HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Zheng Congdang (鄭從讜) (died 887?''
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. 63
.
),
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 ...
Zhengqiu (正求), was an official of the
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
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 ...
, 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 ...
twice during the reign of Emperor Xizong.


Background and early career

It is not known when Zheng Congdang was born. His family claimed ancestry from the ruling house of the
Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...
state Zheng, and his grandfather Zheng Yuqing 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 Dezong and Emperor Dezong's grandson
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, ...
. Zheng Congdang's father Zheng Guan (鄭澣) was himself a long-time imperial official, although he was never chancellor, dying while serving as 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 Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern
Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...
,
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 ...
) in 839 at the age of 63. Zheng Congdang had three older brothers, Zheng Yunmo (鄭允謨), Zheng Maoxiu (鄭茂休), and Zheng Chuhui (鄭處誨), each of whom served in the imperial government as well. (A third cousin, Zheng Yanchang, would be a future chancellor.)''
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. 158.
Zheng Congdang himself passed 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 ''Jinshi'' class in 842, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wuzong. He started as his governmental career as a copyeditor (校書郎) at the
Palace Library The Palace Library (; in Vietnam: 秘書所, ''Bí thư sở'') was a central government agency in Imperial and monarchical China, Korea, and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents. C ...
, and thereafter served as an advisory official, and then a supervisory official at the executive bureau of government (尚書省, ''Shangshu Sheng''), eventually becoming responsible for drafting edicts. As the chancellors Linghu Tao and
Wei Fu Wei Fu (; died July 14, 850''Zizhi Tongjian'', :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷249, vol. 249.), courtesy name Xiangzhi (), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor of Tang Dynasty, chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzon ...
both passed the imperial examinations while Zheng Guan oversaw the imperial examinations, they both felt indebted to Zheng Congdang and thus enhanced Zheng Congdang's reputation. As a result, Zheng was subsequently promoted to ''Zhongshu Sheren'' (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau (中書省, ''Zhongshu Sheng'').As Linghu Chu served as chancellor from 850 to 859, and Wei Fu from 849 to 850 (when he died) (with both serving under Emperor Wuzong's uncle and successor Emperor Xuānzong, that placed a timeframe as to when they were fostering Zheng's career. See ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 172 inghu's biographyand ''
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.
248 __NOTOC__ Year 248 ( CCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Philippus and Severus (or, less frequently, year 1001 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...
,
249 __NOTOC__ Year 249 ( CCXLIX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gavius and Aquilinus (or, less frequently, year 1002 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 24 ...
ating Wei's chancellorship


During Emperor Yizong's reign

In 862, by which time Emperor Wuzong's cousin Emperor Yizong was emperor, Zheng Congdang was made deputy minister of rites (禮部侍郎, ''Lǐbu Shilang'') and put in charge of the imperial examinations. He was later made deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, ''Xingbu Shilang'') and then deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, ''Lìbu Shilang'', note different tone). It was said that he selected appropriate officials while overseeing the civil service, but that, as a result of refusing to bow to powerful individuals' wishes, was sent out of the capital to serve as 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 ...
) as well as the mayor of its capital Taiyuan Municipality. After he served there for a year, he requested a return to the capital, but the request was not accepted; rather, he was transferred to 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 ...
,
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 ...
) to serve as its military governor and the prefect of its capital Bian Prefecture (汴州). He was said to have governed Xuanwu well, causing the powerful individuals at that time to be apprehensive that he would be promoted. He was thus transferred to Lingnan East Circuit (嶺南東道, headquartered in modern
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
) to serve as its military governor and the prefect of its capital Guang Prefecture (廣州). While at Guang Prefecture, he had to dealt with many incursions and non- Han rebellions with few troops available to him and no reinforcements from the north, but he managed the situation by commissioning non-Han tribal chiefs to deal with the military matters. It was said that despite the large number of rebellions, Guang Prefecture was safe.''New Book of Tang'', vol. 165.


During Emperor Xizong's reign


Prior to first chancellorship

Emperor Yizong died in 873 and was succeeded by his young son Emperor Xizong.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 252. Zheng Congdang, who did not want to remain in Lingnan East longer, submitted repeated petitions, offering even to accept an honorary position at the eastern capital
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 ...
. Emperor Xizong then recalled him to Chang'an to serve as minister of justice (刑部尚書, ''Xingbu Shangshu''). In 878, when Zheng was referred to at the minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, ''Lìbu Shangshu''), he was made ''Zhongshu Shilang'' (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor ''de facto''.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 253.


First chancellorship

Not much was recorded about Zheng Congdang's acts as chancellor in his first term. At this time, Hedong Circuit had been plagued by repeated mutinies, as well as the danger of being attacked by
Shatuo The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...
rebels led by the chieftain
Li Guochang Li Guochang () (died 887Both the ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 218 and the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', 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 Fiv ...
and Li Guochang's son
Li Keyong Li Keyong ( zh , c = 李克用 , p = Lǐ Kèyòng ) (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 the Prince of Jin ( zh, t=晉王, p=Jìn Wáng), which would becom ...
. After a mutiny in 880 led to the death of the military governor Kang Chuangui (康傳圭), the imperial government decided that it would take someone as senior as a chancellor to deal with the situation, so Zheng was commissioned as the military governor of Hedong and allowed to select his own staff members. Zheng thus invited many well-known individuals to serve on his staff, and his staff was described as a miniature imperial government. He retained the ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' title as an honorary title.


Between the chancellorships

Back at Hedong, Zheng Congdang was described as apparently mild in disposition, but was full of strategies and decisive. He was able to discover mutiny plots well, and he executed those who planned mutinies, while comforting the rest. For example, the officer Zhang Yanqiu (張彥球), who was forced by his colleagues to participate in the mutiny that killed Kang Chuangui, was someone that Zheng comforted and entrusted with military commands. In late 880, with Chang'an under the threat of attack by the major agrarian rebel
Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...
, Zheng was ordered to transfer his soldiers to
Zhuge Shuang Zhuge Shuang () (d. 886) was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty, who controlled Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) for some time and who vacillated between allegiance to Tang and to the Qi state of the agrarian rebel ...
and
Zhu Mei Zhu Mei () (died January 7, 887Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.) was a warlord of the Chinese Tang dynasty. Disillusioned with Emperor Xizong and the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, he tried to supp ...
and have Zhuge and Zhu head south to try to help defend the capital, although the capital fell apparently before Zhuge and Zhu could actually do so. Huang took the throne as the emperor of a new state of Qi, but Zheng, along with other Tang generals, continued resisting. Meanwhile, in 881, Li Keyong, claiming that he was coming to the imperial government's aid, requested that Zheng allow him transit through Hedong. Zheng did not refuse, but declined to supply his troops (besides giving Li Keyong a small amount of food) and prepared for a siege of Taiyuan, causing Li Keyong to respond by pillaging Hedong Circuit. Zheng sought aid from Qibi Zhang (契苾璋) 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. ...
); Qibi came to his aid with ethnic Tujue and
Tuyuhun Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guən''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic monarchy established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valley, ...
troops, and Li Keyong withdrew north, capturing Xin (忻州, in modern
Xinzhou Xinzhou, ancient name Xiurong (), is a prefecture-level city occupying the north-central section of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei to the east, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. As ...
,
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 ...
) and Dai (代州, also in modern Xinzhou) Prefectures.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 254. In 882, Qibi Zhang received imperial permission (from Emperor Xizong, who was then at
Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
) to attack Li Keyong, and Emperor Xizong further ordered Zheng to assist Qibi. However, by winter 882, the eunuch monitor of the armies against Huang, Yang Fuguang, had convinced the imperial government that it was necessary to enlist the Shatuo to defeat Huang. The chancellor in charge of the operations against Huang,
Wang Duo Wang Duo () (died 884), courtesy name Zhaofan (), formally the Duke of Jin (), was a Chinese politician of the medieval Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Yizong of Tang, Emperor Yiz ...
, thus issued an edict in Emperor Xizong's name pardoning and summoning Li Keyong to the imperial cause, and further ordering Zheng not to interfere. Still, as Li Keyong was leading his troops south, he instructed his troops to avoid Taiyuan, but personally went to Taiyuan to greet Zheng. Zheng gave him a gift of horses and treasures. Li Keyong then continued south to join the imperial cause against Huang.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 255. After the Tang forces recaptured Chang'an in spring 883—a battle in which Li Keyong's contribution was instrumental—Li Keyong returned to Dai Prefecture briefly, but soon, Emperor Xizong issued an edict to reward Li Keyong by making him the military governor of Hedong, while summoning Zheng to Emperor Xizong's presence. Zheng accepted the edict and yielded Hedong to Li Keyong. Zheng was then made ''Sikong'' (司空), 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 ...
, as well as ''Menxia Shilang'' (門下侍郎), the deputy head of the examination bureau (門下省, ''Menxia Sheng''), as well as chancellor again with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi''.


Second chancellorship and death

Not much was recorded about Zheng Congdang's acts as chancellor in his second term. In 886, he was given the greater chancellor title of ''Shizhong'' (侍中, i.e., the head of the examination bureau), as well as ''Taifu'' (太傅). In 887, he offered to retire, and he was made a senior advisor to the
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
—an entirely honorary title since there was no crown prince at the time. He died soon thereafter. He was given the
posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...
''Wenzhong'' (文忠, "civil and faithful").


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. 158. * ''
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. 165. * ''
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.
253 __NOTOC__ Year 253 ( CCLIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Volusianus and Claudius (or, less frequently, year 1006 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...
,
254 Year 254 ( CCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1007 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 254 for th ...
,
255 __NOTOC__ Year 255 ( CCLV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1008 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomi ...
,
256 Year 256 ( CCLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 1009 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 256 for this y ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zheng, Congdang 880s deaths Chancellors under Emperor Xizong of Tang Tang dynasty jiedushi of Hedong Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Xuanwu Circuit Tang dynasty jiedushi of Lingnan Circuit Mayors of Taiyuan Year of birth unknown Congdang