Du Tao
杜弢
Prefect of Liling (醴陵令)
In office
311 (311)–311 (311)
MonarchEmperor Huai of Jin
Personal details
BornUnknown
Chengdu, Sichuan
Died315
RelationsDu Zhi (grandfather)
Courtesy nameJingwen (景文)

Du Tao (died 16 September 315?[1]), courtesy name Jingwen, was a Chinese rebel leader during the Jin dynasty (266–420). In 311, he was proclaimed a leader of an uprising led by Ba and Shu refugees in Jingzhou and Xiangzhou (湘州; in modern Hunan), who were oppressed by the local administrators and populace. Du Tao fought with the Jin forces led by Wang Dun, Tao Kan and Zhou Fang for roughly four years, before he presumably died while fleeing in 315, putting an end to his rebellion.

Life

Brief stint under Luo Shang

Du Tao was from Chengdu, Yizhou (in present-day Sichuan) and was the grandson of a famous official in Shu Han named Du Zhi (杜植) during the Three Kingdoms period. In 300, the official Luo Shang was made Inspector of Yizhou. It was during this time that Du Tao was likely chosen by Luo Shang to be an Abundant Talent candidate.

In Yizhou, Luo Shang had an unsteady relationship with a powerful refugee leader named Li Te. Luo Shang was ordered by the court to send the refugees back to Qinzhou and Yongzhou, while Li Te, at the behest of the refugees, wanted to lengthen their stay until it was completely safe for them to return. Luo Shang tolerated them at first, but was later determined to carry out his duty. Li Te's envoy, Yan Shi (閻式), managed to persuade Du Tao into helping the refugees by talking his superior into extending their stay. In fact, Du Tao was inclined to give the refugees a year-long extension instead of Yan Shi's initial proposal of extending to winter. However, Luo Shang refused to listen to Du Tao, so in protest, Du Tao returned his Abundant Talent slate and went back home.[2]

Refugee crisis in Jingzhou and Xiangzhou

In 311, Du Tao was forced to migrate to Nanping commandery (南平郡, in present-day Gong'an County, Hubei) due to a recent uprising by a Shu native named Li Xiang (李驤, not to be confused with the Cheng Han general of the same name, Li Xiang). The Administrator of Nanping, Ying Zhan (應詹), had known of Du Tao's talents. Because of this, Ying Zhan welcomed him and appointed him the Prefect of Liling. After Li Xiang occupied Lexiang (樂鄉; northeast of present-day Songzi, Hubei), Du Tao and Ying Zhan attacked and routed him. Later, Li Xiang offered his surrender to the Inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng tricked Li Xiang by pretending to accept his surrender before killing him and drowning 8,000 of his followers in the Yangtze.[3]

Resentment grew among the Ba and Shu refugees, who were fleeing their homelands west to avoid the rise of Cheng Han in Yizhou.[4] They were treated poorly by the local administrators and populace, and the recent actions by Wang Cheng only disturbed them more. Not long after, another native of Shu named Du Chou (杜疇) rebelled. The recent uprisings by Shu refugees were beginning to arouse suspicion among officials in Jingzhou and Xiangzhou. In the end, the Inspector of Xiangzhou, Xun Tiao (荀眺), planned to carry out a mass execution on the refugees. However, his plans leaked out to the public, which caused the refugees to revolt en masse in Jingzhou and Xiangzhou. Because Du Tao was from Shu and a popular figure, the rebels proclaimed him as their leader.[5]

First rebellion

Du Tao agreed to lead the rebellion, declaring himself the Governor of Liangzhou and Yizhou. He occupied the city of Changsha where Xun Tiao resided, forcing him to retreat to Guangzhou. The Inspector of Guangzhou, Guo Ne (郭訥), and Wang Cheng sent their generals to quell the rebellion, but Du Tao routed them. Du Tao allowed his men to plunder and pillage, and for a brief while, he surrendered to the Jin general, Shan Jian (山簡) before resuming his revolt. Du Tao killed the newly appointed Inspector of Jingzhou, Guo Cha (郭察), and continued his successes by conquering Lingling, Guiyang and Wuchang while killing many officials along the way.[6]

The following year, Wang Cheng was dismissed by Sima Rui as Inspector of Jingzhou in favor of Zhou Yi due to as Wang was displayed inefficient leadership and was constantly defeated by Du Tao. Just as Zhou Yi arrived at his base, a refugee from Jianping (建平, in present-day Jingzhou), Fu Mi (傅密) as well as others rose up in support of Du Tao. Du Tao sent his subordinate Wang Zhen (王眞) to help the rebels by attacking Mianyang, enveloping Zhou Yi from two sides. With Jin at the brink of losing Jingzhou, the Jin commander, Wang Dun, immediately sent Tao Kan, Zhou Fang and Gan Zhuo to support Zhou Yi.[7]

In 313, Tao Kan saved Zhou Yi at Xunshui by forcing Du Tao to retreat to Lingkou after Tao sent Zhu Ci to reinforce Zhou. He later predicted that Du Tao would go to Wuchang next, so Tao Kan took many shortcuts to get to the commandery as quick as possible. Du Tao had indeed been planning to go to Wuchang, but as Tao Kan had arrived first, he was defeated by a counterattack which caused him to retreat back to Changsha. Later that year, Du Tao faced Tao Kan and Zhou Fang again, but was once more defeated.

Brief surrender

By 315, Du Tao's forces were beginning to collapse. Continuous defeats against the Jin forces were diminishing his numbers, causing him to ask Sima Rui for surrender. When Sima Rui rejected it, he then wrote a lengthy letter to Ying Zhan, justifying his rebellion by stating the oppression faced by his followers under the Jin regime. Ying Zhan sympathized with him, so he sent the letter to Sima Rui along with his own testimony as to why Du should be pardoned. Sima Rui was impressed by Du's reasonings and sent an official named Wang Yun (王運) to accept his surrender.

Along the way, Du Tao was also appointed as Chief of military affairs in Badong commandery (巴東郡; around present-day Chongqing). However, although Du Tao's surrender was acknowledged by Sima Rui, the Jin generals were eager to claim credit for putting down the rebellion, so they continued relentlessly harassing Du Tao's forces. Du was angered by this and felt that his deal had not been honoured. Therefore, when Wang Yun arrived, Du Tao had him killed and resumed his rebellion.[8]

Second rebellion and fate

Du Tao sent his general Zhang Yan (張彥) to raid Yuzhang commandery (豫章, present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi). Zhang Yan burned many of the cities and towns in the commandery, but he was later defeated and killed by Zhou Fang's forces. Later, Zhou Fang attempted to attack Xiangcheng with a navy, but at the same time, Du Tao had sent his general Du Hong (杜弘) to attack Penkou (湓口, in present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi). Zhou Fang turned back to face Du Hong, who he had a back and forth battle with, but was eventually successful in turning him away.[9]

Later that year, Du Tao was locked with Tao Kan in a stalemate. In his final battle, Du sent his general Wang Gong (王貢) to lead against Tao Kan. However, Tao managed to convince Wang to defect to his side, which created confusion in Du Tao's army and caused them to scatter. Du Tao also retreated, but what became of him after this was unknown. Three different accounts stated that he either was killed,[10] successfully escaped and disappeared[11] or drowned himself in a river.[12] Regardless, the rebellion ended in 315 after Tao Kan recovered Changsha. Du Tao's followers were granted amnesty by Sima Rui after they surrendered.

References

  1. ↑ According to Emperor Min's biography in Book of Jin, Du Tao was killed on the guihai day of the 8th month of the 3rd year of the Jianxing era of his reign. This corresponds to 16 Sep 315 on the Julian calendar. However, this account is contradicted by the account found in Du Tao's own biography in the same work, which claimed that he successfully escaped and disappeared.
  2. ↑ (羅尚遣從事督遣流民，限七月上道。時流民布在梁、益，爲人傭力，聞州郡逼遣，人人愁怨，不知所爲；且水潦方盛，年穀未登，無以爲行資。特復遣閻式詣尚，求停至冬；辛冉及犍爲太守李苾以爲不可。尚舉別駕杜弢秀才，式爲弢說逼移利害，弢亦欲寬流民一年；尚用冉、苾之謀，不從；弢乃致秀才板，出還家。冉性貪暴，欲殺流民首領，取其資貨，乃與苾白尚，言：「流民前因趙廞之亂，多所剽掠，宜因移設關以奪取之。」尚移書梓潼太守張演，於諸要施關，搜索寶貨。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 84
  3. ↑ (巴、蜀流民布在荊、湘間，數爲土民所侵苦，蜀人李驤聚衆據樂鄕反，南平太守應詹與醴陵令杜弢共擊破之。王澄使成都內史王機討驤，驤請降，澄僞許而襲殺之，以其妻子爲賞，沈八千餘人於江；流民益怨忿。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 87
  4. ↑ (後為醴陵令。時巴蜀流人汝班、蹇碩等數萬家，布在荊湘間，而為舊百姓之所侵苦，並懷怨恨。) Book of Jin, Volume 100
  5. ↑ (蜀人杜疇、蹇撫等復擾湘州，參軍馮素與汝班不協，言于刺史荀眺曰：「流人皆欲反。」眺以為然，欲盡誅流人。班等懼死，聚眾以應疇。時弢在湘中，賊眾共推弢為主，弢自稱梁益二州牧、平難將軍、湘州刺史。) Book of Jin, Volume 100
  6. ↑ (攻破郡縣，眺委城走廣州。廣州刺史郭訥遣始興太守嚴佐率眾攻弢，弢逆擊破之。荊州刺史王澄復遣王機擊弢，敗于巴陵。弢遂縱兵肆暴，偽降于山簡，簡以為廣漢太守。眺之走也，州人推安成太守郭察領州事，因率眾討弢，反為所敗，察死之。弢遂南破零陵，東侵武昌，害長沙太守崔敷、宜都太守杜鑒、邵陵太守鄭融等。) Book of Jin, Volume 100
  7. ↑ (蜀賊杜弢作亂，荊州刺史周顗退走，敦遣武昌太守陶侃、豫章太守周訪等討韜，而敦進住豫章，為諸軍繼援。) Book of Jin, Volume 98
  8. ↑ (王敦遣陶侃、甘卓等討杜弢，前後數十戰，弢將士多死，乃請降於丞相睿，睿不許。弢遺南平太守應詹書，自陳昔與詹「共討樂鄕，本同休戚。後在湘中，懼死求生，遂相結聚。儻以舊交之情，爲明枉直，使得輸誠盟府，廁列義徒，或北清中原，或西取李雄，以贖前愆，雖死之日，猶生之年也！」詹爲啓呈其書，且言「弢，益州秀才，素有清望，爲鄕人所逼。今悔惡歸善，宜命使撫納，以息江、湘之民！」睿乃使前南海太守王運受弢降，赦其反逆之罪，以弢爲巴東監軍。弢旣受命，諸將猶攻之不已。弢不勝憤怒，遂殺運復反，遣其將杜弘、張彥殺臨川內史謝摛，遂陷豫章。三月，周訪擊彥，斬之，弘奔臨賀。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 89
  9. ↑ (而賊從青草湖密抄官軍，又遣其將張彥陷豫章，焚燒城邑。王敦時鎮湓口，遣督護繆蕤、李恆受訪節度，共擊彥。蕤于豫章、石頭，與彥交戰，彥軍退走，訪率悵下將李午等追彥，破之，臨陣斬彥。時訪為流矢所中，折前兩齒，形色不變。及暮，訪與賊隔水，賊眾數倍，自知力不能敵，乃密遣人如樵采者而出，於是結陣鳴鼓而來，大呼曰：「左軍至！」士卒皆稱萬歲。至夜，令軍中多布火而食，賊謂官軍益至，未曉而退。訪謂諸將曰：「賊必引退，然終知我無救軍，當還掩人，宜促渡水北。」既渡，斷橋訖，而賊果至，隔水不得進，於是遂歸湘州。訪復以舟師造湘城，軍達富口，而弢遣杜弘出海昏。時湓口騷動，訪步上柴桑，偷渡，與賊戰，斬首數百。賊退保廬陵，訪追擊敗之，賊嬰城處自守。尋而軍糧為賊所掠，退住巴丘。糧廩既至，復圍弘於廬陵。弘大擲寶物於城外，軍人競拾之，弘因陣亂突圍而出。訪率軍追之，獲鞍馬鎧杖不可勝數。弘入南康，太守將率兵逆擊，又破之，奔于臨賀。帝又進訪龍驤將軍。王敦表為豫章太守。加征討都督，賜爵尋陽縣侯。) Book of Jin, vol.89
  10. ↑ The account claiming his death was found in Emperor Min's biography in Book of Jin. (八月癸亥，戰于襄垣，王師敗績。荊州刺史陶侃攻杜弢，弢敗走，道死，湘州平。) Jin Shu, vol.05
  11. ↑ The account claiming his disappearance was found in his own biography in Book of Jin. (於是侃等諸軍齊進，真遂降侃，眾黨散潰。弢乃逃遁，不知所在。) Jin Shu, vol.100
  12. ↑ (城潰，弢投水死) The Annals of Han and Jin
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