Meng Chang (孟昶) (919–965), originally Meng Renzan (孟仁贊), courtesy name Baoyuan (保元), posthumously honored as Prince Gongxiao of Chu (楚恭孝王) by the Emperor Taizu of Song, was the second and last emperor of the Later Shu dynasty of China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He ruled from 934 until 965, when his state was conquered by the Northern Song dynasty. He died soon afterwards.
Meng ruled largely peacefully for three decades. The Later Shu became one of the centers for the arts and literature, where it flourished with support from the court. An anthology of lyric poetry known as the Amidst the Flowers Anthology was compiled in 940. It was also among the most stable of the southern states, but it also stagnated militarily and politically. When the Northern Song usurped the Later Zhou dynasty, the last of the Five Dynasties, in 960, the Emperor Taizu of Song made it his mission to reunify China proper. Northern Song forces forced Meng Chang to surrender in 965.
Background Meng Renzan was born in 919, in Taiyuan.Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 49. His father Meng Zhixiang was then an officer under Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin, and had married Li Cunxu's cousin as his wife.New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 64. Meng Renzan, however, was not born of her, but rather of a different Lady Li—one who had previously been a concubine of Li Cunxu's, but whom Li Cunxu had awarded to Meng Zhixiang as a concubine.History of Song, vol. 479. He was Meng Zhixiang's fifth son but the third to grow up.
During Later Tang In 923, Li Cunxu declared himself emperor of a new Later Tang, and shortly after destroyed archrival Later Liang and took over its territory.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 272. In 925, he further sent an army and destroyed Later Tang's southwestern neighbor Former Shu (whose territory would eventually be the territory for Later Shu). He commissioned Meng Renzan's father Meng Zhixiang as the military governor (jiedushi) of Former Shu's main territory Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). However, shortly after, the entire Later Tang realm was thrown into confusion due to a series of mutinies,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 274. and Li Cunxu himself was killed in a mutiny at the capital Luoyang in 926. He was succeeded as Later Tang's emperor by his adoptive brother Li Siyuan.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 275.
Meng Zhixiang, while legally a subject of the new Later Tang emperor, shortly began to develop frictions with Li Siyuan's regime, particularly with Li Siyuan's powerful chief of staff An Chonghui, who suspected both Meng (on account of his marital relations with Li Cunxu's cousin) and Meng's neighboring military governor, Dong Zhang of the Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan), and tensions began to escalate, particularly after Meng executed an official that Li Siyuan sent to be the monitor of the Xichuan army, Li Yan (李嚴), in 927. At that time, Meng had sent messengers to escort his wife (who had been created the Grand Princess Qionghua), Meng Renzan's mother Lady Li, and Meng Renzan to Xichuan. When they reached Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), the news of Meng's execution of Li Yan reached Fengxiang. Fengxiang's military governor Li Congyan thus detained them at Fengxiang for some time, but Li Siyuan subsequently ordered that they be allowed to continue to proceed to Xichuan. (An older brother of his, whose name was lost to history and who was born of the Grand Princess, however, was not apparently not allowed to proceed to Xichuan.) After reaching Xichuan, Meng Renzan, considered to be intelligent in his young age, was given the title of military commander (行軍司馬, Xingjun Sima) of the Xichuan army.
During Meng Zhixiang's reign as emperor of Later Shu Meng Zhixiang later consolidated his control over the region, taking control of Dongchuan and nearby smaller circuits as well, and also carried the Later Tang-bestowed title of Prince of Shu. In 934, shortly after Li Siyuan's death, Meng Zhixiang declared himself emperor of a new state of Shu (historically known as Later Shu).Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 278. He bestowed on Meng Renzan the titles of acting Taibao (太保), military governor of Dongchuan, director of Chongsheng Palace (崇聖宮), and honorary chancellor (同中書門下平章事, Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi).
Meng Zhixiang, however, had been suffering from a stroke for years, and by fall 934, he was extremely ill. He created Meng Renzan Crown Prince and regent. After entrusting Meng Renzan to the chancellor Zhao Jiliang, the generals Li Renhan and Zhao Tingyin, the chief of staff Wang Chuhui, and the commanders of the imperial guards Zhang Gongduo and Hou Hongshi (侯弘實), he died that same night. Three days later, Meng Renzan took the throne and, pursuant to the will Meng Zhixiang left, changed his name to Meng Chang.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 279. He was 15 at that time.
Reign
Early reign Immediately after Meng Chang's assumption of the throne, Li Renhan insisted on being put in command of the imperial guards. Meng Chang initially reluctantly agreed and put him in command, making Zhao Tingyin his deputy. However, Zhang Gongduo and several of Meng Chang's close associates thereafter accused Li Renhan of plotting treason. After consulting with Zhao Jiliang and Zhao Tingyin, Meng decided to arrest him while he was attending an imperial meeting, and then put him to death, along with his son Li Jihong (李繼宏) and several associates. Shocked by the development, the senior general Li Zhao (李肇), who had previously refused to bow to the young emperor, changed his attitude and became very submissive. Meng's associates advocated putting Li Zhao to death, too, but Meng did not do so, instead forcing Li Zhao into retirement.
In 935, Meng honored his mother Consort Li empress dowager. Meanwhile, the new Later Tang emperor Li Congke launched an army and tried to recover Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), which had surrendered to Later Shu in the last days of Meng Zhixiang's reign. The attack, however, was repelled by the Later Shu general Li Yanhou (李延厚).
In 936, Li Congke was overthrown by his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang, ending Later Tang. Shi established his own Later Jin,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 280. and, in 937, sent emissaries to Later Shu to notify Meng of this. Meng wrote back, using protocols fitting for coequal states.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 281.
In 939, the non-Han chieftain Peng Shichou (彭士愁), who was formally a Later Shu vassal (as the prefect of Xi Prefecture (溪州, in modern Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan), attacked two prefectures belonging to Later Shu's southeastern neighbor Chu (which was formally a Later Jin vassal)—Chen (辰州, in modern Huaihua, Hunan) and Li (澧州, in modern Changde, Hunan)—and sought aid from the Later Shu imperial government to further advance. Meng refused, finding that the campaign was too far away from Later Shu proper. Forces sent by Chu's prince Ma Xifan subsequently defeated Peng, who surrendered to Chu. His territory became Chu territory.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 282.
Ever since Later Shu's founding, major generals had been frequently given military governorships but would remain at the capital Chengdu to continue to oversee imperial army operations. This led to their neglect of the governance of the circuits as they left the governance to staff members, who were often corrupt and unresponsive to the concerns of the people. Meng became aware of this and, in 941, he reformed the situation by stripping Zhao Tingyin, Wang, and Zhang of their military governorships while giving them other honorary titles. He subsequently sent five civilian officials to five circuits to serve as their acting military governors.
Also in 941, when Later Jin's military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), An Congjin, was plotting to rebel against Shi, he sent emissaries to Meng seeking aid, requesting that Later Shu attack Later Jin's Jin (金州, in modern Ankang, Shaanxi) and Shang (商州, in modern Shangluo, Shaanxi) Prefectures to distract Later Jin's forces. After discussing with his officials, Meng concluded that sending a small army would not substantially aid An, and sending a large army would create great logistical problems. He thus declined to aid An. (An was subsequently defeated by the general Gao Xingzhou, and committed suicide.)Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 283.
In 943, Meng issued an edict for general selections of females ranging from age 12 to 19, to fill his palace with concubines. This greatly disturbed the people, and there were many households that quickly married off their daughters to avoid having the daughters selected. When the county magistrate Chen Jizhi (陳及之) submitted a petition urging the cancellation of the edict, Meng rewarded Chen for his honesty, but did not end the selection process. The women who were selected were sorted into 14 ranks of concubines.
In 944, for reasons not stated in history, Meng reversed his earlier reform with having actual acting military governors at the circuits, and again had major generals and chancellors assume military governorships remotely.
Later in 944, the Later Jin officer Wang Junhuai (王君懷) defected to Later Shu and volunteered to guide a Later Shu army to capture Later Jin's Jie (階州) and Cheng (成州, both in modern Longnan, Gansu) Prefectures. A subsequent Later Shu army incursion, however, was repelled by an army launched from Later Jin's Qin Prefecture (秦州, in modern Tianshui, Gansu).Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 284.
Middle reign Around the new year 947, with a major Khitan Liao dynasty invasion force commanded by its Emperor Taizong approaching the Later Jin capital Kaifeng, the Later Jin emperor Shi Chonggui (Shi Jingtang's nephew and successor) surrendered to Liao.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 285. Most Later Jin regional governors quickly submitted petitions to submit to the Liao emperor, as he claimed to be the legitimate emperor over the Han and the Khitan alike. However, one of them, He Chongjian (何重建) the military governor of Xiongwu Circuit (雄武, headquartered at Qin Prefecture) refused to submit to Liao, and, after executing a Liao emissary to his circuit, surrendered his circuit (including Qin, Jie, and Cheng Prefectures) to Later Shu. Subsequently, as He Chongjian advocated, Later Shu forces also attacked Feng Prefecture (鳳州, in modern Baoji), and Feng's defender Shi Fengjun (石奉頵)—a member of Later Jin's imperial clan—also surrendered that prefecture to Later Shu.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 286.