Jing Xiang (politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jing Xiang (敬翔) (died November 20, 923?[1][2][3]), courtesy name Zizhen (子振), formally the Marquess of Pingyang (平陽侯), was the chief strategist of the late Chinese Tang dynasty warlord Zhu Quanzhong, who assisted Zhu in his consolidation of central China, which Zhu eventually established as a new Later Liang (as its Emperor Taizu) to replace Tang. Jing served in prominent roles in Emperor Taizu's administration and later administrations of his sons Zhu Yougui and Zhu Zhen, although neither listened much to Jing. After Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin—the chief rival state to Later Liang—launched a surprise attack on the Later Liang capital Daliang in 923, Zhu Zhen, facing defeat and capture, committed suicide, ending Later Liang. Jing, hearing of the state's destruction, also committed suicide.
It is not known when Jing Xiang was born. His family was from Fengyi (馮翊, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi) and was descended from the middle-Tang dynasty chancellor Jing Hui. His great-grandfather Jing Wan (敬琬) and father Jing Gun (敬袞) both served as prefectural prefects, while his grandfather Jing Xin (敬忻) served as a prefectural governmental administrator. It was said that Jing Xiang, in his youth, was studious, and was particularly skillful at using knife-pens (i.e., knives that were used to carve text on bamboo). During the middle of Qianfu era (874–879) of Emperor Xizong, Jing submitted himself for imperial examinations but was not able to pass in the Jinshi class.[4]
After the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao captured the Tang imperial capital Chang'an around the new year 881,[5] Jing left the Guanzhong region (i.e., the region around Chang'an), eventually going to Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), where, after Huang was expelled from the Chang'an region by Tang forces, his former subordinate Zhu Quanzhong, who had turned against him and became a Tang general, had been made the military governor (jiedushi). Zhu's assistant in his role as governor (觀察使, Guanchashi), Wang Fa (王發), was from the same locale as Jing, and Jing initially went to follow Wang. Wang treated him well, but had no opportunity to recommend him to Zhu. Jing, unable to distinguish himself, resorted to writing snippets of witty words and passing them around in Zhu's army. This impressed Zhu, who was not well-learned and did not like to read but who liked witty words. He thus summoned Jing to his presence and initially offered him an officer position. However, Jing did not want to be an army officer and requested a civilian position, and therefore was initially made the overseer of the communication station at Xuanwu, to be in charge of communiques with the imperial government and other circuits. During Zhu's subsequent campaigns against the rebel general Qin Zongquan, who declared himself emperor at Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), Jing participated in the strategy sessions. Zhu was impressed by Jing's strategies, and after Qin's destruction became particularly trusting of Jing.[4]
As Zhu Quanzhong's chief strategist during the Tang dynasty
It was said that, because Zhu Quanzhong's thoughts and actions were unpredictable, other staff members often found it difficult to give him advice. Jing Xiang, however, was often able to anticipate what he was thinking and complement the parts that his own plans were lacking, further causing him to entrust Jing with greater responsibility.[6] For example, in 889, when two of Zhu's generals, Zhu Zhen (朱珍, not the same person as the later emperor) and Li Tangbin (李唐賓) had a dispute while both were attacking Zhu Quanzhong's rival Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) and Zhu Zhen killed Li in anger, Jing, after receiving the news, did not immediately inform Zhu Quanzhong (because he did not want Zhu Quanzhong to make a rash reaction). Rather, he waited to the night to inform Zhu Quanzhong and then suggested to Zhu Quanzhong that he should arrest Li's wife and children to first comfort Zhu Zhen, before carrying out any actions against Zhu Zhen. Zhu Quanzhong accepted this decision, and Zhu Zhen did not rebel at the time; it was only later, when Zhu Quanzhong visited the army personally that he ordered Zhu Zhen arrested and executed.[7]
By 893, Zhu Quanzhong's army was worn out after having put Shi under siege at Ganhua's capital Xu Prefecture (徐州) for years, and one of the staff members, Zhang Tao (張濤), had suggested to Zhu in a letter that the failure to capture Xu was the result of the army having been launched on a day of ill fortune. Zhu initially believed Zhang's words, but Jing pointed out that if these words spread, the army morale would collapse, so Zhu burned Zhang's letter. Subsequently, Zhu's general Pang Shigu (龐師古) was able to capture Xu, and Shi committed suicide.[8]
At the time of Shi's death, Jing had just lost his wife. Meanwhile, one of Shi's beautiful concubines was a Lady Liu, who had previously been the wife of Shang Rang, a chancellor in Huang Chao's administration. Zhu initially took Lady Liu as a concubine himself, but later decided to award her to Jing as his new wife. However, after Lady Liu became Jing's wife, she continued to carry on close relationship, perhaps sexual, with Zhu; as a result, Jing initially distanced himself from her. She, in anger, pointed out to Jing that she had been the wife of a chancellor (i.e., Shang) and the concubine to an honored military governor, and that her relationship with Zhu was to ensure that he would continue to trust Jing deeply, and she offered to let him divorce her if he wanted to. Jing saw the wisdom and also did not want to offend Zhu, and therefore remained married to her. (Thereafter, during the time that Zhu was still a Tang warlord, Lady Liu was said to be just as influential on his policies as Jing was.)[4]
In 903, when Zhu had seized Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong back from Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), where Emperor Zhaozong had been forcibly taken by the eunuch Han Quanhui,[9] Zhu returned Emperor Zhaozong to Chang'an, and Emperor Zhaozong bestowed on Jing and a number of Zhu's subordinates honors for their participation in Zhu's campaign;[10] he also personally welcomed Jing and another key staff member of Zhu's, Li Zhen, to the palace.[4]
However, later in 903, Zhu and Emperor Zhaozong's chancellor Cui Yin, who had previously been allies, broke over Zhu's suspicion that Cui had his nephew Zhu Youlun (朱友倫) assassinated, whom Zhu had left in charge of the imperial guards at Chang'an. In 904, Zhu Quanzhong killed Cui and forced Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang.[10] At a subsequent feast that Emperor Zhaozong held at the Luoyang palace, he initially invited Zhu to attend, but Zhu suspected Emperor Zhaozong of laying a trap for him; he therefore claimed to be already drunk and refused to attend. When Emperor Zhaozong said, "If Quanzhong does not wish to attend, let Jing Xiang come," Zhu hit Jing and stated, "Jing Xiang is also drunk!"[11]
In 905, Zhu conquered the domains of two brothers who were warlords opposing him—Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) and Zhao Kuangming the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei). He then, without initially planning it, decided to head east to attack Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). Jing advised him against it, pointing out that he had terrorized the other warlords already through his quick victory over the Zhaos, and that a failed campaign against Huainan would damage his reputation. Zhu, however, did not listen to Jing on this occasion, and regretted it after his attacks were repelled by Yang.[11] However, it appeared that this was the exception, not the norm, for it was stated that Zhu's gradual consolidation of power was largely done with the advice of Jing.[12]