Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:01, 14 June 2024

Zhao Chongguo (137 – 52 BCE) was a prominent Chinese military commander and official during the Western Han dynasty.

Early life and career

In 137 BCE, Zhao Chongguo was born in the Shanggui prefecture of the Longxi Commandery, located along the periphery of the Western Han in what is now Tianshui, Gansu. He was born into a "well-respected family" (Chinese: 良家; pinyin: liángjiā) originating in the northwestern commanderies, suggesting material qualifications for officialdom and a lack of involvement with crime, magic, or merchant trades. At some point, he moved to Lingju in the Jinchang Commandery, in what is now Yongdeng County.

Little is known about his early life or military experience prior to 104. Posthumous histories report that he was ambitious as a youth and sought to become a general. At a young age, he studied military science and the Four Barbarians. With the "Six Commanderies" having a regional tradition of cavalry service, Zhao likely began service as a cavalryman in a local defense unit.

Military service

In 104, an elite cavalry unit titled the Feathered Forest (羽林; yǔlín) was created in the capital of Chang'an, one of five units placed under the administration of the Minister of the Imperial Household and tasked with protecting the Emperor. The members of the unit, dubbed the "Gentlemen of the Feathered Forest" (羽林郎; yǔlínláng), were mainly recruited from the northwest, with a particular emphasis on the descendants of men who died in military service. The soldiers of the Feathered Forest, like those in other Imperial Household units, were often appointed to higher military and civil positions following a period of service. Zhao joined the unit at some point between its formation and 99 BCE.

In 99 BCE, Zhao joined a force of 30,000 cavalry in Li Guangli's campaign against the Xiongnu, receiving the rank of acting major. The army was forced to retreat, and suffered heavy casualties, eventually becoming trapped by the encroaching Xiongnu forces after several days of combat. Zhao led a group of around 100 men to breech the Xiongnu lines and allow for the rest of the Han army to retreat, suffering twenty sword cuts in the process. After General Li commended Zhao's service, Emperor Wu invited Zhao to a private meeting and consoled him on his injuries.

Soon after meeting with Emperor Wu, Zhao was promoted to the rank of Gentleman of the Household (中郎; zhōngláng). He was later promoted again, becoming the Chief of Staff of the General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎 將軍; jūjì jiāngjūn). Jin Midi served as the first General of Chariots and Cavalry from 87 to his death the following year. From 83 to 80, Shangguan An (the father of Empress Shangguan) served in the position until his execution for treason. Zhao likely served as chief of staff to Grand General Huo Guang, and progressed rapidly during Huo's dictatorship (83–63). In 80, Zhao led an army against the Di people, who had rebelled in the Wudu Commandery. During this campaign, he held the title of Army Protector Chief Commandant (護軍都尉; Hùjūn dūwèi), likely an advisory position to the Grand General. He was then sent to command the garrisons of Shanggu Commandery in modern-day Inner Mongolia, possibly only as a brief inspection.

Later in 80, he was appointed as the Chief Commandant of Waters and Parks (水衡都尉; Shuǐhéng dūwèi), a position he would ultimately hold until 60 BCE. As Chief Commandant, he managed the Shanglin Park to the north of the capital. This position also allowed him to administrate the minting of cash coinage, as the central mint was located inside the park. By 74, he was joined in this position by the General of the Van, Han Zeng.

In 74, he collaborated with Huo to depose the newly-enthroned emperor Liu He in favor of Emperor Xuan, signing the deed of indictment against the emperor alongside the Imperial Counsellor and Han Zeng. In reward for this service, Zhao was awarded the hereditary title of Marquis of Yingping. Around this time, he was promoted to General of the Rear (水衡都尉; Hòu jiāngjūn), but continued concurrently in his civil position as Chief Commandant.

From 72 to 71, he was one of five Han generals who participated in a large cavalry campaign against the Xiongnu at the request of the Wusun. Following a massive raid into Shanxi in 70, a defected Xiongnu commander advised the Han army to place Zhao, who had reportedly become infamous to the Xiongnu, in command of the northern frontier commanderies. This led to the Xiongnu forces retreating the following year. In 68, Huo Guang died, and the Huo family was overthrown in favor of direct rule by Emperor Xuan. Zhao remained in the good graces of the administration.

Campaigns against the Qiang

Preventing contact and alliances between the Qiang people and the Xiongnu had been a geopolitical goal of the Han since the reign of Emperor Wu, and was a major motivator for the conquest of the Hexi corridor. During the mid-60s BC, a chieftain of the Qiang Xianlian tribe requested permission to pasture their herds in the Huangshui valley, where they had previously been expelled. Zhao was angered after this proposal was relayed positively to the Han court by the emissary Yiqu Anguo, accusing the Qiang of merely seeking contact with the Xiongnu and recommending a preemptive attack. The Han government's official response to the proposal is unknown, but the local garrison was unable to prevent the Qiang resettlement in the region.

In 63, the chief of the Xianlian joined a large group of Qiang chieftains in suspending local feuds and forming an alliance. Zhao counseled Emperor Xuan on the matter, describing a unified Qiang as a particular threat to the Han, and predicting that the Xiongnu would imminently seek to ally with them. In 62, the Han became aware that the Qiang lord Langhe had sent envoys to the Xiongnu, seeking to join in an alliance to attack Dunhuang and Shanshan. Following predictions of an imminent attack by Zhao, the offices of the Chancellor and Imperial Secretary sent Yiqu Anguo into Qiang territory to attempt to break up the Qiang alliance. Anguo arrived in the spring of 61 with a force of 2,000 cavalry, and immediately began killing large numbers of Qiang chieftains and tribespeople. This only served to inspire smaller Qiang tribes to revolt,

Notes

1. Comprising Longxi, Tianshui, Anding,Beidi, Shang, and Xihe commanderies.

References

1. ^ Knechtges & Chang 2014, p. 2206.
2. ^ Dreyer 2008, pp. 670.
3. ^ Dreyer 2008, pp. 671–672.
4. Dreyer 2008, pp. 673–674.
5. ^ Dreyer 2008, pp. 673–675.
6. Loewe 2019, pp. 195–196.
7. Loewe 2019, p. 197.
8. Loewe 2019, p. 188.
9. ^ Dreyer 2008, pp. 675–678.

Bibliography

• Dreyer, Edward L. (July 2008). de Crespigny, Rafe (ed.). "Zhao Chongguo: A Professional Soldier of China's Former Han Dynasty". The Journal of Military History. 72 (3): 665–725. doi:10.1353/jmh.0.0028.
• Knechtges, David R.; Chang, Taiping, eds. (2014). Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide, Parts 3-4. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004271852. ISBN 9789004267886.
• Loewe, Michael (2019). The Men Who Governed Han China: Companion to a Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789047413363. ISBN 9789047413363.
• Loewe, Michael (2000). A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004490253. ISBN 9789004103641.
• Olberding, Garret P. S. (2012). Dubious Facts: The Evidence of Early Chinese Historiography. SUNY Press. doi:10.1515/9781438443911. ISBN 9781438443911.
• Pankenier, David W. (July 2000). "Popular Astrology and Border Affairs in Early China: An Archaeological Confirmation" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. 104. ISSN 2157-9679.
• Tang, Lin (May 2023). "Research on Yang Xiong from a Calligraphic Perspective". Contemporary Social Sciences. 8 (3). Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences. doi:10.19873/j.cnki.2096-0212.2023.03.007.
• Tse, Wicky W. K. (2018). The Collapse of China's Later Han Dynasty, 25-220 CE: The Northwest Borderlands and the Edge of Empire. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781315532318.]
• Vankeerberghen, Griet (2021). "Of Gold and Purple: Nobles in Western Han China and Republican Rome". In Beck, Hans; Vankeerberghen, Griet (eds.). Rulers and Ruled in Ancient Greece, Rome, and China. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108641166. ISBN 9781108641166.