He Ning (; 898''

Old History of the Five Dynasties The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' ( zh, t=舊五代史, pinyin=, p=Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ) was an official history mainly focusing on Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern C ...

'', vol. 127. – July 23, 955''Old History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 115.

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, ; zh, t=中央研究院) is the national academy of the Taiwan, Republic of China. It is headquartered in Nangang District, Taipei, Nangang, Taipei. Founded in Nanjing, the academy supports research activities in mathemat ...

br>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Chengji (成績),

noble title Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anoth ...

Duke of Lu (魯公), was an official of the Later Liang,

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 ...

, Later Jin, Liao,

Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China: *Eastern Han (25–220), the second period of the Han dynasty, also called Later Han * Later Han (947–951), a dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period See al ...

, and

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

dynasties, 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 reigns of both Later Jin emperors,

Shi Jingtang Shi Jingtang ( zh, 石敬瑭; 30 March 892 – 28 July 942''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin (), was the founding emperor of the Later Jin dynasty of China during the Five Dynas ...

and

Shi Chonggui Shi Chonggui () (914 – 10 July 974Shi Chonggui's epitaph indicate that he died of illness at the age of 61 (by East Asian reckoning) on the 18th day of the 6th month of the 6th year of the ''Bao'ning'' era of the reign of Emperor Jingzong of Li ...

, as well as during the Liao dynasty's brief rule over the Central Plains.

Background

He Ning was born in 898, during the reign of

Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie, name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye, was the penultimate emperor of China's Tang dynasty. He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed by the ...

. His family was from Xuchang (須昌, 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 ...

). He claimed ninth-generation ancestry from He Fengyao (), an imperial censor during the reign of

Emperor Gaozong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife ...

, early during Tang. However, his male-line ancestors were not in prominent governmental services after that, including his great-grandfather He Chang (), grandfather He Ru (), and father He Ju (). He Ju was said to be a drinker who lacked adherence to social protocols, and was not learned, but was said to respect scholars such that he spent his wealth in receiving and aiding them. (This suggested that He Ju was a man of some wealth.) He Ning himself was said to be intelligent and dextrous in his youth, and also had a handsome appearance. He was also studious, and it was said that he read books quickly and could understand their basics even when reading quickly.

During Later Liang

When He Ning was 16 (914) — by which time Tang had fallen, and He Ning's home territory was under the rule of Tang's successor state Later Liang — he was set to submit to 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 in the ''Mingjing'' class. When he went to the capital Daliang to do so, however, he dreamed of a man who gave him a number of five-colored pens, and stating to him, "You, son, have such great talent; why do you not submit yourself for the ''Jinshi'' class?" (''Jinshi'' was a more prestigious class of imperial examinations than ''Mingjing''.) It was said that after that dream, He became even more impressive academically, and in 916, at age 18, he passed the imperial examinations in the ''Jinshi'' class. After He passed the imperial examinations, then-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 Xuanyi Circuit (宣義, headquartered 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 ...

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 ...

He Gui He Gui (; 858'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 23. – 28 August 919''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 270.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Guangyuan (), was a major general in the service of the Later Liang s ...

(賀瓌 — note different surname despite their identical rendition), who had heard of him by reputation, invited him to serve on staff. While serving on staff, He Ning also became known for his capability in archery. As of late 918, He Gui was the supreme commander of the Later Liang troops against Later Liang's archrival to the north, Jin. Around new year 919, Jin's prince

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

, wanting to carry out a decisive attack to destroy Later Liang, crossed 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 ...

and tried to head for Daliang. He Gui tried to intercept him, and the armies engaged at Huliu Slope (胡柳陂, 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 ...

). Both armies suffered tremendous losses during the battle.''

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. 270. At one point during the battle, He Gui's army had suffered a crushing defeat, and no one was left to follow him other than He Ning. He Gui, believing doom to be coming, stated to He Ning, "Son, do not follow me. You should strive for yourself." He Ning wept and responded, "It is not my aspiration to be a man who was trusted by another but who then abandons him in disaster. I only would regret not dying in the right place." When a Jin cavalry soldier subsequently did try to chase He Gui down, He Ning first tried to scare him off but when the soldier persisted, He Ning fired an arrow and killed him. When they returned to headquarters the next day, He Gui told his sons, "Yesterday, but for Lord He, I would not be here. Lord He is capable in both civilian and military matters, and also has great ambition. He will surely be in an important position in the future. You should serve him carefully." He Gui thereafter gave He Ning a daughter in marriage, leading to He Ning's reputation becoming known. He later served three terms as secretary to military governors.

During Later Tang

During the subsequent ''Tiancheng'' era (926-930), during the reign of

Li Siyuan Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reign ...

(Li Cunxu's adoptive brother) as emperor of

(as Li Cunxu's Jin state had been transformed into Later Tang, and then destroyed Later Liang), He Ning was recalled to the imperial government, then at

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

, to serve as an imperial censor with the title of ''Dianzhong Shi Yushi'' (), and then served successively as ''Yuanwailang'' () at the ministries of rites (禮部, ''Libu'') and justice (刑部, ''Xingbu''). He later served as ''Zhuke Yuanwailang'' () at the ministry of rites but was also simultaneous put in charge of drafting edicts. Not long after, he was promoted to be an imperial scholar (翰林學士, ''Hanlin Xueshi'') as well as the higher supervisory position of ''Zhuke Langzhong'' () at the ministry of rites. He was also put in charge of the imperial examinations. It had become custom at the office of the imperial examinations that on the day the results were announced, the doors would be tightly closed and protected by fences, to prevent rowdy examinees from charging the door. However, with He Ning in charge, he ordered that the fences be removed, and the doors be opened; despite that, because the examinees were respectful of him, no disturbance occurred. It was said that he was discerning and selected a number of examinees who were capable. As a result, Li Siyuan respected him more. He was subsequently promoted to be ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人, a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng'')), and then deputy minister of public works (工部侍郎, ''Gongbu Shilang''), while continuing to serve as imperial scholar.

During Later Jin

During Shi Jingtang's reign

In 936, Li Siyuan's son-in-law

, then 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 ...

), rose in rebellion against then-emperor, Li Siyuan's adoptive son

Li Congke Li Congke ( zh, s=李从珂, t=李從珂, p=Lǐ Cóngkē) (11 February 885 – 11 January 937), also known in historiography as the Last Emperor of Later Tang (), Deposed Emperor of Later Tang (), Wang Congke () (particularly during the succee ...

, and, with aid from Later Tang's northern rival Khitan Empire, defeated Later Tang armies that Li Congke sent against him. Li Congke committed suicide, ending Later Tang, while Khitan's Emperor Taizong declared Shi the emperor of a new Later Jin state, which then took over the former Later Tang lands.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280. He Ning initially continued to serve Shi as imperial scholar, and was in 937 given the greater title of imperial scholar at Duanming Hall (). After his promotion, he initially posted a notice on his door that he would no longer receive any guests (apparently to avoid people's making requests to him). A former low level official, Zhang Yi (), however, wrote him and pointed out that, in serving as the emperor's eyes and ears, if he cut himself off from the public, he would not be able to observe what was occurring in the public properly. He Ning was impressed, and recommended Zhang to the

Sang Weihan Sang Weihan (桑維翰) (898''Old History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 89. – January 12, 947''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 285.vol. 281. In addition to being imperial scholar at Duanming Hall, he was also put in charge of the imperial treasury. Not long after, when the Duanming Hall positions were abolished, he was made chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, ''Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi''). It was said that Shi often consulted him on key decisions and found his advice helpful. In 940, He Ning was made ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (中書侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau) and chancellor, with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (). In late 941, when Shi was preparing to depart then-capital

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 ...

to head to Yedu (鄴都, 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 ...

) in anticipation of a rebellion by An Chongrong the military governor of nearby 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 ...

) so that he could react quickly, He Ning pointed out to him that after he left Kaifeng, another rebellious military governor,

An Congjin An Congjin (; died 942) was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Tang and Later Jin. In 941, he rebelled against the rule of Later Jin's founding emperor Shi Jingtang, but was defeated, and he then commi ...

of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern

Xiangyang 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 (Hanshui), Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city n ...

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 ...

), would surely rebel as well, and that Shi should prepare for it. Shi asked him was his advice was. He advised Shi that Shi should leave a number of blank edicts with Shi's adoptive son (biological nephew)

the Prince of Zheng, whom Shi left in charge of Kaifeng, so that when An Congjin did rebel, Shi Chonggui could react quickly and commission appropriate generals to counterattack. Shi Jingtang agreed. Subsequently, when An Congjin did rebel, Shi Chonggui was quickly able to mobilize a number of generals to command the imperial army against him, with Gao Xingzhou in overall command. An Congjin was quickly defeated and forced to return to Shannan East's capital Xiang Prefecture () to defend it,''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 282. and later committed suicide when the city fell.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 283.

During Shi Chonggui's reign

Shi Jingtang died in later 942. He was succeeded by Shi Chonggui. He Ning continued to serve as chancellor, and received the additional title of ''You Pushe'' (右僕射, one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''). In fall 945, He Ning was removed from his chancellor position and served only as ''You Pushe'' from this point on; he was replaced in the chancellorship by

Feng Yu Feng Yu () (died 952/953?), courtesy name Jingchen (), was a Chinese politician of the Later Tang, Later Jin, and the Liao dynasties of China. He was powerful during the reign of Later Jin's second emperor Shi Chonggui, as Shi's Empress Feng w ...

, the brother of Shi Chonggui's wife Empress Feng, who was already serving as a chief of staff.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 285. He was shortly after given the slightly higher title of ''Zuo Pushe'' (). Contrary to Shi Jingtang's submissive posture toward Khitan (whose state's name had been changed to Liao by this point), Shi Chonggui took a confrontational stance against Liao, resulting in military confrontations between the two states. In late 946, Emperor Taizong made a major attack south, and, after forcing the surrender of the major Later Jin general Du Wei (Shi Jingtang's brother-in-law, Shi Chonggui's uncle), approached Kaifeng. Shi Chonggui, believing defeat to be inevitable, surrendered, ending Later Jin. Emperor Taizong entered Kaifeng.

During the Liao occupation

Emperor Taizong claimed to be the emperor of China as well, and he took over the imperial administration structure left over from Later Jin, the territory of which largely submitted to him as emperor at that point. He commissioned He Ning as chancellor again with the titles of ''Zhongshu Shilang'' and ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'', serving along with Zhang Li, a formerly Later Tang imperial scholar whom he had captured during Later Tang's fall and who then served him after that point. However, the subsequent misrule by Emperor Taizong over the former Later Jin territory caused many rebellions to break out through the realm, and he decided to withdraw back Liao proper. He took many of the ethnically

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

officials with him, including He Ning, leaving his brother-in-law Xiao Han in charge of Kaifeng as the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered at Kaifeng). However, Emperor Taizong fell ill on the way and would not reach Liao proper alive, dying near Heng Prefecture (恆州, Chengde's capital).''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 286. In the aftermaths of Emperor Taizong's death, the Liao general

Zhao Yanshou Zhao Yanshou (; died November 10, 948''History of Liao'', vol. 5.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), né Liu Yanshou (), formally the Prince of Wei (), was a Chinese military general, monarch, poet, and politician. He served as ...

(also a son-in-law of Li Siyuan's, who was also captured by Emperor Taizong when Later Tang fell), to whom Emperor Taizong had previously promised the Chinese throne but then reneged on the promise, tried to take over Heng and claim the title of regent over the southern court (i.e., the former Later Jin domain). The ethnically Khitan Liao generals, however, had already resolved to support Emperor Taizong's nephew Yelü Ruan the Prince of Yongkang, and they quickly tricked Zhao and arrested him. Yelü Ruan then took the throne (as Emperor Shizong) at Heng.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 287. Believing that his grandmother (Emperor Taizong's mother) Empress Dowager Shulü would not agree to his ascension (as she favored his uncle (Emperor Taizong's younger brother)

Yelü Lihu Yelü Lihu (耶律李胡) (911-960), also named Honggu (洪古), courtesy name Xiyin (奚隱), formally Emperor Zhangsu (章肅皇帝), was an imperial prince of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. As the third son of Liao's founding emperor Emperor ...

), Emperor Shizong headed north to contend with her. Most of the ethnically Han officials accompanying Emperor Taizong were left at Heng, and he left Emperor Taizong's cousin Yelü Mada () in charge of Heng. Subsequently, Emperor Shizong sent an edict to Heng, ordering He Ning and a number of other Han officials, including fellow chancellors

Feng Dao Feng Dao (; 882'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 126. – 21 May 954Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

and Li Song, to rendezvous with him for Emperor Taizong's burial. However, at that time, a rebellion by the Han soldiers against Yelü Mada, led by the officers Bai Zairong () and

Li Rong Li Rong may refer to: * Li Rong (philosopher) (), Taoist philosopher of the Chinese Tang dynasty * Li Rong (prince) (812–840), imperial prince of the Chinese Tang dynasty * Li Rong (), late Tang dynasty compiler and author of '' Duyizhi'' * Li Ro ...

, broke out at Heng. Initially, Yelü Mada's Khitan soldiers had the upper hand in street battles, but a turning point came when the official Li Gu, asked He Ning, Feng, and Li Song to visit the battle scene to encourage the Han soldiers. When the soldiers saw the three senior chancellors, they were encouraged, and they fought harder, eventually expelling the Khitan soldiers out of the city. Subsequently, the soldiers supported Bai to be the acting military governor of Chengde, so that he could submit to Later Han and seek aid. Meanwhile, Bai, who was greedy, wanted to kill Li Song and He Ning to seize their wealth. Li Gu rebuked him, pointing out that if he did so, the new Later Han emperor would surely have him punished, so Bai did not do so. Bai subsequently submitted the region to the sovereignty of

Liu Zhiyuan Liu Zhiyuan () (March 4, 895 – March 10, 948), later changed to Liu Gao (), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Gaozu of Later Han (), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Shatuo-led Chinese Later Han (Five Dynasties), Lat ...

, a former Later Jin military governor of Hedong who had declared himself emperor of

During Later Han

He Ning, along with Feng Dao and Li Song, shortly after returned to Kaifeng. Liu Zhiyuan gave him the honorary title of ''Taizi Taibao'' (). Sometime later, He Ning was also created the Duke of Lu.''

New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 t ...

'', vol. 56.

During Later Zhou

After Later Han was later displaced by

, He Ning was given the honorary title of ''Taizi Taifu'' (). He died in 955 after suffering an ulcer on his back. He was given posthumous honors.

Personality and literary/musical works

He Ning was said to be meticulous in details. Ever since he began to serve as a junior official, to the time that he served as a chancellor, he made sure that his wagons and clothes were all properly decorated such that they impressed the onlookers. He was also intent on helping junior officials, such that he dealt humbly with those in lower positions no matter how able or not they were. He wrote all his life, and was particularly good at writing short, exotic songs. He created a 100-volume collection of his works, and he personally wrote them out for the purpose of creating printing woodblocks. He printed several hundred copies and distributed them.