Kong Zhou (died 190),

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 Theobald ...

Gongxu, was an official and minor warlord who lived during the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

of China.

Life

Little is recorded about Kong Zhou in history. He was from Chenliu Commandery (), which is around present-day

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

. The official

Zheng Tai Zheng may refer to: *Zheng (surname), Chinese surname (鄭, 郑, ''Zhèng'') *Zheng County, former name of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, China * Guzheng (), a Chinese zither with bridges *Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC), emperor of the Qin Dynasty ...

() once mentioned that Kong Zhou excelled in ''

qingtan ''Qingtan'' () was a Chinese philosophical movement and social practice among political and intellectual elites which developed during the Wei- Jin () period and continued on through the Southern and Northern dynasties. Originating among Daoist sc ...

'' (the philosophical repartee popular among the literati at the time) but lacked military leadership.(孔公緒清談高論，噓枯吹生。並無軍旅之才，埶銳之幹，臨鋒決敵，非公之儔。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 70. In the 160s, Fu Rong () recommended Kong Zhou as a talent to Feng Dai (), the Administrator of Chenliu Commandery, who then appointed Kong Zhou as a Reporting Officer. Around 189,

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...

, the warlord who controlled the Han central government, appointed Kong Zhou as the Inspector () of Yu Province. In 190, Kong Zhou turned against Dong Zhuo and joined a coalition of warlords from the east of

Hangu Pass Hangu Pass or Hanguguan is a pass separating the upper Yellow River and Wei valleys—the cradle of Chinese civilization and seat of its longtime capital Xi'an—from the fertile North China Plain. It lies on the south bank of the Yellow Rive ...

in a military campaign to eliminate Dong Zhuo and free the central government from his control. However, he died not long later within the same year. After his death, another warlord

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...

nominated

Sun Jian Sun Jian () () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a ...

to be the new Inspector of Yu Province.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * {{cite book, last=de Crespigny, first=Rafe, author-link=Rafe de Crespigny, title=Imperial warlord: a biography of Cao Cao 155-220 AD, publisher=Brill, location=Leiden, year=2010, isbn=978-90-04-18522-7 * Fan, Ye (5th century). ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). Han dynasty politicians from Henan Han dynasty warlords Politicians from Kaifeng Political office-holders in Henan

Life

See also

References