Li Gu (李穀) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Li Gu as an aristocrat, general, historian, and official. This record brings together 23 passages from 9 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Li Gu	李穀	Lǐ Gǔ
Personal name	Gu	穀
Given name	Gu	穀	Gu
Personal	Gu	穀
Surname	Li	李	Li
Personal name	Li Gu	李穀	Lǐ Gǔ
Alternate	Li Gu	李穀	Li Gu
Personal	Li Gu	李穀	Li Gu
Personal name	Li Gu	李穀	Li Gu
Personal	Li Gu	李穀
Personal name	Li Gu	李谷

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:130:s0070, xinwudaishi:011:s0080, xinwudaishi:031:s0056, xinwudaishi:032:s0085
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · xinwudaishi:012:s0061

Roles

Aristocrat
General
Historian
Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 六年春 · Western Year: AD 959
Explicit · xinwudaishi:031:s0056
Source Date: Text: 周世宗征淮 · Western Year: AD 956
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0085
Source Date: Text: 廣順三年 · Western Year: AD 953
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:130:s0070
Source Date: Text: 廣順元年六月 · Western Year: AD 951
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:011:s0080
Source Date: Text: 显德二年十一月 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:012:s0061
Source Date: Text: 显德四年八月 · Western Year: AD 957
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:012:s0096
Source Date: Text: 李谷、範質為相 · Western Interval: Start: AD 951 · End: AD 954
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:050:s0042, xinwudaishi:050:s0051
Source Date: Text: 開運三年十二月丁巳朔 · Western Year: AD 946
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:085:s0025
Source Date: Text: 開運四年 · Western Year: AD 947
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:085:s0101
Source Date: Text: 顯德二年 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:115:s0153
Source Date: Text: 顯德六年 · Western Year: AD 959
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:120:s0053

Career and standing

Label: overall commander of the Huainan campaign / 淮南道行营都部署 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:012:s0061
Label: regent at eastern capital / 留守東都 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:011:s0094
Label: Vice Director and Associate Grand Councilor / 中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:011:s0080
Label: Chancellor / 宰相 · Action: held
Explicit · xinwudaishi:031:s0085
Label: former chancellor / 故相 · Action: held
Explicit · xinwudaishi:031:s0056
Label: Vice Minister of Revenue overseeing Three Bureaus / 戶部侍郎判三司 · Action: held
Explicit · xinwudaishi:011:s0080
Description: chief minister appointed overall commander of the Huainan vanguard field army / 宰臣充淮南道前軍行營都部署 · Western Year: AD 955
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:115:s0153
Status: dismissed · Action: left-office · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 显德四年八月 · Western Year: AD 957
Explicit · xinwudaishi:012:s0096

Works and attributed material

Kind: memorial · Role: author · Other Person Id: Emperor Shizong (世宗)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:012:s0183
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Wang Pu (王樸) · Quoted: true
Explicit · xinwudaishi:031:s0086
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Shi Chonggui (石重貴)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:085:s0102

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked-from-Shouchun
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0085
Description: reported victories below Shouzhou and at Shankou / 奏破淮賊於壽州城下及山口鎮 · Western Year: AD 955 · Kind: historical-event · Action: reported victories below Shouzhou and at Shankou
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:115:s0188, jiuwudaishi:115:s0191

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: could know men · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report
Explicit · xinwudaishi:031:s0090

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0085

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 85Volume 85 Book of Later Jin 11: Emperor Shao 4 · 3 passages

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據《通鑒》云：丁巳朔，李穀自書密奏，且言大軍危急之勢，請車駕幸滑州，遣高行周、符彥卿扈從，及發兵守澶州、河陽，以備敵之奔沖。 The Comprehensive Mirror records that on the dingsi new moon Li Gu wrote a secret memorial in his own hand describing the army's dire peril, asking that the emperor go to Huazhou with Gao Xingzhou and Fu Yanqing as escort, and that troops be sent to hold Chanzhou and Heyang against a sudden enemy thrust.

〈（《宋史·李穀傳》：少帝蒙塵而北，舊臣無敢候謁者，穀獨拜迎於路，君臣相對泣下。 (Biography of Li Gu in the History of Song: when the Young Emperor was driven north in disgrace, former ministers dared not greet him; Gu alone bowed to him on the road, and ruler and subject wept together.

穀曰：「臣無狀，負陛下。」 Gu said, "I have disgraced myself and failed Your Majesty."

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 115Volume 115 Book of Later Zhou 17: Shizong Annals 2 · 4 passages

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十一月乙未朔，以宰臣李穀為淮南道前軍行營都部署，知廬、壽等州行府事； On the yimao new moon of the eleventh month chief minister Li Gu was named overall commander of the Huainan vanguard field army with charge of the mobile headquarters at Lu, Shou, and neighboring prefectures;

壬戌，淮南前軍都部署李穀奏，先鋒都指揮使白延遇破淮賊於來遠鎮。 On renxu Huainan vanguard commander Li Gu reported that vanguard commander Bai Yanyu had defeated Huai rebels at Laiyuan town.

甲戌，李穀奏，破淮賊二千人於壽州城下。 On jiaxu Li Gu reported defeating two thousand Huai rebels below Shouzhou.

己卯，李穀奏，破淮賊千餘人於山口鎮。 On jimao Li Gu reported defeating over a thousand Huai rebels at Shankou town.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 120Volume 120 Book of Later Zhou 22: Emperor Gong Annals · 1 passage

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己亥，前司空李穀加開府儀同三司、趙國公，以前太傅、少卿朱渭為太僕卿致仕。 On jihai Li Gu, former Minister of Works, received Grand Master with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon and was made Duke of Zhao; Zhu Wei, former grand tutor and vice director, was retired as Director of the Imperial Stud.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 130Volume 130 Book of Later Zhou 32: Biographies 10: Wang Jun, Murong Yanchao, Yan Honglu, Cui Zhoudu · 1 passage

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又奏請以顏愆、陳觀代範質、李穀為相。 He also asked that Yan Yan and Chen Guan replace Fan Zhi and Li Gu as chief ministers.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 11Volume 11 Later Zhou Annals 2: Taizu · 2 passages

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六月辛亥，範質及戶部侍郎判三司李穀為中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 On xinhai Fan Zhi and Li Gu, Vice Minister of Revenue in charge of the Three Bureaus, were made Vice Directors and Associate Grand Councilors.

夏五月庚申，東征，李穀留守東都，鄭仁誨為大內都點檢。 On gengshen in the fifth month the emperor marched east. Li Gu stayed as regent at Luoyang; Zheng Renhui was named chief inspector of the inner palace.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 12Volume 12 Later Zhou Annals 3: Shizong, Emperor Gong · 4 passages

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十一月乙未朔，李穀为淮南道行营都部署以伐唐。 On the new-year day yimao in the eleventh month Li Gu was appointed overall commander of the Huainan campaign against Southern Tang.

秋八月乙亥，李穀罢，王朴为枢密使。 On yihai in the eighth month Li Gu left office and Wang Pu became privy commissioner.

其伐南唐，问宰相李穀以计策； When he marched against Southern Tang he consulted Chancellor Li Gu on strategy;

后克淮南，出穀疏，使学士陶穀为赞，而盛以锦囊，尝置之坐侧。 After Huainan fell he produced Gu’s memorial, had Academician Tao Gu compose an encomium, and kept it in a brocade pouch at his side.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 31Volume 31 Later Zhou Biographies 11: Wang Pu, Zheng Renhui, Hu Zai · 4 passages

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六年春，世宗遣朴行視汴口，作斗門，還，過故相李穀第，疾作，仆於坐上，舁歸而卒，年五十四。 Spring of year six, Shizong sent Pu to inspect the Bian mouth and build sluice gates. On the way back he stopped at former chancellor Li Gu’s house; sickness took him, he fell from his seat, was carried home, and died at fifty-four.

初，載以文知名一時，樞密使王朴尤重其才，薦於宰相李穀，久而不用，朴以問穀曰：「扈載不為舍人，何也？」 When Zai was famous for his writing, Privy Council Commissioner Wang Pu especially prized his talent and recommended him to Chancellor Li Gu—but Gu would not use him. Pu asked Gu: “Why is Hu Zai not made Drafting Secretary?”

穀曰：「非不知其才，然載命薄，恐不能勝。」 Gu said: “I know his talent. But Zai’s fate is thin—I fear the office would break him.”

議者以穀能知人而朴能薦士。 Commentators said Gu knew men—and Pu knew how to recommend them.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies of Martyrs to Virtue 12: Wang Yanzhang · 2 passages

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周師征淮，先遣李穀攻自壽春，景遣將劉彥貞拒周兵，以仁贍為清淮軍節度使，鎮壽州。 When Zhou marched on the Huai, Li Gu struck first from Shouchun. Jing sent Liu Yanzhen to meet the Zhou army and made Renzhan governor of Qinghuai, stationed at Shou.

李穀退守正陽浮橋，彥貞見周兵之卻，意其怯，急追之。 Li Gu fell back on the Zhengyang floating bridge. Yanzhen saw the Zhou retreat and took them for cowards; he chased hard.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Miscellaneous Biographies 30: Wang Jun, Wang Yin, Liu Ci, Wang Huan, Zhe Congruan · 2 passages

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又請用顏衎、陳同代李谷、範質為相，太祖曰：「進退宰相，豈可倉卒？ He asked Yan Kan and Chen Tong to replace Li Gu and Fan Zhi. Taizu said: "Chancellors are not swapped in haste.

峻貶後，李穀監修，因請命近臣錄禁中事付史館，乃命樞密直學士就樞密院錄送史館，自此始。 After Jun’s fall Li Gu supervised the history and asked close officials to log palace affairs for the History Office. Taizu ordered Privy academics to record at the council and send copies to the History Office—thus it began.