Zhou Bao
Zhou Bao (周寶) (814 – February 12, 888).
Background and early career
Zhou Bao was born in 814, during the reign of
Because of his family's history of service to the imperial government, Zhou Bao became an imperial guard. When Yin Wei (殷洧), who had previously served on Zhou Huaiyi's staff, became the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an — having been carved out of Pinglu Circuit previously), he invited Zhou Bao to serve under him. During the Huichang era (841-847) of Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wuzong, Zhou returned to the capital Chang'an and was made an officer at the Right Shence Army (右神策軍). There, he became a close friend to fellow Right Shence Army officer Gao Pian, such that Gao, who was younger, treated Zhou like an older brother. At one point, he became the defender of Liangyuan Base (良原鎮, in modern Pingliang, Gansu), and, as he was good at polo, had the soldiers play polo as part of their training. Subsequently, as he was not being promoted, he met with Emperor Wuzong, who also liked polo, and offered to be a polo player in Emperor Wuzong's palace. Emperor Wuzong agreed, but it was during this time that, during a polo accident, Zhou lost one eye. He subsequently was made the military governor of Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang). It was said that he shored up Jingyuan's defenses and stored food supplies, and was known as a good general.[3]
Control of Zhenhai Circuit
In winter 879, Zhou Bao was made the military governor of Zhenhai Circuit, succeeding Gao Pian, who was transferred to neighboring Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern
Meanwhile, with Zhenhai Circuit itself being attacked by agrarian rebels, and towns falling to them, Zhou organized eight special corps to defend against the agrarian rebels.
However, the continued breakdown of Zhou's actual control over the prefectures consisting of Zhenhai Circuit continued. In 886, Zhou's officer Zhang Yu (張郁), who had initially gained Zhou's favor as he was also a polo player, mutinied and captured Chang Prefecture (常州, in modern
Downfall and death
By 887, Zhou Bao was said to be devoting his time to pleasure, not paying attention to governance. He was also conscripting the laborers to build outer walls for the circuit capital Run Prefecture (潤州), as well as an eastern addition to his mansion. The people resented the heavy labor. Once, when Zhou was feasting with his staff, staff members expressed to him their concerns about the regular troops' resentment of the Rear Tower Corps. Zhou responded, "If they dare to create disturbances, execute them." When his staff member Xue Lang informed this to Xue's friend, the officer Liu Hao (劉浩) to warn Liu, Liu stated, "We can only escape death if we mutiny." That night, Liu started a mutiny with his soldiers and attacked Zhou's mansion. Zhou woke up and tried to summon the Rear Tower Corps to fight the mutineers, but soon found out that the Rear Tower Corps had joined the mutineers. He could not think of another way to counter the mutiny, so he took his family members and fled on foot to Chang Prefecture to join Ding Congshi. Liu killed many of Zhou's staff members, took over the headquarters, and supported Xue as the acting military governor. Because Zhou was previously the deputy director of the monopolies, he had much wealth stored away, and it all fell into the mutineers' hands. When Gao Pian heard of Zhou's fall, he celebrated it, and sent a bag of powder to Zhou to satirize the collapse of his power. Zhou angrily threw the bag onto the ground and stated, "It is hard to say what will happen to you given that you have Lü Yongzhi!"[7] (Lü was a sorcerer whom Gao trusted, who had by this point had great control on Gao's governance of Huainan. Eventually, as a result of Lü's corruption, the officer Bi Shiduo would mutiny, resulting in Gao's own death later in 887.)[2]
In winter 887, Qian Liu sent his officer Du Leng (杜稜) to attack Chang Prefecture, and Ding fled to Hailing (海陵, in modern Taizhou, Jiangsu). Qian had Zhou escorted to Hang Prefecture, where he welcomed Zhou in a grand ceremony fitting the ceremony welcome by a subordinate of a military governor. Zhou would die at Hang Prefecture early in 888.[2] The New Book of Tang indicated that Qian killed Zhou,[3] but Sima Guang, the lead author of the Zizhi Tongjian, found the account not credible and did not adopt it.[9] When Qian captured Run Prefecture and arrested Xue, he had Xue's heart cut out of his body and sacrificed to Zhou.[2]
Notes and references
- ^ Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
- ^ a b c d Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 257.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i New Book of Tang, vol. 186.
- ^ Li Jifu served twice as chancellor — 807 to 808, and 811 to 814 — thus giving potential date ranges for Zhou Huaiyi's death. See Old Book of Tang, vol. 148.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 253.
- ^ a b Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 254.
- ^ a b c d Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 256.
- ^ Whether Chen's seizure of Mu Prefecture was a result of a mutiny or not is unclear. The Zizhi Tongjian indicated that it was and further indicated that Chen seized it from Liu Chao (柳超), whom the Zizhi Tongjian characterized as the prefect of Mu. Zhou Bao's biography in the New Book of Tang, however, indicated that the seizure was from the prefect Wei Zhu (韋諸); and that Liu was an agrarian rebel that Wei had earlier defeated and killed.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 257 – annotated by Hu Sanxing
- New Book of Tang, vol. 186.
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 253, 254, 255, 256, 257.
