Han Yanhui

Han Yanhui (韓延徽) (882–959), courtesy name Zhangming (藏明), Khitan name Xialie (匣列, "one who returned"), formally the Duke of Lu (魯公), was an ethnically Han chancellor of the Khitan Liao dynasty, serving under its first four emperors, Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Shizong, and Emperor Muzong.

Background Han Yanhui was born in 882, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. His family was from Anci (安次, in modern Langfang, Hebei) — but it was not clear whether he was born there, as his father Han Mengyin (韓夢殷) served successively as the prefect of three prefectures — Ji (薊州, in modern Tianjin), Ru (儒州, in modern Beijing), and Shun (順州, in modern Beijing), all of which belonged to Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) — so he might have been born at Anci, one of the three prefectures, or Lulong's capital You Prefecture (幽州). In his youth, he impressed Lulong's then military governor (Jiedushi) Liu Rengong, and Liu made him the education officer for the circuit and investigatory officer at Ping Prefecture (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei), but apparently he remained at headquarters, serving with the later prominent Five Dynasties chancellor Feng Dao. Eventually, he was promoted to be assistant to Liu in Liu's office as the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of You.

In 907, Liu Rengong's son Liu Shouguang overthrew him and took over Lulong. When the Tang throne was shortly after seized by the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), ending Tang and starting a new state of Later Liang, Liu Shouguang initially became a vassal of Later Liang's, but in 911 claimed the title of emperor of a new state of Yan. This soon brought an attack by Jin's prince Li Cunxu, allied with Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao and Wang Chuzhi the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei). Under siege from them, Liu Shouguang sent Han Yanhui to the court of the Khitan Empire to seek aid. Khitan's Emperor Taizu was offended by Han's refusal to bow to him, and therefore detained him and made him tend horses. Emperor Taizu's wife Empress Shulü Ping stated to the emperor, "Han Yanhui kept his faith and not give in. This shows that he is a good man. Why do you humiliate him by making him tend horses? You should respect him and use him." Emperor Taizu thereafter recalled Han to his court and, after speaking with him and being impressed by his talent, kept him as a chief strategist.

Service under Emperor Taizu It was said that, as Emperor Taizu's chief strategist, Han Yanhui helped the Khitan Empire's subjugation of the Dangxiang and the Shiwei tribes. Han Yanhui continued to serve as Zhengshi Ling, and was created the Duke of Lu. At some point, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to then-vassal state of Liao (as the Khitan Empire had been renamed by that point to), Later Jin. Upon the return from the mission, he was apparently relieved of his duties as chancellor and made the director of the three financial agencies (census, treasury, and salt and iron monopolies) at the southern capital (i.e., You Prefecture, which Later Jin had ceded to Liao). Sometime during Emperor Shizong's reign, Han Yanhui was made the chancellor of Liao's "southern government" Han was the one who was said to be most involved in establishing its structure and staffing it with administrators. In 951, when Liao's vassal Northern Han's emperor Liu Chong requested that Emperor Shizong formally create him emperor of Northern Han, Emperor Shizong had Han organize the ceremony, and Han largely followed the ceremony that Emperor Taizong used when creating Shi Jingtang the emperor of Later Jin. During Emperor Muzong's reign, Han Yanhui retired. At that time, his son Han Deshu (韓德樞) was the defender of Dongping (東平, in modern Liaoyang, Liaoning), and Emperor Muzong issued an edict allowing Han Deshu to return to visit him once each year. Han Yanhui died in 959 and was given posthumous honors. He was buried at You Prefecture.

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