Guo Chong

Guo Chong ( 908 – 965), known as Guo Chongwei before 951, was a military general and officer who successively served the Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, Later Zhou and Northern Song dynasties. He was likely an ethnic Shatuo.

Emperor Renzong of Song's first wife, Empress Guo, was his granddaughter.

Early life Guo Chongwei was from Ying Prefecture, where his father and grandfather had both been tribal chieftains. Around age 20, Guo Chongwei enlisted in the Later Tang army.

In 936, Shi Jingtang founded the Later Jin after overthrowing the Later Tang. In return for military support he received, he yielded the Sixteen Prefectures, including Ying Prefecture, to the northern Khitan state. Unwilling to serve the Khitans, Guo—who was the commander-in-chief of the Ying Prefecture cavalry—left his hometown and moved south to Later Jin territory in 937. In the ensuing years, he successively served as the cavalry commander-in-chief of three prefectures, Yun Prefecture, Hezhong Prefecture, and Lu Prefecture. In the mid-940s, Guo was stationed in Taiyuan Prefecture. and Guo Chongwei was one of the vanguard generals. In January 948, Guo was part of the army that escorted Liu Zhiyuan into Daliang. He was subsequently appointed prefect of Ying Prefecture, and later prefect of Fu Prefecture.

On January 9, 951, the imperial court received reports that the Khitans had attacked and taken a few northern border towns. Empress Dowager Li, the nominal regent, sent Guo Wei to take his army north to resist the Khitan invasion. Guo Wei's army reached Chan Prefecture on January 29. The next morning, thousands of his soldiers—fearful that they would be punished for having sacked the capital if another Liu became emperor—made a commotion, supporting Guo Wei as emperor. Guo Wei accepted, and the army turned back to Daliang.

During the Song dynasty In 960, general Zhao Kuangyin usurped the imperial power from the 5-year-old Guo Zongxun to found the Song dynasty. Guo Chong was appointed secretariat director (中書令). It was said that Guo Chong cried several times over the sad fate of the Later Zhou imperial house. Army-supervising commissioner Chen Sihui (陳思誨) then sent a secret memorial to Zhao Kuangyin, reporting Guo Chong's outbursts and warning Zhao Kuangyin against a possible Guo Chong rebellion, as Changshan was close to the Song–Liao border. Zhao Kuangyin knew Guo Chong well and completely understood his affection for the diseased Later Zhou emperors, still, he sent someone to watch Guo Chong's activities. The messenger returned to report that Guo Chong spent his days drinking and playing chess with his retinues in a pavilion by the pond, and his domain was peaceful. Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said, "Just as I predicted". Afterwards, Guo Chong came to Daliang (now known as Kaifeng Prefecture) to pay the emperor homage. After Li Chongjin rebelled and died, Guo Chong took over his titles. He died in 965, and Zhao Kuangyin posthumously honored him a grand perceptor.

Notes and references