Kou Zhun
In the Chanyuan Campaign he insisted that Emperor Zhenzong lead the army in person, leading to the Treaty of Chanyuan.
Life
Upright and outspoken
Kou Zhun passed the jinshi exam at 19 and was known as upright and outspoken; he once grabbed Emperor Taizong of Song's robe in the palace hall to make him hear out a remonstrance.
Chanyuan Campaign
In 1004 the Liao army advanced south in force. Some at court urged moving the capital to Jinling or Chengdu, but Kou Zhun, then chancellor, insisted that Emperor Zhenzong lead the campaign in person. When Zhenzong reached Chanzhou and mounted the tower of the northern city wall, Song morale soared; the Liao commander Xiao Talin was killed by a crossbow bolt, and the two sides concluded the Treaty of Chanyuan.
Died in exile at Leizhou
Later Wang Qinruo slandered Kou Zhun, saying he had used the emperor as a "last stake" in a gamble, and he was dismissed as chancellor. In 1022 he was pushed out by the powerful minister Ding Wei and demoted to revenue administrator of Leizhou, dying in exile the following year.
Legacy
Kou Zhun turned the tide when the state faced ruin, and the Treaty of Chanyuan brought more than a century of peace between Song and Liao.
Major works & achievements
- Urged Emperor Zhenzong to lead the campaign in person, bringing about the Treaty of Chanyuan
Did you know? Wang Qinruo turned Emperor Zhenzong against him by calling his strategy "staking everything on a single throw," and that idiom comes from this episode.
Key dates
- 980Passed the jinshi exam
- 1004Insisted on the emperor's personal campaign; Treaty of Chanyuan
- 1006Dismissed as chancellor
- 1022Demoted to Leizhou
- 1023Died