Fan Yanguang

Fan Yanguang (died September 30, 940), courtesy name Zihuan (per the History of the Five Dynasties) or Zigui (per the New History of the Five Dynasties), formally the Prince of Dongping , was a general from the state of Later Tang and Later Jin during the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He was a close associate of the Later Tang's second emperor Li Siyuan, serving three terms as Li Siyuan's chief of staff (Shumishi), and subsequently continued to serve as a general. After the Later Tang's final emperor Li Congke (Li Siyuan's adoptive son) was overthrown by Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang, who founded Later Jin, Fan initially formally submitted, but later rebelled against Shi. His rebellion, however, was not successful, and after Shi promised to spare him, he surrendered. He was, nevertheless, later killed by Shi's general Yang Guangyuan, probably with Shi's implicit, if not explicit, approval.

Background It is not known when Fan Yanguang was born, but it is known that he was from Linzhang (臨漳, in modern Handan, Hebei). In his youth, he came to serve as a guard at the prefectural government of Xiang Prefecture ,

By 923, Li Cunxu had declared himself emperor of a new Later Tang, and at that time was facing off against the army of archrival Later Liang across the Yellow River. In spring 923, he sent Li Siyuan to launch a surprise attack across the Yellow River against Later Liang's Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), and Li Siyuan was able to surprise Tianping's garrison and capture it. In the aftermaths of Tianping's fall, the Later Liang officer Kang Yanxiao, formerly a Jin subject, sent a secret letter to Li Siyuan, offering to surrender. Li Siyuan believed that it was important to inform Li Cunxu right away, but as Tianping was deep in Later Liang territory, he did not know whom he could send to deliver the letter. Fan volunteered, and was able to deliver the letter to Li Cunxu. As the Later Liang general Wang Yanzhang at that time was attacking the Yangliu (楊劉, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), a fort on the Yellow River then held by Later Tang, hoping to cut off the supply route between Tianping and Later Tang proper entirely, Fan argued that Yangliu's defense was strong and suggested to Li Cunxu that another fort be built at Majiakou (馬家口, also in modern Liaocheng) while Yangliu was being sieged, rather than to go to Yangliu's aid immediately. Li Cunxu agreed and built Majiakou, which Wang then attacked. He commissioned Fan Yanguang as one of the directors of palace affairs (宣徽使, Xuanhuishi).

In 928, Fan was made one of Li Siyuan's chiefs of staff (Shumishi). He was soon thereafter made the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). At that time, Li Siyuan was considering replacing then-chief of staff An Chonghui (who was the most dominating figure at court for Li Siyuan's entire reign up to that point) due to accusations that An was overly domineering of the political scene. Fan urged against removing An, and when Li Siyuan responded, "Can you not do so?" Fan responded, "I, your subject, have not served you as long, and I am not as talented as An Chonghui. How would I dare replace him?" Li Siyuan subsequently kept An as chief of staff, but also made Fan a chief of staff, serving with An.

By late 932, it was said that Li Congrong, as Li Siyuan's oldest son and presumed heir, as well as the Prince of Qin, as well as the commander of the imperial guards, was becoming very dominant at court, and used that domination to bully the imperial officials. Shi (who was then the deputy to Li Congrong as the deputy commander of the imperial guards), Zhao, and Fan were all wanting to leave the imperial court to avoid confrontations with Li Congrong, but Li Siyuan would not allow them to leave. However, when Khitan apparently was preparing an incursion, Li Siyuan, at Fan's and Zhao's recommendation that the only appropriate commanders would be Shi or Kang Yicheng , relented at least as to Shi, making Shi the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), to defend against the Khitan.

In the aftermaths of Li Conghou's death, Li Congke returned Shi to Hedong.

The rebellion by Shi, however, was much stronger and difficult to defeat. Moreover, Shi resolved to seek Khitan aid, offering to cede to Khitan's Emperor Taizong (Yelü Deguang) 16 prefectures on Later Tang's northern borders (in effect, Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) and other prefectures north of Yanmen Pass) if Emperor Taizong would help him overthrow Li Congke. Emperor Taizong agreed, and went to aid Shi, while the general commissioned by Li Congke to attack Shi, Zhang Jingda, put Hedong's capital Taiyuan under siege. Once Emperor Taizong arrived at Taiyuan, the joint Khitan/Hedong forces defeated Zhang, and subsequently had Zhang's forces surrounded at Jin'an Base (晉安寨, in modern Taiyuan). The news of Zhang's defeat and envelopment greatly troubled Li Congke, and he ordered Fan, Zhao Dejun the military governor of Lulong, and Pan Huan the defender of Yao Prefecture (耀州, in modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi), to all launch troops toward Jin'an to aid Zhang. Fan therefore took his army and advanced to Liao Prefecture (遼州, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi). Zhao, however, had other ideas—he wanted to take over other armies to join his own, so that he could then use the joint armies as his own, and therefore, instead of directly heading toward Jin'an, he advanced south, requisitioning troops of Yiwu (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), Chengde, and Zhaoyi (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) Circuits and merging them into his own army, before also requesting to rendezvous with Fan's army. Fan, however, was suspicious of Zhao's intentions, and refused the overture, claiming that his army was deep in enemy territory already and could not rendezvous with Zhao's, preventing his army from being merged into Zhao's. Zhao thereafter advanced to Tuanbo Gorge (團柏谷, in modern Jinzhong), but stopped there, not advancing further toward Jin'an, while engaging in secret negotiations with Emperor Taizong, hoping that Emperor Taizong would support him, instead of Shi, in overthrowing Li Congke. Emperor Taizong was tempted, but eventually turned down Zhao's overture. To further affirm his support of Shi, he created Shi emperor of China, founding a new Later Jin. who had taken over Chengde Circuit after Chengde's military governor Dong Wenqi had, at Zhao's invitation, joined Zhao's army and was then detained by Khitan along with Zhao, by slaughtering Dong's family and seizing Dong's considerable wealth. Shi subsequently refused to let Mi stay at Chengde, but gave him another post, as the defender of Qi Prefecture (齊州, in modern Jinan, Shandong). Mi decided to carry his wealth (originally seized from Dong's family) with him. Fan, wanting to silence him and seize his wealth, sent soldiers and surprised Mi on the way, killing him and seizing his wealth, while claiming to Shi that the killing was accidental. Shi chose not to react to Mi's killing.

Meanwhile, Fan was also enticed by the fact that when he was still a common citizen, one fortuneteller named Zhang had predicted that he would become general and chancellor, and then once he reached those positions, Zhang visited him again and, when interpreting a dream that Fan had where a snake entered his navel, predicted that because snakes and dragons were of the same kind, it was a sign of enthronement. He decided to gather his troops, and he summoned all the prefects of the prefectures within Tianxiong, preparing to rebel. In reaction, Shi decided to move the capital from Luoyang to Daliang, which was closer to Yedu, to prepare for the eventuality of Fan's rebellion, but also created Fan the Prince of Linqing to try to assuage him.

Fan's subordinates Sun Rui and Feng Hui , however, continued to press him to rebel, and Fan, continuing to be enticed by what fortuneteller Zhang said, agreed. He launched his troops in summer 937 and headed toward the Yellow River ford at Liyang (黎陽, in modern Hebi, Henan), with Sun and Feng serving as his commanders. Shi's general Zhang Congbin joined Fan's rebellion, killing Shi's son Shi Chongxin the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Luoyang) and Shi Chong'ai the defender of Luoyang, taking over both Heyang Circuit and Luoyang itself. A number of former aristocrats who had lost power under Shi's new regime also joined the rebellion. However, as Fan's army was crossing the Yellow River, Yang Guangyuan attacked Sun and Feng, crushing Fan's army, which he then was forced to withdraw to Yedu. Shi's other generals Du Chongwei and Hou Yi then defeated and killed Zhang Congbin, quelling that part of the rebellion.

Believing the situation to be hopeless, Fan blamed the rebellion on Sun and slaughtered him and his family, and submitted a petition to surrender to Yang. Yang relayed it to Shi, but Shi initially rejected it. However, a subsequent siege of Yedu by Later Jin forces dragged on to fall 938 and wore out the Later Jin forces. Shi decided to allow Fan to surrender, and he sent his associate Zhu Xian to meet Fan, promising to transfer Fan to another large circuit and swearing to the sun that if Fan surrendered and was killed anyway, his own state would not last. Fan agreed, sending his sons Fan Shoutu and Fan Shouying to Daliang to serve as hostages, and then opened the city and surrendered. Shi commissioned Fan as the military governor of Tianping and bestowed on him an iron certificate, promising to pardon a future death sentence. He was also created the Prince of Dongping. In winter 938, however, he went to Daliang to pay homage to Shi and repeatedly asked to retire. Shi allowed him to retire as a senior advisor to the Crown Prince (a completely honorary post as there was no crown prince at the time) and kept him at Daliang, while treating him no differently from any other senior official.

In fall 940, Fan asked to retire to his mansion at Heyang, and Shi agreed. Fan carried the treasures that he had accumulated through the years with him. Yang Guangyuan, who was then Luoyang's defender as well as Heyang's military governor, repeatedly submitted petitions to have Fan killed, as he coveted Fan's treasures and also feared that Fan would create problems for him. Shi refused, but when Yang subsequently requested to have Fan moved to Luoyang, Shi agreed. Shortly after, Yang had his son Yang Chenggui take soldiers and surround Fan's mansion, trying to force him to suicide. Fan, citing Shi's promise to him, refused. Yang Chenggui then forced Fan to march to the Yellow River, and then had him pushed into the river to drown, while Yang Guangyuan submitted a report claiming that Fan committed suicide. While it was said that Shi did not dare to pursue the matter because of Yang's military strength, he posthumously honored Fan. (However, even at the time it was believed that this fit within what Shi wanted.)

Notes and references

History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 97. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 51. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 272, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282.