The Battle of Fuzhou was a major military engagement during the Southern Tang conquest of Min. The Southern Tang took advantage of instability in the Min Kingdom and launched an invasion in 945. During the campaign Li Renda seized Fuzhou and pledged loyalty to the Southern Tang. After a hostile reception by Li Renda, Chen Jue forged documents that called for the capture of Fuzhou. Infuriated at the insubordination, Emperor Li Jing nonetheless sent reinforcements. Fuzhou became encircled by the Southern Tang armies.
Li Renda sought the military aid of Wuyue. Qian Hongzuo dispatched Wuyue troops during winter 946 and further reinforcements arrived in spring 947. Wuyue armies combined with the Fuzhou garrison to kill over 20,000 Southern Tang troops in a pitched battle. The Southern Tang retreated and the siege was lifted. Li Renda contemplated rebelling against his Wuyue suzerains but was killed by the Wuyue commander Bao Xiurang. Fuzhou remained a possession of the Wuyue Kingdom until its incorporation into the Song dynasty in 978.[1]
Background
During the early 940s civil war erupted in the Min Kingdom between members of the royal Wang family. Li Jing took advantage of the situation organized the Southern Tang conquest of Min.[2]Wang Yanzheng successfully reunited the Min realm in February 945.[3] At this point the Southern Tang invasion was imminent. Wang Yangzheng continued to rule from Jianzhou rather than the Min capital of Changle and marshaled his forces for the coming attack.[4][5]
In preparation for the Southern Tang invasion Wang Jichang in command of Fuzhou, a prosperous entrepôt for imported valuable goods originating from across South East Asia.[2] A rebellion broke out in Fuzhou as the Southern Tang advanced on Jianzhou. Li Renda successfully seized Fuzhou, executed Wang Jichang, and installed Zhuo Yanming as a figurehead emperor. He later conspired with soldiers in July 945 to assassinate Zhuo and claimed to be the acting military governor of Weiwu Circuit (威武). The Southern Tang enciricled Jianzhou and Wang Yanzheng surrendered in October 945. The Min realm, Fuzhou included, at least nominally submitted to Li Jing.[5][6][3]
The prefect of Quanzhou and member of the Min imperial clan, Wang Jixun (王繼勳), offered to establish friendly relations with Li Renda. This offer was refused as traditionally Quanzhou was subordinate to the military governor of Weiwu. In late spring 946 Li Renda ordered his brother Li Hongtong (李弘通) to seize Quanzhou. Wang Jixun was deposed by Liu Congxiao who took over Quanzhou and repelled the invading forces under Li Hongtong.[7]
After gaining control over the Min domain, Southern Tang officers pressed for launching a siege from Jianzhou. Emperor Li Jing was content to leave the port and preferred peaceful strategems to gain the city. He gave Li Renda the new name of Li Hongyi and confirmed his position as the military governor of Weiwu. Li Hongyi's mother and wife received titles along with his four younger brothers gaining bureaucratic appointments in the Southern Tang regime.[7][3] Controlling the brisk maritime trade of the port city would bolster the tax revenues collected by the Southern Tang government.[8]
Chen Jue was sent as an envoy to invite Li Hongyi to visit the Southern Tang capital of Jinling. The reception went poorly as Li Hongyi treated him disrespectfully, making Chen fearing for his life. He left Fuzhou without even bringing up the matter of summoning him to Jinling. Embarrassed at his failure, Chen forged edicts that ostensibly gave him control over forces statione across Fujian. He directed Feng Yanlu to assemble the prefectural troops of Fuzhou (in modern Jiangxi), Jianzhou, Tingzhou, and Xinzhou to march on Fuzhou.[4][7]
Conflict begins
Li Hongyi resisted surrender and sent Yang Chongbao (楊崇保) to attack the Southern Tang army. On 18 September 946 this Fuzhou detachment was defeated in Houguan prefecture. The following day the Southern Tang forces arrived outside Fuzhou. Li Hongyi mounted an attack and was able to defeat Chen Jue and Feng Yansi.
Li Jing was furious at the flagrant insubordination of Chen Jue and his cohorts but did not punish him on the advice of Feng Yanji. Instead of ending the conflict, the Southern Tang became fully committed to attacking Fuzhou. General Wang Chongwen (王崇文) was appointed commander of the Southern Tang forces sieging Fuzhou. The outer city quickly fell when his reinforcements arrived but the advance bogged down as Li Hongyi defended the inner city.[4][7][8] The Southern Tang armies were hampered by a lack of coordination. Wang Chongwen was the overall commander but Chen Jue, Feng Yanlu, and Wei Cen (魏岑) all tried to issue orders independently of him. Liu Congxiao and Wang Jianfeng (王建封) were also not obedient of commands by Wang Chongwen.
Outside intervention
The embattled port city sought assistance from other Chinese powers. In October 946 Li Hongyi changed his name to Li Hongda to show a break with Southern Tang. He sought the help of the Later Jin and became their vassal. Emperor Shi Chonggui commissioned him the military governor of Weiwu and the overseer of the state of Min. Actual military action didn't materialize as Shi Chonggui sent no military forces to assist Fuzhou. Some of the Southern Tang forces were tied down in a revolt in nearby Zhang Prefecture by Lin Zanyao. These rebels were defeated in November. On 19 November Fuzhou became fully encircled by the besieging Southern Tang forces.[4][7][8]
The Wuyue Kingdom was contacted for military aid. To avoid a naming taboo for Wuyue's king Qian Hongzuo, Li Hongda changed his name to Li Da. The Wuyue government was largely against mounting an expedition to Fuzhou. Only one court eunuch who supported Qian Zuo in joining in the conflict. In December against the counsel of his military officers, Qian Zuo sent 30,000 troops on naval transports under the command of Zhang Yun (張筠) and Zhao Chengtai (趙承泰).[9] On 18 December they arrived at Fuzhou and defended the eastern Dongwu Gate. However, the Wuyue relief forces were unable to break the siege. The city lost access to its access to the food resources of outlying areas.[4][7]
In 947 when Wuyue reinforcements under general Yu An (余安) arrived they were allowed to disembark unopposed by Feng Yanlu, who was keen to fight a pitched battle for prestige and material rewards. Southern Tang troops stationed south of Fuzhou were struck by forces on two fronts and lost over 20,000 troops.[4][7][10] Embarrassed at his erroneous command, Feng Yanlu attempted suicide, but was prevented from doing so by his assistants. A complete rout was prevented by Wang Chongwen, who ordered 300 soldiers to assume a defensive position at his headquarters. Additional troops joined the formation and the Wuyue didn't press their attack. Nonetheless, Southern Tang forces south of Fuzhou were forced to withdraw. Soon afterwards the remaining Southern Tang troops encamped north of Fuzhou departed, ending the conflict.[11][12]
Aftermath
In subsequent months the Southern Tang court debated the proper punishment for those involved with the conflict. Subordinate officers were declared innocent but the fate of Chen Jue and his cohorts remained to be determined. Both he and Feng Yanlu were forced to wear shackles for their trip to Jinling on the orders of an irate Li Jing. Song Qiqiu had originally promoted Chen and took the blame for the latter's actions. Along with Feng Yanji, Song convinced the emperor to merely exile Chen and Feng Yanlu. Han Xizai and Xu Xuan (徐鉉) wrote a memorial demanding that Chen Jue and Feng Yanlu be executed. They stated that if military officials weren't punished for deploying troops without prior court approval "then there will be unrest in the border regions." This notion was undoubtedly informed by the disintegration of the Tang dynasty, where autonomous Jiedushi officials acted without imperial oversight.[13][14]
Following the Southern Tang defeat, Yu An established a garrison of Wuyue troops in Fuzhou and was later replaced by Bao Xiurang (鮑修讓). In July 947 Li Da went to the Wuyue capital of Qiantang to pay homage to the newly enthroned Qian Hongzong. While granted titles and the new name of Li Ruyun, he wasn't authorized to leave Qiantong until Hu Jinsi was bribed with 20 gold bamboo shoots to secure approval. Once back in Fuzhou he considered revolting in favor of the Southern Tang. Before Li Ruyun could rebel Bao Xiurang became aware of his plans and killed him. Qian Hongzong subsequently sent chancellor Wu Cheng as the new military governor of Weiwu.
Southern Tang officers stationed at Jianzhou were given false information in March 950 of the Wuyue garrison departing from Fuzhou. An army sent to capture the supposedly vacant city instead found it well defended. The Wuyue garrison general then lured the adversarial army in falling for a trap and inflicted heavy losses. Surviving remnants of the Southern Tang fled back to Jianzhou.[15][16] Fuzhou remained a possession of the Wuyue Kingdom until its incorporation into the Song Dynasty in 978.[1]
Kurz, Johannes L. (2011). China's Southern Tang Dynasty (937-976). Routledge. ISBN9780415454964.
Ouyang, Xiu (2004). Historical Records of the Five Dynasties. Translated by Davis, Richard L. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN0-231-12826-6.
Worthy, Edmund H. (1983). "Diplomacy for Survival: Domestic and Foreign Relations of Wu Yüeh, 907-978". In Rossabi, Morris (ed.). China among Equals: The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors, 10th–14th Centuries. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp.17–46. ISBN0520043839.
Southern Tang was a state in Southern China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, which proclaimed itself to be the successor of the former Tang dynasty. The capital was located at Nanjing in present-day Jiangsu Province. At its territorial peak in 951, the Southern Tang controlled the whole of modern Jiangxi, and portions of Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangsu provinces.
Wang Shenzhi, courtesy name Xintong (信通) or Xiangqing (詳卿), formally Prince Zhongyi of Min (閩忠懿王) and later further posthumously honored as Emperor Taizu of Min (閩太祖), was the founder of Min Kingdom on the southeast coastal province of Fujian province in China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was from Gushi in modern-day Henan.
Li Jing, originally Xu Jingtong (徐景通), briefly Xu Jing (徐璟) in 937–939, courtesy name Boyu (伯玉), also known by his temple name Yuanzong (元宗), was the second ruler of imperial China's Southern Tang state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned his state from 943 until his death.
Qian Yuanguan (錢元瓘), born Qian Chuanguan (錢傳瓘), formally King Wenmu of Wuyue (吳越文穆王), courtesy name Mingbao (明寶), was the second king of the state of Wuyue, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China. During his reign, his kingdom was centred on modern Zhejiang. He ascended to the throne in 932, when his father Qian Liu left the state in his hands, to 941. He was the father to all three of Wuyue's subsequent kings.
Wang Yanjun (王延鈞), known as Wang Lin from 933 to 935, formally Emperor Huizong of Min (閩惠宗), used the name of Xuanxi (玄錫) while briefly being a Taoist monk, was the third ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms state Min, and the first ruler of Min to use the title of emperor.
Han Xizai, courtesy name Shuyan (叔言), was an official of the Yang Wu and Southern Tang dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China, known for his skill in writing and calligraphy.
Wang Yanzheng (王延政), known as Tiande Emperor (天德帝) after his era name of Tiande, formally Prince Gongyi of Fu (福恭懿王), also known during Min as the Prince of Fusha (富沙王), was the last ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Min. In 943, he, then in civil war with his brother Wang Yanxi, declared himself emperor of a new state of Yin at his base Jian Prefecture, but after Wang Yanxi was killed by the general Zhu Wenjin, who was himself assassinated thereafter, Wang Yanzheng reclaimed the title of Emperor of Min. His reign would last less than three years overall, though, as Min's northwestern neighbor Southern Tang bore down militarily on him and forced his surrender, ending Min.
Chen Jue (陳覺) was a key official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period states Wu and Wu's successor state Southern Tang, becoming chief of staff to Southern Tang's second emperor Li Jing. He was considered an ally of the senior statesman Song Qiqiu, and after Song lost power, Chen was exiled and killed on the way to exile.
Wang Yanxi (王延羲), known as Wang Xi (王曦) during his reign, formally Emperor Jingzong of Min (閩景宗), was an emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Min. He became Min's ruler after a coup that overthrew his nephew Wang Jipeng in 939. With his reign being a cruel one, the imperial guard officers Zhu Wenjin and Lian Chongyu assassinated him and slaughtered the imperial Wang clan. Zhu thereafter claimed the title of Emperor of Min.
Zhu Wenjin (朱文進) was a general of, and later a claimant of the throne of, the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Min. In 944, he assassinated the emperor Wang Yanxi and tried to take over control of the Min state, but his officer Lin Renhan (林仁翰) assassinated him less than a year later and submitted to Wang Yanxi's brother Wang Yanzheng, who had been warring with Wang Yanxi.
Qian Hongzuo, courtesy name Yuanyou (元祐), formally King Zhongxian of Wuyue (吳越忠獻王), possibly with the temple name of Chengzong (成宗), was the third king (王) of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Wuyue.
Liu Congxiao, formally the Prince of Jinjiang, was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Min. After Min's fall, he initially submitted to Southern Tang, but eventually, taking advantage of Southern Tang's inability to fully control the region, took the southern part of the former Min realm under his own control, albeit in nominal submission to Southern Tang. After Southern Tang's repeated defeats by Later Zhou, he also nominally submitted to Later Zhou's successor state Song.
Li Renda (李仁達), also known by the names of Li Hongyi (李弘義) (945–946), Li Hongda (李弘達) (946), Li Da (李達) (946–947), and Li Ruyun (李孺贇) (947), was a warlord of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. He was initially an officer for the state of Min. In Min's last years, he rebelled against its last emperor Wang Yanzheng and seized control of the Fu Prefecture region, initially in nominal allegiance to both Southern Tang and Later Jin. When Southern Tang's emperor Li Jing tried to force to yield actual control to the Southern Tang imperial government, however, he turned his allegiance to Wuyue and fought off the Southern Tang attack with Wuyue aid. When his relationship with the Wuyue general Bao Xiurang (鮑修讓) eventually broke down, he considered killing Bao and resubmitting to Southern Tang, but Bao discovered this and killed him first, allowing Wuyue to take actual control over the region.
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The Southern Tang conquest of the Min Kingdom was a conflict in modern Fujian during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China. Civil war erupted in Min during the reign of Wang Yanxi. His brother Wang Yanzheng launched a rebellion in 943 and established Yin. The Southern Tang failed to mediate between the Wang Brothers and prepared to invade their territories.
The Southern Tang campaign against Chu was a military conflict during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Infighting between several members of the royal Ma family weakened the kingdom of Chu after the death of Ma Xifan. In 950 Ma Xi'e defeated Ma Xiguang with assistance from the Southern Tang and pledged allegiance to Li Jing. In early 951, after becoming an unpopular ruler, Ma Xi'e was deposed and exiled to Hengshan, where locals rallied to his cause. Competing for control of Chu was Ma Xichong, installed at the Chu capital of Tanzhou after the deposition of Ma Xi'e. Ma Xichong feared the rebel armies coalescing in Langzhou led by Liu Yan, the forces of Ma Xi'e at Hengshan, and his own unrestive generals. He pleaded for assistance from Li Jing, who ordered for a Southern Tang army under Bian Hao to march onto Tanzhou. Arriving there in December 951, Bian Hao deposed Ma Xichong and deported him to the Southern Tang capital of Jinling. Similar orders were sent to Hengshan, which were agreed to by Ma Xi'e, who feared an attack by the Southern Tang.
The Later Zhou conquest of Huainan was a conflict during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China. Huainan was the territories south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze then controlled by the Southern Tang. In 956, Chai Rong ordered an invasion of the region. The defending Southern Tang forces were consistently crushed as their military leadership was inept. However the advancing Later Zhou forces were imperiled by the staunch resistance of Shouzhou which threatened to cut supply lines. Initial Southern Tang peace offerings were spurned by Chai Rong and the conflict continued until spring 958. The defeated Southern Tang ceded Huainan and became a vassal of the Later Zhou.
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