Sui and Tang · General and Rebel

Yun 頵

c. AD 858 - AD 903

Passages: 28
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Yun was a general and Rebel.

Life and dates

Death

AD 903 頵败死
Killed by disorderly troops · At bridge collapse while fleeing to city 奔城橋陷
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 195

Age

46
AD 903 頵败死 · Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 195

Attested activity

AD 902 to AD 903 頵围镠及叛行密事
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passages 147, 154, 195
AD 903 頵败死
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 195

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Mother of Yun (頵母)
mother 母
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 189

Places and affiliations

Polity Huainan Wu 淮南 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passages 147, 154
At Wuhu 蕪湖 · Relation Stationed fleet at
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 172
Organization Fang and Claw Corps 爪牙都 · Relation Commander of
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 193

Works and attributed material

Letter · Author · Direct quotation · With Xingmi (行密)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passages 151-152
Letter · Author · Direct quotation · With Li Shenfu (李神福)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 163
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Xingmi (行密)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 147

Events and relationships

Army collapsed
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 194
Attacked Shengzhou
Military · Commander · With An Renyi (安仁義)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 160
Defeated at Huangchi
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 192
Exterminated clan
Legal · Authority · With Kang Ru (康儒)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 159
Feigned mother illness withdrew
Military · Commander · At Wuhu 蕪湖
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 189
Fled to city
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 190

Show 9 more source-backed claims

Head displayed troops scattered
Military · Deceased
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 196
Led dare to die charge
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 193
Raised army
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 154
Refused recall
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 149
Sought hostage exchange
Diplomatic · Proposer · With Liu (镠)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 147
Took field in person
Military · Commander
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 168
Withdrew
Military · Commander · With Xu Wan (綰)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 150
Relation Broke with · Person Xingmi (行密)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 154
Relation Allied with · Person An Renyi (安仁義)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 160

Assessments and attributes

Assessment great-service · Mode named-person-speech Speaker Xingmi (行密)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 156

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 189, passage 147

References in the histories

Search passages

History

28 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 189Volume 189 Biographies 114: Gao, Zhao, Tian, Zhu · 28 passages

先是，行密欲女镠子，镠急，乃遣元迎女，且告行密曰：「頵得誌，為患必大，請以子為質，願召還頵。」 Earlier Xingmi had sought a marriage alliance with Liu’s son. In desperation Liu sent Yuan Guan to fetch the bride and told Xingmi, “If Yun succeeds the damage will be grave. Take my son as hostage and recall Yun.”

行密使人謂頵曰：「不還，我遣人代守宣州。」 Xingmi sent word to Yun: “If you do not return, I will send someone else to hold Xuanzhou.”

頵不從。 Yun refused.

镠輸錢二百萬緡犒軍，頵又請镠子元瓘出質，乃與綰引兵還。 Liu paid two million strings of cash to reward the army. Yun also demanded that Liu’s son Yuan Guan be left as hostage. Only then did he withdraw with Xu Wan.

東南揚為大，刀布金玉積如阜，願公上天子常賦，頵請悉儲峙，單車以從。」 The southeast’s greatest power is Yangzhou, where gold and goods pile like hills. Go yourself to present the emperor’s regular tribute—I will store everything and follow you with a single cart.”

於是頵絕行密，大募兵。 Yun then broke with Xingmi and raised a great army.

李神福白行密：「頵必叛，宜先圖之。」 Li Shenfu warned Xingmi, “Yun will certainly rebel. You should strike first.”

行密曰：「頵有大功，而反狀未明，殺之，諸將不為用。」 Xingmi said, “Yun has rendered great service, and his treason is not yet proven. If I kill him, the other generals will not follow me.”

頵遣其佐杜荀鶴至汴通好，全忠喜，屯宿州須變。 Yun sent his aide Du Xunhe to Bian to treat with Zhu Quanzhong, who was delighted and encamped at Suzhou to await events.

行密以康儒在頵所，故授廬州刺史以間之。 Because Kang Ru was with Yun, Xingmi appointed him prefect of Luzhou to drive a wedge between them.

頵怒，族其家，儒曰：「公不用吾謀，死無地矣。」 Yun, enraged, executed Kang Ru’s entire family. Ru said, “You would not heed my counsel—now I have nowhere to die but here.”

頵與安仁義連和攻升州，劫刺史李神福妻息厚養之。 Yun allied with An Renyi to attack Shengzhou and seized Li Shenfu’s wife and children, keeping them in comfortable custody.

神福謂諸將曰：「頵反，此心腹疾，宜速攻之。」 Shenfu told his officers, “Yun has rebelled. This is a mortal threat—we must attack at once.”

頵遣李臯詒書神福曰：「公家在此，茍從我，當分地以王。」 Yun sent Li Gao with a letter offering, “Your family is in my hands. Join me and I will divide the realm and make you a king.”

乃斬臯，破頵兵於曷山。 He beheaded Gao and routed Yun’s army at Mount He.

始，頵將王壇等以舟師躡神福後，至吉陽磯，不戰。 Yun’s generals Wang Tan and others pursued with the fleet as far as Jiyang Ford but did not give battle.

明日，壇復戰，敗於皖口，頵乃自將來戰。 The next day Tan fought again and was beaten at Wankou. Yun then took the field in person.

乃瀕水堅壁不出，請行密以兵塞頵走道。 He fortified his camp along the river and refused battle, while asking Xingmi to block Yun’s line of retreat.

頵陳舟蕪湖。 Yun stationed his fleet at Wuhu.

行密召其將臺濛泣語曰：「人嘗告頵必反，我不忍負人，頵果負我。 Xingmi summoned his general Tai Meng and said through tears, “Men warned me Yun would rebel, but I could not bear to wrong him—and he has wronged me.

士笑其怯，濛曰：「頵宿將多謀，備之何害？」 His men laughed at his caution. Meng said, “Yun is a seasoned commander and full of stratagems—what harm is there in being ready?”

神福既以不戰困頵，頵紿言母病，還至蕪湖。 Shenfu had worn Yun down by refusing battle. Yun pretended his mother was ill and withdrew to Wuhu.

濛之行，為狹營小舍，覘者以為才容二千人，頵輕之，不復召兵。 On the march Meng pitched narrow camps and small shelters. Scouts thought he had barely two thousand men. Yun despised him and did not call up reinforcements.

與戰黃池，矢石始交而濛遁，兵爭逐北，遇伏，頵大敗，召蕪湖兵，不得入。 At Huangchi, as arrows and stones first flew, Meng feigned retreat. Yun’s men rushed in pursuit, ran into an ambush, and were routed. Yun called for his Wuhu troops but they could not reach him.

行琮及壇皆歸行密，頵恚，自料死士數百，號「爪牙都」，身薄戰。 Xingcong and Tan both went over to Xingmi. Furious, Yun picked several hundred dare-to-die men, called them the “Fang and Claw Corps,” and led the charge himself.

濛退軍示弱，士超隍，濛殊死戰，軍潰。 Meng drew back as if beaten. Yun’s men crossed the moat; Meng turned and fought desperately. Yun’s army broke.

頵奔城，橋陷，為亂兵所殺，年四十六。 Yun fled for the city, but the bridge gave way and he was killed in the rout at the age of forty-six.

其下猶鬥，示頵首，乃潰。 His men fought on until Yun’s head was displayed—then they scattered.