[
]
As emperor of Southern Han
Early reign
In 919, Liu Yan created his wife Lady Ma empress.[
In 920, at Yang Dongqian's request, Liu Yan established schools and ]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, apparently following the Tang model. He also sent emissaries to Former Shu, seeking friendly relations.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 271.]
In 922, there was an incident where Liu Yan, believing in the words of a sorcerer that he needed to leave the capital to avoid a disaster, left Xingwang to visit Meikou (梅口, in modern Meizhou
Meizhou (, Hakka Chinese: Mòichû) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of , and a population of 3,873,239 million as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xingning Cit ...
, 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 ...
), near the Min border. The Min general Wang Yanmei (Wang Shenzhi's son or nephew) decided to launch a surprise attack on Liu Yan's train, but before Wang Yanmei's forces arrived, Liu Yan received the news and fled Meikou before Min forces could attack.[
In 924, Liu Yan launched an attack on Min, advancing on the borders of Min's Ting (汀洲, in modern ]Longyan
Longyan (; Hakka: ''Liùng-ngàm''; Longyan dialect: ''Lengngia'') is a prefecture-level city in south-western Fujian Province, China, bordering Guangdong to the south and Jiangxi to the west.
History
In 736 AD, (the Tang dynasty), the prefec ...
, Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
) and Zhang (漳州, in modern Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefect ...
, Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
) Prefectures. A Min counterattack defeated him, and he fled.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 273.]
Meanwhile, in 923, Later Liang had been conquered by its northern rival Jin, whose prince Li Cunxu declared himself the emperor of a new Later Tang (as Emperor Zhuangzong). When the news reached Liu Yan, Liu Yan became fearful of this powerful new state in the north, and in 925 sent his official He Ci (何詞) to Later Tang to try to seek friendly relations in humble terms[ (referring to himself as "the King of the Great Han" rather than emperor while addressing Emperor Zhuangzong as "the Emperor of the Great Tang")][ and to find out more about the strength of this new dynasty. After He Ci returned, He Ci reported that Emperor Zhuangzong had become arrogant and excessive and that there was no need to be fearful of him; Liu Yan was pleased, and from this point on no longer sought communications with Later Tang.][
Later in the year, it was said that a white dragon was discovered in the Han palace. In response, Liu Yan changed his era name to ''Bailong'' ("white dragon") and changed his own name to Gong (龔).][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.] However, later in the year, when foreign monks informed him that the character "Gong" was not favorable to Southern Han's fortune, he further changed his name to a newly created character (龑, Yǎn), showing the character of a dragon (龍) over that of heaven (天). The pronunciation was similar to his birth name, but distinct in tone.['']New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 65. (The ''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 ...
'' placed this second name change in 941.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 282.]) Also in 925, when Zheng Min (鄭旻) the emperor of Changhe, sent his brother Zheng Zhaochun (鄭昭淳) to Southern Han to seek a marriage alliance, Liu Yan gave another niece, the Princess Zengcheng, to Zheng Min in marriage.[
]
Middle reign
In 928, a Chu fleet attacked Southern Han and put Feng Prefecture under siege. In response, Liu Yan, believing that ''Dayou'' was a phrase from the ''I Ching
The ''I Ching'' or ''Yi Jing'' (, ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zh ...
'' that would portend good fortune in battle, changed the era name to ''Dayou'', and also sent the general Su Zhang (蘇章) to take a fleet manned with well-trained archers to try to lift the siege on Feng. Su engaged the Chu fleet and pretended to withdraw after a skirmish, inducing the Chu fleet to chase; he then caught the Chu fleet in an ambush and defeated it, forcing the Chu forces to withdraw.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 276.]
In 930, Liu Yan sent his generals Liang Kezhen (梁克貞) and Li Shoufu (李守鄜) to attack Jiao Prefecture; they captured it and took Khuc Thua My (曲承美, son and successor of Khuc Hao) captive, taking (for the time being) Jinghai Circuit (靜海, Vietnamese: Tĩnh Hải, headquartered at Jiao Prefecture) under Southern Han control and ending the control of the circuit by the Khúc family Khúc is a Vietnamese surname.
Notable people with the surname Khúc
* Khúc family, a session of leaders who challenged Tang rule over Vietnam.
:*Khúc Thừa Dụ, the head of the Khúc family
:*Khúc Hạo
Khúc Hạo (860–917) () was the ...
. Liang further advanced to Champa
Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...
and pillaged it of its treasure. Liu stationed his general Li Jin (李進) at Jiao Prefecture to defend it.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 277.]
The Southern Han hold on Jinghai would not last long, however. After the fall of the Khúcs, Dương Đình Nghệ
Dương Đình Nghệ (Chữ Hán: 楊廷藝; pinyin: ''Yáng Tíngyì''; 874 – March 937; some sources record Dương Diên Nghệ, Chữ Hán: 楊延藝) was the jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân in around 931 AD.
He was a skillful, talented gen ...
the prefect of Ai Prefecture (愛州, Vietnamese: Ai châu, in modern Thanh Hóa Province, Vietnam) built up a personal army of 3,000 adoptive sons, wanting to take control of Jinghai. Although Li knew about this, he did nothing as he was receiving regular bribes from Dương. In 931, Duong put Jiao Prefecture under siege. Liu Yan sent the general Cheng Bao (程寶) to try to lift the siege, but before Cheng could get there, the city fell. Li fled back to Xingwang, where Liu put him to death. Cheng tried to recapture Jiao Prefecture, but Yang defeated and killed him in battle.[
In 932, Liu Yan created his 19 sons as imperial princes.][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 278.]
In 934, Empress Ma died.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 279.]
Also in 934, Liu Yan allowed his then-surviving oldest son Liu Hongdu the Prince of Qin (Liu Hongdu's older brothers Liu Yaoshu and Liu Guitu having died earlier)[ to form a guard force of his own, but these guard ranks were filled with hoodlums that Liu Hongdu was close to. When Yang Dongqian tried to speak on this matter to advise Liu Yan to curb Liu Hongdu's activities, as Liu Hongdu was commonly regarded as the heir, Liu Yan refused to listen. When Yang subsequently observed the guards pillage gold and silk from merchants and the merchants' fear causing them not to report the matter, Yang lamented, "If the rule is as troubled as this, what is a chancellor for?" He thus claimed an illness and retired to his mansion. Liu Yan subsequently never again summoned Yang for any audiences, and Yang eventually died at his home without returning to chancellorship.][
]
Late reign
In 936, Liu Yan sent his general Sun Dewei (孫德威) to attack Chu's Meng (蒙州, in modern Wuzhou, Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
) and Gui (桂州, in modern Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...
, Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
). When Chu's prince Ma Xifan (Ma Yin's son) personally went to Gui Prefecture to defend against the attack, Sun withdrew.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280.]
In 937, Dương Đình Nghệ was killed by his general Kiều Công Tiễn
Kiều Công Tiễn (chữ Hán: 矯公羡 or 皎公羨; ) (870 - 938) was a general in the court of Dương Đình Nghệ, a Vietnamese Jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân who took over the position in 931. In 937 Kiều Công Tiễn assassinated th ...
(矯公羨), who took over Jinghai. In 938, when another former general of Duong's, Ngô Quyền (吳權), rose at Ai Prefecture and subsequently attacked Jiao Prefecture, Kieu Cong Tien sought aid from Southern Han. Liu Yan wanted to use this opportunity to take over Jinghai again, so he commissioned his son Liu Hongcao as the military governor of Jinghai and changed his title to Prince of Jiao, having him command an army to head to Jiao Prefecture while Liu Yan himself commanded a follow-up army. By the time that Liu Hongcao was approaching Jiao Prefecture, however, Wu had already defeated and killed Kieu Cong Tien and occupied Jiao Prefecture. When Liu Hongcao prepared to attack, Wu set a trap for him—setting large wooden planks covered with iron into the tidal zone, such that when Liu Hongcao attacked at high tide, the planks were invisible, but when the tide fell, the Southern Han ships became stuck on the planks and unable to move. Ngo then counterattacked, killing more than half of the Southern Han soldiers, including Liu Hongcao. Liu Yan, hearing the news, cried bitterly and withdrew his own fleet.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 281.] (This became known as the Battle of Bạch Đằng River.)
In 939, Zhao Guangyi, pointing out that there had not been any emissaries sent between Southern Han and Chu after Empress Ma's death and that the two states, related by marriage, should be friendly to each other, recommended the official Li Shu (李紓) as an appropriate emissary. Liu Yan agreed, and after Li visited Chu, Chu also sent emissaries to Southern Han, reestablishing relations between the two states. Despite this, in 941, Liu Yan sent an emissary to Later Jin's Emperor Gaozu (whose Later Jin state had earlier taken over Later Tang's territory) seeking a military alliance where they would attack Chu and divide its territory; the Later Jin emperor declined.[
In 942, Liu Yan grew seriously ill. He considered both of his oldest surviving sons, Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongxi the Prince of Jin, to be arrogant and unrestrained, and considered a younger son, ]Liu Hongchang Liu Hongchang (劉弘昌) (died 944), formally the Prince of Yue (越王), was an imperial prince and chancellor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Han. He was a son of Southern Han's founding emperor Liu Yan (E ...
the Prince of Yue, to be an appropriate successor. He thus considered sending Liu Hongdu and Liu Hongxi out of the capital and making Liu Hongchang his heir. However, the official Xiao Yi (蕭益) persuaded him that bypassing older sons would cause disturbances, and so Liu Yan did not carry out this plan. He soon died, and Liu Hongdu became emperor (as Emperor Shang).[
The ''Zizhi Tongjian'', summarizing the opinions from other sources, commented about Liu Yan's reign:][
]
Personal information
* Father
** Liu Zhiqian or Liu Qian, posthumously honored Emperor Shengwu with the temple name of Daizu ).['']Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
'' (十國春秋)
vol. 58
[''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'']
vol. 61
* Mother
** Lady Duan, Liu Zhiqian's concubine ).['']Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
'' (十國春秋)
vol. 58
[''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'']
vol. 61
* Wife
** Empress Ma, daughter of Ma Yin, the prince of Chu:[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 269.][
* Major Concubine
** Consort Zhao, mother of Prince Hongdu, later consort dowager.]['']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 ...
'', vol. 283.
* Children
** Liu Yaoshu (劉耀樞), the Prince of Yong (created 932), died early[
** Liu Guitu (劉龜圖), the Prince of Kang (created 932), died early][
** Liu Hongdu (劉弘度), later renamed Liu Bin, initially the Prince of Bin (created 932), later the Prince of Qin (created 932), later emperor][
** Liu Hongxi (劉弘熙), later renamed Liu Sheng, the Prince of Jin (created 932), later emperor][
** ]Liu Hongchang Liu Hongchang (劉弘昌) (died 944), formally the Prince of Yue (越王), was an imperial prince and chancellor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Han. He was a son of Southern Han's founding emperor Liu Yan (E ...
(劉弘昌), the Prince of Yue (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 944)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 284.]
** Liu Hongbi (劉弘弼), the Prince of Qi (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongya (劉弘雅), the Prince of Shao (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 945)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 285.]
** Liu Hongze (劉弘澤), the Prince of Zhen (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 944)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 284.]
** Liu Hongcao (劉弘操), initially the Prince of Wan (created 932), later the Prince of Jiao (created and killed in battle 938).['' Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'', vol. 5]
** Liu Honggao (劉弘杲), the Prince of Xun (born 923, created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 943).[
** Liu Hongwei (劉弘暐), the Prince of En (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)][''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongmiao (劉弘邈), the Prince of Gao (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 954[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 291.]
** Liu Hongjiǎn (劉弘簡) (note different tone than his brother), the Prince of Tong (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongjiàn (劉弘建) (note different tone than his brother), the Prince of Yi (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongji (劉弘濟), the Prince of Bian (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongdao (劉弘道), the Prince of Gui (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongzhao (劉弘照), the Prince of Yi (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
** Liu Hongzheng (劉弘政), the Prince of Tong (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 955)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 292.]
** Liu Hongyi (劉弘益), the Prince of Ding (created 932, killed by Liu Sheng 947)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287.]
See also
* Ngô Quyền
* Battle of Bạch Đằng (938)
At the Battle of Bạch Đằng River in 938 near Hạ Long Bay in northern Vietnam the military force of the Vietnamese Principality of Jinghai, led by Ngô Quyền, a Vietnamese lord, defeated the invading forces of the Chinese state of South ...
References
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Yan
889 births
942 deaths
Southern Han emperors
Later Liang (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Qinghai Circuit
Later Liang (Five Dynasties) jiedushi of Jianwu Circuit
Tang dynasty generals from Guangdong
Politicians from Zhaoqing
Southern Han people born during Tang
Founding monarchs