Jiang Gongfu
Encyclopedia
Jiang Gongfu (died 805
) was an official of the Chinese
Tang Dynasty
who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong
.
) — although the family claimed to be originally from Tianshui
. Jiang Gongfu's grandfather Jiang Shenyi (姜神翊) served as a prefectural prefect, but his father Jiang Ting (姜挺) was not listed with any official titles. He had at least one younger brother, Jiang Fu (姜復).
After Jiang Gongfu passed the imperial examination
s he was made Xiaoshulang (校書郎), an editor at the archival bureau (秘書省, MIshu Sheng). After he passed a special examination on policy proposals, he was made Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), an advisor at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and he was also made an imperial scholar at Hanlin Pavilion (翰林館). After more than a year, when he was to be given a different office, he submitted a petition, citing the poverty of his household and the agedness of his mother, requesting to be also made the census officer under the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the capital Chang'an
), because the census officer, while a low-level position, had a high salary, and his petition was granted. He was said to be capable and sensible, and whenever he met Emperor Dezong
to make suggestions, Emperor Dezong often followed his suggestions.
In 783
, with Emperor Dezong waging wars against several warlords in the east, the soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
, Gansu
), were at Chang'an to await deployment to the east. They were angered that they were not given rewards that they felt they deserved, and they mutinied. Emperor Dezong sent his son Li Yi (李誼) the Prince of Pu and Jiang to try to calm the soldiers, but the soldiers merely got angrier, and Emperor Dezong, in panic, decided to flee Chang'an. As he was ready to do so, Jiang tried to warn him about the dangers of leaving the senior general Zhu Ci
in the city — as Emperor Dezong had removed Zhu Ci from his command in 782
due to his brother Zhu Tao
's rebelling against imperial authority — and had served as the military governor (Jiedushi
) of Jingyuan Circuit before, and therefore might receive the Jingyuan soldiers' support. He suggested to Emperor Dezong that either he should kill Zhu Ci before leaving or ask Zhu to accompany him. Emperor Dezong, in panic, could not carry out either action, and left Zhu in the city. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
, Shaanxi
), and Jiang followed him there.
Emperor Dezong issued emergency edicts seeking aid from the nearby circuits. Meanwhile, the Jingyuan soldiers did as Jiang predicted and supported Zhu as their leader. Zhu initially claimed that he was merely calming the situation at Chang'an and was ready to welcome Emperor Dezong back to Chang'an, but soon there were rumors that Zhu was planning to claim imperial title himself and attack Emperor Dezong at Fengtian. In light of this, some officials who had fled to Fengtian suggested that Fengtian's defenses be shored up, but the chancellor Lu Qi
, misjudging the situation, argued to Emperor Dezong that Zhu would surely remain faithful to Tang and advocated taking no precautions at all and stopping the incoming aid troops. It was only at Jiang's advice Emperor Dezong continued to receive the aid troops into Fengtian. At suggestion of Lu and Bai Zhizhen (白志貞) the commander of the imperial guards, Emperor Dezong sent his granduncle Wu Xu (吳漵) to Chang'an to communicate with Zhu. Zhu initially welcomed Wu as an honored imperial emissary, but soon put Wu to death. He declared himself emperor of a new state of Qin. He put Fengtian under siege, and during the siege, Emperor Dezong made Jiang Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), a high-level advisor at the examination bureau, and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
, because the general Li Huaiguang
also rebelled, Emperor Dezong fled further to Liang Prefecture (梁州, in modern Hanzhong
, Shaanxi
), and Jiang Gongfu accompanied him. On the way to Liang Prefecture, Emperor Dezong's oldest daughter Princess Tang'an died at Chenggu (城固, in modern Hanzhong). After Emperor Dezong reached Liang Prefecture, he wanted to build a pagoda
for Princess Tang'an and bury her with great wealth. Jiang submitted a petition stating:
Emperor Dezong became angry and wanted to remove Jiang. Despite the intercession of Emperor Dezong's trusted advisor Lu Zhi
, Emperor Dezong soon removed Jiang and made him a member of the staff of his crown prince
Li Song
.
, Lu Zhi was a chancellor. Because he and Lu Zhi were colleagues while they were imperial scholars, Jiang met Lu to request his help. Lu secretly responded:
In fear, Jiang offered to resign and asked to become a Taoist monk
. When Emperor Dezong inquired as to the reason and found out that he was fearful, he did not dare to state that Lu had told him this information, and instead claimed that Dou told him the information. Angry that his words had been leaked, Emperor Dezong demoted Jiang to be the secretary general of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou
, Fujian
), and sent imperial eunuch messengers to Dou, in exile, to rebuke him. After Emperor Dezong died in 805
and was succeeded by Li Song (as Emperor Shunzong), Jiang was slightly promoted, to be the prefect of Ji Prefecture (吉州, in modern Ji'an
, Jiangxi
). He soon died, and was posthumously honored by Emperor Shunzong's son and successor Emperor Xianzong
(to whom Emperor Shunzong, then seriously ill, passed the throne to in 805 as well).
805
Year 805 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* Emperor Nicephorus I of Byzantium suffers a major defeat against the Saracens at Crasus.- Asia :...
) was an official of the Chinese
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...
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 served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
.
Background and early career
It is not known when Jiang Gongfu was born but it is known that his family was from Ai Prefecture (愛州, in modern Thanh Hoa Province, VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) — although the family claimed to be originally from Tianshui
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
. Jiang Gongfu's grandfather Jiang Shenyi (姜神翊) served as a prefectural prefect, but his father Jiang Ting (姜挺) was not listed with any official titles. He had at least one younger brother, Jiang Fu (姜復).
After Jiang Gongfu passed the imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s he was made Xiaoshulang (校書郎), an editor at the archival bureau (秘書省, MIshu Sheng). After he passed a special examination on policy proposals, he was made Zuo Shiyi (左拾遺), an advisor at the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng), and he was also made an imperial scholar at Hanlin Pavilion (翰林館). After more than a year, when he was to be given a different office, he submitted a petition, citing the poverty of his household and the agedness of his mother, requesting to be also made the census officer under the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the region of the 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...
), because the census officer, while a low-level position, had a high salary, and his petition was granted. He was said to be capable and sensible, and whenever he met Emperor Dezong
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
to make suggestions, Emperor Dezong often followed his suggestions.
In 783
783
Year 783 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 783 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Campaigns of the Byzantine...
, with Emperor Dezong waging wars against several warlords in the east, the soldiers from Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang
Pingliang
Pingliang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu Province in China. Pingliang is famous for a local mountain range that includes Kongtong Mountain, a site sacred to Taoism and mythical meeting place of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi, an immortal....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), were at Chang'an to await deployment to the east. They were angered that they were not given rewards that they felt they deserved, and they mutinied. Emperor Dezong sent his son Li Yi (李誼) the Prince of Pu and Jiang to try to calm the soldiers, but the soldiers merely got angrier, and Emperor Dezong, in panic, decided to flee Chang'an. As he was ready to do so, Jiang tried to warn him about the dangers of leaving the senior general Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He initially served as military governor of Lulong Circuit , but later became a general for the imperial government...
in the city — as Emperor Dezong had removed Zhu Ci from his command in 782
782
Year 782 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 782 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Charlemagne summons the monk and scholar...
due to his brother Zhu Tao
Zhu Tao
Zhu Tao , formally the Prince of Tongyi , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who initially served imperial causes during the reigns of Emperor Daizong and Emperor Dezong, but later turned against imperial rule in alliance with Wang Wujun, Tian Yue, and Li Na...
's rebelling against imperial authority — and had served as the military governor (Jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) of Jingyuan Circuit before, and therefore might receive the Jingyuan soldiers' support. He suggested to Emperor Dezong that either he should kill Zhu Ci before leaving or ask Zhu to accompany him. Emperor Dezong, in panic, could not carry out either action, and left Zhu in the city. Emperor Dezong fled to Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, 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...
), and Jiang followed him there.
Emperor Dezong issued emergency edicts seeking aid from the nearby circuits. Meanwhile, the Jingyuan soldiers did as Jiang predicted and supported Zhu as their leader. Zhu initially claimed that he was merely calming the situation at Chang'an and was ready to welcome Emperor Dezong back to Chang'an, but soon there were rumors that Zhu was planning to claim imperial title himself and attack Emperor Dezong at Fengtian. In light of this, some officials who had fled to Fengtian suggested that Fengtian's defenses be shored up, but the chancellor Lu Qi
Lu Qi
Lu Qi , courtesy name Ziliang , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong...
, misjudging the situation, argued to Emperor Dezong that Zhu would surely remain faithful to Tang and advocated taking no precautions at all and stopping the incoming aid troops. It was only at Jiang's advice Emperor Dezong continued to receive the aid troops into Fengtian. At suggestion of Lu and Bai Zhizhen (白志貞) the commander of the imperial guards, Emperor Dezong sent his granduncle Wu Xu (吳漵) to Chang'an to communicate with Zhu. Zhu initially welcomed Wu as an honored imperial emissary, but soon put Wu to death. He declared himself emperor of a new state of Qin. He put Fengtian under siege, and during the siege, Emperor Dezong made Jiang Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫), a high-level advisor at the examination bureau, and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
During chancellorship
In 784784
Year 784 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 784 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Japanese capital moves away from Nara,...
, because the general Li Huaiguang
Li Huaiguang
Li Huaiguang was a leading general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, of Mohe extraction. He was credited with saving Emperor Daizong in the face of an attack by the rebel Zhu Ci in 783 but, dissatisfied with the lack of trust that Emperor Dezong displayed in him later, also rebelled, but his...
also rebelled, Emperor Dezong fled further to Liang Prefecture (梁州, 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...
), and Jiang Gongfu accompanied him. On the way to Liang Prefecture, Emperor Dezong's oldest daughter Princess Tang'an died at Chenggu (城固, in modern Hanzhong). After Emperor Dezong reached Liang Prefecture, he wanted to build a pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
for Princess Tang'an and bury her with great wealth. Jiang submitted a petition stating:
Emperor Dezong became angry and wanted to remove Jiang. Despite the intercession of Emperor Dezong's trusted advisor Lu Zhi
Lu Zhi (Tang Dynasty)
Lu Zhi , courtesy name Jingyu , was an official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Even before he became chancellor, he became a trusted advisor to Emperor Dezong, who greatly valued his opinion...
, Emperor Dezong soon removed Jiang and made him a member of the staff of his crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Li Song
Emperor Shunzong of Tang
Emperor Shunzong of Tang , personal name Li Song , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was created crown prince in 779 and became emperor in 805 after the death of his father Emperor Dezong, of whom he was the oldest son...
.
After chancellorship
Jiang Gongfu's mother soon died, and he left governmental service to observe a period of mourning for her. After the period of mourning, he was returned to Li Song's staff, but went a long time without being promoted. By 792792
Year 792 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 792 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Irene is confirmed empress of the...
, Lu Zhi was a chancellor. Because he and Lu Zhi were colleagues while they were imperial scholars, Jiang met Lu to request his help. Lu secretly responded:
In fear, Jiang offered to resign and asked to become a Taoist monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. When Emperor Dezong inquired as to the reason and found out that he was fearful, he did not dare to state that Lu had told him this information, and instead claimed that Dou told him the information. Angry that his words had been leaked, Emperor Dezong demoted Jiang to be the secretary general of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou
Quanzhou
Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city in Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It borders all other prefecture-level cities in Fujian but two and faces the Taiwan Strait...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), and sent imperial eunuch messengers to Dou, in exile, to rebuke him. After Emperor Dezong died in 805
805
Year 805 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* Emperor Nicephorus I of Byzantium suffers a major defeat against the Saracens at Crasus.- Asia :...
and was succeeded by Li Song (as Emperor Shunzong), Jiang was slightly promoted, to be the prefect of Ji Prefecture (吉州, in modern Ji'an
Ji'an
- External links :* *...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
). He soon died, and was posthumously honored by Emperor Shunzong's son and successor Emperor Xianzong
Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Emperor Xianzong of Tang , personal name Li Chun , né Li Chun , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
(to whom Emperor Shunzong, then seriously ill, passed the throne to in 805 as well).