Xi Chao
Chi Chao | |
|---|---|
| 郗超 | |
| Gentleman Palace Writer (中書郎) | |
| In office 371–377 | |
| Monarch | Emperor Jianwen of Jin/Emperor Xiaowu of Jin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 336 |
| Died | 377 |
| Spouse | Zhou Matou |
| Relations | Chi Jian (grandfather) Chi Rong (brother) Chi Chong (brother) |
| Parent |
|
| Courtesy name | Jingxing (景興) |
Chi Chao (336-377), or Xi Chao, courtesy name Jingxing, was a minister of the Jin dynasty (266–420). He was a close advisor and friend to the Grand Marshal Huan Wen, aiding him in his northern expeditions and abdication of Emperor Fei of Jin. Chi Chao was also an influential person in the rise of Buddhism in China, as he was among the first of his time to try and cooperate the ideas of Confucianism and Taoism with the new teaching in his "Fengfayao (奉法要)"
Family and background
Chi Chao's family was originally from Gaoping County (高平縣; northwest of present-day Weishan County, Shandong) but after the Disaster of Yongjia in 311, moved to the south. His grandfather, Chi Jian, was a famous general of the early Eastern Jin era who helped the dynasty overcome the rebellions of Wang Dun and Su Jun. Chao's father, Chi Yin (郗愔) also served in the government and succeeded Jian after his death in 339, although it was said that he was not as talented as him. Chi Chao was reputed to be a very intelligent person who spoke well and had many friends in intellectual circles. The Jin minister Xie An once praised him by believing that he was better than his own nephews.[1]
Service under Huan Wen
Chi Chao began his career in the Jin government in 345 under Sima Yu as a simple official.[2] However, sometime after 348, he decided to join the general Huan Wen. Huan Wen was a very cold and aloof man, rarely making friends with anyone. Chi Chao proved to be an exception, as during a conversation between him and Huan Wen, Huan was so impressed by Chi that they greatly supported and trusted each other hereafter.[3]
In 363, Huan Wen made Chi Chao his Army Advisor and Wang Xun his Registrar. Due to the two of them being the general's favourites, the people of Jingzhou and those in Huan Wen's camp made a ditty about the three:[4][a]
|
髯參軍， |
The bewhiskered aide-de-camp, |
|
短主簿。 |
And the short records lad. |
|
能令公喜， |
Can make his lordship happy, |
|
能令公怒。 |
Or make his lordship mad. |
In 369, Huan Wen was prepared to hold an invasion to destroy Former Yan once and for all. However, the one thing in his way was Chi Yin, who held the province of Xuzhou. Huan Wen resented him because he wanted to have Xuzhou for their soldiers who were known for their strength. Chi Yin did not know of Huan Wen's attitude towards him, so he sent a letter to Huan Wen offering to help by moving his soldiers first across the Yellow River. The letter was intercepted by Chi Chao, who tore it and forged a new one asking for his father's retirement and handing over his army to Huan Wen. Huan Wen was pleased and had Chi Yin transferred to Kuaiji and took over his role as Inspector of Yanzhou and Xuzhou.[5]
As Huan Wen marched towards Yanzhou, Chi Chao began to have doubts. He pointed out to Huan Wen that the Bian River was too shallow and that Yan was too far from base which would make supplies hard to reach their army. Huan Wen chose to ignore his advice and marched on to Jinxiang, where he saw that the water around the area had all dried up. Huan Wen ordered Mao Muzhi to build a canal from the Wen River to let water flow into the Qing River and proceeded to sail into the Yellow River.[6]
Here, Chi Chao proposed to Huan two plans. The first was that Huan Wen should quickly concentrate his forces towards Yan's capital in Yecheng. Chi Chao believed that the Jin army under Huan's command should be enough to demoralize them and can be defeated easily. Taking their capital would force the Murongs to move north while the common people around the area would surrender to Jin en masse. His second proposal was that they establish garrison lines near the rivers to prevent from being cut off from supplies. Although they would have to delay the invasion, Chi Chao was confident that Jin would still win if they have a functioning supply line. Unfortunately, Huan Wen chose to ignore him. The campaign resulted in disaster as Huan Wen was decisively defeated at the Battle of Fangtou by Murong Chui. Huan Wen was too cautious to take on Yecheng and his plans to ensure a supply line failed as the canal he ordered Yuan Zhen to build was not completed in time.[7]
Abdicating Emperor Fei
Huan Wen returned to Jin embarrassed in what he considered his worst defeat. The reason he wanted the campaign was so that Yan's demise would allow him to receive the nine bestowments and take the throne. His defeat prevented this and now he considered a different approach to becoming emperor. He defeated Yuan Zhen's rebellion in Shouchun in 371 after Huan called for his arrest due to his failure in building the canal. He asked Chi Chao if this would be enough to clear his defeat at Fangtou and Chi Chao believe it was not.[8]
One night, Chi Chao visited Huan Wen's home. He said to Huan Wen that he should act quickly, as Huan was already 59 years old and could die anytime now. If Huan Wen could not be emperor, then he should at the very least abdicate the emperor and replace him with someone he could control. Chi Chao and Huan Wen developed a scheme. They knew about Emperor Fei's controversial sex life, so they came up with a rumour that he is infertile. They claim that his wives and concubines were sleeping with his favourite ministers such as Xiang Long (相龍), Ji Hao (計好) and others, and that the three children he has were not his. Huan Wen and Chi Chao spread the rumour to the common people, and no one knew what was right and what was wrong.[9]
Huan Wen would enter the capital the next month with an edict he claimed was from Empress Dowager Chu. He then abdicated Emperor Fei with Sima Yu, who he had a tight grasp on during his short reign. Chi Chao would become Gentleman-Attendants of the Palace Secretariat.[10]
Reign of Emperor Jianwen and Emperor Xiaowu
Chi Chao held a significant amount of power in the court, acting as Huan Wen's eye to report him the situation in the government. Sima Yu, now Emperor Jianwen of Jin, lamented the Jin dynasty's fate. He once asked Chi Chao if that dynasty would be replaced by that of Huan Wen's, but he assured him that Huan Wen was only doing what was best for the state. As Chi Chao withdrew himself to see his father, the emperor sighed and told him to tell his father that his emperor had failed to protect the state.[10]
Meanwhile, the Jin ministers, Xie An and Wang Tanzhi, entered an alliance with each other to prevent too much power from falling into Huan Wen's hands. They often visited Huan Wen and Chi Chao's home to discuss important matters. One time, as Chi Chao and Huan Wen made a list on who to purge from the court, Xie An and Wang Tanzhi came visiting. Huan Wen hid Chi Chao behind his bed curtains but when a gust of wind revealed him, Xie An simply joked to Huan Wen, "You can say that he is your 'guest within the curtains (入幕之賓)'!"[11][b]
Emperor Jianwen died just a year into his reign and was replaced by his on Emperor Xiaowu. However, Huan Wen would later die in 373, and Chi Chao found his power greatly diminished because of this. Despite Huan Wen's family holding two-thirds of the empire, his brother Huan Chong had no imperial ambitions and stayed loyal to the Jin dynasty. In 375, Chi Chao tried to stop Huan Chong from giving up his power in Yangzhou but Huan Chong persisted.[12]
Chi Chao hated the Xie family for their growing influence while his father slowly went down the ranks. In 377, the Former Qin state threatened the dynasty and with no one to lead the troops to stop them, Xie An chose his nephew Xie Xuan to do it. When Chi Chao heard this, he unexpectedly agreed and backed him. The court was in disbelief as Xie Xuan at this point had never held a position as important as the one he was about to hold. However, Chi Chao defended him by saying that he had observed Xie Xuan during their time with Huan Wen, and that he had proved himself a good eye for talents. Chi Chao's advocate paid off as Qin was defeated in 383 at the Battle of Fei River, leading to its hasty decline.[13]
Chi Chao would find himself outlived by his father in 377. He grew ill at the end of the year, and soon died. His father Chi Yin was a stalwart loyalist of the dynasty but never knew what his son had been up to. Before his death, Chi Chao was concerned that his father would be grief struck by his death. He gave one of his students a chest that would stop him from doing so. After he died, Chi Yin was indeed heartbroken by his death and never ate for days, so the student gave him the chest. In it were the plans that Chi Chao and Huan Wen made to overthrow the dynasty. His grief turned to anger, and Chi Yin no longer mourned for his son.[14]
Literary works
Chi Chao was a Taoist but grew infatuated with Buddhism, more specifically through the teachings of Zhu Fatai and Zhidun. He attempted to harmonize the orthodox concepts of Buddhism and Confucianism into one and even wrote a book about it called the 'Fengfayao'. There are errors regarding the Buddhist teachings in the book but regardless, it was comparable to many of his Buddhist counterparts' works and considered an important piece in the spread of Buddhism in China in the 4th century.[15]
Anecdote
Chi Yin was a very frugal man and amassed a huge amount of gold in his treasury, but his son was generous and somewhat wasteful. One day, Chi Chao was talking with his father until they began discussing about their finances. Chi Yin decided to allow him to use his treasury for a day despite knowing that his son would lose a portion of the money. Chi Chao distributed so much of the gold among his relatives and friends that by the time Chi Yin found out, the treasury was nearly exhausted.[16]
Notes
- ^ Chi Chao was noted for having a full beard, while Wang Xun was said to be very short.
- ^ This joke refers to Chi Chao and Huan Wen's relationship, as during their time, a bed curtain was commonly associated to privacy, and any guest who enters it are said to have a very close connection with the host. Thus, a 'guest within the curtain' references friendship. This is also a pun, as the word '幕' ('curtain') was also used in the word secretariat (幕僚), which is a position that Chi Chao was holding at the time.
References
- ^ (谢公云："贤圣去人，其间亦迩。"子侄未之许，公叹曰："若郗超闻此语，必不至河汉。) Shishuo Xinyu, Volume 2
- ^ (壬戌，以會稽王昱為撫軍大將軍，錄尚書六條事。昱清虛寡慾，尤善玄言，常以劉惔、王濛及穎川韓伯為談客，又辟郗超為撫軍掾，謝萬為從事中郎。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 97
- ^ (桓溫辟為征西大將軍掾。溫遷大司馬，又轉為參軍。溫英氣高邁，罕有所推，與超言，常謂不能測，遂傾意禮待。) Book of Jin, Volume 67
- ^ (又以征西掾郗超為參軍，王珣為主簿，每事 必與二人謀之。府中為之語曰：「髯參軍，短主簿，能令公喜，能令公怒。」溫氣概高邁，罕有所推。與超言，常自謂不能測，傾身待之，超亦深自結納。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 101
- ^ (初，愔在北府，溫常雲：「京口酒可飲，兵可用。」深不欲愔居之；而愔暗於事機，乃遺溫箋，欲共獎王室，請督所部出河上。愔子超為溫參軍，取視，寸寸毀裂，乃更作愔箋，自陳非將帥才，不堪軍旅，老病，乞閒地自養，勸溫並領己所統。溫得箋大喜，即轉愔冠軍將軍、會稽內史，溫自領徐、兗二州刺史。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 102
- ^ (大司馬溫自兗州伐燕。郗超曰：「道遠，汴水又淺，恐漕運難通。」溫不從。六月，辛丑，溫至金鄉，天旱，水道絕，溫使冠軍將軍毛虎生鑿鉅野三百裡，引汶水會於清水。虎生，寶之子也。溫引舟師自清水入河，舳艫數百裡。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 103
- ^ (太和中，溫將伐慕容氏於臨漳，超諫以道遠，汴水又淺，運道不通。溫不從，遂引軍自濟入河，超又進策于溫曰：「清水入河，無通運理。若寇不戰，運道又難，因資無所，實為深慮也。今盛夏，悉力徑造鄴城，彼伏公威略，必望陣而走，退還幽朔矣。若能決戰，呼吸可定。設欲城鄴，難為功力。百姓布野，盡為官有。易水以南，必交臂請命。但恐此計輕決，公必務其持重耳。若此計不從，便當頓兵河濟，控引糧運，令資儲充備，足及來夏，雖如賒遲，終亦濟克。若舍此二策而連軍西進，進不速決，退必愆乏，賊因此勢，日月相引，僶俛秋冬，船道澀滯，且北土早寒，三軍裘褐者少，恐不可以涉冬。此大限閡，非惟無食而已。」溫不從，果有枋頭之敗，溫深慚之。) Book of Jin, Volume 67
- ^ (尋而有壽陽之捷，問超曰：「此足以雪枋頭之恥乎？」超曰：「未厭有識之情也。」) Book of Jin, Volume 67
- ^ (既而超就溫宿，中夜謂溫曰：「明公都有慮不？」溫曰：「卿欲有所言邪？」超曰：「明公既居重任，天下之責將歸於公矣。若不能行廢立大事、為伊霍之舉者，不足鎮壓四海，震服宇內，豈可不深思哉！」溫既素有此計，深納其言，遂定廢立，超始謀也。) Book of Jin, Volume 67
- ^ a b (時中書郎郗超在直，帝乃引入，謂曰：「命之修短，本所不計，故當無復近日事邪！」超曰：「大司馬臣溫方內固社稷，外恢經略，非常之事，臣以百口保之。」及超請急省其父，帝謂之曰：「致意尊公，家國之事，遂至於此！由吾不能以道匡衛，愧歎之深，言何能喻。」因詠庾闡詩云「志士痛朝危，忠臣哀主辱」，遂泣下霑襟。) Book of Jin, Volume 9
- ^ (溫懷不軌，欲立霸王之基，超為之謀。謝安與王坦之嘗詣溫論事，溫令超帳中臥聽之，風動帳開，安笑曰：「郗生可謂入幕之賓矣。」) Book of Jin, Volume 67
- ^ (桓沖以謝安素有重望，欲以揚州讓之，自求外出。桓氏族黨皆以為非計，莫不扼腕苦諫，郗超亦深止之，沖皆不聽，處之澹然。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 103
- ^ (初，中書郎郗超自以其父愔位遇應在謝安之右，而安入掌機權，愔優遊散地，常憤邑形於辭色，由是與謝氏有隙。是時朝廷方以秦寇為憂，詔求文武良將可以鎮御北方者，謝安以兄子玄應詔。超聞之，歎曰：「安之明，乃能違眾舉親；玄之才，足以不負所舉。」眾鹹以為不然。超曰：「吾嘗與玄共在桓公府，見其使才，雖履屐間未嘗不得其任，是以知之。」) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 105
- ^ (十二月，臨海太守郗超卒。初，超黨於桓氏，以父愔忠於王室，不令知之。及病甚，出一箱書授門生曰：「公年尊，我死之後，若以哀惋害寢食者，可呈此箱；不爾，即焚之。」既而愔果哀惋成疾，門生呈箱，皆與桓溫往反密計。愔大怒曰：「小子死已晚矣！」遂不復哭。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 105
- ^ Collection Aggrandizing and Clarifying [Buddhism] (弘明集), Volume 13
- ^ (郗公大聚歛，有錢數千萬。嘉賓意甚不同，常朝旦問訊。郗家法：子弟不坐。因倚語移時，遂及財貨事。郗公曰：「汝正當欲得吾錢耳！」迺開庫一日，令任意用。郗公始正謂損數百萬許。嘉賓遂一日乞與親友，周旋略盡。郗公聞之，驚怪不能已。) Shishuo Xinya, Volume 29.9
- Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
- Liu, Yiqing (ed.) (c. 5th century). A New Account of the Tales of the World (Shishuo Xinyu / Shiyu).
- Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.