Dou Chong
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Dou Chong ( 368–394) was a Di military general and ruler of
Former Qin Qin, known as the Former Qin and Fu Qin (苻秦) in historiography, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China ruled by the Fu (Pu) clan of the Di (Five Barbarians), Di peoples during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Founded in the wake of ...
during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Dou Chong rose to prominence after the Battle of Feishui in 383, remaining loyal to Fu Jian after most of Qin's generals had betrayed the state and becoming a key general. Dou Chong continued his service with Qin under
Fu Pi Fu Pi (; fl. 357 - November 386), courtesy name Yongshu (永叔), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Aiping of Former Qin (前秦哀平帝), was an emperor of the Di-led Former Qin dynasty of China. He was Fu Jiān (Emperor Xuanzhao ...
and
Fu Deng Fu Deng (; 343–394), courtesy name Wengao (文高), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Gao of Former Qin (前秦高帝), was an emperor of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty. He assumed the throne in 386 after the deaths of Fu ...
, but by 393, despite receiving much favour from Fu Deng, he rebelled and declared himself the King of Qin. Dou Chong's Qin only lasted for a year before he was defeated and captured by
Later Qin Qin, known in historiography as the Later Qin ( zh, s=后秦, t=後秦, p=Hòuqín; 384–417) or Yao Qin (), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Yao clan of Qiang ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period in northern China. As the onl ...
.


Service under Fu Jian

Dou Chong was an ethnic Di from
Wudu ''Wuduʾ'' ( ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The steps of wudu are washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, washing the face, then the forearms, then wiping the head, ...
. It is not known when Dou Chong specifically joined Fu Jian, but he first appeared in the records in 368, during the rebellion of Fu Liu (苻柳), Fu Shuang (苻雙), Fu Sou (苻廋) and Fu Wu (苻武). Dou Chong was serving as the General of the Forbidden Guards of the Left at the time and participated in quelling the rebellion by leading cavalries. In 380, Fu Jian's cousin, Fu Luo, rebelled against him in Helong (和龍, in modern
Jinzhou Jinzhou (, zh, s= , t=錦州 , p=Jǐnzhōu), formerly Chinchow, is a coastal prefecture-level city in central-west Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the Liaoxi Corridor, which connects most of the la ...
,
Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
). Fu Jian sent Dou Chong and
Lü Guang Lü Guang (; 337–400), courtesy name Shiming (世明), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Yiwu of Later Liang (後涼懿武帝), was the founding emperor of the Di-led Chinese Later Liang dynasty (although during most of his reig ...
to campaign against them. Dou Chong fought Fu Luo at
Zhongshan Zhongshan ( zh, c=中山 ), alternately romanized via Cantonese as Chungshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is n ...
, where he greatly routed and captured him. Dou Chong sent Fu Luo back to the capital, while Lü Guang defeated Fu Luo's remaining followers. Before the Battle of Feishui in 383, Fu Jian appointed
Yao Chang Yao Chang (; 331–394), courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin (後秦武昭帝), was the founding emperor of the Qiang-led Chinese Later Qin dynasty. His father Yao Yizhong had bee ...
as Prancing Dragon General. Fu Jian jokingly said to him, "Before, I established my rule as the General Longxiang. I do not easily confer this title on others, so take good care of it." However, Dou Chong objected to his playful comment, telling him, "Kings should not joke, this is an ominous sign." Fu Jian made no reply. The Battle of Feishui ended in disaster for Fu Jian, and Former Qin began to fall apart. As the state disintegrated, Dou Chong remained by Fu Jian's side, serving under Fu Jian's son Fu Rui (苻叡) as his chief clerk. In 384, he helped Fu Rui in his campaign against
Murong Hong Murong Hong ( zh, c=慕容泓; died 384) was the founder of the Xianbei-led Western Yan dynasty of China. He was a son of the Former Yan emperor Murong Jun and a younger brother of Former Yan emperor Murong Wei. It is not known when Murong Hong ...
but was later given personal command by Fu Jian to defeat Hong's brother, Murong Chong at Pingyang, who had also rebelled. Dou Chong defeated Murong Chong at Hedong, causing Murong Chong to abandon his infantry and flee to his brother. In the middle of 384, Dou Chong feigned surrender to the Jin dynasty. The Jin court appointed Dou Chong as a general but shortly after his appointment, he defected back to Qin and invaded
Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...
. The Jin administrators, Huangfu Zhao (皇甫釗) and Zhou Xun (周勳) surrendered three counties of Baxi (巴西; around present-day
Langzhong Langzhong (formerly known as Paoning) is a county-level city in northeastern Sichuan province, China, located on the middle reaches of the Jialing River. It is administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Nanchong. Langzhong has a total ...
,
Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
) to Dou, and Jin's Inspector of Liangzhou, Zhou Qiong (周瓊) had little troops to resist them. Qiong asked the Inspector of Yuzhou,
Zhu Xu Zhu Xu (; 15 April 1930 – 15 September 2018) was a Chinese actor. He was well known for his roles in Zhang Yang's ''Shower'' and Wu Tianming's ''The King of Masks'', the latter film winning him the Best Actor prize at the Tokyo International ...
for help, so Zhu sent Huangfu Zhen (皇甫貞; not to be confused with Former Yan's Huangfu Zhen) to assist him. The two drove Dou Chong back to the east of
Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
while both Huangfu Zhao and Zhou Xun were killed. The following month, Fu Jian led a campaign north against Yao Chang, who had broken away and formed his state of Later Qin. With Dou Chong serving as General of the Left, Fu Jian camped at Fort Zhaoshi (趙氏塢; in present-day
Tongchuan Tongchuan ( zh, s=铜川 , t=銅川 , p=Tóngchuān , l=copper river) is a prefecture-level city located in central Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China on the southern fringe of the Loess Plateau that defines the northern half of the p ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
) and defeated Yao Chang numerous times. Dou and his contemporaries also built a
weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
to cut off Yao Chang's water supply. Yao Chang's men were dying of thirst, so in desperation, he sent his brother, Yao Yinmai (姚尹買), to destroy the weir. However, Dou Chong attacked and beheaded Yinmai, inflicting Later Qin with 13,000 casualties. Yao Chang's army was on the brink of collapse but was saved when a storm occurred to replenish their water. In early 385, the former emperor of
Former Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Murong clan of the Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. From Liaoning, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over Hebei, Shaanxi, ...
and also Murong Hong's brother,
Murong Wei Murong Wei (; 350 – January 385), courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his Southern Yan-accorded posthumous name as the Emperor You of Former Yan (前燕幽帝), was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Former Yan dynasty. He b ...
, apologized to Fu Jian for the actions of his brothers. In reality, this was a ruse to let his guard down and assassinate him. One of the conspirators involved was Tu Xian (突賢), who had a sister that happened to be Dou Chong's concubine. The two did not get along with each other, and with knowledge of the plot, Tu Xian's sister revealed to Dou Chong of Murong Wei's intentions. Dou Chong immediately notified Fu Jian about it, and when it was revealed that Murong Wei had already got the Xianbei citizens in Chang'an involved in the scheme, Fu Jian executed Murong Wei and massacred the Xianbei in the city. In 385, Murong Chong sent his general Gao Gai (高蓋) to attack Chang'an. Gao Gai attacked during the night to catch the defenders by surprise, but Dou Chong and others routed him, killing around 800 of Murong Chong's soldiers. There was lack of ration and widespread hunger in Chang'an at the time, so Dou Chong and the generals ordered for the bodies of dead enemies to be carved up and used as food.


Service under Fu Pi and Fu Deng

Chang'an eventually fell to Murong Chong, while Fu Jian was captured and killed by Yao Chang in 385. News of his son, Fu Pi ascending the throne took a while to reach his family members and generals. Once it reached Dou Chong, he quickly occupied Zichuan (兹川; southeast of Chang'an), where he gathered thousands of followers under his command. Dou Chong then submitted to Fu Pi, and he and the other loyalists sent their messengers to Fu Pi asking him to lead a joint attack against Later Qin. Fu Pi appointed Dou Chong as Governor of Liangzhou, and in mid-386, Dou Chong, along with Deng Jing (鄧景), attacked front and rear against Later Qin's Prefect of
Pingliang Pingliang ( zh, s=平凉 , t=平涼 , p=Píngliàng , l="Pacify Liang") is a inner land prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the south and east and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. T ...
, Jin Xi (金熙). After Fu Pi was killed in 386, a distant relative of his, Fu Deng, succeeded him. Following the succession, Dou Chong was made Governor of Southern Qinzhou and Grand General of Chariot and Cavalry. Not long after, Dou Chong attacked Later Qin, capturing the cities of Qiancheng (汧城; present-day
Long County, Shaanxi Long County or Longxian () is a county of Baoji, in the west of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Gansu province to the north and west. History Longxian was formerly known as Longzhou (陇州), and named for being east of Longshan, which is th ...
) and Yongcheng (雍城; present-day
Fengxiang District Fengxiang District (), formerly, Fengxiang County and its ancient name is Yong county (雍县), is a district administered by Baoji City in the west of Shaanxi province, China. The county covers an area of and as of 2004 had a population of 510, ...
, Shaanxi) and killing the generals, Yao Yuanping (姚元平) and Zhang Lue (張略). Dou pressed on east from Yongcheng to fight Yao Chang, but was defeated. In 389, after Fu Deng was forced back into Fort Hukong (胡空堡; in modern day
Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...
, Shaanxi) by Yao Chang, Fu Deng had Dou Chong promoted to Grand Marshal, Chief Controller of Longdong (隴東, roughly modern
Baoji Baoji ( zh, s= , t= , p=Bǎojī; ) is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi. Geography The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
), and Governor of
Yongzhou Yongzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao River, Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and bordering Guang ...
. He then ordered Dou to advance from Fanchuan (繁川; in modern day
Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
, Shaanxi) to Later Qin's Chang'an to serve as the vanguard in capturing the city. In 391, Fu Deng attacked Chang'an but was once again defeated by Yao Chang. Dou Chong reached his highest position in Qin in 392, as Fu Deng made him his Prime Minister of the Left. Dou Chong then shifted his base to
Huayin Huayin is a county-level city in Weinan, Shaanxi province, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of count ...
. From there, he attacked Jin's Administrator of Pingyang (平陽; in modern
Linfen Linfen () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of T ...
,
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
), Zhang Yuanxi (張元熙), at Huangtian Castle (皇天塢). However, he was repelled at Hucheng (湖城; present-day
Lingbao City Lingbao (; postal: Lingpao) is a county-level city and the westernmost county-level division of Henan province, China, bordering the provinces of Shanxi to the north and Shaanxi to the west, under the administration of the prefecture-level city ...
,
Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
) by Yang Quanqi.


As King of Qin

Despite the promotions that Fu Deng had given him, Dou Chong was still discontent and wanted to become Prince of Tianshui. Fu Deng refused to give him such a title, which irritated Dou. By the middle of 393, Dou Chong's patience had waned, resulting in him rebelling and declaring himself the King of Qin, thus challenging Fu Deng's claimant. Dou Chong also went as far as to changing the reign era title to the first year of Yuanguang (元光). Fu Deng responded to Dou Chong's declaration by attacking him at Fort Yeren (野人堡, in modern Pucheng County,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
), Dou Chong asked Later Qin for aid, and at the advice of
Yin Wei Yin or YIN may refer to: *the dark force in the yin and yang from traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine *Yīn (surname) (), a Chinese surname * Yīn (surname 陰), a Chinese surname  *Yǐn (surname) (), a Chinese surname * Yìn (surname) ...
, Yao Chang sent his son Yao Xing to help him. Yao Xing attacked Fu Deng's vulnerable defences at Fort Hukong, forcing Fu Deng to lift his siege against Dou Chong. Fu Deng was then ambushed and routed by Yao Xing, sparing Dou Chong from another attack from Former Qin. The following year in 394, the Later Qin generals Qiang Xi (強熙) and Qiang Duo (強多) revolted against their state and acclaimed Dou Chong as their leader. Yao Xing, now Later Qin's emperor, personally campaigned against Dou Chong and the rebels. Qiang Duo's nephew, Qiang Liangguo (強良國), killed Qiang Duo and submitted back to Yao Xing. Qiang Duo's death caused alarm among the rebels, leading to Qiang Xi and Dou Chong fleeing and parting ways. Dou Chong reached Qianchuan but a Di leader named Chou Gao (仇高) arrested him and sent him to Yao Xing. Dou Chong's cousin, Dou Tong (竇統) surrendered their troops to Yao Xing, ending Dou Chong's state of Qin. Historical records fail to provide information as to what happened to Dou Chong following his capture.(安南強熙、鎮遠楊多叛,推竇沖為盟主,所在擾亂。興率諸將討之,軍次武功,多兄子良國殺多而降。沖弟彰武與沖離貳,沖奔強熙。熙聞興將至,率戶二千奔秦州。竇沖走汧川,汧川氐仇高執送之。沖從弟統率其眾降於興。) Book of Jin, Volume 117


References

* Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''
Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...
'' (''Jin Shu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''
Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...
''. * Cui, Hong (501-522). ''
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiliuguo Chunqiu'' () is a Chinese biographical historical work of the Sixteen Kingdoms compiled by the Northern Wei official Cui Hong between 501 and 5 ...
'' (''Shiliuguo Chunqiu'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Dou, Chong Former Qin generals Sixteen Kingdoms monarchs