Yin Hao

For the chess player, see Yin Hao (chess player).

Yin Hao (殷浩; died 356), courtesy name Yuanyuan (渊源),[a] was a Chinese politician of the Jin dynasty.

Background

Yin Hao was from an aristocratic family in Changping, and when he was young, he became known for intelligence and metaphysical discussions.[1] His father Yin Xian (殷羡; fl.320-343)[b] served as the governor of Yuzhang (modern day Nanchang) during the Jianyuan era (343-344) of the reign of Emperor Kang of Jin;[2] Xian's younger brother Yin Rong (殷融) was Yin Zhongkan's grandfather.[3] Yin Hao's wife was Yuan Nühuang; her younger sister Nüzheng was Xie Shang's wife.[4] The sisters were great-granddaughters of Yuan Huan.[5]

Life

Yin Hao temporarily served on Yu Liang's staff, but subsequently declined an invitation by Yu Liang's younger brother Yu Yi (庾翼) to serve on his staff, and he lived the life of a hermit. Gradually, officials and commoners began to believe that he had the ability to guide the Jin state to great things, and people even observed his behavior to venture guesses as to what the fortunes of the state would be. In 346, he finally agreed to join the government as the governor of the capital region.

In 348, after Huan Wen destroyed Cheng-Han and merged its territory into Jin's, key officials of the Jin imperial government began to fear that he would use his military might to try to dominate the government. The regent for Emperor Mu, Sima Yu the Prince of Kuaiji therefore invited Yin to participate in important government decisions. Yin and Huan immediately developed a rivalry and suspected each other of treachery.

In 350, intent on proving himself as much of a general as Huan, Yin had himself commissioned with a large army, preparing to recover central and northern China as rival Later Zhao was collapsing into civil war, but for reasons unknown delayed the campaign. Later that year, he took even greater power, as after another major official, Cai Mo, repeatedly declined an imperial honor, he accused Cai of being disrespectful and had Cai imprisoned. He was prepared to execute Cai, but was persuaded not to, but Cai was still demoted to commoner status.

Around the new year 352, Huan, upset that his requests to lead armies north had been rebuffed by Yin and Sima Yu, mobilized his troops and gestured as if he were about to attack the capital. Yin was shocked, and initially considered either resigning or send the imperial banner of peace (Zouyu Fan, 騶虞幡) to order Huan to stop. However, after advice from Wang Biaozhi (王彪之[c]), he instead asked Sima Yu to write a carefully worded letter to Huan, persuading Huan to stop.

Later in 352, Yin launched his own campaign, but upon the start of the campaign, former Later Zhao generals in control of Xuchang and Luoyang rebelled, and his venture had to halt to deal with these rebellions. Subsequently, when his assistants, the generals Xie Shang and Yao Xiang tried to attack Zhang Yu (張遇), the general in control of Xuchang, Former Qin forces came to Zhang's aid and defeated Xie's troops. Yin then abandoned the campaign entirely.

In fall 352, Yin prepared a second campaign. Initially the campaign had some success, recovering Xuchang from Former Qin. However, Yin became suspicious of Yao's military capabilities and independence, and therefore tried to assassinate Yao. Yao discovered this, and, as Yin headed north, he ambushed Yin's troops, inflicting heavy losses on Yin. Yao then took over the Shouchun (壽春, in modern Lu'an, Anhui) region. The people despised Yin for his military losses, and Huan submitted a petition demanding Yin's ouster. The imperial government was compelled to demote Yin to commoner status and exile him to Xin'an (信安, in modern Quzhou, Zhejiang).

At a later point, Huan, still believing that Yin was capable, offered him an important purely civilian post, and wrote to Yin a letter stating his intentions. Yin was very pleased and was about to accept, but he, hesitating at the appropriate language for the acceptance, wrote and rewrote his response, and eventually, in a trance-like state from his anxiety, sent Huan a blank letter. When Huan received it, he was enraged, and from that point refused to have any further communication with Yin. Yin died in 356, while still in exile. After his death, a former subordinate Gu Yuezhi (father of Gu Kaizhi) submitted a memorial; after reading the memorial, the Jin imperial court posthumously restored Yin to his former position.[6]

Descendants

Hao's son Yin Juan (殷涓) had an excellent reputation. During the Xian'an era (371-372) of the reign of Emperor Jianwen of Jin, Huan Wen accused Yin Juan and Yu Qing (庾倩; son of Yu Bing) of plotting treason with Sima Xi (司马晞), Prince of Wuling and Emperor Jianwen's younger brother, and had Yin and Yu killed.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ To avoid naming taboo, his biography in the Tang-era Jin Shu recorded his courtesy name as Shenyuan (深源). His courtesy name being "Yuanyuan" was recorded in vol.249 of Taiping Yulan.
  2. ^ During Su Jun's rebellion, Yin Xian, as Tao Kan's subordinate, was well-known for advising Tao to attack Shitou quickly; this advice eventually led to Su's death. (陶侃将救大业，长史殷羡曰：“吾兵不习步战，救大业而不捷，则大事去矣。不如急攻石头，则大业自解。”侃从之。羡，融之兄也。庚午，侃督水军向石头。庾亮、温峤、赵胤帅步兵万人从白石南上，欲挑战。峻将八千人逆战，遣其子硕及其将匡孝分兵先薄赵胤军，败之。峻方劳其将士，乘醉望见胤走，曰：“孝能破贼，我更不如邪！”因舍其众，与数骑北下突陈，不得入，将回趋白木陂；马踬，侃部将彭世、李千等投之以矛，峻坠马；斩首，脔割之，焚其骨，三军皆称万岁。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.94.
  3. ^ Wang Biaozhi's biography in vol.76 of Jin Shu recorded that he was a son of Wang Bin (王彬), younger brother of Wang Yi (王廙); Wang Yi was an uncle of Wang Xizhi. According to the epitaph (晋王羲之妻郗璿墓识) of Wang Xizhi's wife Xi Xuan (郗璿; daughter of Xi Jian), a daughter of Yin Hao was the wife of Xizhi's fifth son Wang Suzhi. (次子肃之，字幼恭。妻陈国殷氏，父讳浩，字渊源，使 [ 持节 ]中军将军、扬州刺史。) Wang Biaozhi's granddaughter Wang Yingyan was the wife of Yin Zhongkan.

References

  1. ^ Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature (vol. 3 & 4): A Reference Guide, Part Three & Four. BRILL. 2014-09-18. pp. 1903–1904. ISBN 978-90-04-27185-2.
  2. ^ (殷羡，建元中为豫章太守...) Taiping Yulan, vol.71, citing Jin Shu.
  3. ^ (浩识度清远，弱冠有美名，尤善玄言，与叔父融俱好《老》《易》。) Jin Shu, vol.77 (biography of Yin Hao). (殷仲堪，陳郡人也。祖融，太常、吏部尚書。) Jin Shu, vol.84 (biography of Yin Zhongkan). Vol.94 of Zizhi Tongjian also recorded that Yin Xian was Yin Rong's elder brother.
  4. ^ (〈袁氏谱曰：“耽大妹名女皇，适殷浩。小妹名女正，适谢尚。”〉) Yuan Shi Pu annotation in Shishuo Xinyu, vol.23.
  5. ^ (〈《袁氏世纪》曰：涣有四子，侃、㝢、奥、准。) Yuan Shi Shiji annotation in Sanguozhi, vol.11; (准子冲，字景玄，光禄勋。冲子耽。...耽字彦道，...) Jin Shu, vol.83.
  6. ^ (浩后将改葬，其故吏顾悦之上疏讼浩曰：....疏奏，诏追复浩本官。....顾悦之....子凯之，别有传。) Jin Shu, vol.77. The memorial is reproduced here: "伏见故中军将军、扬州刺史殷浩体德沈粹，识理淹长，风流雅胜，声盖当时，再临神州，万里肃清，勋绩茂著，圣朝钦嘉，遂授分陕推毂之任。戎旗既建，出镇寿阳，驱其豺狼，翦其荆棘，收罗向义，广开屯田，沐雨栉风，等勤台仆。仰凭皇威，群丑革面，进军河洛，修复园陵。不虞之变，中路猖蹶，遂令为山之功崩于垂成，忠款之志于是而废。既受削黜，自摈山海，杜门终身，与世两绝，可谓克己复礼，穷而无怨者也。寻浩所犯，盖负败之常科，非即情之永责。论其名德深诚则如彼，察其补过罪己则如此，岂可弃而不恤，使法有馀冤！方今宅兆已成。埏隧已开，悬棺而窆，礼同庶人，存亡有非命之分，九泉无自诉之斯，仰感三良，昊天罔极。若使明诏爰发，旌我善人，崇复本官，远彰幽昧，斯则国家威恩有兼济之美，死而可作，无负心之恨。"
  7. ^ (子涓，亦有美名，咸安初，桓温废太宰、武陵王晞，诬涓及庾倩与晞谋反，害之。) Jin Shu, vol.77
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