The Temple of Wu - Part III
Changes to the List of Generals & Statesmen honored in the Wu Miao
Yue Fei - left & Guan Yu (red face, right). From the Wen-Wu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan (built in the 1970s.Wen-Wu Temples are very rare. Yue Fei was not on any of the lists, not until 1916. - Photo from the Wikipedia).
See Part 1 - The Temple of Wu
See Part 2 - The Big Expansion to the Temple of Wu
See Part 4 - What Happened to the Wu Temples?
The 75 men who were honored in the Wu Miao by Huangdi Dezong in 782 remained unchanged for nearly 200 years. Then the founder of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin (Taizu of Song) revised the list in 963, just three years after taking the Dragon Throne. He removed 23 men and added 23.
Interestingly, 21 of the men Taizu of Song added were subsequently removed in 1123 by Huizong of Song.
Added in 963 - Removed in 1123
Zhao Congguo (137-52 BC). Served under Wu of Han and then his son. Conquered Ganzu in 60 BC.
Geng Ping (active 20-37 AD). Another military ally of Liu Xi. A minor military figure.
Wang Ba (active 20-59 AD). Another military ally of Liu Xi. A minor military figure.
Ji Zun (祭遵) (Active 20-33 AD). Another military ally of Liu Xi. A minor military figure.
Ban Chao (32-102 AD). An historian and military commander of the Han Army who re-established control over Xinjiang from 70 to 90 AD). Ban Chao sent the only Chinese envoy to the Roman Empire, Gan Ying. Gan did not reach the Romans and instead turned back.
Wang Hun (223-297 AD). A general of Wei who helped conquer the Kingdom of Wu in 280 AD. He was a general of no significance but he was a long serving official in the Wei court.
Zhou Fang (260-320 AD). Zhou Fang helped the Sima leader Sima Rui rebuild his kingdom in the south after the Sima clan was driven out of the north by the barbarians. This was a very difficult task and Zhou Fang was successful.
Shen Qingzhi (386-465). Another general of the Southern Kingdom who served King Wen and then King Xiaowu (who had him assassinated - a common fate for generals of the Southern Kingdom).
Li Chong (454-525 AD). A general of the northern (barbarian) state. He seems to have had an unimportant career. It is unclear why he was honored (was he an ancestor of the future Tang ruling family?).
Fu Yong (active 470-516). A general of the northern (barbarian state. Like Li Chong, it is unclear why he was honored.
Li Bi of Western Wei (494-557 AD). A minor general who worked for the great Yuwen Tai in the civil war which created the state of Western Wei. Not to be confused with the great Tang Dynasty statesmen Li Bi (722-789 AD).
Dashao (active 530-571 AD). A general of the North West Kingdom.
Qin Shubao (active 610-638 AD). A warrior and bodyguard for Li Shimin (Taizong of Tang). Just like Yuchi Gong, Shubao is famous as one of the two guardian Door Gods whose image is seen on doors and in art across East Asia.
Zhang Gongjin (594-632 AD). He helped Tang Tainzong take power and then acted as a provincial governor. Not worthy of being honored in the Wu Miao.
Tang Xiu (627-712 AD). Yet another minor general from the end of Wu Zetian’s rule as well as the next decade before Xuanxong of Tang took power.
Hun Jian (736-800 AD). A minor general who fought under Guo Ziyi. Notably although a Tiele Turk, he was allowed to marry a Tang Princess.
Li Guangyan (762-826 AD). A minor general from the time when Xiangzong of Tang was waging war on the rebel warlords of the north-east.
Pei Du (765-839 AD). A civilian official who helped plan Huangdi Xianzong’s campaigns against the rebel provincial warlords of north-east China. He went to monitor the campaign, which was a success. Pei Du was one of the last capable chancellors of the Tang before the Eunuchs took total control. Not a general.
Li Su (773-821 AD). A son of Li Sheng. He conquered one of the rebel provinces in the north-east of China. Likely poisoned to death like many other powerful men of his time.
Zheng Tian (active 860-883 AD). A civilian official who was part of the utterly incompetent response to the revolt by Huang Chao. The Tang government, nominally under Zheng Tian’s authority, mishandled the response to Huang Chao with the result that Huang Chao’s forces captured Luoyang and then Chang’an. It is hard to imagine a less worthy man to be honored in the Wu Miao.
Ge Congzhou (active 882-916 AD). Ge Congzhou was one of Zhu Wen’s generals. Zhu Wen and his armies were fighting continuously from 883 till 910. Ge Congzhou helped Zhu rebuild the state, Liang, which would (eventually) become the heart of the Sui Dynasty. Remarkably for his time Ge Congzhou retired in 907 and died peacefully nine years later.
Zhou Dewai (active 899-918 AD). Zhou Dewai was probably a Shatuo and he served as commander for the great general Li Keyong and then his son the great Li Cunxu. Dewai was a key figure in the victory over Liang’s army at the battle of Heshuo (917). Dewai died the next year, killed in a fight with the nascent Khitan Empire.
Li Cunshen (862-924 AD). Li Cushen was Chinese (born Fu Cun) but he joined Li Keyong (a Shaotuo from northern Shanxi) & was adopted into the ruling family. He rose to become a major general of the Shatuo army. After Li Keyong’s death, he served under Li Cunxu. Some of his descendants became generals in the Song Dynasty.
Removed in 963, and never re-added.
Murong Shaozong (501-549 AD). One of the rulers of the Northern (barbarian) Kingdom. Unclear why he was honored as normally kings are not honored in the Wu Miao. Also, not a particularly successful general, as he did not conquer any notable territory.
Zhang Qiqiu (Tang Dynasty). The most mysterious man honored in the Wu Miao. It is unclear who this man was or what he did. Perhaps they were thinking of Zhang Xun?
The Revision of 1123
In 1123 Huizong of Song revised the list of men to be honored in the Wu Temple. He reverted the changes made by the Song founder, putting nearly every man who had been removed back into the temple. However, two men were removed at this time:
Changsong Song (358-437 AD). A long serving general of the northern (barbarian) state. Unclear why he was honored for 300 years.
Tan Daoji (active 394-436 AD). A minor general of the Southern kingdom, he worked for Liu Yu and then Liu Yifu and then Liu Yilong. He was killed as the latter (known as King Wen) was dying.
To fill the ranks to 75, two additional men were added at this time:
Li Guanbi (709-764 AD). An ethnic Khitan, he helped defeat An Lushan’s rebellion but he later became highly suspicious of the Tang government and may have been assassinated by Tang agents after the war ended.
Li Sheng (727-793 AD). An important general of the Tang after An Lushan’s rebellion. He defeated several rebel generals and recaptured part of Gansu province.
Comments
This then is the full list of men who were selected by the Ministry of Rites and approved by four Huangdi, two from Tang, and two from Song.
This collection of generals & statesmen had to fit a number of constraints.
They had to fit the current view of correct behavior.
They could not serve rebels.
They had to demonstrate fairly good character.
No man who took the title of King or Huangdi could be honored at the Wu Miao.
My guess as to why none of the previous rulers of China could be included in the Wu Miao is that the Ministry of Rituals maintained a full list of all the various Huandi or Wang of all the previous Dynasties of China and these spiritual ancestors of the current Huangdi were worshiped in a different ceremony. I believe that all the previous rulers of China were considered to be the ancestors of the present Huangdi and that meant that no one else could worship them.
It seems to me that the number (75 total) was too many and a fair number of men included did not deserve the honor. I believe the number of men to be worshiped should have been much smaller - around 25 or 30. I imagine the Ministry of Rites did this deliberately to undercut the importance overall of the group. No doubt the justified it by an appeal to the hexagram.
Some Outstanding Mysteries
Why did the Ming not review the list of generals as the Song had done (twice)? Did the Ming rulers not care? Did the Wu Miao no longer interest the Ming government or was there some other reason?
When did Guan Yu become the Prime General to be worshiped? This seems to have happened around 1550 but I haven’t found an exact date. And when Guan Yu was promoted, was Jiang Ziya simply demoted to one of the 64?
Here are some obvious men who should have been listed:
Cao Cao - unquestionably one of the great military commanders in Chinese history. He never assumed the position of king or Huangdi but his son Cao Pi did take the throne and did posthumously declare his father was a king. Not a king, in my opinion.
Xu Huang: a top general of Cao Cao.
Yue Jin: another very capable general under Cao Cao.
Lu Su - one of the great leaders of Wu, working for Sun Quan.
Sima Yi: one of the great generals & statesmen of his age. I am sure he was not included because he turned against Cao Cao’s great-grandson and thus was a rebel.
Li Keyong - Perhaps not included for the same reason as Cao Cao. When his son Li Cunxu took the throne of Liang, he likely declared his father was posthumously a king.