Wen Tao (溫韜) | 24 Histories

Overview

Wen Tao was a warlord and Tomb Robber.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Changed name	Zhaotu	昭圖	Zhaotu
Alternate name	Li Yanbiao	李彥韜	Li Yanbiao

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 900 少為盜，後事李茂貞
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 181
AD 913 to AD 923 末帝時
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 185

Career and standing

bandit 盜
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 181
military commissioner of Jingsheng 靜勝軍節度使
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 185
military commissioner of Yisheng 義勝軍節度使
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 184
prefect of Yao 耀州刺史
Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 182
garrison commander of Huayuan 華原鎮將
Held
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 181

Places and affiliations

At Huayuan in Jingzhao 京兆華原
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 180

Events and relationships

Plundered Tang tombs
Tomb robbery · Perpetrator
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 186
Returned to Maozhen
Military · Defector
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 183
Surrendered Yao to Liang
Military · Defector
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 183
Relation Served · Person Li Maozhen (李茂貞)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 181

Assessments and attributes

Assessment plundered Tang imperial tombs including Zhaoling · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 186

Source notes

From Li Yanbiao 李彥韜 · To Wen Zhaotu 溫昭圖
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 185
From Wen Tao 溫韜 · To Li Yanbiao 李彥韜
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 40, passage 181

References in the histories

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 40Volume 40 Miscellaneous Biographies 20: Li Maozhen, Han Jian, Li Renfu, Han Xun, Yang Chongben, Gao Wanxing, Wen Tao · 7 passages

Open chapter

溫韜，京兆華原人也。 Wen Tao was from Huayuan in Jingzhao.

少為盜，後事李茂貞，為華原鎮將，冒姓李，名彥韜。 As a youth he robbed on the roads. He entered Maozhen’s service, became garrison commander of Huayuan, took the Li surname, and was called Yanbiao.

茂貞以華原縣為耀州，以韜為刺史。 Maozhen raised Huayuan to Yao Prefecture and made Tao its prefect.

梁太祖圍茂貞於鳳翔，韜以耀州降梁，已而復叛歸茂貞。 Taizu besieged Maozhen at Fengxiang. Tao surrendered Yao, then rebelled back to Maozhen.

茂貞又以美原縣為鼎州，建義勝軍，以韜為節度使。 Maozhen then made Meiyuan into Ding Prefecture, created the Yisheng army, and made Tao its commissioner.

末帝時，韜復叛茂貞降梁，梁改耀州為崇州，鼎州為裕州，義勝為靜勝軍，即以韜為節度使，復其姓溫，更其名曰昭圖。 Under the Last Emperor he broke with Maozhen again and joined Liang. Liang renamed Yao Chong, Ding Yu, and Yisheng Jingsheng; Tao kept the commission, took back the Wen surname, and was renamed Zhaotu.

韜在鎮七年，唐諸陵在其境內者，悉發掘之，取其所藏金寶，而昭陵最固，韜從埏道下，見宮室制度閎麗，不異人間，中為正寢，東西廂列石床，床上石函中為鐵匣，悉藏前世圖書，鐘、王筆跡，紙墨如新，韜悉取之，遂傳人間，惟乾陵風雨不可發。 Seven years he ruled that land. Every Tang imperial tomb in his circuit he plundered for its gold—but Zhaoling resisted him longest. He entered by the spirit tunnel and found halls as splendid as any palace: a central chamber, side rooms with stone couches, iron caskets within stone boxes holding ancient books and the calligraphy of Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi, ink and paper fresh as the day they were laid in. He took everything. Only at Qianling did wind and rain turn his men back.