Liu Zhenghui () was a minister and general during the 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 ...

. A descendant of

Qubei Qubei (; pinyin: Qùbēi, 195–216) was a leader of the Southern Xiongnu and supervisor of the Five Divisions who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. An uncle to the last ''chanyu'' of the Southern Xiongnu, Huchuquan, Qubei ...

, a

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

prince during the

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 ...

, Liu Zhenghui was born in Huazhou and served as a vice officer (Sima) in the Yingyang Fu (regional military office) of

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 ...

during the

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 ...

. His grandfather Liu Huanjuan was a chancellor during the

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties during the ...

dynasty. His father Liu Tan was the chief official of the

Court of Judicature and Revision ''Dalisi'' (大理寺; variously interpreted as the Court of Judicature and Revision, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Office of Justice) was the central government's judicial body in ancient China responsible for handling criminal cases. It ...

during the Sui dynasty. When

Li Yuan Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626 CE. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern- ...

rebelled against Sui in 617, Liu Zhenghui joined Li Yuan's rebel army. His first contribution to the establishment of the

was to help Li Yuan and

Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder ...

execute Wang Wei and Gao Junya, two of Li Yuan's assistants sent by

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...

as spies. During the early years of the Tang dynasty, Liu Zhenghui was appointed as a governor to guard and administer the Tang's homeland of Taiyuan. He was captured by

Liu Wuzhou Liu Wuzhou (劉武周; died 28 August 622?) was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese Sui dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style—although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was kh ...

, a rival warlord based in northern

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 ...

. In Liu Wuzhou's prison, Liu Zhenghui managed to send Li Yuan a letter addressing Liu Wuzhou's military strengths and strategies in detail, and that letter helped

defeat Liu Wuzhou eventually. After he was rescued, Li Yuan restored his positions, and later promoted him to be the chief minister of the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. Li Yuan also rewarded him with the Dukedom of Xing. In the early reign of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty fo ...

, Liu Zhenghui was appointed as a regional military chief commander of Hongzhou. He died in 635, and Emperor Taizong acknowledged his great contribution to the establishment of the Tang. He is among the 24 meritorious officials of the

Lingyan Pavilion Lingyan Pavilion () was a small tower beside Sanqing Hall () in the southwest of Taiji Palace (), Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty. Its location in modern China is roughly in the north of Xi'an, Shaanxi. The original 24 On 23 March 643, d ...

. His elder son Liu Xuanyi inherited his title, which later changed to the Duke of Yu, and he married Emperor Taizong's third daughter Princess Pingnan. His younger son Liu Qi was framed by

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

's cruel officials in 690s and was executed. One of his 4th generation grandsons, Liu Fangping, was a famous poet, and one of his 7th generation grandsons,

Liu Chongwang Liu Chongwang (劉崇望; c. 839? – July 30, 900?''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 20, part 1.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar ConverterThe death date listed here is according to the chronicles of Emperor Zhaozong's reign in the ''Old Book of ...

, was a chancellor 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 ...

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 ...

References

635 deaths Year of birth unknown Transition from Sui to Tang {{China-mil-bio-stub