Fu Yanqing

Fu Yanqing (898 – July 31, 975 ), né Li Yanqing , courtesy name Guanhou , formally the Prince of Wei , nicknamed Fu Disi (符第四; "the fourth Fu"), was a Chinese general and politician during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou states, as well as the Liao dynasty and Song dynasty). He was one of the most celebrated generals of the period, and he was also the father of three empresses — two as successive empresses of the Later Zhou emperor Chai Rong, and one (posthumously) as a wife of Zhao Guangyi, who would become the second emperor of the Song dynasty.

Background Li Yanqing was born in 898, near the end of the Tang dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. Li Yanqing was said to be the fourth-born son of Li Cunshen's,

When Li Yanqing was 12 — i.e., in 910 — by which time Tang had fallen and the Jin realm, theoretically still under Tang rule, was actually under the rule of Li Keyong's biological son and successor Li Cunxu — Li Yanqing, who was already capable of riding and archery, entered military service under Li Cunxu, being close enough to Li Cunxu that he was allowed to enter the prince's bedchamber. When he grew older, he became an officer in Li Cunxu's army. Also in his youth, he became a friend of Shi Chonggui, the nephew of Shi Jingtang, the son-in-law of Li Siyuan, also an adoptive son of Li Keyong's.

During Later Tang In 923, Li Cunxu claimed imperial title as the emperor of a new Later Tang, and shortly after conquered his southern rival Later Liang and took over its territory. Li Yanqing continued to serve as an officer of Li Cunxu's imperial guards.

In 926, many mutinies were occurring against Li Cunxu's rule. Eventually, a mutiny even rose at the capital Luoyang itself, and it was said that when the mutiny occurred, the officers and soldiers were deserting Li Cunxu in droves, with only some 10-20 officers/soldiers, including Li Yanqing, remaining with Li Cunxu and fighting the mutineers. During the battle, Li Cunxu was hit by a stray arrow, and eventually died from that injury. Upon seeing Li Cunxu's death, Li Yanqing and the others cried and then left the area. The army of Li Siyuan (who had previously rebelled against Li Cunxu) arrived at Luoyang shortly after, and Li Siyuan claimed imperial title. Li Yanqing's older brother Li Yanchao, who was then the defender of the northern capital Taiyuan, submitted to Li Siyuan's rule shortly after; presumably, so did Li Yanqing.

In 928, when Li Siyuan ordered a general campaign against the rebellious Wang Du, the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei),

During Later Jin Early in Shi Jingtang's reign, Fu Yanqing was made the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). While Shi then issued an edict stating that Fu Yanrao's brothers would not also be punished, Fu Yanqing nevertheless submitted a resignation, which Shi declined. However, he did recall Fu Yanqing to serve as a general of the imperial guards, but later sent him back out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi). Having been friendly with Fu since their youth, he recalled Fu from Baoda and thereafter made him the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), close to the capital Kaifeng. When eventually, with Pinglu's capital Qing Prefecture under siege, Yang's son Yang Chengxun arrested his father and surrendered, Fu was rewarded with the title of Duke of Qi, and was moved to Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan).

On a subsequently Khitan invasion in 945, the Later Jin army, then under the command of Du Wei and Li Shouzhen, encountered the Liao army near Yangcheng (陽城, in modern Baoding) and became surrounded. Du panicked and was reluctant to engage the Liao army, but at Fu's advocacy, he, Zhang Yanze, Yao Yuanfu , and Huangfu Yu , attacked the Liao army fiercely, causing the Liao army to panic and flee. Fu was not ordered to participate — only his soldiers were. He was instead given a few thousand weaker soldiers and stayed near Kaifeng. Only when Du and Li Shouzhen subsequently become surrounded by Emperor Taizong at Zhongdu Bridge (中度橋, in modern Baoding), did Shi summon Gao and Fu and tried to have them serve as a line of defense. When Du and Li Shouzhen then surrendered to Liao, however, the way for Liao to attack Kaifeng became clear, and Emperor Taizong had Zhang Yanze, who also surrendered to Liao, head directly to Kaifeng to capture it. Finding the situation hopeless, Shi surrendered, ending Later Jin. Gao and Fu also went to Emperor Taizong's headquarters to surrender. Emperor Taizong rebuked Fu for having defeated him at Yangcheng. Fu responded, "I, your subject, at that time only knew that I should serve the Lord of Jin with all my heart. Whether I live or die is up to you." Emperor Taizong laughed and released him.

Not long after, Emperor Taizong, tired of dealing with Han Chinese rebellions, chose to withdraw back to Liao proper, but died on the way. Chief among the Han Chinese resistance was the army led by Liu Zhiyuan the military governor of Hedong, who declared himself the emperor of a new Later Han, — but a daughter of Fu's, whom he had given in marriage to Li's son Li Chongxun , escaped this mass suicide by hiding herself. Guo had her escorted back to Fu's house.

In 950, Fu went to Kaifeng to pay homage to Li Chengxun. He was thereafter moved to Pinglu Circuit, and given the honorary chancellor title Zhongshu Ling ; he was also created the Duke of Wei.

During Later Zhou After taking the throne, Guo Wei created Fu Yanqing the Prince of Huaiyang. He also awarded the Kaifeng mansion of Liu Chengyou's close associate Liu Zhu , whom he had executed, to Fu. Despite the failure to capture Taiyuan, Guo still greatly rewarded Fu. After Guo returned to Kaifeng, he bestowed the title of Taifu on Fu, and created him the Prince of Wei . In 959, Guo created her younger sister, also a daughter of Fu's, as the new empress. (She thus became known historically as Empress Dowager Fu (Later Zhou), while the older empress became known as Empress Fu the Elder.) Guo himself died shortly after, and was succeeded by his young son Guo Zongxun. (It is not clear from historical accounts whether Guo Zongxun was the son of Empress Fu the Elder's.) (Another daughter of Fu's — his sixth daughter — married Zhao Guangyi, the younger brother of the major general Zhao Kuangyin, sometime during Guo Rong's reign; she was younger than Empress Fu the Elder, although it is not clear whether she was older or younger than Empress Dowager Fu (Later Zhou).) After Guo Zongxun took the throne, Fu received the title of Taiwei .

Meanwhile, during the years that Fu was at Tianxiong, he left much of the governance to an administrator, Liu Siyu . Liu was said to be greedy, and was often finding ways to enrich himself with the tax funds he received from the people, with Fu not realizing it. Further, at that time, regional governments were often engaging in the practice of using unfair weights and measures in collecting taxes (when, for example, the people were using grain to pay their taxes), and Tianxiong was said to be one of the circuits that was particularly worst in this regard. Hearing of this, Emperor Taizu sent imperial administrators to Tianxiong to oversee taxation; Emperor Taizu also took the "surplus" from the past and awarded it to Fu, to make him ashamed. It was also said that Fu favored eagles and dogs, such that if his subordinates had committed faults, they would try to placate him by obtaining good eagles and dogs to offer to him, such that no matter how angry he was, he would be calmed. He was also described to not like drinking, and was humble to those who came to see him.

In 969, again believing Fu to be ineffective as a governor, Emperor Taizu moved him to Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi). When Fu reached Luoyang, he claimed to be ill and asked to be allowed to remain there until recovery. Emperor Taizu initially agreed, but Fu remained there for 100 days without any signs of getting ready to depart for Fengxiang. The imperial censors indicted him for dereliction of duty, but Emperor Taizu, citing the marital relationship between his family and Fu's, did not punish Fu, but relieved him of the Fengxiang command. Fu thereafter settled at Luoyang. It was said that he was accustomed to ride ponies in the spring to sightsee at the temples and gardens at Luoyang, enjoying retirement.

Fu died in 975. He was given posthumous honors, and his funeral expenses were paid for by the imperial treasury.

Notes and references

History of Song, vol. 251. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 275, 280, 283, 284, 285, 286, 288, 289, 291, 292. Xu Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8.