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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary


diflcOYered his duplicity through a eunuch, and allowed him to retire. Canonised as ^ J^ . •

2806 Wen T'ien-hsiang ^ ^ ^(T.^^and Jf #.H.^ \\\).

A.D. 1236 — 1283. A native of Chi-shui in Eiangsi , who graduated as first c7n'i) shih in 1256 (see Wang Ying^lin) and entered upon a public career. He attracted attention in 1260 by memorialising the Emperor Li Tsung to behead ||^ ^j^ |£ Tung Sung-ch^€n, who had advised his Majesty to leave the capital, then at Hangchow, and flee before the advance of the victorious Mongols; and he followed this up by denouncing Ghia Sstl-tao for his cowardly advice in the same direction. In 1275 he was at ^ Ean-chou in Eiangsi, when orders were issued for the levy of troops to make a further attempt to arrest the tide of invasion. His army, partly composed of aborigines from the frontier of Eueichou, was cut to pieces; and he was ordered to abandon Soochow, whither he had been sent in the interim, and to repair to the capital to take measures for its defence. Thence he was sent as envoy to Bay an, the Mongol general, who made him prisoner and sent him off to Peking. He managed however to escape on the way, and fled to W^Qchow. Another levy of troops in Eiangsi was followed by a crushing defeat from ^ jg[ Li H§ng at ^ ^ Hsing-kuo, when almost all his family fell into the hands of the victor. He himself got clear off and reached Euangtung in safety. In 1278 he was ennobled as Duke and raised another army, hot the fates were against him. An epidemic broke out amongst the soldiers, of which his own mother and one son died, and he was again defeated and captured at 3£ J^ *^ Wu-p*o-ling. On beiog taken to the tent of Chang Hung-fan, his conqueror, he was ordered to prostrate himself; but he firmly refused, and Chang met him on terms of host and guest. He was then taken to Yai-shan, the last retreat of the last representative of the great Sung dynasty, but refused to write and advise capitulation. In 1279 he was conveyed