Li Guochang
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Li Guochang () (died 887Both 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 ...
'', vol. 218 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 ...
'', vol. 256 gave Li Guochang's death date as 887 (i.e., the third year of the ''Guangqi'' era), so that date will be used here, as the '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 25 and the ''
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. 4, which gave a contrary 883 (i.e., the third year of ''Zhonghe'' era), appeared to contradict the available chronology of the career of Li Guochang's son Li Keyong.
), né Zhuye Chixin (朱邪赤心),
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 ...
Dexing (德興), posthumously honored by the Later Tang dynasty as Emperor Wenjing (文景皇帝) with the
temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...
of Xianzu (獻祖), was a Chinese general of Shatuo ethnicity during the waning years 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 ...
.


Background

Zhuye Chixin's ancestors had been hereditary chiefs of the Shatuo tribe, and, after they had come under the rule of Tubo and settled at the formerly-
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 ...
-controlled Gan Prefecture (甘州, in modern Zhangye,
Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
), had often served as forward troops for Tufan. In or shortly before 808, after Tufan lost nearby Liang Prefecture (涼州, in modern
Wuwei, Gansu Wuwei ( zh, c=武威 , p=Wǔwēi) is a prefecture-level city in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinc ...
) to Tang's ally Huigu, Tufan feared that the Shatuo would join forces with the Huigu, and therefore consider relocating the Shatuo to 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 ...
region. When Zhuye Chixin's grandfather Zhuye Jinzhong (朱邪盡忠) heard this, he and his son, Zhuye Chixin's father Zhuye Zhiyi (朱邪執宜) decided to take their tribe and flee to Tang. The Tufan gave chase, and in the ensuing engagements, Zhuye Jinzhong was killed in battle, and over half of the Shatuo were killed or captured. Zhuye Zhiyi was able to make it through to Tang's Ling Prefecture (靈州, in modern
Yinchuan Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...
,
Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...
), where the Tang 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 Shuofang Circuit (朔方, headquartered at Ling Prefecture), Fan Xichao (范希朝), welcomed the Shatuo under Zhuye Zhiyi. They were soon joined by Zhuye Jinzhong's younger brother Zhuye Abo (朱邪阿波). In 809, when Fan was transferred from Shuofang to 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 ...
), the Tang imperial government feared that the Shatuo would betray Tang, and therefore had them relocate, with Fan, to Hedong Circuit, and the area of Huanghuadui (黃花堆, in modern
Shuozhou Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the northwest. It is situated along the upper reaches of the Fen River. The prefecture as a whole has an area of about and, 2010 PRC Census, ...
,
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 ...
) became Zhuye Zhiyi's possession.''
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. 218.
It is not known when Zhuye Chixin was born, or when Zhuye Zhiyi died. It is known that when Zhuye Zhiyi died, Zhuye Chixin took over leadership of the Shatuo. In 839, when the Huigu general Jueluowu (掘羅勿) rose against the rule of then-reigning Zhangxin Khan, he elicited the help from Zhuye Chixin by giving Zhuye 300 horses, and together, they defeated Zhangxin Khan, who then committed suicide, precipitating the subsequent collapse of the Huigu. In the next few years, when Huigu remnants often raided Tang borders, the Shatuo participated extensively in counterattacking the Huigu with other tribes loyal to Tang. In 843, Zhuye Chixin, under the command of the officer Shi Xiong, participated in a raid against the Huigu that rescued Tang's
Princess Taihe Princess Taihe (太和公主, personal name unknown), later, in 843, known as Princess Ding'an (定安公主) or Princess Anding (安定公主), was a princess of the Chinese Tang dynasty and a khatun (empress) of the Uyghur Khaganate. She was ma ...
, an aunt of then-reigning Emperor Wuzong, who had been married to a former khan as part of the ''
heqin ''Heqin'', also known as marriage alliance, refers to the historical practice of Chinese monarchs marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states. It was often adopted as an appeasem ...
'' system of marriage alliances. In 847, shortly after Emperor Wuzong's death and succession by his uncle Emperor Xuānzong, the Tufan general Lun Kongre (論恐熱), who was then contending for control of Tufan, itself then in internal turmoil, attacked the Ordos region with
Dangxiang The Tangut people (Tangut language, Tangut: , ''mjɨ nja̱'' or , ''mji dzjwo''; ; ; ) were a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan people who founded and inhabited the Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. The group initially lived under Tuyuhun aut ...
and Huigu remnants. Emperor Xuānzong ordered then-military governor of Hedong, Wang Zai, to react, and Wang had Zhuye serve as his forward commander. The Hedong forces subsequently defeated Lun, who then withdrew.


During Pang Xun's rebellion

In 868, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong, soldiers from Xusi Circuit (徐泗, headquartered in modern
Xuzhou Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
) who had been sent to Lingnan West Circuit (嶺南西道, headquartered in modern
Nanning Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...
,
Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
) to defend against a potential Dali attack were incensed when they were informed that they were to stay another year at the border, mutinied. They headed toward Xusi's capital Xu Prefecture, under the leadership of the officer Pang Xun. After defeating troops sent by the governor (觀察使, ''Guanchashi'') Cui Yanzeng (崔彥曾), Pang captured Xu Prefecture and put Cui under arrest. He demanded official imperial sanction in taking over Xusi, threatening to attack 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 ...
if Emperor Yizong refused. Emperor Yizong reacted by commissioning the imperial guard general Kang Chengxun as the military governor of Yicheng Circuit (義成, 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 ...
) and the overall commander of the operation against Pang. Kang requested his troops to be supplemented with Zhuye Chixin's troops, as well as the chieftains of Tuyuhun, Tatar, and Qibi (契苾) tribes, and his request was approved.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 251. As Kang's imperial army took shape in 869 and prepared to engage Pang, he had Zhuye serve as his forward commander, and it was said that the soldiers under Kang, who were from 10 different circuits, were all impressed by the Shatuo soldiers' fortitude. He subsequently contributed greatly to Kang's battles against Pang, including the final battle at Bo Prefecture (亳州, in modern
Bozhou Bozhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and Henan to the north. Its population was 4,996,844 at ...
,
Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
), in which Pang was killed. To reward Zhuye, Emperor Yizong gave him the imperial surname of Li and a new personal name of Guochang (國昌, meaning "prosperity to the empire"), having him adopted into the branch house of the Prince of Zheng. He carved out a new Datong Circuit (大同) from Hedong, with its headquarters at Yun Prefecture (雲州, in modern Datong,
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 ...
), to have Li Guochang serve as its military governor, but then kept Li Guochang at 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 ...
for some time to serve as an imperial guard general.


Between Pang Xun's and Li Keyong's rebellions

In 870, Emperor Yizong commissioned Li Guochang as the military governor of Zhenwu Circuit (振武, headquartered in modern
Hohhot Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the Capital (political), capital of Inner Mongolia in the North China, north of the China, People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrativ ...
,
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
). However, he soon incurred the wrath of the imperial government when he, acting in defiance of the imperial government, killed members of his staff without imperial approval. In 872, Emperor Yizong tried to transfer him to Datong Circuit, with the lesser title of ''Fangyushi'' (防禦使). Li Guochang claimed to be ill and refused to report to Datong. He was apparently thereafter allowed to remain at Zhenwu, and subsequently sent soldiers to participate in the imperial campaign against the agrarian rebel Wang Xianzhi.


Rebellion against Tang

As of 878, by which time Emperor Yizong's young son Emperor Xizong was emperor, Li Guochang's oldest son Li Keyong was serving as the deputy commander of Shatuo soldiers at Datong Circuit, stationed at Wei Prefecture (蔚州, in modern Zhangjiakou,
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 ...
). At that time, most of the empire was overrun with agrarian rebellions; the Shatuo officer Li Jinzhong (李盡忠), technically Li Keyong's superior as the commander of the Shatuo soldiers at Datong, as well as his subordinates Kang Junli, Xue Zhiqin (薛志勤), Cheng Huaixin (程懷信), and Li Cunzhang, also considered rising in rebellion, particularly because the defender of Datong Circuit, Duan Wenchu (段文楚), was harsh to the soldiers, and was cutting back on their supplies. Li Jinzhong persuaded Li Keyong to agree to the rebellion, and then attacked and arrested Duan. Li Keyong subsequently arrived at Yun Prefecture and took control of the Datong headquarters, putting Duan and several of Duan's staff members to death cruelly.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 253. Li Guochang initially pledged continued faith to the imperial government, asking it to appoint a new defender of Datong and offering to attack Li Keyong himself if Li Keyong refused to comply. Emperor Xizong thus commissioned Lu Jianfang (盧簡方) as the new defender of Datong and asked Li Guochang to write a letter to persuade Li Keyong to accept Lu—but then decided to make Lu the military governor of Zhenwu and transfer Li Guochang to Datong instead (as military governor), believing that Li Keyong would not dare to resist his father. However, Li Guochang actually hoped for an arrangement where both he and Li Keyong would be each allowed to keep control of a circuit, and therefore, when he received the edict, he, in anger, tore the edict and killed the
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 ...
monitor of the army. He then joined forces with Li Keyong in raiding the other circuits of the region. Emperor Xizong thereafter commissioned Cui Jikang (崔季康) as the military governor of Hedong to oversee the operations against Li Guochang and Li Keyong, while ordering Li Keju the military governor of 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 ...
), Li Jun (李均) the military governor of 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 ( ...
,
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 ...
), as well as the Tuyuhun chiefs Helian Duo and Bai Yicheng (白義誠), and the Sage (薩葛) chief Mi Haiwan (米海萬) to join in the attack as well. Li Keyong and Li Guochang initially gained successes in their raids on the neighboring circuits, and the Hedong soldiers were repeatedly intimidated into disturbances themselves, causing the successive expulsions or deaths of several Hedong military governors. However, after Li Zhuo (李涿) eventually took over the command of the entire operations, the tide began to turn against the Shatuo. In summer 880, Li Keyong's officer Gao Wenji (高文集), who was then defending Shuo Prefecture (朔州, in modern Shuozhou) for Li Keyong, surrendered to Li Zhuo along with Li Guochang's cousin Li Youjin (李友金) and several other chieftains. Li Keyong reacted by attacking Gao, to try to recapture Shuo Prefecture. Li Keju, however, attacked and defeated Li Keyong at Yao'er Heights (藥兒嶺, in modern
Chengde Chengde, formerly known as Jehol and Rehe, is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, situated about northeast of Beijing. It is best known as the site of the Mountain Resort, a vast imperial garden and palace formerly used by the Qing e ...
,
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 ...
) before Li Keyong could do so, killing Li Jinzhong and Cheng. Li Keju then again defeated Li Keyong at Xiongwu Base (雄武軍, in modern Chengde). Meanwhile, Li Zhuo and Helian attacked Wei Prefecture, where Li Guochang had stationed himself at the time, defeating Li Guochang. Li Guochang, Li Keyong, and their family were forced to flee to the Dada (達靼) tribe, then in the Yin Mountains region. Several months later, Helian, who was consequently made the defender of Datong, secretly tried to persuade the Dada to slaughter the Shatuo who fled to them. Li Keyong, hearing rumors of this, demonstrated his shooting skills at a feast with Dada nobles, and further proclaimed that he did not intend to stay with the Dada and wished to eventually assist the Tang imperial government in attacking the agrarian rebel Huang Chao. After Li Keyong made that proclamation, the Dada became convinced that he would not stay and pose a threat to them, and therefore did not slaughter the Shatuo. Thereafter, Li Guochang and Li Keyong remained with the Dada for some time.


Exile and later resubmission to Tang

In 881, by which time Huang Chao had captured Chang'an, forced Emperor Xizong to flee, and established his own state of Qi as its emperor, Li Youjin persuaded the eunuch monitor of his army, Chen Jingsi (陳景思), to suggest to Emperor Xizong to pardon Li Guochang and Li Keyong and to summon them to aid the imperial cause. Chen agreed, and subsequently, Li Keyong tried to take his troops south. Then-military governor of Hedong, Zheng Congdang, however, refused to supply his troops. In reaction, Li Keyong pillaged the prefectures of Hedong, and Zheng expelled his forces, which were forced to withdraw back north. He captured Xin (忻州, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi) and Dai (代州, in modern Xinzhou) Prefectures. In 882, Li Guochang, who was then still with the Dada, took his family and settled at Dai Prefecture.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255. Later in the year, Emperor Xizong again summoned Li Keyong to aid in the imperial cause in attacking Huang Chao's Qi state, and this time, pursuant to imperial orders, Zheng did not again intercept Li Keyong. Li Keyong subsequently became the leading general in the Tang campaign to recapture Chang'an. In 883, Emperor Xizong made Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong and Li Guochang the military governor of a newly created Daibei Circuit (代北), with its headquarters at Dai Prefecture.


Posthumous honors

According to 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 ...
'', Li Guochang died in 887, while still serving as the military governor of Daibei. According to the annotations to the '' History of the Five Dynasties'', he was given posthumous honors. After his grandson Li Cunxu established the Later Tang in 923 as its Emperor Zhuangzong, Li Guochang was posthumously honored Emperor Wenjing, with the
temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...
of Xianzu.''
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. 5.


Personal information

*Father **Zhuye Zhiyi (朱邪執宜), posthumously honoured as Emperor Zhaolie with the temple name of Yizu 923 *Mother **née Cui, posthumously honored Empress Zhaolie 923 *Wife **née Qin, posthumously honored Empress Wenjing 923 *Children ** Li Keyong (856-908), Prince of Longxi 884, Prince of Jin 895, posthumously honoured as Emperor Wu with the temple name of Taizu 923 **Li Kerang (李克讓) (died 880?), commander in the imperial guard, killed fighting against Huang Chao **Li Kegong (李克恭) (died 890), military governor of the Zhaoyi Circuit 890, killed in mutiny ** Li Kening (李克寧) (died 908), governor of the Zhenwu command, executed by Li Cunxu


Notes and references

* * ''
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. 218. * '' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 25. * ''
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. 5. * ''
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 ...
'', vols. 246, 247, 248,
251 __NOTOC__ Year 251 (Roman numerals, CCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, in the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Etruscus (or, less frequently, year 1004 ''A ...
, 252, 253, 255, 256. {{DEFAULTSORT:Li Guochang 887 deaths Shatuo rulers Tang dynasty jiedushi of Zhenwu Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Datong Circuit Year of birth unknown 9th-century Chinese military personnel