An Zhongba (安重霸) | 24 Histories

Overview

An Zhongba was a general and Official.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Nickname	Old Pound-Garlic	搗蒜老

Life and dates

Death

AD 934 to AD 935 清泰中
Cause Illness while returning to family at Shangdang · At on the way to Shangdang 上黨
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 107

Attested activity

AD 924 to AD 925 同光二年秦州
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 87, 92
AD 908 to AD 923 奔梁奔蜀至梁末鎮秦
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 71-72, 77
AD 926 明宗起河北
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 95-96
AD 934 清泰初
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 103, 106
AD 883 to AD 908 與明宗俱事武皇
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71
AD 883 to AD 934 重霸本傳所載仕歷
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 201

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AD 933 長興末
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 99, 102
AD 918 to AD 924 龍武都在天水
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 78-79

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of An Huaipu (懷浦)
son 子
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 119
Sibling of An Chongjin (重進)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings · paternal line
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 109

Career and standing

training commissioner of Lang 閬州團練使
AD 926 天成初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 96
great general of the Left Guard 左衛大將軍
AD 926 天成初未幾 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 97
metropolitan prefect of Jingzhao 京兆尹
AD 934 清泰初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 103
regent of the Western Capital 西京留守
AD 934 清泰初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 103
military commissioner of Tongzhou 同州節鉞
AD 933 長興末 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 102
personal guard / close general 親將
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 72

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deputy of the Dragon Martial Division 龍武都副
Held · At Tianshui 天水
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 78
military commissioner of Yunzhou 雲州節度
AD 934 其年冬 · Transferred
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 106
Fled
Fled after crime · At Later Liang 梁
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71
Fled
Fled after crime · At Shu 蜀
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 72

Places and affiliations

Polity Former Shu 蜀 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 72
Polity Jin 晉 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71
Polity Later Liang 梁 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71
Polity Later Tang 後唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 95-96
At Yunzhou 雲州
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 69
At northern Dai 代北 · Relation Served from
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71

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At Tianshui 天水 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 78
Organization Dragon Martial Division 龍武都 · Relation Deputy of
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 78

Learning and skills

Skill mounted archery 騎射 · Level frontier excellence
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 72

Works and attributed material

AD 924 同光二年
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Wang Chengxiu (王承休) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passages 88-90
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Wang Chengxiu (王承休) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 94

Events and relationships

Held feasts and privately extorted from the people of Chang'an, nicknamed Old Pound Garlic
AD 934 清泰初 · Legal · Extorter · At Chang'an 長安
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 105
Spent Qinzhou gold and silk to bribe the Qiang for a mountain route back into Shu through Youzhou
Diplomatic · Briber · At Youzhou 由州
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 92
Stayed in Qinzhou and surrendered Qin, Cheng, and other prefectures when Mingzong rose in Hebei
AD 926 明宗起河北 · Political · Defector · At Qinzhou 秦州
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 95
Told the Shu emperor about Chongjin, who was obtained from Wu
Political · Recommender · With An Chongjin (重進)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 115
Urged Chengxiu to seek the Qinzhou commission after Shu seized Qin, Cheng, and Jie
AD 915 to AD 923 梁末 · Political · Persuader · With Wang Chengxiu (王承休)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 77
Relation Served · Person Martial Emperor (武皇)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71

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Relation Fellow servant of · Person Emperor Mingzong (明宗)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 71
Relation Client of · Person Wang Chengxiu (王承休)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 76

Assessments and attributes

Assessment Cunning and treacherous; won a commander's commission but was not the equal of the others. · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 201
Assessment Knew how to please people and loved giving gifts; contemporaries thought him a clever operator. · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 108
Assessment Scheming flatterer who read men's minds; Mingzong especially favored him. · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 98
Cunning and full of schemes.
Character
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 61, passage 70

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 61Volume 61 Book of Later Tang 37: Biographies 13: An Jinquan, An Yuanxin, An Zhongba, Liu Xun, Zhang Jingxun, Liu Yancong, Yuan Jianfeng, Xifang Ye, Zhang Zunhui, Sun Zhang · 19 passages

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安重霸，雲州人也。 An Zhongba came from Yunzhou.

重霸諂事承休，特見委信。 Zhongba curried favor with Chengxiu and won his special trust.

梁末，岐下削弱，蜀人奪取秦、成、階等州，重霸說承休求鎮秦州。 Late in Liang, as Qi weakened, Shu seized Qin, Cheng, Jie, and neighboring prefectures; Zhongba urged Chengxiu to seek the Qinzhou commission.

仍於軍中選山東驍果，得數千人，號龍武都，以承休為軍帥，重霸副焉，俱在天水。 From the army he picked several thousand fierce fighters from the east, called them the Dragon Martial Division, made Chengxiu their commander with Zhongba as deputy, and stationed them at Tianshui.

承休遽聞東師入討，大恐，計無從出，問於重霸。 Chengxiu heard abruptly that the eastern armies were advancing, was terrified, and asked Zhongba what to do.

對曰：「開府何患？ Zhongba answered, "What is there to fear, Commissioner?

然國家有患，開府特受主知，不得失於奔赴，此州製置事定，無虞得失，重霸願從開府赴闕。」 But the realm is in peril and you enjoy the emperor's special trust—you must not fail to go to him. Once affairs here are settled there is nothing to lose; Zhongba will accompany you to court."

重霸出秦州金帛以賂群羌，買由州山路歸蜀。 Zhongba spent Qinzhou gold and silk bribing the Qiang tribes to open a mountain route back into Shu through Youzhou.

承休擁龍武軍及招置僅萬人從行，令重霸權握部署，州人祖送，秦州軍亦列部隊。 Chengxiu marched with the Dragon Martial division and recruits, nearly ten thousand men, leaving Zhongba in charge of arrangements; the prefectural populace and Qinzhou troops turned out to see them off.

承休登乘，重霸馬前辭曰：「國家費盡事力，收獲隴西，若從開府南行，隴州即時疏失，請開府自行，重霸且為國守藩。」 As Chengxiu mounted his horse, Zhongba bowed from the stirrup and said, "The state spent everything to win Longxi. If you march south, Longzhou will be left empty at once. Go on alone, Commissioner—I will hold the frontier for the realm."

承休既去，重霸在秦州，聞明宗起河北，即時遣使以秦、成等州來降。 Once Chengxiu had departed, Zhongba heard that Mingzong had risen in Hebei and immediately sent envoys offering Qin, Cheng, and the other prefectures in surrender.