Tufa Shujineng

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Tufa Shujineng
Traditional Chinese禿髮樹機能
Simplified Chinese秃发树机能

Tufa Shujineng (died 279) was a Xianbei chieftain who lived during the Three Kingdoms period of China. As the leader of the Xianbei tribe in Hexi, he led a great rebellion against the ruling Jin dynasty (266–420) between 270 and 279. Shujineng killed many of the Jin generals sent against him and contributed to delaying Emperor Wu of Jin’s plans to conquer Eastern Wu. The rebellion peaked in 279 with Shujineng’s capture of Liang Province, but that same year would also see its end, as Shujineng was decisively defeated and killed by the Jin general, .

Tufa Shujineng's great-great-grandnephew, Tufa Wugu, was the founder of the Xianbei Southern Liang state during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

Life[]

Background[]

Tufa Shujineng's grandfather was Tufa Shoutian (禿髮壽闐) and his great-grandfather was Pigu (匹孤). Pigu was the son of the Tuoba Xianbei chieftain Tuoba Jifen (拓跋詰汾) and his brother was Tuoba Liwei. Pigu led his branch of Xianbei to Hexi when Tuoba Liwei succeeded their father as chieftain in 218. There are two theories as to how the Tufa got their name. The first being that the words 'Tufa' (禿髮) and 'Tuoba' (拓拔) were homonyms, and is used as a derogatory term against Pigu's branch since Tufa meant 'bald hair'.[1] The other, more traditional view is that it was Shoutian who named the clan 'Tufa' after his nickname. It was purported that Shoutian was born on a blanket. 'Tufa' in the Xianbei language meant 'blanket', and so Shoutian was called as such.[2]

Shoutian died in an unknown year and was succeeded by his grandson, Tufa Shujineng. Shujineng was described by historians as both brave and resolute as well as cunning and crafty.[3]

Rebellion against Jin[]

Due to bureaucratic oppression by local Chinese officials, Shujineng rebelled against Jin in 270. The Inspector of Qin Province, led an attack to quell this revolt, but he was defeated and killed at Wanhudui (萬斛堆, located in Gaolan County, Gansu).[4] The Prince of Fufeng, Sima Liang, was supposed to send reinforcements through his subordinate Liu Qi (劉旂) to aid Hu Lie, but Liu refused to move his troops. Emperor Wu of Jin wanted to punish Liu Qi, but Sima Liang defended him and lost his post in the process.

With the removal of Sima Liang, Shi Jian (石鉴) and Tian Zheng (田章) were sent instead by Emperor Wu to put down the uprising. Shi Jian ordered his subordinate, Du Yu, to attack Shujineng. However, Du Yu remonstrated him, stating that the enemy were still riled up from their recent victories, as opposed to the demoralized Jin troops, and that they should wait until the following year to attack. Du Yu's words angered Shi Jian, who had him sent back to Luoyang in a prison cart. Shi Jian carried out his original plans, but he too could not defeat Shujineng.[5]

In 271, Shujineng was joined by the various tribes of Beidi (北地, in present-day Qingyang, Gansu) in his invasion of Jincheng (金城; around present-day Yuzhong County, Gansu). The Inspector of Liang Province, Qian Hong, led his troops to fight Shujineng, but Qiang troops within Qian's army, dissatisfied by his mistreatment of them, rebelled and join Shujineng. Qian Hong was killed in battle at Mount Qing (青山, located in Huan county, Gansu province) after Shujineng and his allies surrounded his army.[6] Qian Hong's replacement as Inspector of Liang, Su Yu (蘇愉) was also routed and killed by Shujineng at Mount Jin (金山, located in Shandan county, Gansu province) later that year.

While Shujineng's revolt was happening, a Xiongnu uprising occurred in Bing Province led by Liu Meng (劉猛) in 271. Fortunately for Jin, this revolt was quickly put down by in 272. Shujineng created so much concern for Emperor Wu that he was unable to eat until late in the day. Two of his ministers, Ren Kai (任愷) and Yu Chun (庾純), attempted to undermine their political enemy, Jia Chong, by recommending him to Emperor Wu to fight Shujineng. Emperor Wu initially agreed and had even given Jia the necessary appointments to do so. Jia Chong was distressed by this, but with Xun Xu's help, he remained in Luoyang after securing a marriage between his daughter, Jia Nanfeng, and Emperor Wu's heir, Sima Zhong.[7]

Defeats and brief surrender[]

Shujineng's string of victories came to an end in 275 when he was defeated by the Marshal of Yong and Liang Province, and lost 3,000 men in battle. In 277, Sima Jun's subordinate, Wen Yang, campaigned against Shujineng and gave him his second defeat. This time, around 200,000 tribesmen surrendered to Wen Yang. Wen Yang tightened the security in Liang, Qin and Yong by having patrols defend villagers from Shujineng's raids. Faced with repeated defeats, Shujineng negotiated peace with Jin by sending one of his sons to Luoyang as a hostage.[8]

Resumed rebellion and death[]

Peace between Jin and Shujineng did not last, as he revolted again in 278. The Inspector of Liang Province, Yang Xin (楊欣), fought with Shujineng's allies, Ruoluobaneng (若羅拔能) and others, at the Dang Ranges (丹嶺) in Wuwei, but was defeated and beheaded. As Shujineng continued to harass Jin's borders, the minister Li Xi (李憙) suggested that they send an army to put him down, but the court disagreed, believing the situation was not as serious as Li thought. However, by the beginning of 279, Shujineng captured Liang Province, much to the regret of Emperor Wu.[9]

A junior Jin General by the name of volunteered to help defeat Shujineng and marched into Liang with 3,500 elite soldiers. In response, Shujineng had his army occupy the passes to defend against Ma Long. During Ma Long's battles with Shujineng, he used tactics that were rather unorthodox and questionable. Ma Long implemented what were called 'flat box carts (偏箱車)' which helped protect the troops from arrows while also allowing them to kill many enemies as they advanced though the narrow passes. It is also said that he placed magnetic stones on the ground to slow down the Xianbei troops, who generally wore iron armour as opposed to the Jin troops wearing rhinoceros hide armour. Shujineng's soldiers supposedly thought these stones to be divine.[10]

Regardless of its historicity, Ma Long's campaign saw the end of Shujineng's raids. Once Ma Long reached Wuwei, Shujineng's allies, Cubahan (猝跋韓) and Zuwanneng (且萬能), surrendered to Ma Long with ten thousand tribes under them. At the end of the year, Shujineng was decisively defeated and killed by Ma Long, although another account states that after the battle, Shujineng's subordinates turned on him. One of them, Meigu (沒骨) assassinated Shujineng before he and the rest of the rebel forces surrendered to Jin.[11][12] With peace restored, Shujineng was replaced with his younger cousin, Tufa Wuwan (禿髮烏孤), as their tribe's leader.

References[]

  1. ^ Penglin, Wang (2018). Linguistic Mysteries of Ethnonyms in Inner Asia. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. p. 134. ISBN 1498535283.
  2. ^ (初，壽闐之在孕，母胡掖氏因寢而產於被中，鮮卑謂被為「禿髮」，因而氏焉。) Book of Jin, Volume 126
  3. ^ (壽闐卒，孫樹機能立，壯果多謀略。) Book of Jin, Volume 126
  4. ^ (六月戊午，秦州刺史胡烈击叛虏于万斛堆，力战，死之。诏遣尚书石鉴行安西将军、都督秦州诸军事，与奋威护军田章讨之。) Book of Jin, Volume 3
  5. ^ (六月，戊午，胡烈讨鲜卑秃发树机能于万斛堆，兵败被杀。都督雍、凉州诸军事扶风王亮遣将军刘旂救之，旂观望不进。亮坐贬为平西将军，旂当斩。亮上言：“节度之咎，由亮而出，乞丐旂死。”诏曰：“若罪不在旂，当有所在。”乃免亮官。遣尚书乐陵石鉴行安西将军，都督秦州诸军事，讨树机能。树机能兵盛，鉴使秦州刺史杜预出兵击之。预以虏乘胜马肥，而官军县乏，宜并力大运刍粮，须春进讨。鉴奏预稽乏军兴，槛车征诣廷尉，以赎论。既而鉴讨树机能，卒不能克。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volumen 79
  6. ^ (泰始七年夏四月，北地胡寇金城，凉州刺史牵弘讨之。群虏内叛，围弘于青山，弘军败，死之。) Book of Jin, Volume 3
  7. ^ (會樹機能寇亂秦、雍，帝以爲憂，愷曰：「宜得威望重臣有智略者以鎭撫之。」帝曰：「誰可者？」愷因薦充，純亦稱之。秋，七月，癸酉，以充爲都督秦、涼二州諸軍事，侍中、車騎將軍如故；充患之。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 79
  8. ^ (咸寧初，羌俘樹機能等叛，遣眾討之，三千餘級...又詔詔遣七千人。代涼州守兵。樹機能、侯彈勃等欲先劫佃兵，駿命平護軍文俶督涼、雍諸軍各進屯以威之。機能秦遣所領二十部彈勃面縛軍門，各遣入質子。安定、北地、金城諸胡吉軻羅、侯金多及北俘熱冏等二十萬口又來降。) Book of Jin, Volume 38
  9. ^ (咸寧中，又斬涼州刺史楊欣於丹嶺，盡有涼州之地。) Book of Wei, Volume 99
  10. ^ (隆依八陣圖作偏箱車，地廣則鹿角車營，路狹則為木屋施于車上，且戰且前，弓矢所及，應弦而倒。奇謀間發，出敵不意。或夾道累磁石，賊負鐵鎧，行不得前，隆卒悉被犀甲，無所留礙，賊咸以為神。轉戰千里，殺傷以千數。) Book of Jin, Volume 57
  11. ^ (咸宁五年冬，马隆西渡温水，树机能等以众数万据险拒之。隆以山路狭隘，乃作扁箱车，为木屋，施于车上，转战而前，行千馀里，杀伤甚众。自隆之西，音问断绝，朝廷忧之，或谓已没。后隆使夜到，帝抚掌欢笑，诘朝，召群臣谓曰：“若从诸卿言，无凉州矣。”乃诏假隆节，拜宣威将军。隆至武威，鲜卑大人猝跋韩且万能等帅万馀落来降。十二月，隆与树机能大战，斩之，凉州遂平。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 80
  12. ^ (樹機能後為部民沒骨所殺，從弟務丸統任。) Book of Wei, Volume 99
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