Chen Yizhong
Encyclopedia
Chén Yízhōng (dates of birth and death unknown), was a Prime Minister of the Chinese Empire during the final years of the Song Dynasty
.
, Zhejiang Province, Chen was nevertheless an able stident, becoming a "supreme scholar" (太学生). Along with six of his classmates including Huang Yong (黄镛) and Lin Zezu (林则祖) Chen sent a letter to politician Ding Daquan (丁大全) accusing him of mishandling defences against Mongol invaders
from the north. As a result Ding cancelled all the students' qualifications. Banished to a military outpost in Jianchang County
in Liaoning Province, the six students became known as the "six nobles" (六君子).
In 1263, the third year of Emperor Lizong of Song
's Jingding Era (景定年号), Chen was placed second in the Imperial examinations. Thereafter he became a government civil servant in Shaoxing City
, Zhejiang Province. Later Chen moved to the Imperial censor's office where Chancellor Jia Sidao
encouraged him to accuse Chen Yuanfeng (程元凤/程元鳳) of misconduct. In the spring of 1275 CE, Jia Sidao was sacked from his position and Chen appointed Prime Minister by Grand Empress Dowager Xie (謝太皇太后), who held power on behalf of the underage Emperor Gong of Song
.
The Song army were defeated by the Mongols
at Jiaoshan
, Jiangsu Province in April 1276, the second year of Emperor Gong's Deyou era (德祐年号). A man named Han Zhen suggested relocating the capital (韩震) whereupon Chen personally murdered his family. Timid and afraid, Chen wavered between advocating war and suing for peace. Top scholar Liu Jiugao (刘九皋) and others wrote a letter criticizing Chen's mismanagement of his country's affairs in ten points. The letter claimed that the Prime Minister was a hesitant and vacillating army commander who could not direct his soldiers properly - "Zhang Shijie
's brave infantry are at sea whilst the navy is on the march". The indictment also stated "Chen's orders are inappropriate and we face defeat, his mistakes in governance of the country are neverending!". When Cheng learned of these accusations he quit his post and fled but his mother later persuaded him to return to the court where he became Minister of the East (右丞相).
In December of the same year, Chen despatched minister Liu Yue (柳岳) to approach the camp of the advancing Mongol army and sue for peace but its commander Bayan of the Baarin
refused to negotiate. Chen then sent Lu Xiufu
with an offer of money but Bayan refused to accept it. In the first lunar month of the second year of the Deyou era (1277 by the Julian Calendar
), the Mongol Army arrived at Nieiting Mountain (臬亭山), in the northern suburbs of modern day Hangzhou
, Zhejiang Province. On the 18th of the same month, Dowager Empress Xie sent minister Yang Yingkui (杨应奎) into the Mongol army camp to surrender and offer up the Imperial Seal
. The soon to be Yuan Dynasty
leaders requested talks with Prime Minister Chen but that night he fled to Lin'an (modern day Hangzhou) then later to Wenzhou
in the south east. During November 1276, the first year of Emperor Duanzong of Song
's Jingyan Era (景炎年号), the Mongol army entered Fuzhou
in Fujian Province and the government surrendered. Chen and Zhang Shijie
accompanied Emperor Duanzong to the sea when not long afterwards Chen again fled.
By the time of the destruction of the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen had already taken his wife and children to Champa
(in modern day Vietnam
).
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
.
Life
Raised in a poor family in Wenzhou CityWenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
, Zhejiang Province, Chen was nevertheless an able stident, becoming a "supreme scholar" (太学生). Along with six of his classmates including Huang Yong (黄镛) and Lin Zezu (林则祖) Chen sent a letter to politician Ding Daquan (丁大全) accusing him of mishandling defences against Mongol invaders
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
from the north. As a result Ding cancelled all the students' qualifications. Banished to a military outpost in Jianchang County
Jianchang County
Jianchang County is an administrative division within Huludao City in the southwest of Liaoning Province, in Northeast China. It is the largest division of Huludao, with an area of , and is located in mountainous terrain west of that city....
in Liaoning Province, the six students became known as the "six nobles" (六君子).
In 1263, the third year of Emperor Lizong of Song
Emperor Lizong of Song
Emperor Lizong 理宗 was the 14th emperor of the Song Dynasty of China, and the fifth emperor of the Southern Song. His personal name was Zhao Yun . He reigned from 1224 to 1264. His temple name means "Reasonable Ancestor"...
's Jingding Era (景定年号), Chen was placed second in the Imperial examinations. Thereafter he became a government civil servant in Shaoxing City
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
, Zhejiang Province. Later Chen moved to the Imperial censor's office where Chancellor Jia Sidao
Jia Sidao
Jia Sidao was a chancellor during the late Song Dynasty of China. He dominated the Song court from 1260 to 1273, after rising to the rank of chancellor due to his sister being a concubine of the Emperor Lizong...
encouraged him to accuse Chen Yuanfeng (程元凤/程元鳳) of misconduct. In the spring of 1275 CE, Jia Sidao was sacked from his position and Chen appointed Prime Minister by Grand Empress Dowager Xie (謝太皇太后), who held power on behalf of the underage Emperor Gong of Song
Emperor Gong of Song
Emperor Gong of Song Emperor Gong of Song Emperor Gong of Song (1271- unknown (possibly 1323), born Zhào Xiǎn (趙顯), was the 7th Emperor of the Chinese Southern Song Dynasty. He reigned from 1274 until his abdication in 1276 CE when he was succeeded by his elder brother, Emperor Duanzong of Song....
.
The Song army were defeated by the Mongols
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
at Jiaoshan
Jiaoshan
Jiāo Shān is a district of the city of Zhenjiang in southwestern Jiangsu Province, China and a National AAAA designated tourism area. 71 meters above sea level, the area lies next to the Yangtze River and takes it name from Jiao Guang who lived in the area during the final years of the Han Dynasty...
, Jiangsu Province in April 1276, the second year of Emperor Gong's Deyou era (德祐年号). A man named Han Zhen suggested relocating the capital (韩震) whereupon Chen personally murdered his family. Timid and afraid, Chen wavered between advocating war and suing for peace. Top scholar Liu Jiugao (刘九皋) and others wrote a letter criticizing Chen's mismanagement of his country's affairs in ten points. The letter claimed that the Prime Minister was a hesitant and vacillating army commander who could not direct his soldiers properly - "Zhang Shijie
Zhang Shijie
Zhang Shijie was a 13th century Chinese admiral and government official during the Mongol invasion of China.Born to a prosperous family in Hebei, Zhang's family moved into Song China because his father had committed a crime in Jin...
's brave infantry are at sea whilst the navy is on the march". The indictment also stated "Chen's orders are inappropriate and we face defeat, his mistakes in governance of the country are neverending!". When Cheng learned of these accusations he quit his post and fled but his mother later persuaded him to return to the court where he became Minister of the East (右丞相).
In December of the same year, Chen despatched minister Liu Yue (柳岳) to approach the camp of the advancing Mongol army and sue for peace but its commander Bayan of the Baarin
Bayan of the Baarin
Bayan of the Baarin , also known as "Bayan chingsang" or, to Marco Polo, as "Bayan Hundred Eyes" , was a Mongol general...
refused to negotiate. Chen then sent Lu Xiufu
Lu Xiufu
Lù Xiùfū , courtesy title Junshi , was a statesman and military commander during the final years of the Chinese Song Dynasty...
with an offer of money but Bayan refused to accept it. In the first lunar month of the second year of the Deyou era (1277 by the Julian Calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
), the Mongol Army arrived at Nieiting Mountain (臬亭山), in the northern suburbs of modern day Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, Zhejiang Province. On the 18th of the same month, Dowager Empress Xie sent minister Yang Yingkui (杨应奎) into the Mongol army camp to surrender and offer up the Imperial Seal
Imperial Seal
Imperial Seal refers to the seal used by imperial families to endorse imperial edicts.* Imperial Seal of China* Imperial Seal of Japan* Imperial Seal of Mongolia...
. The soon to be Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
leaders requested talks with Prime Minister Chen but that night he fled to Lin'an (modern day Hangzhou) then later to Wenzhou
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
in the south east. During November 1276, the first year of Emperor Duanzong of Song
Emperor Duanzong of Song
Emperor Duānzōng was the eighth and penultimate emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty of China who reigned from 1276 to 1278 and died at the early age of ten. He was also known as the "Nation Establishing Duke " ....
's Jingyan Era (景炎年号), the Mongol army entered Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
in Fujian Province and the government surrendered. Chen and Zhang Shijie
Zhang Shijie
Zhang Shijie was a 13th century Chinese admiral and government official during the Mongol invasion of China.Born to a prosperous family in Hebei, Zhang's family moved into Song China because his father had committed a crime in Jin...
accompanied Emperor Duanzong to the sea when not long afterwards Chen again fled.
By the time of the destruction of the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen had already taken his wife and children to Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
(in modern day Vietnam
Vietnam
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 –...
).