Du Rangneng

Du Rangneng (杜讓能) (841–893), courtesy name Qunyi (群懿), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a former jiedushi of the late Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xizong and Emperor Xizong's brother Emperor Zhaozong. Early in Emperor Zhaozong's reign, against Du's recommendations, Emperor Zhaozong planned a campaign against the warlord Li Maozhen and put Du in charge of the campaign. After Li subsequently defeated the imperial forces, he marched on the capital Chang'an and demanded Du's death, and Emperor Zhaozong was forced to order Du to commit suicide.

Background Du Rangneng was born in 841, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. He was a descendant of the early Tang dynasty chancellor Du Ruhui. His father Du Shenquan served as a chancellor early in the reign of Emperor Wuzong's cousin Emperor Yizong.

Early career Du Rangneng himself passed the imperial examinations in 872, late in Emperor Yizong's reign. He thereafter served as the sheriff of Xianyang County (咸陽, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). When the former chancellor Wang Duo served as the military governor (jiedushi) of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), he invited Du to serve on his staff. Subsequently, by which time Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Xizong was emperor, Du was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as the sheriff of Chang'an County, one of the two counties making up Chang'an, as well as an assistant at Jixian Institute (集賢院). Sometime later, when his mother died, he left governmental service to observe a mourning period for her. After the end of the mourning period, he served on the staff of the former chancellor Liu Ye while Liu served as the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). He was later recalled to Chang'an to serve as an imperial censor with the title Jiancha Yushi (監察御史).

Du subsequently was recalled to Chang'an, and he went through a progression of offices: You Bujue (右補闕), a low-level advisory official at the Central Secretariat; imperial chronicler (起居郎, Qiju Lang); Libu Yuanwailang (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Libu); and Bingbu Yuanwailang (兵部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu). When Emperor Xizong fled from Chang'an to Chengdu late in 880 due to an attack by the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, Du also fled and caught up with the emperor in Chengdu. When the chancellor Xiao Gou also served as the director of finances, Du, in addition to his duty at the ministry of defense, also served under Xiao in that capacity. Subsequently, he was also made Libu Langzhong (禮部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of rites, as well as an editor of imperial history. Thereafter, he was put in charge of drafting edicts, and was also made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau. It was said that, at that time, as Emperor Xizong had to often issue edicts in monitoring the Tang forces' campaigns against Huang, many edicts had to be written quickly, and Du wrote effectively and efficiently. Emperor Xizong was happy about his abilities and made him the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang). After Emperor Xizong was able to return to Chang'an after Huang's defeat, Du was made the minister of rites (禮部尚書, Libu Shangshu), given the honorary title of Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫), and created the Viscount of Jianping. Subsequently, he was made the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu) and chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi).

As chancellor By this time, however, Zhu Mei had occupied Chang'an and declared Emperor Xizong's distant relative Li Yun the Prince of Xiang the new emperor, and it was said that few circuits remained obedient to Emperor Xizong. With Tian Lingzi realizing that the people of the empire were largely against him and having left Emperor Xizong's presence (to join his brother Chen Jingxuan the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu)) and another eunuch, Yang Fugong having succeeded Tian as the commander of the Shence Armies (神策軍), Du pointed out that Yang Fugong's brother Yang Fuguang had worked closely with Wang Chongrong and Li Keyong in defeating Huang and recapturing Chang'an. He suggested having Yang write letters to Wang and Li Keyong to persuade them to rejoin Emperor Xizong's cause, and after Yang did so, Wang and Li Keyong redeclared their allegiance to Emperor Xizong and sent material supplies to Xingyuan.

After Emperor Xizong died in 888 was succeeded by his brother Emperor Zhaozong,

In 892, with Yang Fugong, who had a falling out with Emperor Zhaozong, having started a rebellion against the imperial government at Shannan West with his adoptive nephew Yang Shouliang (Yang Fuguang's adoptive son), Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, Han Jian the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue (王行約) the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan as well), and Li Maozhen's brother Li Maozhuang (李茂莊) the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui, Gansu) all petitioned Emperor Xizong to declare a general campaign against the Yangs and put Li Maozhen in charge of the overall operations. Emperor Xizong initially was apprehensive that if Li Maozhen defeated the Yangs, he would seize Shannan West and be even harder to control, and so ordered peace negotiations, but Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu, ignoring the orders, started attacking Yang Shouliang on their own. Li Maozhen further wrote arrogant letters to Du and Ximen Junsui (西門君遂) the new commander of the Shence Armies. Emperor Zhaozong was forced to relent and agree to put Li Maozhen in charge of the operations. By the end of the year, Li Maozhen had defeated the Yangs, who were arrested in flight by Han and delivered to Chang'an to be executed.

Death at Li Maozhen's insistence In the aftermaths of LI Maozhen's victory over the Yangs, however, as Emperor Zhaozong feared, he became even more arrogant in his communications with the imperial government. In spring 893, after he sent a petition stating that he wanted to be the military governor of Shannan West—i.e., intending to control both Fengxiang and Shannan West—Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict transferring Li Maozhen to Shannan West while naming the chancellor Xu Yanruo the new military governor of Fengxiang, while trying to placate Li Maozhen by also giving him Wuding Circuit (武定, headquartered in modern Hanzhong as well). Li Maozhen, disappointed, refused, and further submitted disrespectful and threatening petitions to Emperor Zhaozong, while also writing threatening letters to Du. Subsequently, after Li Keyong defeated and killed Wang Xingyu and forced Li Maozhen into brief submission to the imperial government, Emperor Zhaozong posthumously honored Du. Du's son Du Xiao later served as a chancellor during the succeeding Later Liang.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 177. New Book of Tang, vol. 96. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 257, 258, 259.