Ma Cixun (馬嗣勳) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Ma Cixun as a diplomat, envoy, military officer, and official. This record brings together 25 passages from 4 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Ma Cixun	馬嗣勳	Ma Cixun
Surname	Ma	馬	Ma
Personal name	Ma Cixun	馬嗣勳	Ma Cixun
Personal name	Ma Sixun	馬嗣勳	Ma Sixun
Personal	Ma Sixun	馬嗣勳	Mǎ Sìxūn
Personal name	Sixun	嗣勳	Sixun
Given	Sixun	嗣勳	Sixun

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:181:s0188, jiuwudaishi:020:s0096
Sex: male
Explicit · jiutangshu:185:s0180, xinwudaishi:023:s0140

Roles

Diplomat
Envoy
Military Officer
Official
Soldier

Life and dates

Death

Cause: died-of-wounds · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 天祐三年正月 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0109
Manner: died of grievous wounds · Date Context: Source Date: Text: Tianyou 2 Wei operation · Western Year: AD 905
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:023:s0148

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 天祐三年正月五日 · Regnal Year: 3 · Month: 1 · Day: 5 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit · jiutangshu:185:s0181
Source Date: Text: through Tianyou 2 · Western Year: AD 905
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:023:s0145, xinwudaishi:023:s0148
Source Date: Text: 乾寧二年三月 · Western Year: AD 895
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0099
Source Date: Text: 光化元年三月 · Western Year: AD 898
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0101
Source Date: Text: 唐景福元年三月 · Western Year: AD 892
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0098
Source Date: Text: 天祐三年正月 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit · jiutangshu:181:s0188
Source Date: Text: 天祐三年正月十六日夜 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0108
Source Date: Text: 開平中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 907 · End: AD 911
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:020:s0110

Career and standing

Label: long-service direct army officer / 長直軍校
Explicit · jiutangshu:185:s0180
Label: yabing and original follower of the Xuanwu army / 宣武軍元從押衙 · Action: appointed · Authority Person Id: Taizu of Liang (太祖)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0143
Label: guest general / 客將 · Action: served-as
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0140
Honor: Grand Guardian / 太保 · Action: posthumously-bestowed
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0149
Label: Grand Guardian (posthumous) / 太保 · Action: posthumously-granted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 開平中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 907 · End: AD 911
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0110

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · jiutangshu:181:s0188
Polity: Later Liang · Relation: served
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0143
Place: Zhongli in Haozhou / 濠州鍾離 · Relation: native-of
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0140
Place: Zhongli in Haozhou / 濠州鍾離縣
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0096

Events and relationships

Kind: diplomatic · Role: envoy · Action: carried Zhang Sui's surrender and later his request for aid to Taizu · Other Person Ids: Zhang Sui (張遂), Taizu of Liang (太祖)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0141, xinwudaishi:023:s0142
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: destroyed-Weibo-guard-army · Other Person Id: Luo Shaowei (羅紹威) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 天祐三年正月十六日 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:020:s0107, jiuwudaishi:020:s0108
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: entered-Wei-with-hidden-weapons · Place: Wei / 魏 · Other Person Id: Quanzhong (全忠)
Explicit · jiutangshu:185:s0180
Kind: massacre · Role: attacker · Action: joined-assault-on-yajiun · Other Person Id: Luo Wei (羅威)
Explicit · jiutangshu:181:s0193
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: joint-attack-on-yamen-guard · Other Person Id: Luo Wei (羅威) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 是月十四日夜 · Western Year: AD 906
Explicit · jiutangshu:185:s0185
Kind: diplomatic · Role: persuader · Action: persuaded Han Jian to surrender · Other Person Id: Han Jian (韓建)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0144
Kind: military · Role: covert commander · Action: smuggled troops and weapons into Wei in a funeral escort and destroyed the garrison army · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 天祐二年 · Regnal Year: 2 · Western Year: AD 905
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:023:s0145, xinwudaishi:023:s0146, xinwudaishi:023:s0147
Kind: military · Role: infiltrator · Action: smuggled-troops-into-Wei
Explicit · jiutangshu:181:s0188

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: talented in arms and eloquent · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0140

References in the histories

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

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 181Volume 177 Biographies 127: Cui Shenyou, Cui Gong, Lu Jun, Pei Xiu, Yang Shou, Wei Baoheng, Lu Yan, Xiao Houzi, Liu Zhan, Liu Zhuan, Cao Que, Bi Xian, Du Shenquan, Liu Ye, Dou Luzhan · 3 passages

Open chapter

全忠遣長直軍校馬嗣勳選兵千人，密於輿中實兵甲入魏，言助女葬事。 Quanzhong sent Ma Cixun of the long-service guard to choose a thousand men and smuggle arms into Wei in funeral litters, under the pretext of helping bury his daughter.

三年正月五日，嗣勳至，全忠親率大軍濟河，言視行營於滄景。 On the fifth day of the first month in the third year Cixun arrived; Quanzhong himself led a great army across the river, saying he meant to inspect the Cangjing front.

是月十四日夜，率廝養百十輩，與嗣勳合攻之。 On the night of the fourteenth he led a hundred-odd personal retainers to join Cixun in the assault.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 185Volume 181 Biographies 131: Shi Xiancheng, Zi Xiaozhang, He Jintao, Han Yunzhong, Li Yanzhen, Luo Hongxin · 3 passages

Open chapter

全忠遣長直軍校馬嗣勳選兵千人，密於輿中實兵甲入魏，言助女葬事。 Quanzhong sent the long-service officer Ma Sixun with a thousand picked men, weapons hidden in funeral carts, under the pretext of attending his daughter's burial in Wei.

三年正月五日，嗣勳至，全忠親率大軍濟河，言視行營於滄景。 On the fifth day of the first month of the third year Sixun arrived, and Quanzhong personally led a great army across the river, claiming he was inspecting the Cangjing front.

是月十四日夜，率廝養百十輩，與嗣勳合攻之。 On the night of the fourteenth he led a hundred-odd personal retainers and joined Sixun in the attack.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 20Volume 20 Book of Later Liang 20: Biographies 10: Xie Tong, Si Maye, Liu Han, Wang Jinrao, Gao Shao, Ma Sixun, Zhang Cunjin, Kou Yanqing · 10 passages

Open chapter

馬嗣勳，濠州鍾離縣人，世為軍吏。 Ma Sixun of Zhongli in Haozhou came from a family of army officers.

嗣勳有口辯，習武藝，初為州客將。 Sixun was eloquent and trained in arms; he began as the prefecture's guest-officer.

唐景福元年三月，太祖以壽州刺史江儒反下蔡鎮使，李立率兵攻濠梁，刺史張遂俾嗣勳持州印籍戶口以歸於太祖。 In the third month of Jingfu 1, when Shou prefect Jiang Ru rebelled at Xia'ai, Li Li attacked Hao and Liang; prefect Zhang Sui sent Sixun with the seal and household registers to submit to the Founder.

乾寧二年三月，楊行密復攻濠州，張遂遣嗣勳求援於太祖。 In the third month of Qianning 2, when Yang Xingmi attacked Haozhou again, Zhang Sui sent Sixun to plead for help.

俄而郡陷，嗣勳無所歸，即署為元從押牙、副典客，頗稱任使。 When the city soon fell Sixun had nowhere to go; the Founder made him yamen adjutant of his personal following and deputy master of ceremonies, and found him thoroughly reliable.

會淮賊急攻光州，存與嗣勳率兵大戰，敗而走之。 When Huai rebels stormed Guangzhou, Liu Cun and Sixun gave battle and routed them.

天復中，太祖迎昭宗於岐下，軍至華之西，使嗣勳入見，韓建即時同出迎謁。 During Tianfu, as the Founder brought Zhaozong from Qixia and halted west of Hua, he sent Sixun in to audience; Han Jian came out at once to greet them together.

時安陽公主初卒於魏，太祖乃遺嗣勳率長直官千人，實兵仗於橐中，肩舁以入於魏，聲言來致祭會葬，牙軍不之覺。 Princess Anyang had just died at Wei; the Founder sent Sixun with a thousand hand-picked men, weapons hidden in coffers carried on poles into the city under cover of funeral rites, and the guard army never suspected.

天祐三年正月十六日夜，嗣勳與紹威親軍同攻牙軍，至曙，盡殪之。 On the night of the sixteenth of the first month of Tianyou 3, Sixun and Shaowei's own troops struck the guard corps and wiped them out by dawn.

嗣勳重傷，旬日而卒。 Sixun was badly wounded and died ten days later.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 23Volume 23 Later Liang Biographies 3: Yang Shihou, Wang Jingren, He Gui, Wang Tan, Ma Sixun, Wang Qianyu, Xie Yanzhang · 9 passages

Open chapter

馬嗣勳，濠州鍾離人也，少事州為客將，為人材武有辯。 Ma Sixun came from Zhongli in Haozhou. As a youth he served the prefecture as a guest general; he was talented in arms and eloquent.

梁太祖攻濠州，刺史張遂遣嗣勳持牌印降梁。 When Taizu of Liang attacked Haozhou, prefect Zhang Sui sent Sixun with the seal and credentials to surrender to Liang.

楊行密攻遂，遂又使嗣勳乞兵於太祖。 Yang Xingmi attacked Sui, and Sui again sent Sixun to beg troops from Taizu.

梁兵未至，濠州已沒，嗣勳無所歸，乃留事梁，太祖以為宣武軍元從押衙。 Liang troops had not arrived when Haozhou fell. Sixun had nowhere to go and stayed to serve Liang; Taizu made him yabing, an original follower of the Xuanwu army.

太祖西攻鳳翔，行至華州，遣嗣勳入說韓建，建即時出降。 Taizu attacked Fengxiang in the west. Reaching Huazhou, he sent Sixun in to persuade Han Jian, who surrendered at once.

天祐二年，羅紹威將誅牙軍，乞兵於梁，梁女嫁魏，適死，太祖乃遣嗣勳以長直千人為綵輿入魏，致兵器於輿中，聲言助葬。 In the second year of Tianyou Luo Shaowei meant to destroy the garrison troops and begged Liang for troops. A Liang princess married into Wei had just died; Taizu sent Sixun with a thousand Long-Direct troops in a funeral escort into Wei, weapons hidden in the carriage, claiming they came to assist the burial.

嗣勳館銅臺，夜與魏新鄉鎮兵攻石柱門，入迎紹威家屬，衞之。 Sixun lodged at the Bronze Terrace. By night he and the Xin township garrison troops of Wei attacked Shizhu Gate, entered to receive Shaowei’s household, and guarded them.

嗣勳中重瘡卒。 Sixun was struck by grievous wounds and died.

太祖即位，贈太保。 When Taizu took the throne Sixun was posthumously made Grand Guardian.