Kong Xun (孔循) | 24 Histories

Overview

Kong Xun was an official and Assassin.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Changed name	Zhao Yinheng	趙殷衡	Zhao Yinheng

Life and dates

Death

AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八
At Henghai command 橫海 · Age 48
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163

Age

48
AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八 · Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163

Attested activity

AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163
AD 905 哀帝即位，將有事於南郊
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 114-115
AD 907 唐亡
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 122
AD 928 to AD 930 宋王從厚娶循女
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 160, 162
AD 905 弒何皇后
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 121
AD 904 弒昭宗
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 114

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AD 926 明宗即位
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 157
AD 927 明宗幸汴州
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 158
AD 926 明宗自魏兵反而南
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 124-125
AD 904 昭宗東遷洛陽
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 113
AD 883 梁太祖鎮宣武
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 110-111
AD 923 to AD 926 莊宗時
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 123

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Wet nurse of Zhu Wen's sons (太祖諸兒乳母)
claimed him as her son 養循為子 · Foster parentage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 112
Parent of Daughter of Kong Xun (孔循女)
daughter 女
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 162
Child of Li Rang (李讓)
raised as a son 養以為子 · Adoptive parentage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 110

origins unknown
Kinship Role ancestry · Count 0 · Quantity unknown
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 109

Career and standing

deputy Palace Secretariat commissioner 樞密副使
AD 905 弒何皇后 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 121
Palace Secretariat commissioner 樞密使
AD 926 明宗即位 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 157
deputy imperial secretariat commissioner 宣徽副使
AD 904 昭宗東遷洛陽 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 113
defender of Ru 汝州防禦使
AD 907 唐亡 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 122
general of the Left Guard 左衛大將軍
AD 907 唐亡 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 122
tax transport commissioner 租庸使
AD 907 唐亡 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 122

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acting governor of Bian 權知汴州
AD 923 to AD 926 莊宗時 · Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 123
military governor of Henghai 橫海節度使
AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八 · Transferred
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163
military governor of Zhongwu 忠武軍節度使
AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八 · Transferred
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163
Grand Marshal 太尉
AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八 · Posthumous
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163
Entered
Orphan
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 110

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 123, 157
Polity Liang 梁 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 111, 122
AD 931 卒于鎮，年四十八
At Henghai 橫海 · Relation Died at
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 163
AD 904 昭宗東遷洛陽
At Luoyang / eastern capital 洛陽、東都 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 113, 158
AD 883 梁太祖鎮宣武
At Bian 汴州 · Relation Resided
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 110

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · Addressed to An Chonghui (安重誨) · Mode quotation Speaker Kong Xun (孔循)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 160
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · Addressed to Zhu Wen (朱溫) · Mode quotation Speaker Kong Xun (孔循)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 114
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · Mode quotation Speaker Kong Xun (孔循)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 124

Events and relationships

Accused Xuanhui and He to Zhu Wen
AD 905 哀帝即位，將有事於南郊 · Political · Slanderer · With Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 114
Blocked Chonghui marriage then married his own daughter to Conghou
AD 928 to AD 930 宋王從厚娶循女 · Political · Schemer
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 160-162
Exterminated a mash wine family
AD 927 明宗幸汴州 · Legal · Judge
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 158
Obtained and raised by Li Rang
AD 883 梁太祖鎮宣武 · Adoption · Adoptee · With Li Rang (李讓)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 110
Plotted Zhaozong murder
AD 904 弒昭宗 · Assassination · Conspirator · With Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 114
Sent to kill Empress He
AD 905 弒何皇后 · Assassination · Killer · With Empress Dowager He (何太后)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 121

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Welcomed both Mingzong and Zhuangzong
AD 926 明宗自魏兵反而南 · Political · Fence sitter
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passages 124-125
Relation Trusted by · Person An Chonghui (安重誨)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 159
Relation Rival of · Person Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 114
Relation Deputy of · Person Wang Yin (王殷)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 113

Assessments and attributes

Assessment smooth, fawning, treacherous · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 159
smooth, fawning, and treacherous
Character · 柔佞而險猾
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 159

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 109
To Kong Xun 孔循 · Reason after Tang fell, restored/took Kong Xun
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 122
To Zhao Yinheng 趙殷衡 · Reason took Zhao from the wet nurse's husband
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 112
To Zhu 朱氏 · Reason took Zhu surname after Taizu adopted Li Rang
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 43, passage 111

References in the histories

Search passages

History

15 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 43Volume 43 Miscellaneous Biographies 23: Shi Shucong, Li Yanwei, Li Zhen, Pei Di, Wei Zhen, Kong Xun, Sun Dezhao, Wang Jingrao, Jiang Yin · 15 passages

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孔循，不知其家世何人也。 Kong Xun’s origins are unknown.

梁太祖鎮宣武，以李讓為養子，循乃冒姓朱氏。 When Taizu held Xuanwu he adopted Li Rang. Xun took the Zhu surname for himself.

稍長，給事太祖帳下，太祖諸兒乳母有愛之者，養循為子，乳母之夫姓趙，循又冒姓為趙氏，名殷衡。 He grew up in Taizu’s tent household. One of the princes’ wet nurses doted on him and claimed him as her son. Her husband was a Zhao; Xun became Zhao Yinheng.

昭宗東遷洛陽，太祖盡去天子左右，悉以梁人代之，以王殷為宣徽使，循為副使。 When Zhaozong was moved to Luoyang, Taizu stripped the emperor’s household of every Tang loyalist and filled it with Liang men. Wang Yin became commissioner of the Imperial Secretariat; Xun was his deputy.

循與蔣玄暉、張廷範等共與弒昭宗之謀，其後循與玄暉有隙，哀帝即位，將有事於南郊，循因與王殷讒於太祖曰：「玄暉私侍何太后，與廷範等奉天子郊天，冀延唐祚。」 Xun had helped Jiang Xuanhui, Zhang Tingfan, and the rest murder Zhaozong, then quarreled with Xuanhui. Emperor Ai was preparing the southern suburban sacrifice when Xun and Wang Yin told Taizu: “Xuanhui is sleeping with Empress Dowager He. He and Tingfan mean to march the emperor to the altar and keep Tang alive.”

太祖遣循與王殷弒何皇后，因殺璨及玄暉、廷範等，以循為樞密副使。 Taizu sent Xun and Wang Yin to kill Empress Dowager He, then executed Can, Xuanhui, Tingfan, and the others, and made Xun deputy commissioner of the Palace Secretariat.

唐亡，事梁為汝州防禦使、左衛大將軍、租庸使，始改姓孔，名循。 After Tang fell he served Liang as defender of Run, general of the Left Guard, and tax transport commissioner—and at last took the name Kong Xun.

明宗自魏兵反而南，莊宗東出汜水，循持兩端，遣迎明宗於北門，迎莊宗於西門，供帳牲餼，其禮如一，而戒其人曰：「先至者入之。」 Mingzong rebelled in Wei and marched south while Zhuangzong came east from Sishui. Xun sat on the fence. He sent parties to welcome Mingzong at the north gate and Zhuangzong at the west, laid out the same feast and fodder for both, and told his men: “Whoever gets here first—open the gate for him.”

明宗先至，遂納之。 Mingzong came first. Xun let him in.

明宗即位，以為樞密使。 When Mingzong took the throne, Xun was made commissioner of the Palace Secretariat.

明宗幸汴州，循留守東都，民有犯麴者，循族殺其家，明宗知其冤，因詔天下除麴禁，許民得造麴。 When Mingzong went to Bian, Xun stayed at the eastern capital. A man broke the mash-wine ban and Xun wiped out his family. Mingzong saw the injustice and lifted the ban empire-wide so people could brew mash again.