Su Ze (died 223),

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 Theob ...

Wenshi, was an official of the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, he started his career as the Administrator of various commanderies in

northwest China Northwest China () is a statistical region of China which includes the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Ningxia and the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai. It has an area of 3,107,900 km2. The region is characterized by a (semi-)arid con ...

and is best known for governing Jincheng Commandery (covering parts of present-day Gansu and

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

) between 215 and 220. During his tenure, he rebuilt the war-torn commandery, gained the support of local non-

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...

tribes, opened up trade along the

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor (, Xiao'erjing: حْسِ ظِوْلاْ, IPA: ), also known as the Gansu Corridor, is an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and rela ...

, and suppressed rebellions in the neighbouring Xiping, Wuwei,

Jiuquan Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in i ...

and

Zhangye Zhangye (), formerly romanized as Changyeh or known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south. Its central district is Ga ...

commanderies. After the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Su Ze served in the Cao Wei state under its first ruler,

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...

, as a Palace Attendant. An upright and outspoken man, he did not hesitate to speak up when he disagreed with Cao Pi, who became wary of him. In 223, Su Ze died of illness while travelling to present-day Shandong to assume a new appointment.

Early life

Su Ze was from Wugong County (),

Fufeng Commandery Fufeng ( zh, 扶風), also known as You Fufeng ( zh, 右扶風), was a historical region located in modern western Shaanxi. In early Han dynasty, the administrator of the capital Chang'an and its vicinities was known as ''You Neishi'' (右內史) ...

(), which is located east of present-day Mei County,

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

. He was a descendant of Su Chun () and Su Zhang (). In his younger days, he was known for being studious and had been nominated as a ''

xiaolian Xiaolian (; literally "filial and incorrupt"), was the standard of nominating civil officers started by Emperor Wu of Han in 134 BC. It lasted until its replacement by the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty. In Confucian philosophy ...

'' () and ''maocai'' () by the officials in Fufeng Commandery. However, he turned down offers to join the civil service. An upright and outspoken man, he was also known for his abhorrence of villainy and for being a strong admirer of Ji An (汲黯; died 112 BCE), a

Western 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 war ...

official who was famous for his upright character. Around 195, when a famine broke out in the Guanzhong region, Su Ze fled from Fufeng Commandery to the neighbouring

Anding Commandery Anding Commandery ( zh, c=安定郡, l=Peaceful and Stable) was a historical commandery of China, located in what is now eastern Gansu and southern Ningxia. History Anding commandery was carved out of Beidi in 114 BC. Its capital was Gaoping (高� ...

(安定郡; around present-day

Zhenyuan County, Gansu Zhenyuan County () is a province in the east of Gansu province, China, bordering Ningxia to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Qingyang. Its postal code is 744500, and its population in 2018 was 528,076 peop ...

) and took refuge under a wealthy man, Shi Liang (). When Shi Liang treated him with contempt, Su Ze sighed and swore that he would return one day as the Administrator () of Anding Commandery and take revenge against Shi Liang. Around 200, he first returned to Fufeng Commandery but later decided to travel with his friend, Ji Mao (), to

Mount Taibai Mount Taibai () is a mountain located on the border between Mei, Taibai and Zhouzhi counties in the south west of Shaanxi Province, China. The mount's highest point, Baxian Tower (), rises to a height of and is the tallest in the Qinling Range ...

, where they settled down temporarily and spent their time reading.

Service under the Eastern Han dynasty

When Su Ze finally decided to enter government service later, he was immediately propelled into office as the Administrator of

Jiuquan Commandery Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in ...

. He was subsequently reassigned to Anding Commandery and then Wudu Commandery (武都郡; around present-day Longnan, Gansu). He gained quite a reputation while during his tenures. When Shi Liang, the wealthy man in Anding Commandery who scorned Su Ze years ago, heard that Su Ze had become the commandery's Administrator, he immediately packed up and prepared to flee. However, Su Ze sent a messenger to stop Shi Liang and reassure him that everything was fine. Su Ze even asked the messenger to thank Shi Liang for offering him shelter during the Guanzhong famine. In 215,''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 67. Cao Cao, the warlord who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a so ...

, led his forces on a campaign against a rival warlord, Zhang Lu, in Hanzhong Commandery. Along the way, he passed by Wudu Commandery and was so impressed with Su Ze that he asked Su Ze to be his guide on the campaign against Zhang Lu.

As the Administrator of Jincheng

After the

Battle of Yangping The Battle of Yangping, also known as the Battle of Yangping Pass, was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Zhang Lu from roughly April 215 to January 216 during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle concluded with a victory fo ...

in 215, Su Ze went to Xiabian County (下辨縣; northwest of present-day

Cheng County Cheng County or Chengxian () is a county under the administration of Longnan City, in southeastern Gansu Province of China. It has a land area of 1,780 square kilometers and a population of 250,000 in 2004. The postal code is 742500, and the coun ...

, Gansu) to pacify the local Di tribes and to open up trade along the

. He was subsequently reassigned to be the Administrator of Jincheng Commandery (金城郡; around present-day

Yuzhong County Yuzhong County () is a county of Gansu Province, China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu, one of 58 counties of Gansu. Its postal code is 730100, and its population in 2019 was 560,000 ...

, Gansu). At the time, Jincheng Commandery and its surrounding areas had been ravaged by war in the previous years, so its population had drastically fallen as people were displaced from their homes and forced to seek shelter elsewhere. Many of them also suffered from poverty and hunger. After assuming office, Su Ze took careful steps to rebuild Jincheng Commandery. He first negotiated the terms for peaceful co-existence with the local non-

tribes, such as the Di and Qiang, and made arrangements to purchase livestock from them. He then distributed the livestock among the refugees to help them regain their means of livelihood. He also opened up the official granaries and shared half of the food supplies with the people. Within a month, a few thousand refugee families returned to Jincheng Commandery. Su Ze also established a legal system to maintain law and order in Jincheng Commandery. Those who broke the laws were punished while those who followed the laws were rewarded. He also went to the fields and taught the people how to farm and grow crops. After Jincheng Commandery had a bountiful harvest that year, more people came and settled down there. When Li Yue () started a rebellion in the neighbouring Longxi Commandery (隴西郡; around present-day

Longxi County Longxi is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Dingxi in the southeast of Gansu Province, China. Administration Longxi has twelve towns and five townships. The county seat is Gongchang. ;Towns: ;Towns upgraded to ...

, Gansu), the Di and Qiang tribes supported Su Ze and assisted him in suppressing the revolt. Li Yue surrendered after he was surrounded. After Cao Cao died in March 220,''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 69. Qu Yan () started a rebellion in Xiping Commandery (西平郡; around present-day

Xining Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and w ...

). When Su Ze heard about it, he led troops from Jincheng Commandery to quell the revolt. A fearful Qu Yan surrendered to Su Ze. Cao Cao's son and successor

, who became the new ''de facto'' head of the Han central government, granted Su Ze the additional appointment of Colonel Who Protects the Qiang () and enfeoffed him as a Secondary Marquis () as a reward for his success in putting down the rebellion. Cao Pi, however, was initially reluctant to make Su Ze a marquis even though he acknowledged that Su Ze did an excellent job in governing Jincheng Commandery. He secretly sought the opinion of Su Ze's superior Zhang Ji, the Inspector of

Yong Province Yong Province or Yongzhou was the name of various regions and provinces in ancient China, usually around the Wei River or the imperial capital. Geographical region In the '' Book of Documents'', Yongzhou is mentioned as one of the legendary ...

, on this issue. In his reply to Cao Pi, Zhang Ji listed out Su Ze's various achievements – rebuilding a war-torn Jincheng Commandery, gaining the support of the Di and Qiang tribes, quelling Qu Yan's revolt, etc. – and advised Cao Pi to award Su Ze a marquis title to honour him for his loyalty and contributions.

Suppressing rebellions in western China

Around June 220, Qu Yan () rebelled again in Xiping Commandery and managed to garner support in two neighbouring commanderies,

and

. His allies, Zhang Jin () and Huang Hua (), rebelled against Du Tong () and Xin Ji (), the Administrators of Zhangye and Jiuquan respectively, and declared themselves the new Administrators. Zhang Jin even took Du Tong hostage. To make things worse, the non-

tribes in Wuwei Commandery seized the opportunity to start raiding and pillaging counties, while other local elites (both Han Chinese and non-Han Chinese) throughout Yong and Liang provinces wanted to jump on the bandwagon and join the rebels. The rebellions caused a major disruption in trade flows along the

. Guanqiu Xing (), the Administrator of Wuwei Commandery, sent an urgent report to Su Ze in Jincheng Commandery and sought his aid in dealing with the rebels. At the time, Su Ze had with him two military officers,

Hao Zhao Hao Zhao ( 220–229), courtesy name Bodao, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is best known for his victory at the siege of Chencang in 229 when he led a successful defence of Chencang ...

and Wei Ping (), who were in command of Jincheng Commandery's armed forces. However, they were not allowed to lead the troops into battle without authorisation from the Han central government. Su Ze called for a meeting with Hao Zhao, Wei Ping, his subordinates and his Qiang allies to discuss how to deal with the rebellions. He told them: "Although the rebels have superiority in numbers, they are nothing more than a motley crowd. As some of them have been forced to join the rebellion, they aren't necessarily as united as they seem. We should exploit their differences and make them split into 'good' and 'bad' camps. We shall then induce those in the 'good' camp to join us. This will boost our numbers and reduce theirs. Once we have increased our numbers, our morale will increase as well. By then, we should be able to defeat the rebels easily. If we do nothing now and wait for reinforcements to arrive, by then it'll be much more difficult to separate the rebels into 'good' and 'bad' camps and turn those in the 'good' camp to our side. Although we have no authorisation from the imperial court, given the current circumstances, I don't think it's unreasonable for us to exercise our own judgment and act accordingly." Everyone agreed with Su Ze. With support from Zhang Ji, the Inspector of

, and Zhang Gong (), the Chief Clerk of Dunhuang, Su Ze started launching military operations to suppress the rebellions. He first led his troops to Wuwei Commandery to assist Guanqiu Xing in putting down the unrest caused by the local tribes. After pacifying Wuwei Commandery, he joined forces with Guanqiu Xing to attack Zhang Jin in Zhangye Commandery. When Qu Yan heard about it, he led 3,000 men to meet Su Ze and lied that he wanted to surrender while secretly plotting to incite a mutiny. Su Ze saw through Qu Yan's lies, lured him into a trap and executed him. The rebels fled when they saw that Qu Yan was dead. Su Ze then gathered his allies, attacked Zhangye Commandery together, and defeated and killed Zhang Jin. The other rebels surrendered. When Huang Hua learnt that Qu Yan and Zhang Jin had been defeated and killed, he became fearful and surrendered to Su Ze. The rebellions thus came to an end. Su Ze returned to Jincheng Commandery in triumph. As a reward for his contributions, Su Ze was elevated from the status of a Secondary Marquis to a Marquis of a Chief Village () and given a marquisate of 300 taxable households.

Service in the Cao Wei state

In late 220, Cao Cao's son and successor,

, usurped the throne from

, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

After becoming emperor, Cao Pi summoned Su Ze to the imperial capital,

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

, to serve as a Palace Attendant (). He also assigned Su Ze to the same office as Dong Zhao. On one occasion, while taking a break, Dong Zhao laid down on the floor and rested his head on Su Ze's lap. Su Ze pushed him away and said, "My lap is not a pillow for sycophants." At the time, as Palace Attendants' duties included seeing to the emperor's daily living conditions, they were often teasingly referred to as ''zhihuzi'' (執虎子; "

chamber pot A chamber pot is a portable toilet, meant for nocturnal use in the bedroom. It was common in many cultures before the advent of indoor plumbing and flushing toilets. Names and etymology "Chamber" is an older term for bedroom. The chamber pot ...

holder"). Su Ze's old friend, Ji Mao (), had become a county prefect at the time. When they met up, Ji Mao poked fun at Su Ze by saying, "Can your career bring you to anything more than a ''zhihuzi''?" Su Ze laughed and said, "I can't be like you, riding freely on your chariot."

Mourning the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty

Su Ze was still the Administrator of Jincheng Commandery when he first heard that the Cao Wei state had replaced the Eastern Han dynasty, and he thought that Emperor Xian was dead so he held a memorial service for the emperor. Later, he became awkwardly silent when he found out that Emperor Xian was alive and had been made the Duke of Shanyang () after his abdication.

Cao Zhi Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style o ...

, a younger brother of Cao Pi, also shed tears when he heard of the fall of the Han dynasty. Cao Zhi's grief, however, was also partly because of the frustration he felt at losing to Cao Pi when they were fighting for the succession to their father's place. After Cao Pi became emperor, he was surprised to learn that there were people who cried when they heard that Emperor Xian had abdicated the throne to him, so he asked his subjects why. At the point in time, Cao Pi already knew about Cao Zhi, but not about Su Ze, so his question was directed at Cao Zhi. Su Ze thought that Cao Pi was referring to him, so he prepared to step up and respond. However,

Fu Xun Fu Xun ( 200s–230s) was a politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlord Liu Biao in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life Fu Xun was from Niyang County (), Beidi Commandery ( ...

, another Palace Attendant, stopped him and said, "(His Majesty) is not talking about you." Su Ze then backed down.

Giving advice to Cao Pi

On one occasion, Cao Pi asked Su Ze, "Previously, when you pacified

and

and opened up trade with the

Western Regions The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in the Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of Yumen Pass, most often Central Asia or sometimes more sp ...

, I remember that Dunhuang offered large pearls as tribute. Can we find such pearls in the market now?" Su Ze replied, "If Your Majesty can rule the Empire well, bring everything into harmony, spread our culture to the deserts (in the Western Regions), then such pearls will automatically come to us. If you ask for them and get them, they won't be as valuable (as when they are willingly offered as tribute)." Cao Pi fell silent. On another occasion, when Cao Pi was out on a hunting excursion, the fences built to trap the deer in an enclosed area were not properly secured so the deer broke through the fences and escaped. Cao Pi was so furious that he drew his sword and wanted to execute his servants. Su Ze knelt down and pleaded with him to spare the servants, saying, "Your Majesty, I heard that the sage-rulers of ancient times would not harm people for the sake of animals. Now, Your Majesty wishes to promote the culture of Yao's time, yet Your Majesty wants to execute so many people just because a hunting excursion went wrong. I don't think this is something Your Majesty should do. With my life, I beg Your Majesty to spare these people." Cao Pi replied, "You're a subject who speaks his mind." He then spared all his servants. Since then, Cao Pi became more wary of Su Ze because he knew that Su Ze would not hesitate to speak up and criticise him if he did something wrong.

Death

In 223, Cao Pi reassigned Su Ze to be the Chancellor () of Dongping State (東平國; south of present-day

Dongping County , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = BaifoShan Park.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_ ...

, Shandong). While en route to Dongping State to assume his new appointment, Su Ze fell sick and died. Cao Pi honoured him with the

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...

"Marquis Gang" ().

Descendants

Su Ze's elder son, Su Yi (), inherited his father's peerage and marquisate as a Marquis of a Chief Village (). He had no son to succeed him when he died. Su Ze's younger son, Su Yu (), succeeded his elder brother Su Yi. Su Yu, whose

was Xiuyu (), served in the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Jin dynasty replaced the Cao Wei state in 265, Su Yu continued serving in the Jin government as Minister of Ceremonies () and Household Counsellor (). Shan Tao, one of the

Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (also known as the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove, ) were a group of Chinese scholars, writers, and musicians of the third century CE. Although the various individuals all existed, their interconnection is ...

, once praised Su Yu for his loyalty and intelligence. Su Yu had three sons: an unnamed son, Su Shao () and Su Shen (). Su Yu's unnamed son had a daughter who married Shi Chong (石崇; 249–300). Su Shao, whose courtesy name was Shisi (), was a notable poet whose works were included in the ''Jin Gu Collection'' (). He was also a tutor to Sima Yan (司馬晏; 281–311), a son of Emperor Wu of the Jin dynasty. Su Shen served as Left General of the Guards () under the Jin dynasty.(臣松之案愉子紹，字世嗣，為吳王師。石崇妻，紹之兄女也。紹有詩在金谷集。紹弟慎，左衞將軍。) Pei Songzhi's annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 16.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). '' Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Ze Year of birth unknown 223 deaths Cao Wei politicians Han dynasty politicians from Shaanxi Politicians from Baoji

Early life

Service under the Eastern Han dynasty

As the Administrator of Jincheng

Suppressing rebellions in western China

Service in the Cao Wei state

Mourning the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty

Giving advice to Cao Pi

Death

Descendants

See also

References