Overview
Xiao Xian was a rebel Ruler.
IdentityHistorical · Male
Life and dates
Death
Age
Attested activity
AD 620 武德三年
AD 618 武德元年
AD 621 武德四年
Works and attributed material
AD 621 武德四年
AD 621 武德四年
AD 621 武德四年
Speech · Speaker
Events and relationships
Curbed generals by demobilization
AD 620 武德三年 · Political · Ruler
Restored ancestral temples
AD 618 武德元年 · Ritual · Ruler
Surrendered
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment mild outwardly but jealous; intolerant of superiors · Mode historian-judgment
Source notes
自僭國至滅凡五年 (five years from claiming a kingdom to fall)
AD 621 武德四年 · Field reign-length
compared himself to Tian Heng facing south
References in the histories
No matching passages.
New Book of Tang, Chapter 87Volume 87 Biographies 12: Xiao, Fu, Shen, Li, Liang · 13 passages
諸將擅兵橫恣，銑恐浸不制，乃陽議休兵營農，以黜其權。
His generals abused their armies and acted as they pleased. Xian feared he would lose control of them, so he openly proposed standing the troops down for farming in order to curb their power.
景珍方鎮長沙，銑下書赦之，召還江陵。
Jingzhen was then holding Changsha. Xian issued a pardon and summoned him back to Jiangling.
銑遣張繡攻景珍，景珍曰：「前年醢彭越，往年殺韓信，獨不見乎！
Xian sent Zhang Xiu to attack Jingzhen. Jingzhen said, "Years ago Peng Yue was boiled alive; not long ago Han Xin was killed—have you alone never heard of it?
銑進繡為尚書令。
Xian promoted Zhang Xiu to Director of the Imperial Secretariat.
繡恃功，亦驕蹇，銑又誅之。
Xiu, trusting in his achievements, grew insolent as well, and Xian had him executed too.
銑性外寬內忌，疾勝己者，於是大臣舊將皆疑間，多叛去，銑不能禁，由此愈弱。
Xian was mild in manner but jealous at heart and could not bear rivals. Soon his senior ministers and veteran generals were estranged; many rebelled and left, and he could not stop them. His power dwindled from that point on.
四年，詔孝恭與李靖率巴蜀兵順流下，廬江王瑗繇襄陽道，黔州刺史田世康出辰州道，會兵圖銑。
In the fourth year an edict sent Xiaogong and Li Jing down the Yangtze with the armies of Ba and Shu, the Prince of Lujiang Li Yuan along the Xiangyang road, and the prefect of Qianzhou Tian Shikang by the Chenzhou road, all to converge on Xian.
銑乃遣將文士弘拒孝恭，戰清江口，孝恭大破之，獲鬥艦千艘，拔宜昌、當陽、枝江、松滋，偽江州將蓋彥舉以城降。
Xian sent Wen Shihong to block Xiaogong. They fought at the mouth of the Qing River; Xiaogong won a crushing victory, seized a thousand warships, and took Yichang, Dangyang, Zhijiang, and Songzi. The false Jiangzhou general Gai Yanju surrendered his city.
初，銑放兵，止留宿衛數千人，及倉卒追集，江、嶺回遠，未及赴。
Xian had earlier released his troops and kept only a few thousand palace guards. When he tried to rally them in haste, his armies in the distant Jiang and Ling regions could not reach him in time.
銑度救不至，謂其下曰：「天不祚梁乎？
Seeing that relief would not come, Xian told his officers, "Has Heaven abandoned Liang?
以太牢告於廟，率官屬緦衰布幘詣軍門，謝曰：「當死者銑爾，百姓非罪也，請無殺掠！」
He offered the great sacrifice in the ancestral temple, then led his officials in hemp mourning and plain headcloth to the enemy camp and said, "Let only Xian die. The people are innocent—please do not kill or plunder them!"
知銑降，乃送款。
When they learned Xian had submitted, they too offered their allegiance.
銑至，高祖讓之，對曰：「隋失其鹿，英雄競逐。
When Xian was brought before Emperor Gaozu, the emperor reproached him. Xian answered, "Sui lost the empire, and heroes raced to seize it.