Hou Junji (侯君集) (d. April 29, 643[1]) was a major general and chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, particularly known for his campaigns against Gaochang and Tuyuhun. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Events By Place Europe Rothari King of the Lombards, issues the Lombard law code The chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝宰相 was an office that was semi-formally designated for a number of high level officials at one time during the Chinese Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Gaochang ( is the site of an ancient Oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. In 643, he was implicated in a plot by Emperor Taizong's crown prince Li Chengqian to overthrow Emperor Taizong, and he was executed. Emperor Taizong of Tang ( January 23, 599 &ndash July 10 649) personal name Lǐ Shìmín ( was the second emperor of the Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship. Li Chéngqián (李承乾 (619?- January 5, 645) Courtesy name Gaoming (高明 formally Prince Min of Hengshan (恆山愍王
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During Emperor Gaozu's reign
It is not known when Hou Junji was born, and little is known about his family background other than that he was from Bin Prefecture (豳州, roughly modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). This article is related to a city for the airport located in the city see Xi'an Xianyang International Airport Xianyang ( Sienyang Hsienyang ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess It was said that he was pretentious and always wanted to appear impressive. He favored using bow and arrows, and while he never achieved greatness in archery, became known for his fighting abilities. At a point early in the reign of Emperor Gaozu, who was then still trying to reunify China after the collapse of Sui Dynasty, Hou came to serve under Emperor Gaozu's son, the major general Li Shimin the Prince of Qin. Background and early career Li Yuan's seventh-generation ancestor was Li Gao, the founder of the Sixteen Kingdoms state Western Liang. The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Emperor Taizong of Tang ( January 23, 599 &ndash July 10 649) personal name Lǐ Shìmín ( was the second emperor of the While serving under Li Shimin, for his accomplishments, Hou was created the Viscount of Quanjiao. He also became a close associate of Li Shimin, often offering his strategies.
By 626, Li Shimin was locked in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince, and he feared that Li Jiancheng would kill him. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Byzantines defeat the Avars and Slavs, who were besieging Constantinople Li Jiancheng (李建成 ( 589 - July 2, 626) formally Crown Prince Yin (隱太子 literally "the hidden crown prince" nickname Hou, along with Li Shimin's brother-in-law Zhangsun Wuji, Zhangsun's uncle Gao Shilian, and the general Yuchi Jingde, advised Li Shimin to act first and ambush Li Jiancheng and another brother who supported Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi. Zhangsun Wuji (長孫無忌 (d 659 Courtesy name Fuji (輔機 formally Duke of Zhao (趙公 was a chancellor of the Chinese Gao Shilian (高士廉 ( 576 - February 14, 647) formal name Gao Jian (高儉 but went by the Courtesy name of Shilian formally Yuchi Jingde (尉遲敬德 (585-658 formal name Yuchi Gong (尉遲恭 but went by the Courtesy name of Jingde formally Duke Zhongwu of E (鄂忠武公 Li Yuanji (李元吉 ( 603 - July 2, 626) formally Prince La of Chao (巢剌王 more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi Li Shimin agreed, and in 626 ambushed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, killing them. During the subsequent battles between Li Shimin's forces and Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's forces, Hou led Li Shimin's forces. When the dust settled, Li Shimin effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong).
During Emperor Taizong's reign
Late In 626, when Emperor Taizong personally ranked the contributions of the generals and officials in order to grant them fiefs, Emperor Taizong ranked five of them -- Hou Junji, Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yuchi Jingde to be contributors of the highest grade, and Hou was created the Duke of Lu. Fang Xuanling (房玄齡 (579–648 formal name Fang Qiao (房喬 but went by the Courtesy name of Xuanling formally Duke Wenzhao of Liang (梁文昭公 Du Ruhui (杜如晦 (585-630 Courtesy name Keming (克明 formally Duke Cheng of Lai (萊成公 was one of the most celebrated chancellors
In 630, Emperor Taizong made Hou the minister of defense and gave him the additional designation of Canyi Chaozheng (參議朝政), making him a de facto chancellor. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Serbs settle in the Balkans having been invited by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius The chancellor of the Tang Dynasty (唐朝宰相 was an office that was semi-formally designated for a number of high level officials at one time during the Chinese
In 634, Emperor Taizong, sending the senior general Li Jing to command the campaign against Tuyuhun's Busabo Khan Murong Fuyun, made Hou and Li Daozong the Prince of Rencheng Li Jing's assistants on the campaign. Events By Place Oswald of Northumbria defeats Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd in the Battle of Heavenfield and Li Jing (李靖 Pinyin: Lǐ Jìng ( 571 - July 2, 649) né Yaoshi (藥師/药师 Pinyin: Yàoshī formally Murong Fuyun (慕容伏允 (597-635 formal title Busabo Khan (步薩鉢可汗 was a ruler of the Xianbei / Qiang / Tibetan state Tuyuhun Li Daozong (李道宗 (603?-656? Courtesy name Chengfan (承範 was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. By spring 635, Tang forces achieved initial victories, but Tuyuhun forces then burned the grazing grass to cut the food supplies to Tang horses. Events By Topic Religion Saint Aidan founds Lindisfarne in Northumbria, England Most Tang generals wanted to withdraw, but Hou advocated continued advance, and Li Jing agreed, eventually allowing complete victory, as Murong Fuyun was killed by his subordinates, allowing his son Murong Shun, whom Tang supported, to become khan (as Yidou Khan). Murong Shun (慕容順 (d 635 regal title Zhugulüwugandou Khan (趉故呂烏甘豆可汗 or in short Gandou Khan (甘豆可汗 Tang Dynasty noble [2] Around the new year 636, after Murong Shun was assassinated by his subordinates, Emperor Taizong sent Hou with an army to try to secure the throne for Murong Shun's son Murong Nuohebo. Events By Place Byzantine Empire August 20 — Battle of Yarmuk: Khalid ibn al-Walid 's victory against the Murong Nuohebo (慕容諾曷鉢 (d 688 regal title Wudiyebaledou Khan (烏地也拔勒豆可汗 or in short Ledou Khan (勒豆可汗 Tang Dynasty
In 637, as part of Emperor Taizong's scheme to bestow prefectures on his relatives and great generals and officials as their permanent domains, Hou's title was changed to Duke of Chen, and he was given the post of prefect of Chen Prefecture (陳州, roughly modern Zhoukou, Henan), to be inherited by his heirs. Events By Place Europe Battle of Mag Rath Dál Riata influence in Ulster is greatly reduced or ended Zhoukou ( is a Prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country Soon, however, with many objections to the system, the strongest of which came from Zhangsun Wuji, Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme, although Hou's title remained Duke of Chen.
In 638, Tufan's Songtsän Gampo, after hearing that the rulers of Tujue and Tuyuhun were all able to marry Tang princesses, requested to marry one as well, but was rebuffed by Emperor Taizong. Events By Place Asia The Muslims capture Jerusalem, Antioch, Caesarea Maritima and Akko Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Songtsän Gampo ( Tibetan: སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་ Wylie: Srong-btsan Göktürks ( Turkish: Gök Türkler) were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia. In anger, he launched a major attack on Tang, capturing a number of prefectures. Emperor Taizong sent Hou to counterattack, assisted by other generals Zhishi Sili (執失思力), Niu Jinda (牛進達), and Liu Jian (劉簡). Niu was subsequently able to defeat Tufan forces at Song Prefecture (松州, roughly modern Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan), and Songtsän Gampo, in fear, withdrew, but still requested to marry a Tang princess. The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture ( Tibetan: རྔ་བ་བོད་རིགས་ཆ་བ༹ང་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ་ ( Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. (This time, Emperor Taizong agreed, sending Princess Wencheng, a daughter of a clansman, to marry Songtsän Gampo. Princess Wencheng ( Tibetan: Mung-chang Kungco Chinese: 文成公主 Pinyin: Wénchéng Gōngzhǔ (d )
Around new year 640, with Qu Wentai (麴文泰), the king of Gaochang, in alliance with Western Tujue and hostile to Tang, Emperor Taizong sent Hou, assisted by Xue Wanjun (薛萬均), to attack Gaochang. Events By Place Europe Tulga succeeds his father Suinthila as king of the Visigoths. Gaochang ( is the site of an ancient Oasis city built on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, China. The Western Turkic Khaganate was formed as a result of the internecine wars in the beginning of the 7th century ( 600 – 603 AD after the Göktürk When Hou arrived at Gaochang, Qu Wentai died in distress and was succeeded by his son Qu Zhisheng (麴智盛). Rejecting a proposal by some of his generals to ambush the Gaochang nobles when they were burying Qu Wentai (finding that doing such would be immoral), he put Gaochang's capital under siege, forcing Qu Zhisheng to surrender. Emperor Taizong annexed Gaochang territory (except for three cities, which Gaochang had seized from Yanqi, and therefore were returned to Yanqi after the king of Yanqi met with Hou to congratulate him), and Hou returned to the Tang capital Chang'an with Qu Zhisheng and his subordinates as captives. Chang'an ( is an ancient Capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history.
Upon Hou's return to Chang'an, however, he would be in brief trouble, as it was alleged that Hou himself had taken treasures from the Gaochang imperial treasury and forced certain Gaochang captives to be his slaves. The other generals, seeing Hou's example, also did so, and he was in no position to stop them. Emperor Taizong, when he found out about these events, put Hou and some of his generals under arrest, less than 10 days after their return to Chang'an. Upon the advice of the official Cen Wenben, Emperor Taizong released Hou. Cen Wenben (岑文本 ( 595 - May 10, 645) Courtesy name Jingren (景仁 formally Viscount Xian of Jiangling (江陵憲子
Death
Hou Junji was resentful that, despite his great achievement, he was put under arrest, albeit briefly, and in spring 643, when fellow general Zhang Liang was sent out of the capital to serve as the commandant at Luo Prefecture (洛州, roughly modern Luoyang, Henan), Hou tried to instigate him by asking him, "Who squeezed you out?" Zhang, in jest, responded, "Other than you, who can squeeze me out?" Hou responded, "I conquered a kingdom, but I ran into someone throwing a tamper tantrum big enough to overturn a house. Events By Place Europe Rothari King of the Lombards, issues the Lombard law code Zhang Liang (張亮 (d April 17, 646) was a general and official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, becoming chancellor late in Luoyang ( is a Prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country What strength do I have to squeeze you out?" He then rolled up his sleeves and yelled, "I am so unhappy that I would rather die. Do you want to commit treason? I will commit treason with you!" Zhang secretly reported this exchange to Emperor Taizong, but Emperor Taizong pointed out that this was a private conversation with no corroboration, and took no action on it. [3]
Also in 643, when Emperor Taizong commissioned the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion to commemorate the 24 great contributors to Tang rule, Hou's was one of portraits commissioned. The Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion (凌煙閣畫像 refer to the 24 portraits that Emperor Taizong of Tang commissioned the great painter Yan Liben to paint on Lingyan
Around the same time, however, Emperor Taizong's crown prince Li Chengqian was becoming fearful because Emperor Taizong had greatly favored another son, Li Tai the Prince of Wei, and Li Tai was making designs on the crown prince position. Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship. Li Chéngqián (李承乾 (619?- January 5, 645) Courtesy name Gaoming (高明 formally Prince Min of Hengshan (恆山愍王 Li Tai (李泰 Pinyin: Lǐ Tài (618- December 15, 652) Courtesy name Huibao (惠褒 nickname Qingque (青雀 formally Li Chengqian therefore gathered a group of men around him to consider overthrowing his father, including his uncle Li Yuanchang (李元昌) the Prince of Han, his cousin Zhao Jie (趙節), and brother-in-law Du He (杜荷, Du Ruhui's son). Hou's son-in-law Helan Chushi (賀蘭楚石), the commander of Li Chengqian's guards, was also part of the plot, and through Helan, Li Chengqian invited Hou to join the plot as well, as Hou agreed. However, he was deeply disturbed by his own involvement, and he developed insomnia. His wife sensed that something was wrong, and told him, "You, Duke, are an important official of the state, so why are you acting like this? If there is something you are doing wrong, you should report yourself so that your life can be spared. " However, Hou did not do so.
Eventually, however, Li Chengqian's plot was betrayed by his guard Gegan Chengji (紇干承基), and after an investigation ordered by Emperor Taizong and conducted by Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, Li Shiji, as well as responsible officials from the supreme court and the legislative and examination bureaus of government, Li Chengqian was deposed. Xiao Yu (蕭瑀 (574-647 Courtesy name Shiwen (時文 formally Duke Zhenbian of Song (宋貞褊公 was an imperial prince of the Chinese Li Shiji (李世勣 (594- December 31, 669) né Xu Shiji (徐世勣 later known in the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang as Li Ji The other conspirators, including Hou, were sentenced to death. Emperor Taizong initially considered commuting Hou's death sentence because of his accomplishments, but the other officials opposed, and Emperor Taizong stated to Hou, "I have to bid you, Duke, farewell. From now, I can only see your portrait!" Both he and Hou wept. As Hou was about to be beheaded, he stated to the general overseeing the execution, "I, Hou Junji, am not the type to commit treason, but I stumbled many times and reached this point. But as I destroyed two kingdoms as a general, please speak for me to His Imperial Majesty to request for me to have a son remaining to carry the lineage, on the basis of my accomplishments. " Emperor Taizong, when he heard this, pardoned Hou's wife and children but exiled them to the modern Guangdong region, and confiscated his properties. Guangdong ( EFEO: Kouangtong; Pinyin Guǎngdōng; Postal map spelling: Kwangtung) is a province on the
It was said that years earlier, after Emperor Taizong ordered Li Jing to teach Hou strategies, Hou reported to Emperor Taizong, "Li Jing is about to commit treason. " When Emperor Taizong asked him why, Hou responded, "Li Jing only teaches me basic principles and does not teach me the best strategies, keeping them for himself. " When Emperor Taizong asked Li Jing about this, Li Jing responded, "This is proof that Hou Junji will commit treason. China is secure right now, and the empire is united. What I taught him is sufficient to use against barbarians. If not for treasonous purposes, why would Hou want to learn all of the strategies?" At one point, Li Daozong also spoke to Emperor Taizong, stating, "Hou Junji has too much ambition and too little talent. He overvalued his achievements and found it shameful to be lower in position than Fang Xuanling and Li Jing. Even though he serves as a minister, he finds the position insufficient. I believe one day he will create a disturbance. " Emperor Taizong responded, "Hou Junji is very talented and capable of serving in any position. It is not that I am unwilling to give him the highest post; it is just that it is not yet his turn. How can I distrust him and believe that he will commit treason?" After Hou was put to death, Emperor Taizong apologized to Li Daozong.
Notes
- ^ 兩千年中西曆轉換
- ^ This account, contained in Hou's biography in the New Book of Tang, however, conflicted with Li Daozong's biography, which stated that Li Daozong was the one who supported further advancement. Compare New Book of Tang, vol. 94, with New Book of Tang, vol. 78[1]. The Zizhi Tongjian accepted the version that had Hou being the one who advocated further advance. The Zizhi Tongjian ( was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography. See Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 194.
- ^ The Book of Tang, in Hou's biography, reported this event to be in 643, and the Zizhi Tongjian adopted that dating. The Book of Tang ( or the Old Book of Tang (舊唐書/旧唐书 is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The Zizhi Tongjian ( was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography. See Book of Tang, vol. 69[2]; Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 196. However, the Book of Tang biography for Zhang Liang, in the same volume, dated this event as occurring in 641. Events By Place Europe Chindaswinth deposes Tulga, and becomes king of the Visigoths.
- Book of Tang, vol. The Book of Tang ( or the Old Book of Tang (舊唐書/旧唐书 is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. 69. [3]
- New Book of Tang, vol. The New Book of Tang ( is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi (宋祁 and other official scholars of the 94. [4]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. The Zizhi Tongjian ( was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography. 191, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197.