Zhou Ji (Tang Dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Zhou Ji was a warlord of the late Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
who seized control of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang
, Henan
) in 880
, briefly submitted to the agrarian rebel Huang Chao
's new state of Qi, and later returned the Tang fold, controlling Zhongwu until he was forced to abandon it in 884
due to an attack by Lu Yanhong
. Lu might have killed him subsequently.
, the Book of Tang
and the New Book of Tang
. As of 880
, he was serving as an officer of Zhongwu Circuit, under the military governor Xue Neng (薛能). In late 880, as part of the Tang operations to stop the northwestward advancement of the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao
, many circuits in the east were ordered to send troops to Yin River (溵水, a major branch of the Shaying River
). Xue sent Zhou with Zhongwu troops there. Before Zhou got there, however, there was a disturbance at Zhongwu's capital Xu Prefecture — as the soldiers from Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou
, Jiangsu
), who were undisciplined but whom Xue thought he could control (as he had previously been the military governor of Ganhua), after Xue welcomed them into the city, were instead rioting and demanding various supplies. Zhou heard about the disturbance and returned to Xu Prefecture with his troops. He then attacked the Ganhua troops and slaughtered them. Further, resenting Xue for treating the Ganhua soldiers well, he expelled Xue. Xue tried to flee to Xiangyang
, but mutineer soldiers under Zhou chased him down and slaughtered him and his family. Zhou claimed the title of acting military governor. As a result of Zhou's mutiny, Qi Kerang
the military governor of Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong
), feared that Zhou would ambush him, and thus abandoned his position at Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Pingdingshan
, Henan
) and returned to Taining, causing the various circuits' troops gathered at Yin River to also abandon their positions. This allowed Huang an open path to the Tang imperial capital Luoyang
. Faced with the Huang threat, the imperial government was unable to act against Zhou and almost immediately commissioned him as the military governor of Zhongwu. Huang was thereafter able to capture both Luoyang and the imperial capital Chang'an
, forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong
to flee to Chengdu
. Meanwhile, the Zhongwu officer Qin Zongquan, whom Xue had previously sent to help defend Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian
, Henan
), seized the prefecture. Zhou was himself unable to control Qin and therefore made him the prefect of Cai Prefecture.
and declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi, Zhou Ji submitted to him. Qin Zongquan, however, refused to abide by that decision.
Zhou's submission to Qi did not last long, however. At a feast that he held for the Tang eunuch general Yang Fuguang
, Yang persuaded him that righteousness required that he return to the Tang fold. They poured wine on the ground and swore over the wine. Yang further strengthened Zhou's resolve by having his adoptive son Yang Shouliang
assassinate the Qi emissaries then at Zhongwu. Yang Fuguang subsequently gathered 8,000 soldiers from Zhongwu and divided them into eight corps, commanded by the officers Lu Yanhong
, Jin Hui (晉暉), Wang Jian, Han Jian
, Zhang Zao (張造), Li Shitai (李師泰), and Pang Cong (龐從), and took them on the campaign against Huang.
After Tang forces successfully forced Huang into abandoning Chang'an in early 883
, Huang fled east and put Chen Prefecture (陳州, in modern Zhoukou
, Henan
) under siege in late 883. Chen's prefect Zhao Chou
sought aid from the nearby military governors. Zhou, along with Shi Pu
the military governor of Ganhua and Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
, Henan
), all sent aid, but their forces together were not able to defeat Huang. They thus sought aid from one of the main contributors of the Tang campaign to recapture Chang'an, Li Keyong
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
). Li Keyong did come to their aid and defeated Huang repeatedly, causing Huang to lift the siege on Chen Prefecture and flee further, but subsequent had a falling out with Zhu over Zhu's attempt to assassinate him. When Li Keyong sought food supplies from Zhou, Zhou claimed that he did not have adequate supplies himself, and Li Keyong left the region.
, Hubei
) and Shannan West (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong
, Shaanxi
) Circuits, despite the imperial government's attempt to appease him by making him the acting military governor of Shannan West. In fall 884
, Lu advanced east and rendezvoused with two officers under Qin Zongquan (who had himself become a renegade to Tang by that point), Qin Gao (秦誥) and Zhao Deyin
, to siege Shannan East's capital Xiang Prefecture (襄州). After capturing Xiang Prefecture, Lu raided parts of Wuchang (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan
, Hubei
) and Huainan (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
) Circuits and then headed for Xu Prefecture. Hearing of Lu's impending attack, Zhou Ji abandoned Zhongwu and fled. Lu took over Xu Prefecture and claimed the title of acting military governor; the imperial government, unable to stop him, subsequently commissioned him military governor. That was the last historical reference to Zhou, and it is not completely known what happened to him afterwards — although both the chronicles of Emperor Xizong's reign in the Book of Tang
and the New Book of Tang
indicated that Lu killed him.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
who seized control of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) in 880
880
Year 880 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* Pope John VIII issues the bull Industriae Tuae, creating an independent ecclesiastical province in Great Moravia with Archbishop Saint Methodius as its head...
, briefly submitted to the agrarian rebel Huang Chao
Huang Chao
Huang Chao was the leader of the Huang Chao Rebellion , known in mainland China as the Huang Chao Revolution in China that seriously weakened the once mighty Tang Dynasty of China...
's new state of Qi, and later returned the Tang fold, controlling Zhongwu until he was forced to abandon it in 884
884
Year 884 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* March 1 – Diego Rodríguez Porcelos founds and repopulates Burgos....
due to an attack by Lu Yanhong
Lu Yanhong
Lu Yanhong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Shannan West Circuit from 883 to 884 and Zhongwu Circuit from 884 to 886.- Background and service under Yang Fuguang :Little is known about Lu Yanhong's background, including when he was born, as...
. Lu might have killed him subsequently.
Seizure of Zhongwu Circuit
Little is known about Zhou Ji's background, as he did not have a biography in either of the official histories of Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, the Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...
and the New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...
. As of 880
880
Year 880 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* Pope John VIII issues the bull Industriae Tuae, creating an independent ecclesiastical province in Great Moravia with Archbishop Saint Methodius as its head...
, he was serving as an officer of Zhongwu Circuit, under the military governor Xue Neng (薛能). In late 880, as part of the Tang operations to stop the northwestward advancement of the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao
Huang Chao
Huang Chao was the leader of the Huang Chao Rebellion , known in mainland China as the Huang Chao Revolution in China that seriously weakened the once mighty Tang Dynasty of China...
, many circuits in the east were ordered to send troops to Yin River (溵水, a major branch of the Shaying River
Shaying River
Shaying River is a river of China. It is part of the Yellow Sea basin. A major tributary of the Shaying is the Yin River ....
). Xue sent Zhou with Zhongwu troops there. Before Zhou got there, however, there was a disturbance at Zhongwu's capital Xu Prefecture — as the soldiers from Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), who were undisciplined but whom Xue thought he could control (as he had previously been the military governor of Ganhua), after Xue welcomed them into the city, were instead rioting and demanding various supplies. Zhou heard about the disturbance and returned to Xu Prefecture with his troops. He then attacked the Ganhua troops and slaughtered them. Further, resenting Xue for treating the Ganhua soldiers well, he expelled Xue. Xue tried to flee to Xiangyang
Xiangyang
Xiangzhou District is a district of Xiangyang, Hubei, China. The district itself was formerly known as Xiangyang. It was a city famous for the Siege of Xiangyang by invading forces of the Mongol-founded Yuan Dynasty...
, but mutineer soldiers under Zhou chased him down and slaughtered him and his family. Zhou claimed the title of acting military governor. As a result of Zhou's mutiny, Qi Kerang
Qi Kerang
Qi Kerang was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who was part of Tang's resistance against the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, as the military governor of Taining Circuit...
the military governor of Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong
Jining, Shandong
Jining is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively...
), feared that Zhou would ambush him, and thus abandoned his position at Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Pingdingshan
Pingdingshan
Pingdingshan , also known as the Eagle City, with approximately 5.2 million inhabitants is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, People's Republic of China.-Geography:...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) and returned to Taining, causing the various circuits' troops gathered at Yin River to also abandon their positions. This allowed Huang an open path to the Tang imperial capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
. Faced with the Huang threat, the imperial government was unable to act against Zhou and almost immediately commissioned him as the military governor of Zhongwu. Huang was thereafter able to capture both Luoyang and the imperial capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong
Emperor Xizong of Tang
Emperor Xizong of Tang , né Li Yan , later name changed to Li Xuan , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 873 to 888. He was the fifth son of his predecessor Emperor Yizong and was the elder brother of his successor Emperor Zhaozong...
to flee to Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
. Meanwhile, the Zhongwu officer Qin Zongquan, whom Xue had previously sent to help defend Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), seized the prefecture. Zhou was himself unable to control Qin and therefore made him the prefect of Cai Prefecture.
Submission to Huang Chao and resubmission to Tang
After Huang Chao captured Chang'an around the new year 881881
Year 881 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Charles the Fat is crowned Western Emperor.* Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France routs Norman pirates....
and declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi, Zhou Ji submitted to him. Qin Zongquan, however, refused to abide by that decision.
Zhou's submission to Qi did not last long, however. At a feast that he held for the Tang eunuch general Yang Fuguang
Yang Fuguang
Yang Fuguang , formally Duke Zhongsu of Hongnong , was an eunuch general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who was considered a major contributor to the Tang cause in finally defeating Huang Chao's rebellion.- Background :...
, Yang persuaded him that righteousness required that he return to the Tang fold. They poured wine on the ground and swore over the wine. Yang further strengthened Zhou's resolve by having his adoptive son Yang Shouliang
Yang Shouliang
Yang Shouliang , né Zi Liang , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Shannan West Circuit from 887 to 892. He was initially an agrarian rebel under Wang Xianzhi, but later came to serve under the imperial eunuch general Yang Fuguang, becoming Yang Fuguang's...
assassinate the Qi emissaries then at Zhongwu. Yang Fuguang subsequently gathered 8,000 soldiers from Zhongwu and divided them into eight corps, commanded by the officers Lu Yanhong
Lu Yanhong
Lu Yanhong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Shannan West Circuit from 883 to 884 and Zhongwu Circuit from 884 to 886.- Background and service under Yang Fuguang :Little is known about Lu Yanhong's background, including when he was born, as...
, Jin Hui (晉暉), Wang Jian, Han Jian
Han Jian (Tang Dynasty)
Han Jian , courtesy name Zuoshi , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who eventually became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty...
, Zhang Zao (張造), Li Shitai (李師泰), and Pang Cong (龐從), and took them on the campaign against Huang.
After Tang forces successfully forced Huang into abandoning Chang'an in early 883
883
Year 883 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Oldest known mention of the city of Duisburg.* Monte Cassino is sacked and burned down by the Saracens....
, Huang fled east and put Chen Prefecture (陳州, in modern Zhoukou
Zhoukou
Zhoukou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Zhumadian to the southeast, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the northeast, and the province of Anhui on all other sides....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) under siege in late 883. Chen's prefect Zhao Chou
Zhao Chou
Zhao Chou was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, whose power base was at Chen Prefecture...
sought aid from the nearby military governors. Zhou, along with Shi Pu
Shi Pu
Shi Pu , formally the Prince of Julu , was a warlord of the late Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Ganhua Circuit as its military governor...
the military governor of Ganhua and Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), all sent aid, but their forces together were not able to defeat Huang. They thus sought aid from one of the main contributors of the Tang campaign to recapture Chang'an, Li Keyong
Li Keyong
Li Keyong was a Shatuo military governor during the late Tang Dynasty and was key to developing a base of power for the Shatuo in what is today Shanxi Province in China...
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). Li Keyong did come to their aid and defeated Huang repeatedly, causing Huang to lift the siege on Chen Prefecture and flee further, but subsequent had a falling out with Zhu over Zhu's attempt to assassinate him. When Li Keyong sought food supplies from Zhou, Zhou claimed that he did not have adequate supplies himself, and Li Keyong left the region.
Defeat by Lu Yanhong
Meanwhile, Lu Yanhong, after Yang Fuguang's death in 883, had taken his troops and become a roving marauder, raiding through Shannan East (山南東道, headquartered in modern XiangfanXiangfan
Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China. It was formed from two famous ancient cities, Xiangyang and Fancheng...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
) and Shannan West (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong
Hanzhong
Hanzhong is a municipality in southwest Shaanxi Province, China, occupying a historically significant valley in the mountains between the Xi'an area, home to many Chinese capitals, and the fertile but isolated Sichuan Basin...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) Circuits, despite the imperial government's attempt to appease him by making him the acting military governor of Shannan West. In fall 884
884
Year 884 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* March 1 – Diego Rodríguez Porcelos founds and repopulates Burgos....
, Lu advanced east and rendezvoused with two officers under Qin Zongquan (who had himself become a renegade to Tang by that point), Qin Gao (秦誥) and Zhao Deyin
Zhao Deyin
Zhao Deyin , formally the Prince of Huai'an , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who initially served as a general under the pretender emperor Qin Zongquan...
, to siege Shannan East's capital Xiang Prefecture (襄州). After capturing Xiang Prefecture, Lu raided parts of Wuchang (武昌, headquartered in modern Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
) and Huainan (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
) Circuits and then headed for Xu Prefecture. Hearing of Lu's impending attack, Zhou Ji abandoned Zhongwu and fled. Lu took over Xu Prefecture and claimed the title of acting military governor; the imperial government, unable to stop him, subsequently commissioned him military governor. That was the last historical reference to Zhou, and it is not completely known what happened to him afterwards — although both the chronicles of Emperor Xizong's reign in the Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...
and the New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...
indicated that Lu killed him.