Li Xun
Encyclopedia
Li Xun (died 421), courtesy name Shiru (士如), was the final ruler of the Chinese
state Western Liang
, who tried to hold out against the conquering Northern Liang
armies under its prince Juqu Mengxun
, after his brother Li Xin
's death in 420. He was only able to hold the city of Dunhuang (敦煌, in modern Dunhuang
, Gansu
) for several months, before Juqu Mengxun successfully sieged the city, and Li Xun committed suicide.
. Under his father Li Gao
(Prince Wuzhao) and/or Li Xin, Li Xun successively served as the governor of Jiuquan (酒泉, roughly modern Jiuquan
, Gansu
) and Dunhuang Commanderies. His rule of Dunhuang was said to be benevolent and favored by the people. In 420, while trying to attack Northern Liang, Li Xin fell into a trap set by Juqu Mengxun and was killed in battle. Juqu Mengxun then quickly reached the Western Liang capital Jiuquan, and Li Xin's other brothers abandoned Jiuquan and fled to Dunhuang. Once they reached Dunhuang, they and Li Xun, then the governor of Dunhuang, abandoned Dunhuang and fled to the hills north of Dunhuang.
Juqu Mengxun commissioned Suo Yuanxu (索元緒) to be the governor of Dunhuang. However, Suo quickly lost favor with the people by being rude, dishonest, and cruel. Some people of Dunhuang, under the leadership of Song Cheng (宋承) and Zhang Hong (張弘), secretly invited Li Xun back to Dunhuang, and in winter 420 he did so, forcing Suo to flee. Song and Zhang offered Li Xun the titles of General Guanjun (冠軍將軍) and Governor of Liang Province (涼州刺史), and he changed the era name to signify that Western Liang was still a state. Juqu Mengxun then sent his heir apparent
Juqu Zhengde (沮渠政德) to attack Dunhuang, and Li Xun defended the city, refusing to engage Juqu Zhengde.
However, Juqu Mengxun soon arrived, and he built levees to accumulate water around Dunhuang. Li Xun offered to surrender, but Juqu Mengxun refused. At this point, Song Cheng betrayed him and offered the city to Juqu Mengxun. Upon hearing this, Li Xun committed suicide, and Juqu Mengxun slaughtered the city. Western Liang was at its end.
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...
state Western Liang
Western Liang
The Western Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. It was founded by the Li family of the Han Chinese. The founder of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan , traced his ancestry to the Western Liang rulers....
, who tried to hold out against the conquering Northern Liang
Northern Liang
The Northern Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. It was founded by the Xiongnu Juqu family, although they initially supported the Han official Duan Ye as prince, they overthrew him in 401 and took over themselves....
armies under its prince Juqu Mengxun
Juqu Mengxun
Juqu Mengxun was a prince of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Northern Liang, and the first from the Juqu clan. His cousin Juqu Nancheng and he initially supported Duan Ye as prince of Northern Liang in 397 after rebelling against Later Liang, but in 401, Juqu Mengxun tricked Duan Ye into wrongly...
, after his brother Li Xin
Li Xin
Li Xin , courtesy name Shiye , nickname Tongzhui , was a duke of the Chinese state Western Liáng. He succeeded his father Li Gao in 417 and aggressively tried to pursue campaigns against rival Northern Liang's prince Juqu Mengxun, but fell into a trap set by Juqu Mengxun in 420 and was killed in...
's death in 420. He was only able to hold the city of Dunhuang (敦煌, in modern Dunhuang
Dunhuang
Dunhuang is a city in northwestern Gansu province, Western China. It was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. It was also known at times as Shāzhōu , or 'City of Sands', a name still used today...
, 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...
) for several months, before Juqu Mengxun successfully sieged the city, and Li Xun committed suicide.
Brief reign
Very little is known about Li Xun's life, including whether he was the son of his brother Li Xin's mother Princess Dowager YinPrincess Dowager Yin
Princess Dowager Yin was a princess dowager of the Chinese state Western Liáng. She was the mother of its second duke, Li Xin and the second wife of its founder Li Gao , who was posthumously honored by Li Xin as a prince, and therefore Lady Yin was honored as a princess dowager even though her...
. Under his father Li Gao
Li Gao
Li Gao , courtesy name Xuansheng , nickname Changsheng , formally Prince Wuzhao of Liang , was the founding duke of the Chinese state Western Liáng...
(Prince Wuzhao) and/or Li Xin, Li Xun successively served as the governor of Jiuquan (酒泉, roughly modern Jiuquan
Jiuquan
- Suzhou town :The administrative center of the "prefecture-level city" of Jiuquan is the "District" of Suzhou , which occupies 3,386 square km in the eastern part of Jiuquan "prefecture-level city", and had a population of 340,000 as of 2002....
, 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...
) and Dunhuang Commanderies. His rule of Dunhuang was said to be benevolent and favored by the people. In 420, while trying to attack Northern Liang, Li Xin fell into a trap set by Juqu Mengxun and was killed in battle. Juqu Mengxun then quickly reached the Western Liang capital Jiuquan, and Li Xin's other brothers abandoned Jiuquan and fled to Dunhuang. Once they reached Dunhuang, they and Li Xun, then the governor of Dunhuang, abandoned Dunhuang and fled to the hills north of Dunhuang.
Juqu Mengxun commissioned Suo Yuanxu (索元緒) to be the governor of Dunhuang. However, Suo quickly lost favor with the people by being rude, dishonest, and cruel. Some people of Dunhuang, under the leadership of Song Cheng (宋承) and Zhang Hong (張弘), secretly invited Li Xun back to Dunhuang, and in winter 420 he did so, forcing Suo to flee. Song and Zhang offered Li Xun the titles of General Guanjun (冠軍將軍) and Governor of Liang Province (涼州刺史), and he changed the era name to signify that Western Liang was still a state. Juqu Mengxun then sent his heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
Juqu Zhengde (沮渠政德) to attack Dunhuang, and Li Xun defended the city, refusing to engage Juqu Zhengde.
However, Juqu Mengxun soon arrived, and he built levees to accumulate water around Dunhuang. Li Xun offered to surrender, but Juqu Mengxun refused. At this point, Song Cheng betrayed him and offered the city to Juqu Mengxun. Upon hearing this, Li Xun committed suicide, and Juqu Mengxun slaughtered the city. Western Liang was at its end.