Gai Yu () (died 905), formally the Duke of Chengyang (), was a key strategist of

Li Keyong Li Keyong ( zh , c = 李克用 , p = Lǐ Kèyòng ) (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 the Prince of Jin ( zh, t=晉王, p=Jìn Wáng), which would becom ...

, a major warlord late in the Chinese

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 ...

Background

It is not known when Gai Yu was born, but it was known that he was from Wei Prefecture (蔚州, in modern

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (), also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southwest ...

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 that both his grandfather Gai Zuo () and father Gai Qing () served as officer at Wei Prefecture.'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 55. When the ethnically-

Shatuo The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...

officer

rose against Duan Wenchu () the defender of Datong Circuit (大同, headquartered at

Datong Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province, China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 census, it had a population o ...

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 ...

) (which Wei Prefecture belonged to) at Datong's capital Yun Prefecture () in 878, Gai was one of the proponents, and he became a close associate of Li's.

Services under Li Keyong

After Li Keyong resubmitted to Tang authority and was made 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 Yanmen Circuit ( t or s ''Yànmén Dào'') around present-day

in 882,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255. he made Gai Yu a base supervisor as well as the prefect of Lan Prefecture (嵐州, in modern

Lüliang Lüliang ( zh, s=吕梁 , t=呂梁 , p=Lǚliáng), also spelled as Lvliang or Lyuliang, is a prefecture-level city in western Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shaanxi province across the Yellow River to the west, Jinzhong ...

). After Li Keyong was later made the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern

Taiyuan Taiyuan; Mandarin pronunciation: (Jin Chinese, Taiyuan Jin: /tʰai˦˥ ye˩˩/) is the capital of Shanxi, China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. It is an industrial base foc ...

), Gai continued as a base supervisor. It was said that Li Keyong consulted him on all important matters and listened to his suggestions, and that he accompanied Li Keyong on all campaigns. In 885, after a dispute between the powerful

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

Tian Lingzi Tian Lingzi (田令孜) (died 893), courtesy name Zhongze (仲則), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. During most of Emperor Xizong's reign, he had a stranglehold on power due to h ...

and Li Keyong's ally Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern

Yuncheng Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...

) erupted into an armed conflict, Wang Chongrong's and Li Keyong's forces defeated the forces of Tian and his allies

Zhu Mei Zhu Mei () (died January 7, 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.) was a warlord of the Chinese Tang dynasty. Disillusioned with Emperor Xizong and the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, he tried to supp ...

the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern

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 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 Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in 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 ...

). Fearful of Wang Chongrong's and Li Keyong's approaching forces, Tian took then-reigning Emperor Xizong and fled to Xingyuan (興元, in modern

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 ...

). Zhu broke his relationship with Tian and Emperor Xizong, took over the imperial 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 ...

, and instead supported Emperor Xizong's distant relative Li Yun the Prince of Xiang as the new emperor. Zhu elicited support for Li Yun from the various regional governors, and when his emissary reached Hedong, Gai pointed out that the people of the realm had blamed Li Keyong for chasing Emperor Xizong out of Chang'an and that the only way for Li Keyong to clear himself in their eyes would be to see to Zhu's and Li Yun's destruction. Under Gai's suggestion, Li Keyong burned Li Yun's edict and put Zhu's emissary under arrest, and instead issued a declaration that supported Emperor Xizong and vowing to destroy Zhu. This helped to affirm Emperor Xizong's status as the legitimate emperor. Subsequently, Zhu was assassinated by his own subordinate Wang Xingyu, and Li Yun was killed by Wang Chongrong, allowing Emperor Xizong to return to Chang'an.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256. In 894, Gai suggested that Li Keyong support the former Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern

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 ...

) officer

Liu Rengong Liu Rengong () (died 914) was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) from 895 (when his one-time lord Li Keyong conquered Lulong and left him in charge of it) to 907 (wh ...

, who had fled to Hedong after an unsuccessful attempt to take over the circuit, in his endeavors to capture the circuit against Li Kuangchou. Li Keyong agreed, and after a campaign against Li Kuangchou took over Lulong''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 259. and gave it to Liu to rule as his vassal.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260. (However, Liu would betray Li Keyong in 897 and became independent.)''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 261. In 895, Li Keyong waged a successful campaign against Wang Xingyu (who had succeeded Zhu as the military governor of Jingnan) and

Li Maozhen Li Maozhen (; 856 – May 17, 924), born Song Wentong (), courtesy name Zhengchen (), formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin (), was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Qi (901–924). He had become a powerful ...

, the military governor of Fengxiang (who had succeeded Li Changfu) after they had marched on Chang'an and killed the

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 ...

s Li Xi and

Wei Zhaodu Wei Zhaodu (韋昭度) (died June 4, 895Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 260.), courtesy name Zhengji (正紀), formally the Duke of Qi (岐公), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a ...

.Then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong (Emperor Xizong's brother and successor) created Li Keyong the Prince of Jin and bestowed many titles on his followers. As part of this, Gai was made the governor (觀察使, ''Guanchashi'') of Rong District (容管, in modern

Yulin, Guangxi Yulin (, ), Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Watlam, is one of the fourteen prefecture-level city, prefecture-level cities of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, People's Republic of China. Its Chinese name was change ...

), but did not actually report there. He was also created a marquess. As the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

historian

Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', a monumental work of history. B ...

described in his ''

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 ...

'' as Gai's standing with Li Keyong at that point: Shortly afterwards, when many of Li Keyong's subordinates suggested that he should head to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor, Gai argued against it, pointing out that this would cause the people of Chang'an to be disturbed, as they would not be able to discern Li Keyong's intentions. Li Keyong agreed and withdrew back to Hedong Circuit. Meanwhile, when Li Keyong's general

Li Hanzhi Li Hanzhi (; 842''New Book of Tang'', vol. 187.'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 15.''New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 42. – July 26, 899Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 261.), forma ...

requested the military governorship of Jingnan, but Li Keyong declined on the basis that the imperial government had already commissioned Su Wenjian (), Li Hanzhi complained to Gai. Gai, fearful that Li Hanzhi would eventually rebel, tried several times to speak on his behalf with Li Keyong, but Li Keyong refused to grant Li Hanzhi a military governorship, believing that doing so would hasten Li Hanzhi's betrayal. (Li Hanzhi did, as Gai feared, seize Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern

Changzhi Changzhi ( zh, s=长治) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi Province, China, bordering the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the northeast and east, respectively. Historically, the city was one of the 36 administrative areas ( ...

) in 898, turn against Li Keyong, and submit to Zhu Quanzhong. In 897, Emperor Zhaozong upgraded Rong District to Ningyuan Circuit () and made Gai its military governor. Subsequently, Emperor Zhaozong also created him the Duke of Chengyang. Gai died in 905. In his will, he advised Li Keyong to reduce construction projects, lower taxes and levies, and seek out wise counselors.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 265. After Li Keyong's son and successor

Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the second ruling prince of the Jin (Later Tang precursor), Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) who later became the founding Emperor ...

founded

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...

, he gave Gai posthumous honors.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 55. * ''

'', vols.

256 Year 256 ( CCLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 1009 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 256 for this y ...

259 Year 259 ( CCLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aemilianus and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 1012 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 259 for thi ...

260 __NOTOC__ Year 260 ( CCLX) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Saecularis and Donatus (or, less frequently, year 1013 ''Ab urbe condita ''Ab urbe condita' ...

261 __NOTOC__ Year 261 (Roman numerals, CCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Taurus (or, less frequently, year 1014 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...

265 __NOTOC__ Year 265 (Roman numerals, CCLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Lucillus (or, less frequently, year 1018 ''Ab urbe condita''). Th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gai, Yu 9th-century births 905 deaths Tang dynasty jiedushi of Ningyuan Circuit Politicians from Zhangjiakou Tang dynasty generals from Hebei