Han Quanhui
Encyclopedia
Han Quanhui (d. February 6, 903) was an eunuch late in the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
. The struggles by the eunuchs, led by him, against the chancellor Cui Yin
, who wanted to eliminate the powerful eunuchs, led to the eunuchs' kidnapping of Emperor Zhaozong
and then a major military confrontation between two powerful warlords — the eunuchs' ally Li Maozhen
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
) and Cui's ally Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng
, Henan
). Eventually, Li, unable to stand up to Zhu's military pressure, surrendered the emperor to him and slaughtered Han and the other eunuchs. After this, Zhu was in firm control of the imperial court, leading to the dynasty's end four years later and its replacement by Zhu's Later Liang Dynasty
.
to serve as a director of the palace communications (樞密使, Shumishi) and was serving in that post as of early 901
, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong
.
Earlier (in late 900
), Emperor Zhaozong had been briefly deposed and imprisoned by the eunuch commanders of the Shence Armies, Liu Jishu
and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) and the directors of palace communications Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓), but was restored in early 901 in a countercoup led by the Shence Army officers Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Dong Yanbi (董彥弼), and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨). (For their contributions, Sun, Dong, and Zhou were all bestowed the imperial surname of Li, and Sun and Zhou were given new names of Jizhao (繼昭) and Jihui (繼誨) respectively.) After the countercoup, the chancellor Cui Yin
suggested transferring the command of the Shence Armies from eunuchs (which had traditionally been the case) to the chancellors — himself and Lu Yi
— to permanently end the eunuchs' hold on the armies. When Emperor Zhaozong asked Li Jizhao, Li Jihui, and Li Yanbi for their opinions, however, they opposed. Emperor Zhaozong thereafter decided to put Han and Zhang in command of the Shence Armies. He initially tried to make the retired eunuch Yan Zunmei (嚴尊美) the overseer of both Shence Armies, but Yan declined. Cui, apprehensive of this development, secretly requested Fengxiang's military governor
Li Maozhen
, who was in Chang'an at that time to pay tribute to Emperor Zhaozong, to leave a detachment of 2,000 men at Chang'an, to counterbalance the Shence Armies. Li Maozhen agreed, and left his adoptive son Li Jiyun (李繼筠) in charge of the Fengxiang detachment.
Emperor Zhaozong had believed that after the countercoup that restored him to the throne, the eunuchs would be held in check in his restored administration. However, that turned out to be not the case — with Han and Zhang Yanhong in command of the Shence Armies, they got Li Jihui and Li Yanbi (who, along with Li Jizhao, received independent commands after the countercoup), in addition to Li Maozhen, on their side as well. Cui suggested to Emperor Zhaozong that all eunuchs be slaughtered and replaced with ladies in waiting. Emperor Zhaozong was initially resistant to the proposal, and the eunuchs eventually found out. Fearing that Emperor Zhaozong would eventually accept Cui's proposal, they had the Shence Army soldiers surround the palace and claim that Cui had been refusing to provide them with winter clothes. Emperor Zhaozong had to remove Cui from his secondary post as the director of salt and iron monopolies to placate the soldiers.
Cui became aware that the eunuchs knew of his proposal. Fearing that the eunuchs would attack and kill him, he wrote to Zhu, requesting that he bring an army to Chang'an to wipe out the eunuchs. After receiving the letter in fall 901, Zhu mobilized his troops and headed toward Chang'an. Han, hearing of Zhu's impending arrival, had Li Jihui and Li Yanbi take their soldiers to the palace to force Emperor Zhaozong and his household to head for Fengxiang. The imperial officials, led by Cui, remained at Chang'an, protected by Li Jizhao (who refused to side with the eunuchs). The eunuchs and their allies then took the emperor to Fengxiang after setting the palace on fire.
region, gradually forcing them to surrender to him. Later in 901, Han sent eunuchs with edicts in Emperor Zhaozong's name, ordering the southeastern circuits to attack Zhu; those eunuchs were intercepted and killed by Feng Xingxi
the military governor of Rongzhao Circuit (戎昭, headquartered in modern Ankang
, Shaanxi
) and never reached their destination. Li Maozhen sought aid from Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
, Sichuan
); Wang reacted by outwardly claiming to rebuke Zhu, but instead sending secret messengers to Zhu to encourage him to continue the campaign, while he himself attacked Li Maozhen's possessions south of the Qinling Mountains
, taking them one by one.
By late 902
, Fengxiang was in a dire strait — with Li Maozhen's Guanzhong possessions having fallen into Zhu's hands and southern possessions into Wang's hands, Fengxiang was running out of food, causing the people to resort to cannibalism. Li Maozhen began making secret overtures to Zhu, offering to kill the eunuchs and surrender the emperor to him while blaming Han for seizing the emperor. In spring 903
, after Li Maozhen presented the proposal to Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong issued an order to have Han, Zhang Yanfan, the directors of palace communications Yuan Yijian (袁易簡) and Zhou Jingrong (周敬容), a group of other high-level eunuchs, Li Jihui, Li Yanbi, and Li Jiyun all executed. Their heads were presented to Zhu, who eventually agreed to peace with Li Maozhen.
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...
. The struggles by the eunuchs, led by him, against the chancellor Cui Yin
Cui Yin
Cui Yin , courtesy name Chuixiu , nickname Zilang , formally the Duke of Wei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong...
, who wanted to eliminate the powerful eunuchs, led to the eunuchs' kidnapping of Emperor Zhaozong
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min , yet later name changed to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904...
and then a major military confrontation between two powerful warlords — the eunuchs' ally Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, 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 Cui's ally 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...
). Eventually, Li, unable to stand up to Zhu's military pressure, surrendered the emperor to him and slaughtered Han and the other eunuchs. After this, Zhu was in firm control of the imperial court, leading to the dynasty's end four years later and its replacement by Zhu's Later Liang Dynasty
Later Liang Dynasty
The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Zhu Wen, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour...
.
Background
It is not known when Han Quanhui was born. It is known that at one point, both he and fellow eunuch Zhang Yanhong (張彥弘) served as monitors of the Fengxiang army, but Han was later recalled to the imperial capital Chang'anChang'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...
to serve as a director of the palace communications (樞密使, Shumishi) and was serving in that post as of early 901
901
Year 901 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* Abu 'Abdullah al-Shi'i leads the rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Aghlabid emirate in Ifriqiya ....
, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang
Emperor Zhaozong of Tang , né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min , yet later name changed to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 888 to 904...
.
Earlier (in late 900
900
Year 900 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* April 21 – Namwaran and his children, Lady Angkatan and Bukah, are granted pardon by the Datu of Tondo, as represented Jayadewa, Lord Minister of Pila, which released them of all their debts as inscribed in the...
), Emperor Zhaozong had been briefly deposed and imprisoned by the eunuch commanders of the Shence Armies, Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu
Liu Jishu was an eunuch late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, as a powerful commander of the Shence Armies, briefly deposed Emperor Zhaozong in 900 and replaced Emperor Zhaozong with Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Yu, but was soon killed in a countercoup, allowing Emperor Zhaozong to return to...
and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) and the directors of palace communications Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓), but was restored in early 901 in a countercoup led by the Shence Army officers Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Dong Yanbi (董彥弼), and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨). (For their contributions, Sun, Dong, and Zhou were all bestowed the imperial surname of Li, and Sun and Zhou were given new names of Jizhao (繼昭) and Jihui (繼誨) respectively.) After the countercoup, the chancellor Cui Yin
Cui Yin
Cui Yin , courtesy name Chuixiu , nickname Zilang , formally the Duke of Wei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong...
suggested transferring the command of the Shence Armies from eunuchs (which had traditionally been the case) to the chancellors — himself and Lu Yi
Lu Yi (Tang Dynasty)
Lu Yi , né Lu Yundi , courtesy name Xiangwen , formally the Duke of Wu Commandery , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor for two terms during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong.- Background :Lu Yi was born in 847, during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong; he was...
— to permanently end the eunuchs' hold on the armies. When Emperor Zhaozong asked Li Jizhao, Li Jihui, and Li Yanbi for their opinions, however, they opposed. Emperor Zhaozong thereafter decided to put Han and Zhang in command of the Shence Armies. He initially tried to make the retired eunuch Yan Zunmei (嚴尊美) the overseer of both Shence Armies, but Yan declined. Cui, apprehensive of this development, secretly requested Fengxiang's military governor
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...
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
, who was in Chang'an at that time to pay tribute to Emperor Zhaozong, to leave a detachment of 2,000 men at Chang'an, to counterbalance the Shence Armies. Li Maozhen agreed, and left his adoptive son Li Jiyun (李繼筠) in charge of the Fengxiang detachment.
Kidnapping of Emperor Zhaozong
Meanwhile, Cui Yin tried to cut down on the independent financial resources of the Shence Armies by ending the yeast monopoly that the army (which included the Shence Armies) held and allowing the general population to sell yeast. This also ended the monopoly that the circuit armies held. Li Maozhen did not want to give up the Fengxiang army's hold on the yeast monopoly, and went to Chang'an to try to dissuade Emperor Zhaozong from implementing Cui's proposal. After Li Maozhen arrived at Chang'an to discuss this matter with Emperor Zhaozong, Han Quanhui did all he could to foster a relationship with Li Maozhen, and Cui, seeing this, began to fear a Han/Li Maozhen alliance. He thus strengthened his alliance with Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit.Emperor Zhaozong had believed that after the countercoup that restored him to the throne, the eunuchs would be held in check in his restored administration. However, that turned out to be not the case — with Han and Zhang Yanhong in command of the Shence Armies, they got Li Jihui and Li Yanbi (who, along with Li Jizhao, received independent commands after the countercoup), in addition to Li Maozhen, on their side as well. Cui suggested to Emperor Zhaozong that all eunuchs be slaughtered and replaced with ladies in waiting. Emperor Zhaozong was initially resistant to the proposal, and the eunuchs eventually found out. Fearing that Emperor Zhaozong would eventually accept Cui's proposal, they had the Shence Army soldiers surround the palace and claim that Cui had been refusing to provide them with winter clothes. Emperor Zhaozong had to remove Cui from his secondary post as the director of salt and iron monopolies to placate the soldiers.
Cui became aware that the eunuchs knew of his proposal. Fearing that the eunuchs would attack and kill him, he wrote to Zhu, requesting that he bring an army to Chang'an to wipe out the eunuchs. After receiving the letter in fall 901, Zhu mobilized his troops and headed toward Chang'an. Han, hearing of Zhu's impending arrival, had Li Jihui and Li Yanbi take their soldiers to the palace to force Emperor Zhaozong and his household to head for Fengxiang. The imperial officials, led by Cui, remained at Chang'an, protected by Li Jizhao (who refused to side with the eunuchs). The eunuchs and their allies then took the emperor to Fengxiang after setting the palace on fire.
At Fengxiang
Zhu Quanzhong quickly put Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege, despite Han Quanhui's issuance of edicts in Emperor Zhaozong's name claiming that his visit to Fengxiang was a voluntary one and ordering him to return to Xuanwu. In addition, Zhu attacked Li Maozhen's other holdings in the GuanzhongGuanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
region, gradually forcing them to surrender to him. Later in 901, Han sent eunuchs with edicts in Emperor Zhaozong's name, ordering the southeastern circuits to attack Zhu; those eunuchs were intercepted and killed by Feng Xingxi
Feng Xingxi
Feng Xingxi , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Changle , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who later became a subject of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty.- Background :...
the military governor of Rongzhao Circuit (戎昭, headquartered in modern Ankang
Ankang
Ankang is a city in Shaanxi province, China.- Geography :Ankang is geographically considered to be part of southern China. However, on administrative terms, as Shaanxi is officially part of Northwestern China, it is considered to be part of the Northwest....
, 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 never reached their destination. Li Maozhen sought aid from Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
); Wang reacted by outwardly claiming to rebuke Zhu, but instead sending secret messengers to Zhu to encourage him to continue the campaign, while he himself attacked Li Maozhen's possessions south of the Qinling Mountains
Qinling Mountains
The Qin Mountains are a major east-west mountain range in southern Shaanxi province, China. The mountains provide a natural boundary between the North and South of the country, and support a huge variety of plant and wildlife, some of which is found nowhere else on Earth.To the north is the...
, taking them one by one.
By late 902
902
Year 902 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* August 1 – Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, is captured by the Aghlabid army....
, Fengxiang was in a dire strait — with Li Maozhen's Guanzhong possessions having fallen into Zhu's hands and southern possessions into Wang's hands, Fengxiang was running out of food, causing the people to resort to cannibalism. Li Maozhen began making secret overtures to Zhu, offering to kill the eunuchs and surrender the emperor to him while blaming Han for seizing the emperor. In spring 903
903
Year 903 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Abaoji is named commander of all Khitan military forces.- Religion :...
, after Li Maozhen presented the proposal to Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong issued an order to have Han, Zhang Yanfan, the directors of palace communications Yuan Yijian (袁易簡) and Zhou Jingrong (周敬容), a group of other high-level eunuchs, Li Jihui, Li Yanbi, and Li Jiyun all executed. Their heads were presented to Zhu, who eventually agreed to peace with Li Maozhen.