Han Hong (; 765 – January 19, 823), formally Duke Yin of Xu (許隱公), was a general of the

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 ...

of China, who also served 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 reigns of

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, ...

and Emperor Xianzong's son Emperor Muzong.

Background

Han Hong was born in 765, during the reign of

Emperor Daizong Emperor Daizong of Tang (11 November 726According to Daizong's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 11 Nov 72 ...

. His family was originally from

Yingchuan Yingchuan Commandery ( zh, 潁川郡) was a Chinese commandery from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty, located in modern central Henan province. The name referred to the Ying River, which flowed through its territory. The commandery was e ...

(潁川, in modern

Xuchang Xuchang ( zh, s=, t= ; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It is bordered by the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe ...

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 ...

), but had for generations lived at Hua Prefecture (滑州, in modern

Anyang Anyang ( zh, s=安阳, t=安陽; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan, China. Geographical coordinates are 35° 41'~ 36° 21' north latitude and 113° 38'~ 114° 59' east longitude. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the eas ...

).''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 156. Neither his grandfather Han Wang () nor his father Han Chui () was prominent, and he lost his father early in his life. He relied on his mother's clan, particularly his maternal uncle, the general Liu Xuanzuo (), serving on Liu's staff. When Liu, who was then 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 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 ...

), died in 792, the soldiers supported Liu's son Liu Shining () as his successor initially, and, despite some reluctance, Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong agreed.''

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 ...

'', vol. 234. In 793, after the soldiers mutinied and expelled Liu Shining, Han left Xuanwu's capital Bian Prefecture () and became an officer at another prefecture of Xuanwu's, Song Prefecture (宋州, in modern

Shangqiu Shangqiu ( zh, ), Postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shangkiu, is a city in eastern Henan province, Central China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast ...

As military governor of Xuanwu Circuit

In 799, Liu Shining's successor Liu Quanliang () died, and the Xuanwu soldiers, remembering Liu Xuanzuo, supported Han Hong as the acting military governor. It was said that Han was good at judging which soldiers were brave and which soldiers were not, and assigning the right soldiers for the right tasks. Emperor Dezong subsequently made Han military governor. Meanwhile,

Wu Shaocheng Wu Shaocheng () (750 – January 6, 810), formally the Prince of Puyang (), was a Chinese military general and politician who served as the military governor of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan), ruled the circuit ...

the military governor of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern

Zhumadian Zhumadian ( zh, s= , t= , p=Zhùmǎdiàn; Postal romanization, postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang, Henan, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to ...

) had recently rose against the imperial government and had reached a secret agreement with Liu Quanliang to jointly attack Chenxu Circuit (陳許, headquartered in modern

) and divide it among them. Han repudiated the agreement and sent troops to help the imperial forces' attacks against Wu.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 235. In 800, Han, after he became familiar with the officers, came to understand that one of them, Liu E (), had long been involved with the repeated mutinies against military governors. He gathered Liu E and 300 of Liu E's followers and executed them. It was said that after this incident, until Han left the circuit two decades later, the Xuanwu soldiers did not dare to create disturbances again. In 805, after Emperor Dezong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Shunzong, but before the news of Emperor Dezong's death had reached the circuits, Li Yuansu () the military governor of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern

), had found out about Emperor Dezong's death. As he wanted to let the warlord

Li Shigu Li Shigu, or Yi Sago ( zh, t=李師古; 778? – July 19, 806) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang dynasty, who, as the military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), r ...

the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern

Tai'an Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

), not felt left out, he secretly informed Li Shigu — but Li Shigu, wanting to use this opportunity to enlarge his territory, battered Li Yuansu's messenger and accused Li Yuansu of falsely proclaiming the emperor's death. He prepared troops to attack Yicheng, and Li Yuansu sought immediate aid from Han. Han sent messengers to warn Li Shigu, and Li Shigu, apprehensive that Han might attack his back, did not attack Yicheng. Han further intercepted the messengers of Li Shigu and Wu Shaocheng's successor

Wu Shaoyang Wu Shaoyang () (died September 29, 814) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who, after seizing control of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義/彰义, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) in 809, governed it in a ''de ...

as the messengers went through Xuanwu, and he confiscated the gifts that Li Shigu and Wu were sending each other — salt from Li Shigu to Wu and cowhide from Wu to Li Shigu, pointing out that imperial regulations forbid military governors from sending each other gifts. In 808, by which time Emperor Shunzong's son

was emperor, Han received the honorary

title of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (). In 812, after another warlord,

Tian Ji'an Tian Ji'an (781 or 782– September 21, 812), courtesy name Kui and formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a general of the Tang dynasty, who, as military governor (''jiedushi''), ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) ...

the military governor of Weibo Circuit (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 ...

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 ...

), died, his relative Tian Xing seized control of Weibo from Tian Ji'an's son

Tian Huaijian Tian Huaijian () (b. 802) was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who, in his childhood, briefly served as the ruler of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had been held by his family for generations. The soldier ...

and submitted the circuit to imperial orders. When Li Shigu's brother and successor

Li Shidao Li Shidao, or Yi Sado ( zh, c=李師道; died March 8, 819''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 241.) was a Chinese military general and politician of the medieval Chinese Tang dynasty, who, as the successor to his brother Li Shigu, ruled Pinglu Circuit ( ...

threatened to attack Tian Xing along with

Wang Chengzong Wang Chengzong () (died 820) was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty who served a military governor (''jiedushi'') of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). He, like his grandfather Wang Wujun and father Wang ...

the military governor of Chengde Circuit (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 ...

) and threatened Han with this, Han threatened to attack Pinglu's Cao Prefecture (曹州, in modern

Heze Heze (), formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, bordering Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively.The total area is 12238.62 square kilo ...

) if Li Shidao attacked Weibo. Li Shidao became apprehensive and did not act against Weibo.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 239. By this point, Han had become arrogant due to the strong army that he had. As he had never gone 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 ...

to pay homage to the emperor, it was said that the imperial government did not treat him as a military governor that it could command easily. After Wang E () 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 ...

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 ...

) also received honorary chancellor title in 814, Han felt disgraced to be sharing the same rank as Wang and wrote the chancellor Wu Yuanheng to complain. As a result, in 815, Emperor Xianzong conferred on Han the honorary title of acting ''Situ'' (司徒, one of the

Three Excellencies The Three Ducal Ministers (), also translated as the Three Dukes, Three Excellencies, or the Three Lords, was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD a ...

) to make Han's title greater than Wang's. (Chancellors were of the third rank, while the Three Excellencies were of the first rank.) By that point, imperial forces were locked in a campaign against Wu Shaoyang's son and successor

Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793'' New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817 Xiangfan Xiangyang is the second-largest prefecture-level city by population in northwestern Hubei province, China. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city north–south. The ci ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

) was made the overall commander of the forces against Zhangyi, but after the chancellor

Pei Du Pei Du () (765 – April 21, 839), courtesy name Zhongli (), formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin (), was a Chinese politician. He served a government official of the during Tang dynasty, as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xian ...

pointed out that Yan was incompetent, late in 815, Emperor Xianzong replaced Yan with Han. However, it was said that Han wanted to hold onto power personally, and therefore did not really want to see Wu Yuanji's quick destruction. To endear himself to one of the key imperial generals against Zhangyi,

Li Guangyan Li Guangyan () (761–826), courtesy name Guangyuan (), né Ädiz Guangyan (), was a Chinese military general and politician of Tiele ethnicity who served under the Tang dynasty. He was known for his participation in various campaigns against regi ...

the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, i.e. the new name for Chenxu), he found a beautiful woman and gave her to Li Guangyan as a gift, but Li Guangyan, pointing out that all of the soldiers were also away from their families, thanked Han but declined the woman, sending her back to Han. The imperial forces continued to be unable to defeat Zhangyi conclusively, and in fall 817, Pei went to the front to oversee the troops himself — but Han remained titularly the overall commander. Later that year, after a surprise attack by Li Su the military governor of Tangsuideng Circuit (唐隨鄧, headquartered in modern Zhumadian) captured Zhangyi's capital Cai Prefecture () and took Wu captive, it was to Han and Pei that Emperor Xianzong issued the edict for them to list those with accomplishments during the campaign to be rewarded. For Han's own contributions during the campaign, Emperor Xianzong gave him the additional honorary chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' ().''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 240. He was also created the Duke of Xu.''New Book of Tang'', vol. 158. It was said that after Wu's destruction, Han became more fearful of the imperial government, and after Emperor Xianzong declared a campaign against Li Shidao in summer 818, Han personally commanded troops against Li Shidao and put Cao Prefecture under siege, even though he was suffering from an illness at the time. In spring 819, Han captured Pinglu's Kaocheng (考城, in modern

). With the imperial generals repeatedly dealing Pinglu forces defeats, Li Shidao's own officer Liu Wu killed Li Shidao and surrendered. In fall 819, Han made his first trip to Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Xianzong, and Emperor Xianzong treated him with great respect. He made a large tribute offering of horses, silk, and gold and silver vessels — but despite this, it was said that the Xuanwu treasury continued to be wealthy. He subsequently requested to remain at Chang'an, and Emperor Xianzong kept Han at Chang'an to serve as ''Zhongshu Ling'' (), the head of the legislative bureau of government (), considered a post for a chancellor, as well as acting ''Situ''. Han was succeeded by

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 ...

as the military governor of Xuanwu.

Subsequent career

At the suggestion of his son Han Gongwu (), Han Hong maintained the good will of the other imperial officials and generals by sending them many gifts. (One imperial official who refused these gifts was

Niu Sengru Niu Sengru (; 780 – January 27, 849Li Jue (Tang dynasty), Li Jue, ''Commemorative Text for the Spirit Tablet for the Deceased Chancellor, ''Taizi Shaoshi'', Posthumously-Honored ''Taiwei'', Lord Niu'', collected in ''All Tang Texts'' (全唐文)v ...

, who later received renown for declining Han's gifts.)''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243. When Emperor Xianzong died in 820 and was succeeded by his son Emperor Muzong, Han served as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for three days before Emperor Muzong formally took the throne. Later in the year, he was made the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern

Yuncheng, Shanxi 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) a ...

) as well as its capital Hezhong Municipality. At that time, Han Hong's brother Han Chong () served as the military governor of Yicheng, and Han Gongwu served as the military governor of Fufang Circuit (鄜坊, headquartered in modern

Yan'an Yan'an; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi Province of China, province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several c ...

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 it was said that no household was more honored than Han's. In 822, Han requested retirement based on old age, and he was recalled to Chang'an to again serve as acting ''Situ'' and ''Zhongshu Ling''. He died around the new year 823 and was given posthumous honors.

Notes and references

* ''

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. 156. * ''

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 ...

'', vol. 158. * ''

'', vols.

235 __NOTOC__ Year 235 ( CCXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Quintianus (or, less frequently, year 988 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 2 ...

236 __NOTOC__ Year 236 ( CCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verus and Africanus (or, less frequently, year 989 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 23 ...

237 Year 237 (Roman numerals, CCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Perpetuus and Felix (or, less frequently, year 990 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

239 __NOTOC__ Year 239 ( CCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gordianus and Aviola (or, less frequently, year 992 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 23 ...

240 __NOTOC__ Year 240 ( CCXL) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus (or, less frequently, year 993 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 240 f ...

241 Year 241 ( CCXLI) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gordianus and Pompeianus by the Romans (or, less frequently, year 994 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominat ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Han Hong (General) 765 births 823 deaths Chancellors under Emperor Xianzong of Tang Chancellors under Emperor Muzong of Tang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xuanwu Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hezhong Circuit Mayors of Yuncheng Tang dynasty regents Politicians from Xinxiang Tang dynasty generals from Henan 9th-century regents