Zhu Can
Encyclopedia
Zhu Can (died 621) was an agrarian rebel leader during the disintegration of the Chinese
dynasty Sui Dynasty
. He was particularly noted for his cruelty and his penchant for favoring cannibalism
, and he, while not having a set base of operation, generally roved with his army in the modern southern Henan
area, claiming for himself the title of Emperor of Chu. He also at times submitted to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, the Sui emperor Yang Tong
, Emperor Gaozu of Tang
, and Wang Shichong
the Emperor of Zheng. After finally breaking with Tang, he fled to the Zheng capital Luoyang
, and after Luoyang fell to Tang in 621, he was executed.
, Anhui
), and he was initially a minor official with his local county government. He joined the military when men were sought to combat the agrarian rebels at Changbai Mountain (長白山, in modern Binzhou
, Shandong
, not the mountain range in Jilin
), but in or before 615 he defected and led a group of rebels himself, which became known as the Kedahan Bandits (可達寒賊). He declared himself the Prince of Jialouluo (迦樓羅王), and he eventually crossed the Huai River
south to attack the various commanderies of modern southern Henan
, northern Hubei
, and southern Shaanxi
. It was said that Zhu was very cruel, and that wherever he went, he often massacred the population.
. Li created him the Duke of Deng. In winter 617, he suffered a defeat at the hands of Li Xiaogong
, the son of a cousin of Li Yuan
the Prince of Tang (who had risen against Emperor Yang
earlier that year and declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You
the Prince of Dai emperor, as Emperor Gong), but Li Xiaogong spared his soldiers.
In spring 618, after Li Mi achieved a great victory over the Sui general Wang Shichong
, Zhu was one of the agrarian leaders who sent messengers to Li Mi, urging him to take imperial title, but Li Mi declined. Meanwhile, he continued to roam in southern Henan, despite defeats by Li Yuan's generals Ma Yuangui (馬元規) and Zhou Chao (周超).
In fall 618, after Li Mi was defeated by Wang and submitted to Li Yuan (who established Tang Dynasty
after hearing of Emperor Yang's death earlier that year, at the hands of Yuwen Huaji
), Zhu sent messengers to nominally submit to Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong
, who had been declared emperor at Luoyang but who by this point was under Wang's control. Yang Tong created Zhu the Prince of Chu.
In winter 618, the Tang generals Ma Yuangui and Lü Zizang (呂子臧) again defeated Zhu, but when Lü suggested making one final assault against Zhu, Ma disagreed, and Zhu was able to regroup. He declared himself the Emperor of Chu, and put Ma and Lü under siege at Nanyang (南陽, in modern Nanyang
, Henan
), capturing the city and killing Ma. Lü died in the siege.
It was said that, at this point, Zhu had some 200,000 men, and he roamed in the region, capturing cities and taking their food storage. Even before he finished consuming the food, however, he would leave, and before doing so would burn the remaining food. As a result, people in the region suffered from starvation. Eventually, food supplies in the region ran low, as Zhu's troops also did not plant crops or grow them. Zhu then encouraged his soldiers to eat women and infants, stating, "Human flesh is the most delicious flesh. As long as there are people around, we need not worry about hunger." He also ordered the cities under his control to deliver old people and children to his camps to be consumed. The cities could not accept these orders and rebelled against him. In spring 619, Yang Shilin (楊士林) and Tian Zan (田瓚), leaders of the gentry at Huai'an (淮安, in modern Zhumadian
, Henan
), attacked him, and the other cities joined them. They defeated Zhu, who then gathered his remaining troops and fled to Jutan (菊潭, in modern Nanyang). He subsequently sent messengers to submit to Tang. Emperor Gaozu created him the Prince of Chu, and subsequently sent his official Duan Que (段確) to greet Zhu.
], you will be just a slave; how can you commit cannibalism then?" Zhu responded by arresting Duan and his followers, cooking them and eating their flesh. After he woke from his drunkenness, however, he realized that he had effectively broken with Tang, and he fled to Luoyang, where Wang Shichong made him a general. He continued to serve Wang after Wang seized the throne from Yang Tong later that year, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng.
In 620, Tang's emperor Gaozu commissioned his son Li Shimin
to attack Zheng, and by 621, Wang was forced to surrender. Li Shimin spared Wang, but put a number of his high level officials, including Zhu, to death. It was said that the people of Luoyang despised Zhu for his cruelty, and after his death threw rocks at his body in such great numbers that they soon piled up like a tomb.
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 Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. He was particularly noted for his cruelty and his penchant for favoring cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
, and he, while not having a set base of operation, generally roved with his army in the modern southern 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...
area, claiming for himself the title of Emperor of Chu. He also at times submitted to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, the Sui emperor Yang Tong
Yang Tong
Yang Tong , known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue or by his era name as Lord Huangtai , posthumous name Emperor Gong , courtesy name Renjin , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
, Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
, and Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong , courtesy name Xingman , was a general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state of Zheng...
the Emperor of Zheng. After finally breaking with Tang, he fled to the Zheng capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, and after Luoyang fell to Tang in 621, he was executed.
Initial uprising
Zhu Can was from Bo Province (毫州, roughly modern BozhouBozhou
Bozhou is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. It borders Huaibei to the northeast, Bengbu to the southeast, Huainan to the south, Fuyang to the southwest, and the province of Henan to the north.-Administration:...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
), and he was initially a minor official with his local county government. He joined the military when men were sought to combat the agrarian rebels at Changbai Mountain (長白山, in modern Binzhou
Binzhou
Binzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River with two arms extended to the southern bank, Binzhou borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southwest, Dezhou to the west, Zibo to the south,...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, not the mountain range in Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
), but in or before 615 he defected and led a group of rebels himself, which became known as the Kedahan Bandits (可達寒賊). He declared himself the Prince of Jialouluo (迦樓羅王), and he eventually crossed the Huai River
Huai River
The Huai River is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers in China, and like them runs from west to east...
south to attack the various commanderies of modern southern 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...
, northern Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, and southern 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...
. It was said that Zhu was very cruel, and that wherever he went, he often massacred the population.
Vacillation between independence and submission to various contenders
Although Zhu claimed for himself a princely title, he was also communicating with other rebel leaders, and in 617, he sent messengers to submit to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, who was then trying to capture the Sui eastern capital LuoyangLuoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
. Li created him the Duke of Deng. In winter 617, he suffered a defeat at the hands of Li Xiaogong
Li Xiaogong
Li Xiaogong , formally Prince Yuan of Hejian , often referred to by his earlier title as Prince of Zhao Commandery , was an imperial prince and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, the son of a cousin of Li Yuan
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
the Prince of Tang (who had risen against Emperor Yang
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
earlier that year and declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You
Emperor Gong of Sui
Emperor Gong of Sui , personal name Yang You , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty. Traditionally, he was considered the last emperor of the dynasty because he was the one who formally yielded the throne to the founding emperor to the succeeding Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Tang ,...
the Prince of Dai emperor, as Emperor Gong), but Li Xiaogong spared his soldiers.
In spring 618, after Li Mi achieved a great victory over the Sui general Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong , courtesy name Xingman , was a general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state of Zheng...
, Zhu was one of the agrarian leaders who sent messengers to Li Mi, urging him to take imperial title, but Li Mi declined. Meanwhile, he continued to roam in southern Henan, despite defeats by Li Yuan's generals Ma Yuangui (馬元規) and Zhou Chao (周超).
In fall 618, after Li Mi was defeated by Wang and submitted to Li Yuan (who established 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...
after hearing of Emperor Yang's death earlier that year, at the hands of Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against Emperor Yang of Sui, killing him. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao led Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army north, but was then repeatedly defeated by Li Mi, Li Shentong , and...
), Zhu sent messengers to nominally submit to Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong
Yang Tong
Yang Tong , known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue or by his era name as Lord Huangtai , posthumous name Emperor Gong , courtesy name Renjin , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
, who had been declared emperor at Luoyang but who by this point was under Wang's control. Yang Tong created Zhu the Prince of Chu.
In winter 618, the Tang generals Ma Yuangui and Lü Zizang (呂子臧) again defeated Zhu, but when Lü suggested making one final assault against Zhu, Ma disagreed, and Zhu was able to regroup. He declared himself the Emperor of Chu, and put Ma and Lü under siege at Nanyang (南陽, in modern Nanyang
Nanyang, Henan
Nanyang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Henan province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the north, Sanmenxia to the...
, 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...
), capturing the city and killing Ma. Lü died in the siege.
It was said that, at this point, Zhu had some 200,000 men, and he roamed in the region, capturing cities and taking their food storage. Even before he finished consuming the food, however, he would leave, and before doing so would burn the remaining food. As a result, people in the region suffered from starvation. Eventually, food supplies in the region ran low, as Zhu's troops also did not plant crops or grow them. Zhu then encouraged his soldiers to eat women and infants, stating, "Human flesh is the most delicious flesh. As long as there are people around, we need not worry about hunger." He also ordered the cities under his control to deliver old people and children to his camps to be consumed. The cities could not accept these orders and rebelled against him. In spring 619, Yang Shilin (楊士林) and Tian Zan (田瓚), leaders of the gentry at Huai'an (淮安, in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, 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...
), attacked him, and the other cities joined them. They defeated Zhu, who then gathered his remaining troops and fled to Jutan (菊潭, in modern Nanyang). He subsequently sent messengers to submit to Tang. Emperor Gaozu created him the Prince of Chu, and subsequently sent his official Duan Que (段確) to greet Zhu.
Defeat and death
Duan Que, who was known for binge drinking, arrived in Jutan in summer 619. One day, after a feast where both he and Zhu Can were drunk, Duan, intending to insult Zhu, asked, "I heard that you liked to eat human flesh. What does human flesh taste like?" Zhu responded, "An alcoholic human's flesh tastes like wine-marinated pork." Duan, insulted by the response, cursed Zhu, "You bandit! Once you get to the capital [i.e., the Tang 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...
], you will be just a slave; how can you commit cannibalism then?" Zhu responded by arresting Duan and his followers, cooking them and eating their flesh. After he woke from his drunkenness, however, he realized that he had effectively broken with Tang, and he fled to Luoyang, where Wang Shichong made him a general. He continued to serve Wang after Wang seized the throne from Yang Tong later that year, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng.
In 620, Tang's emperor Gaozu commissioned his son Li Shimin
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
to attack Zheng, and by 621, Wang was forced to surrender. Li Shimin spared Wang, but put a number of his high level officials, including Zhu, to death. It was said that the people of Luoyang despised Zhu for his cruelty, and after his death threw rocks at his body in such great numbers that they soon piled up like a tomb.