Fang Gao

Fang Gao (房暠) (died 944) was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Tang and Later Jin states, serving as the chief of staff (Shumishi) for Later Tang's last emperor Li Congke.

Background It is not known when Fang Gao was born, but it is known that he was from the Tang dynasty capital Chang'an. In his youth, he served on staff at the mansion of the Tang chancellor Cui Yin. According to the Old History of the Five Dynasties, he later took up residence at Hezhong Municipality (河中, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) due to a disturbance. (This might be referring to Cui's death at the hands of the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), in 904.)

During Later Tang In 926, by which time Tang had long fallen, and the emperor of central China was the Later Tang emperor Li Siyuan, Li Siyuan commissioned his adoptive son Li Congke as the acting military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered at Hezhong). Either at that time or shortly after, when Li Congke went to Hezhong to take over the circuit command, Fang Gao went to greet him on the road, and requested to serve on his staff. Li Congke was pleased with him and made him in charge of the guests in Li Congke's household. However, Fang (along with imperial scholars Li Song and Lü Qi did do what they could to dissuade Li Congke from an idea that he had that they believed would be disastrous—moving Shi from Hedong to Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong)—believing that Shi would rebel if he did so.

In summer 936, by which time Lü was no longer imperial scholar, there was a night when Li Song had the night off, and Xue was on duty, attending to Li Congke. Xue took the opportunity to persuade Li Congke that Shi would rebel anyway, and that it was better to let him rebel now. Li Congke agreed, and therefore issued an edict moving Shi from Hedong to Tianping. Shi did in fact rebel, and thereafter, with aid from the Khitan, defeated Later Tang forces Li Congke sent against him and then approached the capital Luoyang. Li Congke and his family committed suicide, ending Later Tang. Fang would die in 944, during the reign of Shi's nephew and successor Shi Chonggui, at Luoyang.

Notes and references

Old History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 96. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 279, 280, 282.