Tang Xiujing
Tang Xiujing (唐休璟; 627–712), formal name Tang Xuan (唐璿) but went by the courtesy name of Xiujing, formally Duke Zhong of Song (宋忠公), was an official and general of the Chinese Tang dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reigns of Wu Zetian, her sons Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong and her grandson Emperor Shang.
Background
Tang Xiujing was born in 627, during the reign of
During Emperor Gaozong's reign
Tang Xiujing passed the
In 679,
Ashina Nishoufu was soon killed by the Tang general Pei Xingjian (裴行儉), but eventually rebelled again, and by 683 Eastern Tujue was fully independent under the rule of
During Empress Wu's regency
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by his son
In 689, after a failed campaign commanded by the
During Wu Zetian's reign
In 690, Empress Dowager Wu had Emperor Ruizong yield the throne to her, and she took the throne as "emperor," establishing a new Zhou dynasty and interrupting Tang. Around 692, Tang Xiujing suggested to her that a military campaign be launched to recover four important garrisons that had been lost to Tufan --
In fall 700, the Tufan general Khu Mangpoje Lhasung ("Qumangbuzhi" (麴莽布支) in Chinese) attacked Liang Prefecture and put Changsong (昌松, in modern Wuwei) under siege. Tang Xiujing was set to engage them at Hongyuan Valley (洪源谷, also in modern Wuwei), but his subordinates were distressed by the shiny armor that the Tufan forces were displaying. Tang responded:
Lun Qinling [(論欽陵, Tufan's regent who had dealt Tang forces many losses but who had committed suicide in 699 after a confrontation with the king Tridu Songtsen)] has died and Lun Zanpo [(論贊婆, Lun Qinling's brother)] has surrendered. Qumangbuzhi has just become a new general, and he wants to show his power, so he got his nation's noble young men to follow him. Although the soldiers and the horses look impressive, he does not understand military matters. Let me defeat them for you.
Tang then put on his armor and led the charge into Tibetan forces. He defeated Tibetan forces six times straight, killing 2,500 men and two of Qumangbuzhi's assistants. He stacked the bodies into a pile for display. In 702, when Tibet sent the emissary Lun Misa (論彌薩) to seek peace and Wu Zetian held a feast in Lun Misa's honor at the western capital Chang'an, Tang happened to be in Chang'an as well and was invited to the feast. During the feast, Lun Misa looked at Tang intently, and when Wu Zetian asked him why he did, he responded, "At the Battle of Hongyuan, no one could rival this general's ferocity, and therefore I want to look at him clearly." Wu Zetian promoted Tang Xiujing to be a commanding general of two of the imperial armies and kept him at the central government. It was said at the time that Tang was familiar with border affairs, as far east as Jieshi (碣石, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei) to the four garrisons of Anxi, knowing about all of the geographic features and defensive frameworks.
As of 703, Tang Xiujing was serving as the minister of defense (夏官尚書, Xiaguan Shangshu) and still in titular command of the armies around Liang Prefecture, when he was given the designation Tong Fengge Luantai Sanpin (同鳳閣鸞臺三品), making him a chancellor de facto. At that time, one of
In 704, in response to the problem that imperial officials were not willing to be local officials, Tang and Li Jiao suggested that the officials at the central government be assigned to the prefectures and counties to serve as officials, offering to go first themselves. Wu Zetian had 20 officials randomly drawn, and neither Li nor Tang was sent out. Later that year, when fellow chancellor
During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign
In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown in a coup, and Li Xian was restored to the throne. He recalled Tang Xiujing, conferring on him the honorific title of Fuguo Da Jiangjun (輔國大將軍, literally "grand general who assists the state"), and Tang continued to serve as chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品). He soon made Tang Zuo Pushe (左僕射), one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng) and still chancellor with the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin. He also put Tang in charge of Chang'an, now again the main capital, as at that time he was at Luoyang, now eastern capital. He also initially created Tang the Duke of Jiuquan, and then the greater title of Duke of Song.
Tang retired in spring 706, but in 708 he was referred to as an advisor to the Crown Prince.
During Emperor Shang's reign and Emperor Ruizong's second reign
In summer 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly—a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning by his powerful wife
Notes
- ^ That Tang Xiujing's grandfather was named Tang Zong was per Tang Xiujing's biography in the Old Book of Tang. See Old Book of Tang, vol. 93."舊唐書 列傳 卷四一至五十". Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. Retrieved 2008-02-10. However, the table of the chancellors' family trees in the New Book of Tang gave his grandfather's name as Tang Shizong (唐世宗). See New Book of Tang, vol. 74, part 2."唐書 表 第十四". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ^ As Li Ke was forced to commit suicide in 653, Tang's commission must be sometime between 650 and 653.
- ^ The fact that Tang Xiujing's post was at Xi Prefecture rather than Anxi implies that Anxi and the nearby land was lost to Tufan as a part of Wei's defeat, but that was not explicitly stated in historical records.
- ^ However, at that time, the title of Crown Prince was not held by anyone, and therefore the title of advisor to the Crown Prince was entirely honorary.
References
- Old Book of Tang, vol. 93.[1]
- New Book of Tang, vol. 111.[2]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 202, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209.