Du Yuanying (杜元穎; 769–833''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'', vol. 17, part 2.), formally the Baron of Jian'an (建安男), was an official of the Chinese dynasty, serving as a

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

during the reign of Emperor Muzong. His policy error while being chancellor was blamed for the imperial government's losing control over the circuits north of the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

. While later serving as the military governor (''

Jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'') of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

), he was further blamed for failure of discipline that caused his soldiers to provoke a major

Nanzhao Nanzhao ( zh, t=南詔, s=南诏, p=Nánzhào), also spelled Nanchao, , Yi language: ꂷꏂꌅ, ''Mashynzy'') was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuri ...

invasion against Xichuan, leading to his exile.

Background

Du Yuanying was born in 769, during the reign of Emperor Daizong.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 163. Traditional histories indicate that he was from the same clan as the famous early-

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

Du Ruhui, but provide conflicting accounts as to whether he was descended from Du Ruhui – with Du Yuanying's biography in the ''

'' indicating that he was a "descendant" of Du Ruhui's; his biography in the ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'' indicating that he was a fifth-generation descendant of Du Ruhui's;''

'', vol. 96. the table of the chancellors' family trees in the ''New Book of Tang'' indicating that he was a descendant of Du Ruhui's uncle Du Yan, who was himself a chancellor as well;''New Book of Tang'', vol. 72
and the ''

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 ...

'', apparently adopting that latter assertion, indicating that he was a descendant of Du Yan's.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241. In any case, the Du clan claimed original ancestry from the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

states Tang and Du and traced its ancestry to officials of Lu,

Chu Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the H ...

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the or the , was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previou ...

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

, and Tang. Neither Du Yuanying's great-grandfather Du Ziyuan (杜自遠) nor grandfather Du Fan (杜繁) was listed with any offices, although Du Yuanying's father Du Zuo (杜佐) served as a judge at the supreme court. Du Yuanying had at least one younger brother, Du Yuanjiang (杜元絳). Du Yuanying himself passed the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

s late in the ''Zhenyuan'' era (785–805) of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, and thereafter served on the staff of a regional governor.

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

During the middle of the ''Yuanhe'' era (805–821) of Emperor Dezong's grandson

Emperor Xianzong Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong, ...

, Du Yuanying became a ''Zuo Shiyi'' (左拾遺), a low-level consultant at the examination bureau of government (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''); and then a ''You Bujue'' (右補闕), a higher-ranked consultant at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng''). He was then also made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, ''Hanlin Xueshi''). Du wrote things quickly and much impressed Emperor Xianzong. After Emperor Xianzong destroyed the warlord

Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793'' New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817vol. 47.) He thereafter was made ''Sixun Yuanwailang'' (司勳員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, ''Libu''), but continued to serve as imperial scholar.

During Emperor Muzong's reign

Emperor Xianzong died in 820 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong. Immediately after Emperor Muzong's ascension, he summoned Du Yuanying for a meeting and promoted him to be ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. Later that year, Emperor Muzong made Du the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, ''Hubu Shilang'') and the chief imperial scholar (承旨, ''Chengzhi''). In 821, he gave Du the title ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making Du a chancellor ''de facto''. Emperor Muzong also created him the Baron of Jian'an. It was said that no chancellor had ever risen so quickly on the path that Du took as an official responsible for imperial edicts. In 821,

Liu Zong Liú Zǒng () (died May 2, 821), dharma name Dàjué (), formally Duke of Chǔ (), was a general of the Táng Dynasty. He took over control of Lulong Circuit, Lúlóng Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) in 810 after killing his fathe ...

the military governor (''

'') of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

), whose circuit had long been ruled in a ''de facto'' independent manner from the imperial government, offered to resign and surrender control of the circuit to the imperial government. To try to ensure that the people of the circuit would submit to imperial rule, Liu proposed that the circuit be divided into three circuits, recommending the former chancellor

Zhang Hongjing Zhang Hongjing () (760 – July 24, 824), courtesy name Yuanli (), formally the Marquess of Gaoping (), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. He was blamed in traditional histor ...

, the general

Xue Ping Xue Ping (薛平) (c. 753? – February 25, 832''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 2.), courtesy name Tantu (坦途), formally the Duke of Han (韓公), was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, whose father Xue Song ruled Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義 ...

, and the official Lu Shimei (盧士玫) to take over the three circuits, while he also sent a number of officers, such as

Zhu Kerong Zhu Kerong () (died 826''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 180.), formally the Prince of Wuxing (), was a military governor (''jiedushi'') of the Chinese dynasty Tang dynasty who ruled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) independent of ...

, that he found difficult to control to the capital

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 ...

, asking that they be given commissions and honors so that the soldiers of Lulong would be encouraged by the examples to obey imperial orders. Emperor Muzong accepted Liu's submission, but did not fully implement Liu's partition plan; two prefectures of Lulong were given to Lu, but the remaining prefectures were all given to Zhang, under the suggestion of Du and fellow chancellor

Cui Zhi Cui Zhi () (772 – March 2, 829''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 17, part 1.), courtesy name Gongxiu (公修), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of the Emperor Muzong. Both he and his cousin Cui Ling ...

, who did not understand the rationale of Liu's plan. Further, Zhu and the other officers that Liu sent to Chang'an were not given offices or salaries, and it was said that as they lacked income, they fell into financial desperation, even requiring loans for their food and clothing, despite their frequent submission of requests for offices to Cui and Du. When Zhang arrived at Lulong, he ordered Zhu and the others to return to Lulong, further angering them. In fall 821, Lulong soldiers mutinied and put Zhang and Lu under arrest, supporting Zhu as their leader. Eventually, the imperial government lost control not only of Lulong, but also of Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

) and Weibo (魏博, headquartered in modern

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...

) Circuits, and traditional historians blamed the losses on Du, Cui, and fellow chancellor Wang Bo for their incompetence.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 242. In 822, a mutiny occurred at Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern

Kaifeng Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...

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 ...

), led by the officer Li Jie (李㝏), that expelled the military governor Li Yuan (李愿). Du and the director of finances Zhang Pingshu (張平叔) advocated placating Li Jie by making him military governor, while fellow chancellor

Li Fengji Li Fengji (; 758 – February 27, 835), courtesy name Xuzhou (虛舟), formally Duke Cheng of Zheng (鄭成公) or Duke Cheng of Liang (涼成公), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a Chancellor of the Tang d ...

advocated a campaign against Li Jie. Emperor Muzong accepted Li Fengji's suggestion, and Li Jie was soon killed by his own subordinate Li Zhi (李質), who then surrendered to imperial authority. In 823, Du was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern

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 ...

), still carrying the ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' title as an honorary title.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.

During Emperor Jingzong's and Emperor Wenzong's reigns

Emperor Muzong died in 824 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Jingzong. Because Emperor Jingzong was young, playful, and liked extravagant things, Du Yuanying, in order to please the emperor, often offered rare and valuable treasures to Emperor Jingzong. Du was thus harsh with his people in extracting wealth and treasures, and this caused much resentment toward him. Du was also said to be corrupt and had diverted funds from the soldiers' salaries and clothing and food stipends, and to lack knowledge in military matters.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244. Meanwhile, Li Fengji had accused Du and

Li Shen Li Shen () (died July 29, 846''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 248.), courtesy name Gongchui (), formally Duke Wensu of Zhao (), was a Chinese historian, military general, poet, and politician of the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign ...

of having supported Emperor Muzong's brother Li Cong (李悰) the Prince of Shen as Emperor Muzong's successor, but any suspicions of Emperor Jingzong on that issue were dissipated after he found, in Emperor Muzong's archives, petitions from Du and Li Shen requesting that he be made

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

. Over the years, because of Du's mistreatment of the soldiers, the soldiers, lacking food and clothing, were forced to pillage the borders of

in order to have sufficient supplies. Nanzhao reacted by giving gifts of clothing and food to these Tang soldiers in exchange for information about Xichuan Circuit. As a result, Nanzhao became highly aware of Xichuan's vulnerabilities. By 829, at which time Emperor Jingzong's brother Emperor Wenzong was emperor, the Nanzhao prince Mengcuodian (蒙嵯顛) was planning a major attack against Xichuan. When the border prefectures received rumors of Mengcuodian's plans, their warnings to Du were unheeded, and thus, when Mengcuodian, guided by Xichuan soldiers who resented Du, launched his attack, he encountered no resistance, quickly capturing Xi (雟州, in modern

Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (Nuosu language, Northern Yi: /nɛ˨˩ʂa˧/) is an autonomous prefecture occupying much of the southern extremity of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China. Its seat is Xichang. Liangshan covers an area o ...

) and Rong (戎州, in modern

Yibin Yibin ( zh, s=宜宾 , t=宜賓 , p=Yíbīn , w=I-pin, region=CN-SC-15; Sichuanese Pinyin: ȵi2bin1; Sichuanese pronunciation: ) is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of Sichuan province, China, located at the junction of the Min ...

) Prefectures. Du sent forces to resist Mengcuodian, but after Mengcuodian defeated Xichuan forces, Qiong Prefecture fell to Nanzhao as well. Nanzhao forces put Chengdu under siege and entered its western city, while forward troops reached as far as Zi Prefecture (梓州, in modern

Mianyang Mianyang ( zh, s=绵阳, t=綿陽, w=Mien2-yang2, p=Miányáng; Sichuanese Pinyin, Sichuanese romanization: ''Mien-iang''; formerly known as Mienchow, zh, t=綿州, p=Mianzhou, links=no; Sichuanese romanization: ''Miencheo''; ) is the second lar ...

), the headquarters of Xichuan's neighboring circuit Dongchuan (東川). Nanzhao forces stayed at Chengdu's western city for 10 days before pillaging Chengdu and withdrawing, taking with them tens of thousands of Xichuan craftspeople and young men and women. It was said that after this incident, Nanzhao had crafts capabilities rivaling Xichuan. Emperor Wenzong initially demoted Du to be the prefect of Shao Prefecture (邵州, in modern

Shaoyang Shaoyang (), formerly named Baoqing (Paoking) (), is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Hunan province, China, bordering Guangxi to the south. It has a history of 2500 years and remains an important commercial and transportation city in Huna ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

). After Mengcuodian submitted a petition accusing Du of crimes and explaining the reasons for the incursion, and further demanding Du's execution, Emperor Wenzong further demoted Du to be the military advisor to the prefect of Xun Prefecture (循州, in modern

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in east-central Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Hey ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

). Subsequently, the military governor of Dongchuan, Guo Zhao (郭釗), was made the military governor of Xichuan and made peace with Nanzhao. Several of Du's key staff members were likewise demoted. Du died in 833 at Xun Prefecture. Before he died, he submitted a petition begging for posthumous restoration to a higher office, and Emperor Wenzong awarded him a posthumous promotion to prefect. Du Yuanying's nephew

Du Shenquan Du Shenquan (杜審權), courtesy name Yinheng (殷衡), formally Duke De of Xiangyang (襄陽德公), was an official of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, who served as a Chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Empe ...

(Du Yuanjiang's son) and Du Shenquan's son

Du Rangneng Du Rangneng (杜讓能) (841–893), courtesy name Qunyi (群懿), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a former ''jiedushi'' of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Em ...

later served as chancellors as well.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 163. * ''

'', vol. 96. * ''

'', vols. vol. 241,

242 Year 242 (Roman numerals, CCXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Lepidus (or, less frequently, year 995 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

243 __NOTOC__ Year 243 ( CCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Arrianus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 996 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominat ...

244 __NOTOC__ Year 244 ( CCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Armenius and Aemilianus (or, less frequently, year 997 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 2 ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Du, Yuanying 769 births 833 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Muzong of Tang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xichuan Circuit