Duan Ning

Duan Ning (died November 8, 928? ), né Duan Mingyuan , known as Li Shaoqin during the reign of Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (Li Cunxu), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Liang and Later Tang states. He became an official under Later Liang's founder Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong) based on his sister's being a concubine to Emperor Taizu, and later became a major general during the reign of Later Liang's last emperor Zhu Zhen. The failure in his ambitious plan to counterattack against Later Liang's northern rival Later Tang enabled Later Tang to defeat and conquer Later Liang, but despite such failure, he became a trusted general under Later Tang's founder Emperor Zhuangzong as well. After Emperor Zhuangzong's own fall and death, and succession by his adoptive brother Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (Li Siyuan), Emperor Mingzong exiled Duan and later forced him to commit suicide.

Background It is not known when Duan Mingyuan was born, but it is known that his family was from Kaifeng. It was said that he was intelligent and capable of strategies when he was young. At some point, he became a chief secretary at the county government of Mianchi (澠池, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), but abandoned his post to serve Zhu Quanzhong, then a powerful warlord and military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng) — notwithstanding the fact that his father had previously served Zhu but had been exiled after being accused of faults.

Service during Later Liang

Under Emperor Taizu Because Duan Mingyuan was intelligent and because his younger sister was a concubine of Zhu Quanzhong's, after Zhu Quanzhong established Later Liang (as its Emperor Taizu), he began to value Duan's advice more. In 909, when he was serving as one of Zhu's attendants, he was made a general of the imperial guards and one of the monitors of the army against Later Liang's archenemy to the north, Jin. In 910, he was made the prefect of Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan). After this incident, Duan was made the prefect of the more prosperous Zheng Prefecture (鄭州, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan) and made the chief monitor of the army against Jin. Emperor Taizu's chief advisor Li Zhen, however, did not consider Duan an appropriate person for that role and sought to have him removed. Emperor Taizu, however, resisted the suggestion.

Over the years, Later Liang had lost its territory, bit by bit, north of the Yellow River to Jin, causing the morale of the Later Liang army to be low. In 922, however, Duan was involved in a counterattack that, to a degree, restored the Later Liang morale. At that time, the main Jin army was attacking Zhang Chujin, whose father Zhang Wenli had assassinated Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao and taken over Zhao lands, before dying and leaving the lands in Zhang Chujin's hands. With the main Jin army in the north, the defense of the key border city Wei Prefecture (衛州, in modern Xinxiang, Henan) was left in the hands of its prefect Li Cunru , an adoptive brother of Jin's prince Li Cunxu. Li Cunru, however, was incompetent, allowing soldiers to bribe themselves out of active duty. In fall 922, Duan, along with another officer, Zhang Lang , launched a surprise attack on Wei Prefecture, capturing it and taking Li Cunru captive. Duan subsequently rendezvoused with the supreme commander of the Later Liang forces against Jin, Dai Siyuan, and captured a number of other nearby Jin garrisons — Qimen (淇門, in modern Hebi, Henan), Gongcheng , and Xinxiang (新鄉, both in modern Xinxiang). Jin suffered losses of a third of its food storage on the Jin/Later Liang border, and this greatly encouraged the Later Liang army.

A quick counterattack by Wang captured the southern half of Desheng (德勝, in modern Puyang, Henan) (i.e., the southern part of the city south of the Yellow River), and Wang subsequently put Yangliu (楊劉, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong) under siege, to try to cut off the communications between Later Tang proper and Yun Prefecture. However, Zhu Zhen's close associates Zhao Yan (Zhu Zhen's brother-in-law) and four brothers/cousins of his deceased wife Consort Zhang were fearful that Wang was resentful of their influence on the governance — as Wang often spoke of wanting to kill the evildoers after he achieves victories on the battlefield, which they believed to be targeting them. On the other hand, Duan ingratiated them. Therefore, when news of the Desheng victory arrived, they credited Duan, rather than Wang, with the victory. After Wang subsequently failed to capture Yangliu and was forced to withdraw, they further spoke against Wang, so Zhu Zhen removed Wang from his post and recalled him to Daliang, replacing him with Duan, despite fervent opposition by Li Zhen, the chancellor Jing Xiang, and the senior military governor Zhang Zongshi. In 925, he became the military governor of Weisheng Circuit (威勝, headquartered in modern Nanyang, Henan).

Once Li Siyuan reached Yedu, however, his own soldiers forced him to join the Yedu mutineers. He subsequently attacked south, but even before he could reach the capital Luoyang, Emperor Zhuangzong was killed in another mutiny at Luoyang, allowing him to subsequently enter Luoyang without major opposition.

Under Emperor Mingzong As one of Li Siyuan's main supporters was Li Shaozhen (i.e., Huo Yanwei, whose name had been changed by Emperor Zhuangzong to Li Shaozhen but who would soon thereafter change back to the original name), Li Shaozhen assumed much of the authority in Luoyang. He resented Li Shaoqin and Li Shaochong (i.e., Wen Tao, whose name had been changed by Emperor Zhuangzong as well), and therefore had them arrested and planned to kill them. Li Siyuan's main strategist, An Chonghui, however, warned Li Shaozhen that he lacked such authority and should not be taking vengeance on Li Shaoqin and Li Shaochong for their crimes during Later Liang. Li Siyuan (who was at this point claiming the title of regent and not yet emperor) soon issued an order stripping Li Shaoqin and Li Shaochong of their imperial names (i.e., restoring them to their original names) and their posts, sending them back to their homes.

In 927, Li Siyuan (who had declared himself emperor by this point, as Emperor Mingzong) further exiled Duan Ning to Liao Prefecture (遼州, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi) and Wen Tao to De Prefecture (德州, in modern Dezhou, Shandong). In 928, he issued another edict condemning Duan and Wen for their treacherousness and ordered that they commit suicide.

Notes and references

History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 73. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 45. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 268, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276.