Lü Zuan

Biography

Early Life and Entry into Liang

Lü Zuan was of Di ethnicity and originally from Lueyang Commandery. In his youth, he excelled in horsemanship and archery and enjoyed hunting with hawks and dogs. Although he attended the National University, he disliked reading and was keen on associating with the sons of dukes and marquises and engaging in musical entertainment. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzao of Former Qin, Fu Jian, Lü Zuan was at the National University. After the Battle of the Fei River, the situation in Former Qin became turbulent. In the first year of Tai'an (386), Lü Zuan fled west to Shanggui and then moved to Guzang to join his father, Lü Guang. Lü Guang appointed him General of the Gentlemen of the Rapid-as-Tigers Guard and enfeoffed him as Duke of Taiyuan.

Campaigns and Suppression of Rebellions

Lü Zuan frequently led troops in battle, and his fame spread far and wide. In the fourth year of Linjia (392), Lü Guang sent Lü Zuan to attack the Southern Qiang leader Peng Xinian. Lü Zuan suffered a heavy defeat at Panyi. Subsequently, Lü Guang personally led the main army, and Lü Zuan accompanied him in capturing Fohan, forcing Peng Xinian to flee. In the first year of Longfei (396), Lü Guang proclaimed himself Heavenly King, and Lü Zuan accompanied the army in capturing Jincheng. The following year, Lü Guang sent Lü Zuan to suppress Duan Ye. Because Juqu Mengxun provided support to Duan Ye, Lü Zuan was defeated at Heli.

At that time, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Guo An, caused a disturbance in Guzang. Lü Guang recalled Lü Zuan. Lü Zuan judged that Duan Ye lacked strategy and would not pursue him, so he led his army back. Guo An sent troops to intercept at Baishi, and Lü Zuan was defeated. Later, he was rescued by Shi Yuanliang, the Regional Inspector of Xi'an, who defeated Guo An and entered Guzang. Lü Zuan defeated Guo An's general Wang Fei west of the city, and Guo An's forces declined. Guo An proposed Yang Gui as the alliance leader. Yang Gui led troops to ambush Lü Zuan but was defeated. Guo An fled to Western Qin, and Yang Gui fled to Lianchuan, and the rebellion was suppressed.

Coup and Accession to the Throne

In the third year of Long'an (399), Lü Guang fell seriously ill. He established Crown Prince Lü Shao as Heavenly King and proclaimed himself Retired Emperor. He appointed Lü Zuan as Defender-in-chief and Lü Hong as Minister of Works. Before his death, Lü Guang admonished Lü Shao to rely on his two elder brothers, warning that if Lü Zuan and Lü Hong were harmonious, the state's fortune would be long-lasting, but if they fought among themselves, disaster would immediately arrive.

After Lü Guang's death, Lü Shao kept the news of the death secret. Lü Zuan burst into the palace to mourn, behaving abnormally. Lü Shao was terrified and voluntarily yielded the throne to Lü Zuan, but Lü Zuan refused on the grounds of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons. After Lü Shao ascended the throne, his cousin Lü Chao advised Lü Shao to eliminate Lü Zuan to secure the state, but Lü Shao was reluctant. Soon, Lü Hong, who had been dissatisfied because he had not been established as the heir apparent, sent the Grand Master for Court Discussion, Jiang Ji, to secretly inform Lü Zuan, urging him to imitate the deposition of Liu He, the Prince of Changyi.

Lü Zuan then led several hundred warriors at night, scaling the northern wall to attack the Guangxia Gate; Lü Hong led the troops of the Eastern Garden to attack the Hongfan Gate. The General of the Left Guard, Qi Cong, guarded the Rongming Pavilion. Upon recognizing Lü Zuan, he drew his sword and struck Lü Zuan's forehead. Lü Zuan's men captured Qi Cong, but Lü Zuan called him a righteous man and did not kill him. Lü Shao sent troops to engage, but they scattered due to fear of Lü Zuan. Lü Zuan entered the palace through the Qingjiao Gate and took his seat in the Qianguang Hall. Lü Shao climbed the Purple Pavilion and committed suicide, while Lü Chao fled to Guangwu. Lü Zuan, wary of Lü Hong's military strength, urged him to ascend the throne. Lü Hong declined, and Lü Zuan then ascended the throne as Heavenly King. He issued a general amnesty, changed the era name to Xianning, and posthumously honored Lü Shao as Prince Yin.

Execution of Lü Hong and Campaign against Southern Liang

After Lü Zuan ascended the throne, Lü Hong, relying on his high merits, feared that Lü Zuan would not tolerate him and thus raised troops in the Eastern Garden to rebel. Lü Zuan sent his general Jiao Bian to attack Lü Hong. Lü Hong's troops scattered, and he fled to Guangwu. Lü Zuan allowed his soldiers to loot extensively and distributed the women of the Eastern Garden to the soldiers as rewards; Lü Hong's wife and daughters were also humiliated. The Palace Attendant, Fang Gui, remonstrated, pointing out that this violated the brotherly bond. Lü Zuan apologized and comforted Lü Hong's family. Lü Fang captured Lü Hong, and Lü Zuan sent the strongman Kang Long to execute him.

Subsequently, Lü Zuan wished to campaign against Southern Liang. The Secretariat Director, Yang Ying, advised against it, arguing that Southern Liang was united in heart and mind and that military action was inappropriate; instead, the state should rest and recover. Lü Zuan did not listen and led his army across the Haomian River, where he was defeated by Tufa Rutan of Southern Liang. Lü Zuan then turned west to attack Zhangye. Jiang Ji advised against using troops in the height of summer, but Lü Zuan still besieged Zhangye and occupied the Jiankang area. Upon learning that Tufa Rutan was raiding Guzang, Lü Zuan hastily withdrew his army.

Tyranny and Assassination

During his reign, Lü Zuan went out hunting without restraint, indulged in wine and women, and did not listen to the remonstrance of his ministers. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Yang Ying, the Attendant Censor of the Palace, Wang Hui, and the Vice Director of the Secretariat, Wang Ru, among others, remonstrated multiple times. Although Lü Zuan verbally admitted his faults, he did not change his behavior.

In the fifth year of Long'an (401), the Regional Inspector of Fanhe, Lü Chao, arbitrarily campaigned against the Xianbei leader Sipan. Sipan complained to Lü Zuan. Lü Zuan summoned Lü Chao to the capital and reprimanded him for deceiving the sovereign. Lü Chao kowtowed and admitted his fault. Fearing punishment, Lü Chao had previously cultivated relationships with the Director of the Palace Administration, Du Shang. Lü Zuan, Lü Chao, and the ministers held a banquet. Lü Long repeatedly poured wine, and Lü Zuan became drunk. When Lü Zuan was being pushed in a cart through a gate, Lü Chao drew his sword and pierced Lü Zuan's chest, killing Dou Chuan and Luo Teng. Empress Yang ordered the palace guards to attack Lü Chao, but Du Shang restrained the soldiers and ordered them to put down their weapons. The General, Wei Yiduo, beheaded Lü Zuan and proclaimed that Lü Chao was avenging the Crown Prince and stabilizing the state.

After Lü Long ascended the throne, he posthumously honored Lü Zuan as Emperor Ling and buried him at Baishi Mausoleum.

An Ju's Tomb Robbery

The Hu person An Ju robbed the tomb of Zhang Jun, the ruler of Former Liang, obtaining numerous treasures such as pearl curtains, glass jars, and white jade cups. Lü Zuan executed An Ju and over fifty of his associates and sent envoys to mourn Zhang Jun and repair his tomb.

Kumārajīva's Prophecy

The monk Kumārajīva once advised Lü Zuan to practice virtuous governance to address abnormal celestial phenomena. One day, Lü Zuan and Kumārajīva were playing chess. When Lü Zuan captured an opponent's piece, he jokingly said, "Cut off the head of the Hu slave." Kumārajīva replied, "If you do not cut off the head of the Hu slave, the Hu slave will cut off people's heads." Lü Chao's childhood name was "Hu slave." Ultimately, Lü Zuan was killed by Lü Chao, fulfilling the prophecy.

Family, Early Years, and Lü Guang's Deathbed Charge

Lü Zuan, styled Yongxu, was the son of Lü Guang, lord of Later Liang, by a concubine, his mother being the consort Zhao Shuyuan. As a youth he was skilled with bow and horse and fond of hawks and hounds; in the reign of Fu Jian, the declared emperor of Former Qin, he entered the imperial academy but did not care for study, devoting himself instead to the company of the sons of great families and to music and pleasure. After Former Qin was shattered at the Fei river and the north fell apart, Lü Zuan fled west in 386 to Shanggui and thence to his father Lü Guang, who made him general of the brave guards of the household, and he was later enfeoffed duke of Taiyuan. He commanded troops for years and his fame spread far, and in the last years of Lü Guang's rule he led fifty thousand picked men against Western Qin.

In 399, when Lü Guang lay gravely ill, he set up his heir Lü Shao and told him that his illness grew daily worse and he would not live long, that three enemies watched for their chance, and that after his death Lü Zuan should command the six armies and Lü Hong manage the government, while Lü Shao should be upright and stern with himself and govern by non-action, entrusting the weight of affairs to his two elder brothers, so that the crisis might be weathered; if there were suspicion within and trouble sprang up behind the screen wall, then disorders like those of Jin and Zhao would come before long. He told Lü Zuan and Lü Hong that Yongye had no talent for restoring order but held the chief place only because the rule of legitimacy gave it to him, that with strong enemies without and men's minds unsettled, if the brothers were harmonious the succession could pass to sons and grandsons for ten thousand generations, while if they fought among themselves the disaster would come in the turning of a heel; and Lü Zuan and Lü Hong wept and said they would not be of two minds. When Lü Guang died, Lü Shao kept the death secret and did not announce it, and Lü Zuan forced his way into the palace to wail and gave full vent to his grief before coming out. Lü Shao, fearing that Lü Zuan would murder him, offered him the throne, saying that his elder brother's merit was high and his years greater and he should inherit the great line, and begging him not to decline; Lü Zuan answered that though he was the elder, the emperor was the legitimate eldest son of the state, and private feeling must not overturn the great order, and when Lü Shao insisted he still refused.

Repeated Warnings Refused and the Coup

Lü Chao urged Lü Shao to do away with Lü Zuan early, saying that he had commanded troops for many years and his might overawed all within and without, that at the mourning he showed no grief, that he walked with a high step and looked over men's heads, and that his conduct was irregular and presaged a great upheaval which should be forestalled for the safety of the altars of state. Lü Shao refused, saying that the late emperor's dying words were still in his ears and brothers were nearest kin, and that he could not do such a thing; that he had taken up the great burden in his twentieth year and must rely on his two elder brothers to steady family and state; and that even if they plotted against him he would face death as a return home, and could never bear to harbour such a design. Lü Chao pressed him that Lü Zuan's fame was long-standing and that he was cruel and heedless of kinship, and that not to deal with him now would be regretted beyond remedy; and Lü Shao said that whenever he thought of brothers in conflict he lost both sleep and food for grief, and would sooner sit and wait for death than have the heart for it. Afterwards, when Lü Zuan met Lü Shao in the Zhanlu Hall, Lü Chao stood guard with a sword and by his looks signalled that Lü Zuan should be seized, but Lü Shao would not consent.

Lü Hong, who had long resented Lü Shao because Lü Guang had once meant to make him heir and had given it up, sent the secretary Jiang Ji secretly to tell Lü Zuan that the late lord was dead and the ruler was dull and weak, while he himself held power within and without with a name and kindness that reached far and near, and to propose that he follow the ancient example of deposing the prince of Changyi and make himself a second Emperor Xuan of Han. So Lü Zuan at night led several hundred braves over the north wall and attacked the Guangxia gate, while Lü Hong led the troops of the Eastern Park against the Hongfan gate. The guard of the left, Qi Cong, who kept the Rongming watchtower, stopped them and asked who came; when they answered "the duke of Taiyuan," he said that the state had great business afoot and the ruler had just taken the throne, that the duke of Taiyuan was not walking the road he should and was entering the forbidden city by night to make trouble, and drawing his sword he charged and cut Lü Zuan on the forehead; Lü Zuan's attendants seized him, and Lü Zuan said, "He is a righteous man; do not kill him." Lü Shao sent the general of brave guards of the household, Lü Kai, to meet them at the Duan gate with the palace guards, and the general of flying cavalry, Lü Chao, to relieve him with two thousand men, but the troops had long feared Lü Zuan and all scattered. Lü Zuan entered the palace by the Qingjiao gate and took his seat in the Qianguang Hall; Lü Shao climbed the Purple Pavilion and killed himself, and Lü Chao fled to Guangwu. Fearing Lü Hong's strong army, Lü Zuan urged him to take the throne, but Lü Hong refused, saying that he had already gone against the late emperor's charge because the people were dissatisfied that Lü Shao, though the younger, had inherited, and was ashamed before him in the yellow springs, and that to pass over his elder brother now would leave him no face to live in the world, while his elder brother was both older and worthy and his name shook the two enemies, and he should take the great seat quickly to settle the state. So Lü Zuan took the title of heavenly king, proclaimed an amnesty, changed the era to Xianning, gave Lü Shao the posthumous name prince Yin, made Lü Hong grand commander and enfeoffed him duke of Fanhe.

His Treatment of Qi Cong and Lü Chao, and What the Records Show

After taking the throne Lü Zuan said to Qi Cong, "Was it not going too far when you cut me the other day?" and Qi Cong answered with tears that prince Yin had been set up by the late emperor, and that though the emperor had followed heaven's will his own heart was not yet convinced, so that he had feared only that he could not cut him dead, and how could that be called going too far; and Lü Zuan admired his loyalty and treated him well. He also sent an envoy to the general of the eastern expedition, Lü Fang, saying that Lü Chao was truly a loyal subject whose courage and sense of duty were admirable, but that he did not understand the great principles of government or the uses of expediency, and that he meant to rely on his loyalty to relieve the world's distress, and that this should be told him; and Lü Chao memorialized his thanks, whereupon Lü Zuan restored his rank. There was also a case in which robbers opened the tomb of the former Liang ruler Zhang Jun and found his face as if still alive, taking away a pearl screen, a glass vessel, a white jade cup, a red jade flute, a purple jade flute, a coral whip and an agate bell among treasures beyond counting; Lü Zuan put to death more than fifty households of the kin of the tomb-robber An Ju, sent envoys to sacrifice to Zhang Jun and repaired his grave. Later accounts also relate that Lü Zuan once played chess with Kumarajiva and, taking his opponent's piece, said "Off with the barbarian slave's head," to which Kumarajiva answered, "It is not the barbarian slave's head that is cut off; the barbarian slave cuts off heads" — the barbarian slave being Lü Chao's boyhood name, and Lü Zuan being killed by Lü Chao in the end; but such sayings belong to later narrative and cannot serve as evidence of cause in his assassination. After Lü Zuan's death, Lü Chao, finding Lü Zuan's wife Lady Yang very beautiful, wished to marry her, and she refusing, killed herself with the posthumous name queen Mu.

Major Activities

Suppression of the Guo An Rebellion

In the late years of Lü Guang, Guo An caused a disturbance in Guzang. Lü Zuan was ordered to return and suppress the rebellion. Lü Zuan accurately assessed the enemy situation and exploited the fact that Duan Ye dared not pursue him to successfully return. After encountering Guo An's ambush at Baishi, Lü Zuan relied on reinforcements to defeat Guo An and broke his general Wang Fei west of the city, ultimately suppressing the rebellion and securing the safety of the Later Liang capital.

Launching the Palace Coup

After Lü Guang's death, Lü Zuan exploited Lü Shao's fear and Lü Hong's dissatisfaction to launch a nighttime coup. He led warriors into the forbidden city, forcing Lü Shao to commit suicide, thereby seizing the throne. This event marked a significant shift in the power structure of Later Liang, transforming Lü Zuan from a subject into a ruler.

Execution of Lü Hong

After Lü Hong raised troops to rebel, Lü Zuan sent troops to defeat him and allowed his soldiers to loot the Eastern Garden, humiliating Lü Hong's family. Despite the remonstrance of the Palace Attendant, Fang Gui, Lü Zuan ultimately ordered the execution of Lü Hong. This action eliminated the greatest internal military threat but also exposed his brutal nature.

Setback in the Campaign against Southern Liang

Lü Zuan, disregarding the advice of his ministers, forcibly campaigned against Southern Liang. The Later Liang army was defeated by Tufa Rutan at the Haomian River. Subsequently, he besieged Zhangye but was forced to withdraw due to the threat of Southern Liang troops to Guzang. This military operation failed to achieve its expected goals and instead consumed national resources, exacerbating the difficulties of Later Liang.

Clansmen's Revolt, Foreign Wars and Misgovernment

Lü Hong, holding his merit and fame high, feared he could not be kept by Lü Zuan, who for his part feared him deeply; at last Lü Hong rose at the Eastern Park, seizing Yin Wen and Yang Huan as his chief counsellors and asking Zong Xie to join him. Zong Xie refused, saying that as an old servant he had received the late emperor's great grace and held high office, and that having failed to give his life in requital he was already beyond forgiveness; were he to follow the prince and personally become the chief plotter of a war, could heaven and earth endure it? And his wit was not enough to plan, nor his troops enough to rely on, so what use could he be? Lü Hong answered that he was a righteous man and himself a rebel, and led his troops against Lü Zuan. Lü Zuan sent his general Jiao Bian against him, Lü Hong's men scattered and he fled to Guangwu; and Lü Zuan loosed his soldiers to plunder, giving the women of the Eastern Park to the troops, so that Lü Hong's wife and daughters were violated as well. Lü Zuan asked his ministers with a laugh how the day's fighting had gone, and the attendant Fang Gui answered that heaven had sent calamity upon the house of Liang and disaster had risen from the princes of the blood, that the late emperor had but newly died and prince Yin been driven to his death, that while the tomb was yet fresh the grand marshal had rebelled in the capital and brothers had crossed blades, and that even if Lü Hong had brought ruin on himself it was because the emperor lacked the duty of a brother; he should rather reproach himself and apologize to the people, yet instead he let the soldiers plunder and insult gentlewomen; and the fault lay with Lü Hong, what crime had the people? And Lü Hong's wife was the emperor's sister-in-law and his daughter the emperor's niece — how could ruffians be allowed to treat them as bondmaids and concubines, and could the gods of heaven and earth bear to see it? Lü Zuan then took back and comforted Lü Hong's household. The affair shows that the quarrels of the Later Liang imperial clan did not end with Lü Zuan's accession.

Abroad, Lü Zuan marched against the Southern Liang ruler Tufa Lilugu, and the secretary of the palace Yang Ying dissuaded him, saying that in raising troops one must first weigh the season and human affairs, and that a sage would not act unless the time was right; that Tufa Lilugu's people were of one mind and the state free of trouble, so that he must not be attacked; that he should rather repair armour, train picked troops, encourage farming and sericulture, and wait for a usable moment to sweep him away at one stroke; and that with many troubles in recent years and public and private wealth nearly spent, unless the foundation were strengthened there would be trouble later. Lü Zuan did not listen. The Later Liang army crossed the Haomen river, was beaten by Tufa Lilugu's brother Tufa Nutan, and so turned west to raid Zhangye. Jiang Ji remonstrated that it was midsummer and that if the people neglected their farming the gain would be small and the loss great, and that if the army went beyond the ridge the barbarians would surely take advantage and raid the capital region, so that it would be better to withdraw for the present; but Lü Zuan held that the barbarians had no great ambition and would only think to defend themselves when they learned of his western expedition, so that a swift attack would succeed, and he besieged Zhangye and occupied the Jiankang region until, hearing that Tufa Nutan was raiding Guzang, he withdrew. Lü Zuan also hunted without restraint and drowned himself in wine and women, and the grand master of ceremonies Yang Ying, urging that Heaven sees all and helps only the virtuous, that since his accession the territory had not grown and the law was not enforced through the nine provinces, and that instead of being careful and governing the four quarters he drank to excess and kept no regular hours, sunk in feasting and wine and giving no thought to his enemies; and Lü Zuan answered that it was his own fault, and that without loyal and upright men who would correct a perverse ruler — yet he remained benighted and violent and self-indulgent and in the end could not mend. He would often hunt with his attendants among the pits and gullies drunk, and the palace censor Wang Hui and Wang Ru, reining in their horses before him, urged that "a son of a thousand in gold does not sit at the eaves of the hall," and that a lord of ten thousand chariots goes out with the road cleared, and begged him not to risk the dangers of galloping and shooting, since accidents of carriage and horse come unforeseen; but Lü Zuan would not listen. Historians therefore judged that "Shao and Zuan were men of common talent, who brought bandits upon themselves by riding above their station," and that "Zuan hunted without measure and was sunk in drink and lust," and that "Zuan was benighted and cruel and gave way to his feelings, hunting without measure, steeped in wine and women."

Personal Relations

• Father**: Lü Guang (Emperor Yiwu of Later Liang)
• Mother**: Zhao Shuyuan
• Brothers**:
• Lü Shao (Prince Yin of Later Liang, legitimate elder brother, forced to commit suicide by Lü Zuan)
• Lü Hong (Duke of Fanhe Commandery, half-brother, executed after rebellion)
• Lü Wei (Duke of Longxi, half-brother, killed by Lü Chao)
• Cousins**:
• Lü Long (Ruler of Later Liang, Lü Zuan's cousin, successor)
• Lü Chao (Regional Inspector of Fanhe, Lü Zuan's cousin, assassin of Lü Zuan)
• Wife**: Empress Yang (daughter of Yang Huan, committed suicide after Lü Zuan's death)

Historical Assessment

• *Wei Shou, Book of Wei***: "His nature was full of suspicion, and he was ruthless in killing."
• *Fang Xuanling, Book of Jin***: "Shao and Zuan were men of ordinary talent, inviting disaster by carrying a heavy load." ; "From a young age, he was skilled in bow and horse, and liked hawks and dogs." ; "Zuan hunted without restraint and was addicted to wine and women." ; "Zuan was dark and cruel, acting on whim, hunting without restraint, and indulging in wine and women."
• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms: "From a young age, he was skilled in bow and horse and did not like books."