Liu Chongwang

Liu Chongwang (劉崇望; c. 839? – July 30, 900? ), courtesy name Xitu (希徒), formally the Baron of Pengcheng (彭城男), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong.

Background Liu Chongwang was probably born around 839, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. (According to a later statement by another chancellor, Li Xi, Liu Fu committed suicide after being investigated for bribery.) Liu Chongwang was the third of eight brothers; both of his older brothers Liu Chonggui and Liu Chongyi , as well as three younger brothers, Liu Chonglu , Liu Chongmo , and Liu Guī , would serve as Tang officials as well; his other younger brothers were Liu Guì (劉瓌, note different tone) and Liu Yu . Liu Chongwang passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 875, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong's cousin Emperor Yizong. Later, when the imperial official Cui Anqian served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan) and then of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), he invited Liu and three of his brothers to serve on staff, and all four became known for being talented. Later, apparently after Cui was recalled to Chang'an, Liu followed him to Chang'an and served as sheriff of Chang'an County (one of the two counties making up the city) and was later made a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion . When Cui served as the minister of civil service affairs, Liu served under him with the low-level titles of Sixun Yuanwailang and then Libu Yuanwailang , but was said to be instrumental in reforming the state of the ministry of civil service affairs at that time.

Liu's activities during the next few years—which included tumultuous events including the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao's capture of Chang'an and Emperor Xizong's flight to Xichuan and subsequent return to Chang'an after Huang's defeat —were not clear. As of 886, however, Emperor Xizong was caught up in a conflict between the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and the warlords Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and was forced to flee Chang'an again when Wang and Li defeated Tian and Tian's allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi). After the emperor fled to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), Zhu declared Li Yun the Prince of Xiang emperor at Chang'an, and for a while, it appeared that Emperor Xizong's court at Xingyuan would be defeated and replaced. With Tian having resigned and been replaced at the imperial court by Yang Fugong, whose late adoptive brother Yang Fuguang had worked closely with Wang, Emperor Xizong had Yang Fugong write a letter to Wang urging him to again support Emperor Xizong; Liu was in charge of carrying this letter to Huguo and persuading Wang, and he was successful in doing so, eventually leading to Emperor Xizong's prevailing over Li Yun and being able to return to Chang'an. For Liu's accomplishments, he was made an imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi). He was later promoted to be the chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi) and the deputy minister of census (戶部侍郎, Hubu Shilang), and later the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang). It was said that he served as an imperial scholar for four years. Liu also successively served, while chancellor, as the minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu) and minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu).

Meanwhile, the warlords Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) and Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) had been locked into years of warfare, and by spring 892, Shi was near defeat, with his capital Xu Prefecture under intense siege by Zhu. He sued for peace, and Zhu initially agreed—but demanded, as part of the peace terms, that he leave Ganhua. Zhu thereafter reported the situation to the imperial government and asked the imperial government to send a successor to Shi; in response, Emperor Zhaozong commissioned Liu as the new military governor of Ganhua, still carrying the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title as an honorary title, while recalling Shi to Chang'an. After Liu departed Chang'an, however, Shi came to believe that this was a trick by Zhu to get him out of Xu Prefecture to be killed, and so refused to leave the city; Liu turned around at Huayin (華陰, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi) and returned to Chang'an, but apparently did not resume his post as chancellor. (Xu Prefecture subsequently fell to Zhu, and Shi committed suicide.) Li Keyong spoke on Liu's behalf, and Liu, who had reached Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei, not the same circuit Wang Xingyu ruled) on the way to exile, was recalled to Chang'an to serve as the minister of defense. Liu probably died in 900

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 179. New Book of Tang, vol. 90. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 258, 259, 260, 261.