Lu Xiufu

Lu Xiufu (8 November 1236 – 19 March 1279), courtesy name Junshi (), was a Chinese statesman and military commander who lived in the final years of the Song dynasty. Originally from Yancheng (present-day Jianhu County) in Jiangsu Province, along with Wen Tianxiang and Zhang Shijie, he is regarded as one of the 'Three Loyal Princes of the Song' ().

Biography

In 1256, together with Wen Tianxiang, Lu passed the imperial examination, thus becoming a "presented scholar", and thereafter joined the Ministry of Rites as a vice-minister.

Yuan conquest

On 18 January 1276, the general Bayan of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty showed up with his army outside Lin'an. In a desperate attempt to make peace, the Song imperial court sent Lu Xiufu to negotiate but he was forced to surrender and then was released.

The capital of the Southern Song dynasty at Lin'an in Zhejiang fell to Yuan invaders from the north in 1276, and the five-year-old Emperor Gong was taken prisoner. Together with Chen Yizhong, Zhang Shijie and Consort Yang, amongst others, Lu took care of the two sons of Emperor Duzong, seven-year-old Zhao Shi () and four-year-old Zhao Bing (). Later the same year at Fuzhou in Fujian Province, Zhao Shi was enthroned and began ruling under the era name "Jingyan" (景炎; literally: "bright flame"). Emperor Duanzong appointed Lu as military advisor to the Privy Council with the task of continuing resistance to Yuan forces.

After Emperor Duanzong died at the age of ten in 1278, Lu and Zhang Shijie together enthroned his younger brother Zhao Bing whilst Consort Yang (now Empress Dowager Yang) effectively ran the court from behind a screen. Lu became Left Chancellor () and ran the government together with Zhang Shijie.

In 1279, Yuan forces led by Zhang Hongfan launched a large scale naval offensive against Song forces at Mount Ya (present-day Yamen), forcing Zhao Bing to flee. During the ensuing Battle of Yamen on March 19, 1279, the entire Song army and navy were totally wiped out. When the seven-year-old emperor Zhao Bing saw the outcome of the naval battle, he was shocked and slightly rebuked the disorder of his armed forces by saying "they should have coordinated their attack and fought as a unit."

Lu, unwilling to be taken captive by Yuan troops, first ordered his younger wife to commit suicide then advised the emperor Zhao Bing:

With that, Lu gave the young emperor his seal, picked him up in his arms and jumped from a cliff into the sea, killing them both. Many imperial concubines and ministers also died and by July there were tens of thousands of corpses floating in the sea.Matthew Bennett (1998), ''The Hutchinson dictionary of ancient & medieval warfare'', Taylor & Francis, 1998, , p. 55 Their deaths marked the end of the Song dynasty and the unification of China proper under the Yuan dynasty.

Legacy

Lu's descendants moved through many places before settling down in Qiangang Village (), Conghua City, Guangdong Province.

Today in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province there stands a memorial hall to the 'Three Loyal Princes of the Song' (). There is also a shrine to the three heroes in the Shuangxi District of New Taipei City, Taiwan. Built in 1868 during the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor in the Qing dynasty, the Three Loyalists Temple () is the religious center of the township.

See also

*History of the Song dynasty
* Society of the Song dynasty
* Culture of the Song dynasty
* List of emperors of the Song dynasty

References

Further reading

*
* Giles, Herbert Allen (1939). ''A Chinese biographical dictionary (Gu jin xing shi zu pu)''. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh. (se
here
for more)
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External links

Lu Xiufu memorial hall



Song Dynasty at China Heritage Quarterly

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Xiufu
Song dynasty generals
1236 births
1279 deaths
Politicians from Yancheng
Generals from Jiangsu
Chinese military personnel who died by suicide
Chinese politicians who died by suicide
Suicides by drowning in China
Suicides in the Song dynasty