Qin Zongquan

Qin Zongquan (; died April 1, 889 In late 880, when the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao was poised to cross the Huai River north to attack the center of Tang dynasty territory, then-military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhongwu, Xue Neng , sent Qin to try to contain Huang's advance.

Subsequently, Huang captured the Tang imperial capital Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu. Huang established a new state of Qi as its emperor. Zhou initially submitted to Huang, but by summer 881 had been persuaded by the Tang eunuch general Yang Fuguang into redeclaring allegiance to Tang. Yang also persuaded Qin to send forces to participate in the campaign against Huang, and Qin sent 3,000 men, under the command of his officer Wang Shu to join Yang's army. (Finding Wang insubordinate, however, Yang executed Wang and seized his troops.) Under Yang's suggestion, later in the year, Emperor Xizong created a new Fengguo Circuit out of Cai Prefecture and made Qin its defender (防禦使, Fangyushi).

By summer 884, Huang had been defeated, and he was killed by his nephew Lin Yan . However, Qin did not resubmit to Tang authority, and instead sent troops to pillage the surrounding circuits. In particular, he attacked Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), but with Zhu Xuan the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, in modern Tai'an, Shandong) coming to Zhu Quanzhong's aid, Qin was defeated, and he withdrew. Meanwhile, in winter 884, when another renegade Tang general, Lu Yanhong, was set to attack Xiang Prefecture (襄州, in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), Qin sent his officers Qin Gao and Zhao Deyin to aid Lu, and they captured Xiang Prefecture. Lu subsequently attacked Xu Prefecture and captured it, forcing Zhou Ji to flee, while Qin's forces took over Xiang Prefecture.

Zhu then delivered Qin to Chang'an. On April 1, Qin was executed by decapitation under a lone willow, with the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) Sun Kui overseeing the execution. Right before the execution, Qin yelled out to Sun, "Minister, I, Qin Zongquan, was not committing treason. It was just that my faithfulness was not expressed well." Hearing those remarks, those who gathered to witness the execution burst out in laughter. His wife Lady Zhao was either decapitated with him, or whipped to death.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 200, part 2. New Book of Tang, vol. 225, part 3. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 254, 255, 256, 257, 258.