Cui Yanjin

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Cui Yanjin was born during the upheavals of the Five Dynasties and was from Daming, identified in the Chinese source with the area of present-day Wei County in Hebei. Historical records give little information about his family and do not name his father or grandfather, suggesting that he did not come from a particularly prominent lineage. He himself was described as “simple and honest, possessing courage and strategy, and skilled in riding and archery,” and became known for martial ability while young. During the Qianyou era of Later Han, 948–950, he entered military service under Guo Wei, later Emperor Taizu of Later Zhou. In the early Guangshun era, after Guo Wei established Later Zhou in 951, Cui was appointed a guardsman in the imperial army.

When Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou, Chai Rong, was stationed at Chanyuan, present-day Puyang in Henan, Cui was ordered to lead palace troops in attendance and began to gain Chai Rong's favor. In the early Xiande era, around 955, he was appointed Commander of the Konghe Corps, a mid-ranking officer in the palace army. He later followed Emperor Shizong in campaigns against Southern Tang and was promoted for military merit to Scattered-Personnel Commandant. He then accompanied the army in operations at Waqiao Pass, in the area of present-day Xiong County, Hebei, and was transferred as Commander of the Eastern and Western Bans while concurrently serving as prefect of Zhaozhou. By the Later Zhou period, Cui had accumulated extensive combat experience that would underpin his rise under the Northern Song.

A Founding General of the Northern Song

After the establishment of the Northern Song, Cui, as a former Later Zhou palace general, naturally entered the new dynasty's service. Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, valued this experienced commander and appointed him Commander of the Right Wing of the Konghe Corps, concurrently Training Commissioner of Guozhou. In 960, Li Yun, Military Commissioner of Zhaoyi, allied with Northern Han and rebelled against the Song. Cui was appointed vanguard commander and led troops against him. His performance brought promotion to Defense Commissioner of Changzhou. In the same year Li Chongjin, Military Commissioner of Huainan, rebelled at Yangzhou. Cui again accompanied Emperor Taizu on campaign, helped suppress the rebellion, and was transferred as Commander of the Right Wing of the Hujie Corps.

In 961 Cui was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Infantry and concurrently Military Commissioner of Wuxin, making him one of the senior commanders of the Northern Song palace army. The appointment placed him among the core military elite of the dynasty's early years, alongside figures such as Shi Shouxin and Wang Shenqi.

Conquest of Shu and Demotion

In the eleventh month of 964, the second year of the Qiande era, Emperor Taizu launched a major campaign against Later Shu. Cui was appointed Deputy Commander of the Vanguard Army on the Fengzhou Route, serving under chief commander Wang Quanbin, Military Commissioner of Zhongwu. He led a force of 20,000 palace infantry and cavalry and 10,000 troops from various prefectures along the Fengzhou route, in the area of present-day Feng County, Shaanxi. It was one of the largest campaigns of his career.

Before the army departed, Emperor Taizu held a farewell banquet at Chongde Hall and presented Wang Quanbin, Cui Yanjin, and the other commanders with gold and jade belts, clothing and silk, saddled horses, weapons, and other gifts. Producing a map, he asked, “Can Western Sichuan be taken?” Wang and the others answered: “Relying on Heaven's majesty and following Your Majesty's marvelous plans, we shall settle it by the appointed day.” The emperor added a specific instruction: “Whenever you capture a city or stockade, collect only its arms, armor, fodder, and grain. Distribute the remaining money and silk among the soldiers. All I desire is the land.”

In the twelfth month Cui and cavalry supervisor Kang Yanze pursued defeated Shu forces past Sanquan Mountain toward Jiazhou, identified by the Chinese source with the Guangyuan region of Sichuan, taking many prisoners and inflicting heavy losses. Shu troops had destroyed mountain plank roads to impede the Song advance. Wang Quanbin discussed changing to the Luochuan route. Kang Yanze privately suggested to Cui that the Luochuan road was too difficult for the whole army to pass at once and that a force should instead repair the plank road, arranging to reunite with the main army at Shendu. Cui relayed the plan to Wang, who accepted it. After several days the plank road was repaired; Song troops advanced on Jinshan Stockade and then took Xiaomantian Stockade. Wang led the main army by the Luochuan route and joined Cui at Shendu. Shu forces formed a line along the river. Cui sent infantry commander Zhang Wanyou and others to attack and seize the bridge. The next day Cui, Kang Yanze, and Zhang Wanyou attacked Damantian Stockade in three columns. The Shu defended with picked troops, but the Song routed them, captured the stockade, and took alive its commander Wang Shenchao, prefect of Yizhou, supervisor Zhao Chongwo, and Sanquan military supervisor Liu Yanzuo. Shu generals Wang Zhaoyuan and Zhao Chongtao brought troops against the Song but were defeated in three engagements. Song forces pursued them to north of Lizhou, present-day Guangyuan, and after entering Lizhou seized 800,000 hu of military grain.

Later Shu fell in the first month of 965. The victory, however, exposed Cui's greed. After entering Chengdu, Wang Quanbin, Cui Yanjin, Wang Renshan, and other generals feasted day and night, neglected military affairs, and allowed their troops to seize local people's sons, daughters, and property. Cao Bin repeatedly urged withdrawal but was ignored. The court ordered surrendered Shu troops to travel to the capital and supplied them with clothing and cash, but Wang and the other commanders withheld part of the allotments and permitted their own followers to harass the troops, provoking anger and thoughts of rebellion. Former Later Shu general Quan Shixiong then rose in revolt. Cui, Zhang Wanyou, Gao Yanhui, Tian Qinzhuo, and others divided their forces to suppress him but were defeated; Gao Yanhui was killed and the rebellion expanded.

In the first month of 967, people from Shu went to the capital to accuse Wang Quanbin, Wang Renshan, Cui Yanjin, and others of illegal conduct during the conquest. Emperor Taizu recalled the three generals and ordered the Secretariat and Chancellery to confront them with their accusers. Investigation found that the three had collected 646,800-plus strings of cash, together with treasures from the Shu palace and other government storehouses. They had also withheld soldiers' clothing money and killed surrendering troops, contributing to the uprising. Court officials agreed that the law called for their deaths, but Emperor Taizu pardoned them in consideration of their recent military service. Cui was instead demoted to Acting Military Commissioner of Zhaohua Command, based in Jinzhou.

Campaigns Against Northern Han and Defense Against the Liao

In the fourth month of 976, the ninth year of the Kaibao era, Emperor Taizu conducted a suburban sacrifice near Luoyang. Cui attended court and was appointed Military Commissioner of Zhangxin, restoring him to regional command. In 977 he was transferred to Heyang, present-day Mengzhou in Henan.

In the first month of 980, the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo era, Emperor Taizong, Zhao Guangyi, launched a campaign against Northern Han. Cui and Yin Xun, Defense Commissioner of Yingzhou, attacked the eastern side of Taiyuan; Li Hanqiong and Niu Si attacked the south; Cao Han and Du Yangui attacked the west; and Liu Yu and Shi Gui attacked the north. Cui pressed his soldiers hard in combat and quickly defeated Northern Han troops, winning imperial praise. After Northern Han was conquered, Cui accompanied Emperor Taizong against Youzhou, present-day Beijing, then under Liao rule. Together with palace official Jiang Shoujun, he attacked the northwestern sector of the city. After the Song army was defeated and withdrew, Taizong ordered Cui, Xue Jixing, and Li Shoubin to station troops in Guannan, around present-day Gaoyang in Hebei, and gave them discretion to act as circumstances required. The emperor told the generals: “The Khitan will certainly raid the frontier. Combine your forces, set ambushes, and attack from both sides; you can win a great victory.”

That autumn Liao forces indeed invaded and attacked Suicheng, west of present-day Xushui in Hebei. Liu Tinghan first formed his line at the Xu River. Cui secretly marched from Gaoyang Pass by way of northern Heiludi and Changchengkou, advancing rapidly with gags in the horses' mouths and reaching the enemy rear. Forces under Li Hanqiong and Cui Han also arrived. In the tenth month, the Song decisively defeated the Liao at Mancheng, killing more than ten thousand, taking more than a thousand horses, capturing three Liao commanders, taking thirty thousand households of old and young people, and seizing large quantities of arms and tents. Countless Liao soldiers reportedly died in pits and ravines in the western hills. For his contribution to the destruction of Northern Han, Cui received the additional title acting Grand Commandant.

In the tenth month of 981 Liao forces besieged Waqiao Pass, and in the following month Emperor Taizong traveled north. Liao commander Yelü Xiuge defeated Song troops east of Waqiao and again south of the river, pursuing them toward Mozhou and inflicting heavy casualties. Cui Yanjin and Zhang Jineng then defeated more than ten thousand Liao troops at Tangxingkou, taking over three thousand heads. After the victory report reached court, Taizong appointed Cui commander of the Guannan forces. In the tenth month of 982 he was again made commander of the Guannan cavalry and infantry. He defended north of Jingrong and camped below Shenxingkou. In the fourth month of the year identified in the Chinese source as 982, the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo, Emperor Jingzong of Liao personally invaded with more than ten thousand cavalry. Cui dispatched Yuan Jizhong of the Gaoyang Pass garrison and his subordinate Jing Si across the Juma River. Together with Li Jixuan, Liu Wenyu, and others they defeated Liao troops attacking Gaoyang Pass at Tangxing and Mancheng, taking two thousand heads, pursuing the enemy for more than twenty li, and capturing tens of thousands of weapons, sheep, and horses. Liao Grand Commandant Xi Wali was killed by an arrow.

The Yongxi Northern Expedition and Final Years

In the first month of 986, the third year of the Yongxi era, Emperor Taizong launched a large three-pronged northern expedition against the Liao. Cui was appointed Deputy Commander of the Cavalry, Infantry, and Naval Forces of the Youzhou Route Expeditionary Army, serving with chief commander Cao Bin and Mi Xin and advancing from Xiongzhou, present-day Xiong County in Hebei. In the third month the Song captured Qigou, Zhuozhou, Gu'an, Xincheng, and other places. By the fifth month, however, the Song army was defeated. Many officers and soldiers were captured and large numbers of horses, cattle, weapons, and other matériel were lost. Cui had failed to follow Cao Bin's command arrangements and withdrew by a different route, where Liao forces defeated him. Emperor Taizong summoned Cao Bin, Cui, Mi Xin, and six other defeated generals to the Department of State Affairs for interrogation. In the seventh month Jia Huangzhong and others reported that all nine were legally liable to execution. Taizong ordered the court to deliberate, and Cui was ultimately demoted to Senior General of the Right Martial Guard; Cao Bin, Mi Xin, and others were also demoted.

In the spring of 987 Cui was appointed Military Commissioner of Baojing. In 988, the first year of the Duangong era, he became ill and was recalled to the capital. He died soon afterward, aged sixty-seven, and was posthumously appointed Palace Attendant.

Major Activities

Military Campaigns

Cui Yanjin fought in numerous wars. His principal military achievements included the following:

Campaign against Southern Tang: In the early Xiande era of Later Zhou he followed Emperor Shizong, Chai Rong, against Southern Tang and was promoted to Scattered-Personnel Commandant for military merit.

Operations at Waqiao Pass: During the Xiande era he followed Emperor Shizong in taking Waqiao Pass and was transferred as Commander of the Eastern and Western Bans.

Campaign against Li Yun: In 960 he served as vanguard commander against Li Yun's rebellion and was promoted to Defense Commissioner of Changzhou.

Suppression of Li Chongjin: In 960 he accompanied Emperor Taizu against Li Chongjin and was transferred as Commander of the Right Wing of the Hujie Corps.

Conquest of Later Shu: In 964 he served as Deputy Commander of the Vanguard Army on the Fengzhou Route under Wang Quanbin, advanced into Shu, captured Damantian Stockade and commanders including Wang Shenchao and Zhao Chongwo, and made major contributions to the conquest.

Campaign against Northern Han: In 980 he attacked the eastern side of Taiyuan under Emperor Taizong, pressed the fighting hard, and received imperial praise.

War against the Liao: In autumn 980 he joined Liu Tinghan, Cui Han, and others in a major victory at Mancheng, with more than ten thousand Liao killed. In 981 he defeated more than ten thousand Liao troops at Tangxingkou. In 982 he dispatched commanders who defeated Liao forces at Tangxing and Mancheng and took two thousand heads.

Greed and Disaster

Despite his record in battle, Cui's greed repeatedly damaged his career. After the conquest of Shu he and Wang Quanbin, Wang Renshan, and others allowed troops to seize local people's children and valuables and withheld money allocated for the surrendered Shu soldiers' equipment. The resulting resentment contributed to Quan Shixiong's revolt. Investigation later established that the generals had collected 646,800-plus strings of cash and large quantities of treasure. The law called for death, but Emperor Taizu pardoned Cui and reduced the punishment to demotion. The History of Song summarized him as one who “repeatedly achieved merit in battle, but loved accumulating wealth, and wherever he went brought no good government.”

Descendants and Marriage into the Imperial Clan

After Cui's death, his descendants married into the Northern Song imperial family. His son Cui Huaizun rose to Inner Palace Chongban, and Cui Huaiqing to Deputy Commissioner of Chongyi. Cui Huaizun's son Cui Shangxian married the daughter of Prince Zhen Zhao Yuanyan, Lady of Chong'an County. Cui Huaiqing's son Cui Congshi married the daughter of Prince Qi Zhao Defang, Lady of Yongshou County, and rose to Deputy Commissioner of the Western Capital Left Storehouse, before later being removed from the register because of an offense.

His sequence of posts in the early Song is also recorded: in 961 he was promoted to commandant of the foot guards and given the military commission of Wuxin; in 965, after the conquest of the Later Shu, he was demoted to acting administrator of the Zhaohua army for allowing his troops to plunder; in 976, on Emperor Taizu's suburban sacrifice at Xiluo, he was appointed military commissioner of Zhangxin, and in 977 transferred to Heyanging. In 980 he accompanied Emperor Taizong against the Northern Han, where his urgent direction of the fighting won commendation, took part in the campaign against Youzhou with the additional title of junior commandant of the guard, and in the autumn of the same year defeated the Liao at Mancheng with Liu Tinghan and others; in 981 as commander at Guannan he defeated the Liao at Tangxingkou; in 982, again commanding at Guannan, he sent officers who beat the Liao at Tangxing and Mancheng. In 986 he served as deputy commander of the Youzhou route under Cao Bin in the northern campaign, was defeated for disobeying orders and demoted to general of the right guard of the military, was appointed military commissioner of Baojing in 987, and in 988 was recalled to the capital ill and died soon afterwards, being granted posthumously the title attendant of the palace.

Personal Relations

• Cui Huaizun: son; served as Inner Palace Chongban
• Cui Huaiqing: son; served as Deputy Commissioner of Chongyi
• Cui Shangxian: grandson, son of Cui Huaizun; married the daughter of Prince Zhen Zhao Yuanyan, Lady of Chong'an County
• Cui Congshi: grandson, son of Cui Huaiqing; married the daughter of Prince Qi Zhao Defang, Lady of Yongshou County
• Guo Wei, Emperor Taizu of Later Zhou: Cui served under him early in his career
• Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou: Cui led palace troops while Chai Rong was stationed at Chanyuan and later joined him in campaigns against Southern Tang and at Waqiao Pass
• Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Taizu of Song: employed Cui after the founding of Northern Song, assigned him against Li Yun and Li Chongjin, and made him deputy vanguard commander in the conquest of Shu
• Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of Song: praised Cui's fighting against Northern Han and repeatedly entrusted him with commands against the Liao
• Wang Quanbin: commander in the conquest of Shu; Cui served as his deputy, and both were later punished for corruption
• Cao Bin: chief commander in the Yongxi Northern Expedition; Cui served as deputy and was punished after being defeated for violating Cao's command arrangements
• Liu Tinghan: fought alongside Cui in the victory at Mancheng
• Cui Han: fought alongside Cui at Mancheng
• Kang Yanze: advised Cui during the Shu campaign to repair the mountain plank road
• Quan Shixiong: former Later Shu general whose revolt followed abuses by the Song occupation forces; Cui's campaign against him failed

Historical Assessment

Northern Song and Contemporary Assessments

• The History of Song described Cui as “simple and honest, possessing courage and strategy, and skilled in riding and archery,” affirming his military ability.
• When Emperor Taizong later handled a property dispute involving Cui's sons, he said: “This is a minor matter and I should not personally deal with it, but Yanjin once held military commissioner rank, and I do not wish his sons to disgrace their father.” The remark indicates continuing consideration for the veteran commander.
• The History of Song commented: “Cui Yanjin and Wang Quanbin, in the conquest of Shu, were greedy for goods and killed those who surrendered, thereby causing the Shu rebellion. Only Liu Tingrang's army committed not the slightest offense; here the difference between strict and lax discipline can be seen.” The comparison sharply criticized Cui's military indiscipline.

Song and Yuan Periods

• Yuan compilers led by Toqto'a again emphasized Cui's misconduct in the History of Song, stating that he was “greedy for goods and killed those who surrendered, thereby causing the Shu rebellion,” making him a negative example of violent and corrupt early Song military conduct.
• The Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance records in detail the illegal actions of Wang Quanbin, Cui, and others during the conquest of Shu and treats them as an important example of failures in early Song administration of the region.

Ming and Qing Periods

• Wang Fuzhi, in Song Lun, criticized the greed and violence of Wang Quanbin, Cui, and other commanders in discussing the failures following the conquest of Shu, regarding them as an important cause of continuing unrest.
• Qing scholar Bi Yuan's Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance records Cui's performance in the Shu and Liao campaigns and broadly follows the judgment of the History of Song.

Modern Assessments

• Modern scholars often treat Cui as a representative early Song general who “could fight but could not govern,” recognizing his military talent while criticizing his greed and violence.
• Studies of the Song–Liao wars analyze his performance at Mancheng and Tangxingkou as examples of successful Song defensive operations.
• Studies of early Song unification treat his conduct as Wang Quanbin's deputy during the conquest of Shu, especially the looting by troops under their command, as an example of poor military discipline in the dynasty's early campaigns.