Feng Changqing (封常清)

Overview

Feng Changqing was a general.

Life and dates

Age

past thirty
AD 737 to AD 747 年三十餘
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 92

Attested activity

AD 752 十一載
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 130
AD 755 十三日
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 83
AD 754 十三載
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 131-132
AD 755 十四載十一月
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 78, 80
AD 751 十載
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 128
AD 755 及安祿山反
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 244

Show 7 more source-backed claims

AD 747 天寶六年
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 112
AD 747 天寶六年十二月
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 113
AD 710 to AD 740 常清孤貧，年三十餘
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 90-92
AD 737 to AD 747 年三十餘
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 92
AD 755 是月十一日
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 82
AD 747 to AD 751 知留後時
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 117
AD 741 開元末
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 101, 104

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Maternal grandfather of Feng Changqing (封常清外祖)
maternal grandfather 外祖 · maternal line · 2 generations · Through Mother of Feng Changqing (封常清母)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 91
Child of Father of Feng Changqing (封常清父)
father 父 · paternal line
father 父
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131
Child of Mother of Feng Changqing (封常清母)
mother 母 · maternal line
mother 母
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 91, 131
Parent of Son of Feng Changqing (封常清子)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131

Kinship Role deceased parents · Count 2
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131

Career and standing

personal attendant 傔
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 100
Acting Censor-in-Chief 攝御史中丞
AD 752 十一載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 130
Deputy Commissioner for Military Affairs, Strategy, Disbursements, and Military Colonies of the Four Garrisons of Anxi, in charge of commission affairs 持節充安西四鎮節度、經略、支度、營田副大使，知節度事
AD 752 十一載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 130
Deputy Grand Protector-General of Anxi 安西副大都護
AD 752 十一載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 130
Acting Censor-in-Chief 攝御史大夫
AD 754 十三載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131
acting Protector of Beiting 權知北庭都護
AD 754 十三載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 132

Show 17 more source-backed claims

Commissioner of Yixi 伊西節度等使
AD 754 十三載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 132
judge 判官
AD 751 十載 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 128
commission judge 節度判官
AD 747 天寶六年十二月 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 113
Recorder of the Prince of Qing's mansion 慶王府錄事參軍
AD 747 天寶六年十二月 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 113
Campaigning Major 行軍司馬
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 129
Deputy Commissioner for Disbursements and Military Colonies of the Four Garrisons 四鎮支度營田副使
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 129
garrison chief at Diezhou 疊州地下戍主
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 110
garrison general 鎮將
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 111
Grand Master of Splendid Happiness 朝散大夫
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 114
guoyi 果毅
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 111
judge 判官
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 110
zhechong 折沖
Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 111
in charge of Four Garrisons stores, garrison agriculture, arms, disbursements, and military colonies 專知四鎮倉庫、屯田、甲仗、支度、營田事
Held
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 114
rear commander 知留後事
Held
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 115, 117
purple-gold fish tally 紫金魚袋
AD 747 天寶六年十二月 · Granted
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 113
Entered
Orphaned and poor
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 92
flogged sixty strokes 杖六十
Inflicted · With Zheng Dequan (鄭德詮)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 123

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 80, 92, 113
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 244
At Yishi in Pu prefecture 蒲州猗氏
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 90
At Yishi 猗氏 · Relation Native of
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 90

Works and attributed material

victory report 捷書
Relation Author
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 104, 108
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 83-85
victory report 捷書
Document · Author
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 104-105
Speech · Speaker · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 96-98
Speech · Speaker · With Zheng Dequan (鄭德詮) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 120-122

Events and relationships

Campaigned against Daxi
AD 741 開元末 · Military · Staff · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝)
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 102, 104
Defeated and lost army
AD 755 及安祿山反 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 244, 285
Defeated
AD 755 是月十一日 · Military · Commander · At Sishui 汜水
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 82
Entered court
AD 754 十三載 · Court audience · Subject
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131
Executed two guilty senior officers
Legal · Punisher
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 127
Fled
AD 755 十三日 · Military · Fugitive · At Shanzhou 陜州
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 83

Show 6 more source-backed claims

Followed conquest of Lesser Bolu
AD 747 天寶六年 · Military · Subordinate · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝) · At Lesser Bolü 小勃律
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 112
Seized and distributed Taiyuan stores then fled
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 86-87
Sought to become attendant
Petition · Petitioner · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 93, 95
To be followed through Tong Pass
Military · Vanguard · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 80
Waited at gate for tens of days
Service seeking · Suitor · With Gao Xianzhi (高仙芝)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 100
Allusion · Speaker · With Ziyu (子羽)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 98

Assessments and attributes

Assessment diligent and frugal; strict and clear in rewards and punishments · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 133
Assessment learned, capable, and decisive · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 116
Assessment led untrained troops and market recruits against the rebels and lost · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 285
Assessment the army trembled · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 127
slight, hollow-eyed, short-legged, and lame
Physical description · 細瘦目類腳短而跛
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 94
AD 754 十三載
Item a first-class residence 第一區 · Relation Bestowed
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 131

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Item no more than one or two private horses 私馬不過一兩匹 · Relation Possessed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passage 133

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 104, passages 90, 244

References in the histories

Search passages

History

30 passages

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 104Volume 100 Biographies 50: Yin Sizhen, Li Jie, Jie Wan, Bi Gou, Su Xiang, Zheng Weizhong, Wang Zhiyin, Lu Congyuan, Li Chaoyin, Pei Cui, Wang Qiu · 30 passages

Open chapter

命仙芝領飛騎、彍騎及朔方、河西、隴右應赴京兵馬，並召募關輔五萬人，繼封常清出潼關進討，仍以仙芝兼御史大夫。 Xianzhi was ordered to take the flying and strong cavalry and the Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou forces marching to the capital, recruit fifty thousand men from the Guanzhong region, follow Feng Changqing through Tong Pass to attack the rebels, and was made censor-in-chief as well.

是月十一日，封常清兵敗於汜水。 On the eleventh of that month Feng Changqing was defeated at Sishui.

十三日，祿山陷東京，常清以餘眾奔陜州，謂仙芝曰：「累日血戰，賊鋒不可當。 On the thirteenth Lushan took the Eastern Capital; Changqing fled with his survivors to Shanzhou and told Xianzhi, "We have fought for days in blood — the rebel host cannot be stopped.

常清、仙芝乃率見兵取太原倉錢絹，分給將士，餘皆焚之。 Changqing and Xianzhi took the cash and silk from the Taiyuan depot, distributed them to the troops, and burned what remained.

封常清，蒲州猗氏人也。 Feng Changqing was from Yishi in Pu prefecture.

外祖犯罪流安西效力，守胡城南門，頗讀書，每坐常清於城門樓上，教其讀書，多所歷覽。 His maternal grandfather, banished to Anxi for a crime, guarded the south gate of Hucheng, was well read, and each day sat Changqing on the gate tower to teach him — the boy read widely.

外祖死，常清孤貧，年三十餘，屬夫蒙靈察為四鎮節度使，將軍高仙芝為都知兵馬使，頗有材能，每出軍，奏傔從三十餘人，衣服鮮明。 After his grandfather died Changqing was left poor and alone. Past thirty, Fumeng Lingcha was commissioner of the Four Garrisons and Gao Xianzhi commander — a capable man who marched with thirty-odd brilliantly dressed attendants.

常清慨然發憤，投牒請預一傔。 Changqing, indignant, petitioned to join them as an attendant.

常清細瘦目類腳短而跛，仙芝見其貌寢，不納。 Changqing was slight, hollow-eyed, short-legged, and lame; Xianzhi thought him homely and refused him.

常清怒，倨謂仙芝曰：「常清慕公高義，願事鞭轡，所以無媒而前，何見拒之深乎？ Changqing flared up and said boldly, "I admire your integrity and wish to serve you — that is why I came unintroduced. Why turn me away so harshly?

常清自爾候仙芝出入，晨夕不離其門，凡數十日，仙芝不得已，補為傔。 Thereafter Changqing attended Xianzhi's door morning and night for many days until Xianzhi, unable to refuse further, made him an attendant.