Lian Chongyu

Lian Chongyu (died February 14, 945 ) was a general of the Chinese Min state. In 944, he and another general, Zhu Wenjin, assassinated the emperor Wang Yanxi (Emperor Jingzong). He then supported Zhu as the new emperor of the Min state, but the officer Lin Renhan assassinated him and Zhu less than a year later and submitted to Wang Yanxi's brother Wang Yanzheng (Tiande Emperor), who had been warring with Wang Yanxi.

Background and service under Wang Yanjun Little was recorded in history about Lian Chongyu's background. He was said to be "of Guangshan" (光山, in modern Xinyang, Henan) — i.e., nearly the same geographic origin as Min's founder Wang Shenzhi and Wang Shenzhi's older brothers Wang Chao and Wang Shengui , who were from nearby Gushi (固始, also in modern Xinyang) — which would have meant that, if he was actually born there, he would have been one of the old guard soldiers who settled with the Wang brothers in the Min region; it is possible, however, that he was one of those soldiers' sons but still said to be from Guangshan. During the reign of Wang Shenzhi's son Wang Yanjun (also known as Wang Lin, Emperor Huizong), when he organized Wang Shenzhi's closest guards into two elite corps, the Gongchen and the Konghe , he made Zhu Wenjin the commander of the Gongchen and Lian the commander of the Konghe. Wang Jipeng created his own elite corps, the Chenwei , and treated them better than he did the Gongchen and the Konghe, such that the soldiers of the two corps were alienated. He also alienated Zhu Wenjin and Lian Chongyu by repeatedly insulting them. Hearing of discontent in the Gongchen and Konghe ranks, he considered sending them away from the capital to Zhang (漳州, in modern Zhangzhou, Fujian) and Quan (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian) Prefectures, respectively, causing fear in the two corps. — he had Zheng killed. He put Lian Chongyu in charge of the army. He also tried to reverse some of Wang Yanxi's unpopular policies, by ending palace construction projects and by releasing the ladies in waiting from palace service.

Wang Yanzheng immediately sent his general Wu Chengyi to attack Min's capital Fu Prefecture (福州, in modern Fuzhou), but was unable to capture it. Thereafter, Zhu sent the army officers Huang Shaopo to serve as the prefect of Quan and Cheng Wenwei to serve as the prefect of Zhang, apparently to affirm his control of those prefectures. The prefect of Ting Prefecture (汀州, in modern Longyan, Fujian), Xu Wenzhen , also submitted to him. When he sent emissaries to try to establish friendly relations with Min's (and Yin's) northwestern neighbor Southern Tang, however, Southern Tang's emperor Li Jing put his emissaries under arrest and intended to attack him, but could not do so immediately due to the heat and spread of disease at the time.

In fall 944, Zhu apparently stopped claiming the title of emperor. Instead, he claimed only the title of acting military governor of Weiwu Circuit (威武, headquartered at Fu Prefecture) and acting overseer of the state of Min, and he sent emissaries to Later Jin to submit as a subject. In response, Later Jin's emperor Shi Chonggui commissioned him as full military governor of Weiwu and acting overseer of Min.

In winter 944, a group of officers at Quan, led by Liu Congxiao, rose up against and killed Huang, submitting to Wang Yanzheng and supporting Wang Yanzheng's nephew Wang Jixun to serve as acting prefect. Hearing of this, the Zhang officer Cheng Mo assassinated Cheng Wenwei and supported another nephew of Wang Yanzheng's, Wang Jicheng , as acting prefect, in submission to Wang Yanzheng. Xu Wenzhen also submitted Ting Prefecture to Wang Yanzheng.

Around new year 945, Shi created Zhu the King of Min and gave him the honorary chancellor designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi .

Hearing of what happened at Quan and Zhang, Zhu sent the officers Lin Shouliang and Li Ting'e to attack Quan. With aid from Wang Yanzheng's general Du Jin , however, Liu crushed Lin's and Li's army, killing Lin and capturing Li. Wang Yanzheng then again sent Wu to attack Fu, and faced with this threat, Zhu sent his son(s) and brother(s) to serve as hostages to Wuyue, seeking aid from it.

Meanwhile, Wang Yanzheng warded off an attack from the Southern Tang general Cha Wenhui . However, hearing of this, Wu decided to take advantage to intimidate the people at Fu, claiming (falsely) that the Southern Tang army was intending to aid the Yin army in attacking Fu. This caused great fear in the people at Fu, and apparently caused Zhu to have the chancellor Li Guangzhun to take the imperial seals to offer them to Wang Yanzheng (i.e., effectively to surrender).

Shortly after, before any negotiations could begin with Wang Yanzheng, the officer Lin Renhan led a group of 30 soldiers in attacking Lian's mansion, stating to them, "We have served the Wang clan for generations. Now we are under the control of an usurper. If the Prince of Fusha [(i.e., Wang Yanzheng, who carried the title of Prince of Fusha under Wang Yanxi)] arrived, how could we see him again?" He personally killed Lian, and then cut off Lian's head to show the rest of the army, stating to them, "The Prince of Fusha will soon be here. All of your families will be slaughtered. Now Lian Chongyu is dead. You can save yourselves by seizing Zhu Wenjin!" The soldiers were encouraged, and they followed him in killing Zhu. Lin opened the gates to welcome Wu in, and sent the heads of Lian and Zhu to Wang Yanzheng.

Notes and references

Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 98. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 282, 284.