Jing Xiang (敬翔) (died November 20, 923?Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 272.The Zizhi Tongjian stated that Jing Xiang committed suicide upon hearing that his colleague Li Zhen had gone to the palace to beg Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang for pardon, which implied, but did not clearly state, that it was the morning of November 20, as that was the day when the Later Liang officials went to beg for pardon.), courtesy name Zizhen (子振), formally the Marquess of Pingyang (平陽侯), was the chief strategist of the late Chinese Tang dynasty warlord Zhu Quanzhong, who assisted Zhu in his consolidation of central China, which Zhu eventually established as a new Later Liang (as its Emperor Taizu) to replace Tang. Jing served in prominent roles in Emperor Taizu's administration and later administrations of his sons Zhu Yougui and Zhu Zhen, although neither listened much to Jing. After Li Cunxu the Prince of Jin—the chief rival state to Later Liang—launched a surprise attack on the Later Liang capital Daliang in 923, Zhu Zhen, facing defeat and capture, committed suicide, ending Later Liang. Jing, hearing of the state's destruction, also committed suicide.
Background It is not known when Jing Xiang was born. His family was from Fengyi (馮翊, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi) and was descended from the middle-Tang dynasty chancellor Jing Hui. His great-grandfather Jing Wan () and father Jing Gun () both served as prefectural prefects, while his grandfather Jing Xin () served as a prefectural governmental administrator. It was said that Jing Xiang, in his youth, was studious, and was particularly skillful at using knife-pens (i.e., knives that were used to carve text on bamboo). During the middle of Qianfu era (874–879) of Emperor Xizong, Jing submitted himself for imperial examinations but was not able to pass in the Jinshi class.History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 18.
After the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao captured the Tang imperial capital Chang'an around the new year 881,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 254. Jing left the Guanzhong region (i.e., the region around Chang'an), eventually going to Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), where, after Huang was expelled from the Chang'an region by Tang forces, his former subordinate Zhu Quanzhong, who had turned against him and became a Tang general, had been made the military governor (jiedushi). Zhu's assistant in his role as governor (觀察使, Guanchashi), Wang Fa (), was from the same locale as Jing, and Jing initially went to follow Wang. Wang treated him well, but had no opportunity to recommend him to Zhu. Jing, unable to distinguish himself, resorted to writing snippets of witty words and passing them around in Zhu's army. This impressed Zhu, who was not well-learned and did not like to read but who liked witty words. He thus summoned Jing to his presence and initially offered him an officer position. However, Jing did not want to be an army officer and requested a civilian position, and therefore was initially made the overseer of the communication station at Xuanwu, to be in charge of communiques with the imperial government and other circuits. During Zhu's subsequent campaigns against the rebel general Qin Zongquan, who declared himself emperor at Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), Jing participated in the strategy sessions. Zhu was impressed by Jing's strategies, and after Qin's destruction became particularly trusting of Jing.
As Zhu Quanzhong's chief strategist during the Tang dynasty It was said that, because Zhu Quanzhong's thoughts and actions were unpredictable, other staff members often found it difficult to give him advice. Jing Xiang, however, was often able to anticipate what he was thinking and complement the parts that his own plans were lacking, further causing him to entrust Jing with greater responsibility.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 257. For example, in 889, when two of Zhu's generals, Zhu Zhen (朱珍, not the same person as the later emperor) and Li Tangbin () had a dispute while both were attacking Zhu Quanzhong's rival Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) and Zhu Zhen killed Li in anger, Jing, after receiving the news, did not immediately inform Zhu Quanzhong (because he did not want Zhu Quanzhong to make a rash reaction). Rather, he waited to the night to inform Zhu Quanzhong and then suggested to Zhu Quanzhong that he should arrest Li's wife and children to first comfort Zhu Zhen, before carrying out any actions against Zhu Zhen. Zhu Quanzhong accepted this decision, and Zhu Zhen did not rebel at the time; it was only later, when Zhu Quanzhong visited the army personally that he ordered Zhu Zhen arrested and executed.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 258.
By 893, Zhu Quanzhong's army was worn out after having put Shi under siege at Ganhua's capital Xu Prefecture () for years, and one of the staff members, Zhang Tao (), had suggested to Zhu in a letter that the failure to capture Xu was the result of the army having been launched on a day of ill fortune. Zhu initially believed Zhang's words, but Jing pointed out that if these words spread, the army morale would collapse, so Zhu burned Zhang's letter. Subsequently, Zhu's general Pang Shigu () was able to capture Xu, and Shi committed suicide.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 259.
At the time of Shi's death, Jing had just lost his wife. Meanwhile, one of Shi's beautiful concubines was a Lady Liu, who had previously been the wife of Shang Rang, a chancellor in Huang Chao's administration. Zhu initially took Lady Liu as a concubine himself, but later decided to award her to Jing as his new wife. However, after Lady Liu became Jing's wife, she continued to carry on close relationship, perhaps sexual, with Zhu; as a result, Jing initially distanced himself from her. She, in anger, pointed out to Jing that she had been the wife of a chancellor (i.e., Shang) and the concubine to an honored military governor, and that her relationship with Zhu was to ensure that he would continue to trust Jing deeply, and she offered to let him divorce her if he wanted to. Jing saw the wisdom and also did not want to offend Zhu, and therefore remained married to her. (Thereafter, during the time that Zhu was still a Tang warlord, Lady Liu was said to be just as influential on his policies as Jing was.)
In 903, when Zhu had seized Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong back from Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), where Emperor Zhaozong had been forcibly taken by the eunuch Han Quanhui,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 263. Zhu returned Emperor Zhaozong to Chang'an, and Emperor Zhaozong bestowed on Jing and a number of Zhu's subordinates honors for their participation in Zhu's campaign;Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 264. he also personally welcomed Jing and another key staff member of Zhu's, Li Zhen, to the palace.
However, later in 903, Zhu and Emperor Zhaozong's chancellor Cui Yin, who had previously been allies, broke over Zhu's suspicion that Cui had his nephew Zhu Youlun () assassinated, whom Zhu had left in charge of the imperial guards at Chang'an. In 904, Zhu Quanzhong killed Cui and forced Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang. At a subsequent feast that Emperor Zhaozong held at the Luoyang palace, he initially invited Zhu to attend, but Zhu suspected Emperor Zhaozong of laying a trap for him; he therefore claimed to be already drunk and refused to attend. When Emperor Zhaozong said, "If Quanzhong does not wish to attend, let Jing Xiang come," Zhu hit Jing and stated, "Jing Xiang is also drunk!"Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 265.
In 905, Zhu conquered the domains of two brothers who were warlords opposing him—Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) and Zhao Kuangming the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei). He then, without initially planning it, decided to head east to attack Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). Jing advised him against it, pointing out that he had terrorized the other warlords already through his quick victory over the Zhaos, and that a failed campaign against Huainan would damage his reputation. Zhu, however, did not listen to Jing on this occasion, and regretted it after his attacks were repelled by Yang. However, it appeared that this was the exception, not the norm, for it was stated that Zhu's gradual consolidation of power was largely done with the advice of Jing.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 266.
During Emperor Taizu's reign In 907, Zhu Quanzhong had Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai yield the throne to him, ending Tang and establishing Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu. He changed the name of Tang's office of palace communications (樞密院, Shumi Yuan) to Xuanzheng Yuan () and transformed it from a eunuch-led organization to one led by regular officials, and he made Jing its acting director. Meanwhile, at Jing's and Li Zhen's suggestion, Emperor Taizu ordered 15 senior Tang officials into retirement, believing Jing's assertion that they were betrayers of the Tang cause and could not be trusted. Historians generally credited Jing for the general efficiency of Emperor Taizu's administration, despite Emperor Taizu's impulsiveness and, as he aged, violent behavior. For example, the Song dynasty historian Sima Guang, in his Zizhi Tongjian, commented, adopting a similar view from the History of the Five Dynasties:
In 911, Emperor Taizu bestowed the honorific title of Guanglu Daifu () on Jing and made him the acting minister of defense (兵部尚書, Bingbu Shangshu) and a chief imperial scholar at Jinluan Hall (). (Jing was the first person to receive that latter title.) He also created Jing the Marquess of Pingyang.
In 912, Emperor Taizu became seriously ill, and he summoned Jing to his presence to entrust a number of orders to him. One of those orders was to send Emperor Taizu's son Zhu Yougui the Prince of Ying out of the capital Luoyang to be the prefect of Lai Prefecture. Zhu Yougui, receiving the news, believed that Emperor Taizu's intent was to kill him, while passing the throne to his adoptive brother Zhu Youwen the Prince of Bo. He therefore entered the palace and assassinated Emperor Taizu. He issued an edict in Emperor Taizu's name putting Zhu Youwen to death; he then took the throne himself.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 268.
After Emperor Taizu's reign Zhu Yougui, after taking the throne, believed that, since Jing Xiang was a close associate of his father's, leaving Jing in charge of the office of palace communications would be dangerous, but as Jing had a good reputation, he did not want to cause the people to be disappointed in seeing Jing demoted. Therefore, he gave Jing a technical promotion—to be a chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi ()—and also Zhongshu Shilang (), but removed him from the office of palace communications, replacing him with Li Zhen. Jing, realizing that Zhu Yougui did not trust him, often claimed to be ill and did not involve himself in policy decisions.
In 913, Zhu Yougui's brother Zhu Youzhen the Prince of Jun carried out a counter-coup; when Zhu Yougui saw that he was nearing defeat, he committed suicide, and Zhu Youzhen became emperor. (Zhu Youzhen then changed his name to Zhu Zhen.)