions were often met with rebuke, such that Hu built a small shrine to Qian Hongzuo in his home, offering sacrifices there and shedding bitter tears. There was one occasion when Qian Hongzong was reviewing the troops and announced an award for them. Hu thought that the award was excessive and argued against it, but the young king angrily threw his pen in to the water and stated, "My wealth is to be shared with the soldiers. How is it that there can be a limit to that?" There was also once an incident where a civilian was accused of slaughtering a cow privately (i.e., without paying the taxes for doing so). The investigating officer claimed that the civilian had 1,000 illegitimate catties of meat from the incident. Qian Hongzong turned to Hu and asked, "What much does the largest cow weigh?" Hu responded, "No more than 300 catties." Qian Hongzong then responded, "Then, the only conclusion is that the investigating officer's accusations were false." He ordered the investigating officer punished. When Hu congratulated him on his intelligent ruling, he responded, "How did you know about this, Lord?" Hu, stuttering, responded, "Before your subject joined the army, I used to do this." However, Hu believed that Qian already knew of his past and was merely intending to embarrass him publicly (as being a butcher was not considered an honorable profession), and therefore was even more unhappy about the king, particularly because the king also repeatedly rebuked him over the situation with Li Ruyun.[9]
Around new year 948, Qian Hongzong began to discuss with two officials that he felt he could trust, He Chengxun (
During Qian Hongchu's reign
[edit]In the aftermaths of the coup, Hu Jinsi killed Shuiqiu Zhaoquan and Qian Hongzong's uncle Fu Guangxuan (鄜光鉉). This caused his wife to remark, "It may be permissible to kill others. Shuiqiu Zhaoquan was a righteous gentleman. Why harm him?" Meanwhile, He Chengxun secretly suggested to Qian Hongchu that Hu and his party be slaughtered, but Qian Hongchu, both disgusted at He Chengxun's betrayal and fearful that the news might leak to Hu, instead had He Chengxun executed. He moved his brother, the deposed king Qian Hongzong, to their grandfather Qian Liu's old mansion at Yijin Base (
Hu, meanwhile, was repeatedly trying to persuade Qian Hongchu to put Qian Hongzong to death, and Qian Hongchu resisted. Hu falsified a secret order to Xue, ordering Xue to kill Qian Hongzong, but Xue responded, "When your servant received his orders, he did not receive any such instructions, and he dares not to carry this out." Hu instead sent two assassins against Qian Hongzong, but Qian Hongzong discovered this and yelled for help; Xue then arrived with his soldiers and killed the assassins, and then reported this to Qian Hongchu, who was shocked but who responded, "That my brother remains alive is your accomplishment." Despite this, Qian Hongchu feared but remained cordial in his attitude toward Hu, who in turn became increasingly worried. Not long after, he suffered from a tumor on his back and died from it, and Qian Hongzong was able to escape further disaster.[9]
Notes and references
[edit]- ^ a b c Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 88.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 263.
- ^ See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 264.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 277.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 282.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 283.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 285.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 286.
- ^ a b c d e f Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 287.