Feng Yanji

Feng Yanji (per the Zizhi Tongjian and the History of Song ) or Feng Yansi (per the New History of the Five Dynasties and Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms (903-June 23, 960 ), alternative name Feng Yansi , courtesy name Zhengzhong , was a famed poet and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Tang, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Southern Tang's second emperor Li Jing (Emperor Yuanzong).

Background Feng Yanji was born in 903, during the reign of the late-Tang Emperor Zhaozong. He was from Guangling (廣陵, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). His father was named Feng Lingjun , who was a military officer at Guangling. He had at least one younger half-brother named Feng Yanlu, who would later also be a prominent politician. (Feng Yanlu's mother was described as Feng Yanji's stepmother, so Feng Lingjun probably married her after Feng Yanji's mother's death, although that is not completely clear.) While Feng Yanji and Feng Yanlu were half-brothers and would eventually be political allies, they did not have a good relationship, and neither did Feng Yanji with Feng Yanlu's mother. Feng was made his secretary, Cha was eventually able to capture Jian Prefecture and force Min's last emperor Wang Yanzheng to surrender, allowing Southern Tang to take over a substantial part of Min territory. However, Min's traditional capital Fú Prefecture (福州, in modern Fuzhou, Fujian, note different tone) was still in the hands of the warlord Li Hongyi, who was paying nominal allegiance to both Southern Tang and its northern neighbor Later Jin. When Chen volunteered to go see Li Hongyi to persuade him to give up his control of Fú, Li Hongyi was arrogant to him and refused. Chen subsequently forged an order in Li Jing's name, conscripting the troops of Jian, Fǔ, Xin, and Ting (汀州, in modern Longyan, Fujian) Prefectures and putting them under the command of Feng Yanlu so that he could lead a campaign against Li Hongyi. However, the Southern Tang forces were eventually crushed in spring 947 by the relief forces sent by Wuyue's king Qian Hongzuo and were forced to retreat in defeat, ending Southern Tang's hopes of taking all of Min territory. (In light of the Southern Tang losses, it also soon lost effective control of the Quan (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian) and Nan (南州, in modern Zhangzhou, Fujian) Prefectures region to the warlord Liu Congxiao, although Liu remained in nominal allegiance to Southern Tang.)

Meanwhile, in 946, Li Jing had made Feng Yanji a chancellor (with the title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi ), along with Li Jianxun. It was said that Li Jianxun was skilled in administrative matters but indecisive, while Feng was capable in literary matters, but was wicked and partisan in his decision making, often covering for his inadequacies by using grand words to persuade people of his correctness. It was said that the reason why Feng was able to gain Li Jing's favor was that he constantly advocated strategies for taking the Central Plains. Feng became so arrogant that he showed open contempt for Li Bian's insistence on peace, praising Li Jing instead for Li Jing's willingness to use force.

One of the things that Li Jing had to decide shortly after Feng and Sun were made chancellors was what to do with the lands of Southern Tang's southwestern neighbor Chu, whose last ruler Ma Xichong had surrendered to Southern Tang in 951, ending Chu. Despite Ma's surrender, however, Southern Tang effectively only had control of one of Chu's three main circuits, Wu'an (武安, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan, i.e., Chu's former capital Tan Prefecture . Wuping Circuit (武平, headquartered in modern Changde, Hunan) was in the hands of the Chu general Liu Yan, and Jingjiang Circuit (靜江, headquartered in modern Guilin, Guangxi) was seized by Chu's southern neighbor Southern Han. Li Jing's plans in 951 had been to take those circuits by force, but by 952, he was weary of the campaigns, and considered abandoning the Jingjiang project entirely and try to gain Liu's nominal allegiance by making him military governor. Sun agreed with the idea, but Feng opposed, arguing that acquiescing with just taking Wu'an would make Southern Tang appear weak. Li Jing agreed with Feng and continued the campaigns, but the general Li Jing sent to attack Jingjiang, Zhang Luan , was defeated by Southern Han forces with great loss.

In 956, in the midst of a major invasion by Later Han's successor state Later Zhou, Li Jing decided to send a high-level delegation to meet with the Later Zhou emperor Guo Rong, hoping to persuade Guo to stop his campaign. The delegation was to be headed by Sun. Sun pointed out to Feng that, as Feng's title was more honored than Sun's, Feng should have gone, but that he would nevertheless go despite the dangers. As Sun feared, his efforts were unsuccessful, and Guo put him to death. The war only ended in 958 when Southern Tang capitulated and ceded all of its territory north of the Yangtze River, and also agreed to be a vassal to Later Zhou. After that agreement was reached, Li Jing sent Feng to Guo's court to submit a tribute of silver, textile, money, tea, and grains, for Guo's army to use. Shortly after, with Southern Tang now being a vassal, many high-level officials' titles were reduced to show submission to Later Zhou. Feng thus no longer was chancellor, and was made Taizi Taifu , senior advisor to then-crown prince, Li Jing's son Li Hongji (Li Jingsui's having by that point successfully resigned the crown prince title). He died on 960.

Feng Yanji was famous for his poetry, which he continued writing into old age. He particularly favored writing poems that could be set to music.

Notes and references

Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 26. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 283, 284, 285, 286, 290, 291, 293, 294.