Zhou Chu
Zhou Chu | |
|---|---|
| 周處 | |
 | |
| Palace Aide to the Censor-in-Chief (御史中丞) | |
| In office ?–297 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Hui of Jin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 236 Yixing, Eastern Wu (present-day Jiangsu) |
| Died | 12 February 297 (aged 60–61) |
| Parent |
|
| Courtesy name | Ziyin (子隱) |
Zhou Chu (
Zhou Chu is depicted in the
Eradicating the Three Scourges
A folk story about Zhou Chu appeared in the 430 book A New Account of the Tales of the World and proved to be very popular. The story claims that Zhou Chu was such a cruel and violent ruffian in his younger days that he was called one of the "Three Scourges" by the villagers in his native Yixing County (present-day city of Yixing, Jiangsu), along with a tiger and a dragon.
Prompted by a villager, Zhou Chu took on the challenge to seek out and kill the tiger and the scaly dragon that lived in a stream (the jiao).[a] His battle with this dragon endured for 3 days in Lake Tai, and the villagers were celebrating the demise of the two scourges when Zhou Chu returned triumphant with the dragon's head. That was when he realized that he was the last scourge that the villagers feared. Determined to mend his old ways, he sought out Eastern Wu generals Lu Ji and Lu Yun (陸雲), and received encouragement. Eventually he became an accomplished general beloved by his people.[3][5][4]
Death
Zhou Chu became Palace Aide to the Censor-in-Chief (御史中丞) and had no fear in indicting and exposing the wrongdoings of other ministers. He thus offended many, including Sima Rong (司馬肜), son of
Zhou Chu was ordered to take 5,000 soldiers to attack the 70,000-strong enemy. After the attacks began, Sima Rong also ordered his supply to be cut off completely. Zhou's troops ran out of arrows and the generals assigned to reinforce him did not help. When asked to flee, Zhou Chu replied, "I am a minister of a nation. Isn't it proper to die for one's country?" He fought to his death.[6][7]
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ Historical sources did not record when Zhou Chu was born. Qing-era scholar Lao Ge in his Jin Shu Jiao Kan Ji ("Record on Cross-checking the Book of Jin") claimed that Zhou Chu was 62 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died, without citing where he got the figure from. According to Sun Quan's and Zhou Fang's biographies in Sanguozhi, Zhou Fang was appointed Administrator of Poyang Commandery in early 226, and served in the commandery for about 13 years. Thus, Zhou Fang's death date should be in early 239. Zhou Chu's biography in Book of Jin mentioned that he was orphaned at a young age. Thus, he was not Zhou Fang's posthumous son. As such, his birth year should be on or before 239.
- ^ Fang Xuanling. 《晉書‧卷四‧帝紀第四‧孝惠帝》 (in Chinese).
七年春正月癸丑，周處及齊萬年戰於六陌，王師敗績，處死之。
The date in the Chinese calendar was the guichou day of the 1st month of the 7th year of the Yuan'kang era. - ^ ISBN 978-1-938-93701-9.
- ^ a b Liu Yiqing 劉義慶. "Chapter 15. Self-renewal 自新第十五". Shishuo xinyu 世說新語 – via Wikisource.
- ISBN 0-231-09676-3.
- State University of New York Press. p.67.
- University of Hawaii Press. p.91.
