Qian Chu (錢俶) | 24 Histories

Overview

Qian Chu was a king of Wuyue.

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Wende	文德	Wende

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 978 太平興國三年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 178
AD 958 周顯德五年四月
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 141, passage 110
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
AD 956 戊戌
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 52
AD 958 甲子
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 158
AD 947 開運四年後立
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 148-149

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AD 959 顯德六年
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 119, passage 17; Old History of the Five Dynasties 120, passage 29

Family

Sibling of Qian Zuo (錢佐)
elder brother 兄
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 149
Sibling of Qian Zong (錢倧)
younger brother of the same Zuo 弟 · Full siblings
younger brother 弟
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 149, 151

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Commander-in-Chief of All Armies Under Heaven 天下兵馬都元帥
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Acting Grand Preceptor 檢校太師
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Commander-in-Chief of All Circuits' Armies 諸道兵馬都元帥
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Director of State Affairs 尚書令
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Director of the Secretariat 中書令
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Military Commissioner of the Two Zhe 兩浙節度使
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150

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King of Wuyue 吳越國王
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
King of Wuyue 吳越王
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 141, passage 110
King of Wu-Yue 吳越國王
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passages 157-158

Places and affiliations

Song 宋
Relation Submitted to
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 178
Wu-Yue 吳越
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 158
Polity Two Zhes 兩浙 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passages 52, 158
Polity Wuyue 吳越 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150; Old History of the Five Dynasties 141, passage 110

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 52

Events and relationships

Brought his whole clan to the Song capital; the kingdom was abolished
AD 978 太平興國三年 · Political · Surrendering ruler
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 67, passage 178
Granted five thousand sheep, two hundred horses, and twenty camels
AD 958 甲子 · Diplomatic · Recipient
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 158
Promoted
AD 951 廣順元年九月丙子 · Appointment · Appointee
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 111, passage 150
Reported Hangzhou fire
Disaster report · Reporter
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 141, passage 110
Reported naval dispatch
AD 956 戊戌 · Military · Reporter
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 52
Relation Requestor for · Person Qian Yi (錢偡)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 119, passage 17

Assessments and attributes

AD 958 甲子
Item sheep, horses, and camels 羊馬橐駝 · Relation Bestowed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passage 158

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 118, passages 52, 158

References in the histories

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History

19 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 111Volume 111 Book of Later Zhou 13: Taizu Annals 2 · 1 passage

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丙子，諸道兵馬都元帥、兩浙節度使、檢校太師、尚書令、中書令、吳越國王錢俶加天下兵馬都元帥。 On bingzi day, Qian Chu, Commander-in-Chief of All Circuits' Armies, Military Commissioner of the Two Zhe, Acting Grand Preceptor, Director of State Affairs, Director of the Secretariat, and King of Wuyue, was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of All Armies Under Heaven.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 118Volume 118 Book of Later Zhou 20: Shizong Annals 5 · 2 passages

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戊戌，兩浙錢俶奏，差發戰棹四百艘，水軍萬七千人，已泊江岸，請師期。 On wuxu Qian Chu of the Two Zhes reported that he had dispatched four hundred battle vessels and seventeen thousand naval troops, already moored on the riverbank, and asked for a date to join the campaign.

甲子，賜江南羊萬口、馬三百匹、橐駝三十頭，賜兩浙錢俶羊五千口、馬二百匹、橐駝二十頭。 On jiazi Jiangnan was granted ten thousand sheep, three hundred horses, and thirty camels; Qian Chu of the Two Zhes was granted five thousand sheep, two hundred horses, and twenty camels.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 119Volume 119 Book of Later Zhou 21: Shizong Annals 6 · 1 passage

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詔升湖州為節鎮，以宣德軍為軍額，以湖州刺史錢偡為本州節度使，從兩浙錢俶之請也。 Huzhou was promoted to a full military commission under the army name Xuande, and its prefect Qian Yi was made military commissioner, at the request of Qian Chu of the Two Zhes.

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

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庚辰，天下兵馬都元帥、守尚書令、兼中書令、吳越國王錢俶加食邑一千戶，實封四百戶，改賜功臣； On gengchen Qian Chu of Wuyue, commander-in-chief of all armies, received an added thousand fief households and four hundred enfeoffed households and a new meritorious-subject designation;

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 141Volume 141: Treatises 3 Five Elements · 1 passage

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周顯德五年四月，吳越王錢俶奏，十日夜，杭州火，焚燒府署殆盡。 In the fourth month of the fifth year of Xiande of Later Zhou, King Qian Chu of Wuyue reported that on the night of the tenth, fire at Hangzhou had burned the government offices nearly to the ground.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 67Volume 67: Hereditary House of Wuyue · 13 passages

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弟俶立。 His younger brother Qian Chu succeeded.

俶字文德。 Qian Chu, styled Wende.

是夕擁衛兵廢倧，囚於義和院，迎俶立之，遷倧於東府。 That night he rallied the guard, deposed Zong, and imprisoned him in Yihe Hall. They welcomed Chu and set him on the throne; Zong was moved to the Eastern Residence.

俶歷漢、周，襲封吳越國王，賜玉冊、金印。 Qian Chu lived through the Han and Zhou dynasties, inherited the kingship of Wu-Yue, and received jade register and gold seal.

世宗征淮南，詔俶攻常、宣二州以牽李景，俶治國中兵以待。 When Emperor Shizong marched on Huainan, he ordered Chu to strike Chang and Xuan prefectures to pin down Li Jing. Chu mustered the realm's forces and waited.

蘇州候吏陳滿不知景使，以謂朝廷已克諸州，遣使安撫矣，亟言於俶，請舉兵以應。 Chen Man, a border clerk at Suzhou, did not know Jing's envoys had arrived. He thought the court had already captured the prefectures and sent pacifying envoys, and urgently urged Chu to raise troops in response.

俶相國吳程遽調兵以出，相國元德昭以為王師必未渡淮，與程爭於俶前，不可奪。 Chancellor Wu Cheng hurriedly mobilized and marched out. Chancellor Yuan Dezhao argued before Chu that the imperial army surely had not yet crossed the Huai and disputed with Cheng, but could not prevail.

周師渡淮，俶乃盡括國中丁民益兵，使邵可遷等以戰船四百艘、水軍萬七千人至於通州以會期。 Once the Zhou army crossed the Huai, Chu conscripted every able-bodied man in the realm to swell his ranks and sent Shao Keqian and others with four hundred warships and seventeen thousand sailors to Tongzhou for the rendezvous.

顯德四年，詔遣左諫議大夫尹日就、吏部郎中崔頌等使於俶，世宗諭之曰：「朕此行決平江北，卿等還當陸來也。」 In Xiande 4 an edict sent Left Remonstrator Yin Riujiu, Ministry of Personnel Bureau Director Cui Song, and others as envoys to Chu. Emperor Shizong told them, "I mean to pacify the lands north of the river on this campaign. When you return, you will come by land."

世宗已平淮南，遣使賜俶兵甲旗幟、橐駝羊馬。 After Shizong pacified Huainan, he sent envoys bearing armor, flags and banners, camels, sheep, and horses as gifts to Chu.

及世宗平淮南，宋興，荊、楚諸國相次歸命，俶勢益孤，始傾其國以事貢獻。 When Shizong pacified Huainan and the Song dynasty rose, the states of Jing and Chu submitted one after another. Chu grew ever more isolated and began to drain the realm for tribute.

太祖皇帝時，俶嘗來朝，厚禮遣還國，俶喜，益以器服珍奇為獻，不可勝數。 Under Emperor Taizu, Chu came to court once. The emperor treated him with great honor and sent him home. Chu rejoiced and redoubled his gifts of vessels, robes, and curios beyond counting.

太平興國三年，詔俶來朝，俶舉族歸於京師，國除。 In Taiping Xingguo 3 an edict summoned Chu to court. He brought his whole clan to the capital, and the kingdom was abolished.