Traditional Chinese 陶謙 Name Tao Qian Simplified Chinese 陶谦 Role Han dynasty | Pinyin Died 194 AD Wade–Giles T'ao Ch'ien | |
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Courtesy name Gongzu (Chinese: 恭祖; pinyin: Gongzu; Wade–Giles: Kung-tsu) Similar People Liu Bei, Cao Bao (died 196), Cao Cao, Tian Kai | ||
Tao Qian (132-194), courtesy name Gongzu, was a government official and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Xu Province.
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Early life and career
Tao Qian was from Danyang Commandery (丹楊郡); the commandery capital was around present-day Ma'anshan, Anhui. As a young man, he was known for being studious and honest. While in the service of the Han dynasty, he led the armed forces in Danyang Commandery to suppress rebellions.
When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, he was appointed as the Inspector of Xu Province and he succeeded in clearing the area of rebel forces. He was sent to the northwestern frontiers during the Liang Province Rebellion, where he served under Zhang Wen. During the campaign, he insulted Zhang Wen and angered him. However, Sun Jian and Dong Zhuo served on the same campaign, and both of them also were unhappy with Zhang Wen's leadership as well. In the chaos of Dong Zhuo's coup d'état and the battles that followed, Tao Qian, having returned to Xu Province, gained control of the neighbouring Yang Province. However, after that he showed no ambition to expand his territory any further.
Tao Qian was responsible for starting the careers of Wang Lang, Zhu Zhi and Chen Deng, all of whom would play fairly important roles in the historical events leading to the end of the Han dynasty. However, at the same time he was prone to joining forces with unscrupulous characters, such as Ze Rong, Cao Hong (曹宏) and Que Xuan (闕宣), and on the other hand not appointing Zhao Yu (趙昱), a loyal and capable subordinate, to a position of trust. Those who did not respond to his requests to serve him, such as Zhang Zhao and Lü Fan, he had imprisoned, and he also attempted to harm the family of Sun Ce, who was serving Yuan Shu at the time.
Cao Cao's invasion of Xu Province
In 193, Cao Cao's father Cao Song was travelling through Xu Province to join Cao Cao in Yan Province. Tao Qian's subordinate, Zhang Kai (張闓), attacked the baggage train, killing Cao Song and escaping with the loot. The death of Cao Song prompted Cao Cao, then the Governor of Yan province, to lead an army to invade Xu Province and massacre countless civilians – ostensibly to avenge his father. Tao Qian requested aid from his allies in Qing Province, and was joined by Tian Kai and his subordinate Liu Bei, and with the reinforcements Tao Qian was able to resist Cao Cao. Cao Cao's forces eventually ran out of supplies and had to withdraw back to Yan Province.
Tian Kai returned north, but Tao Qian provided Liu Bei with several thousand troops from Danyang, so Liu Bei switched his service from Tian Kai to Tao Qian.
Cao Cao launched a second invasion in 194, but was forced to turn back when Zhang Miao and Chen Gong rebelled against him and helped a rival warlord, Lü Bu, seize control of his base in Yan Province.
Tao Qian died of illness in 194. His subordinates Mi Zhu and Mi Fang invited Liu Bei to be the new Governor of Xu Province. Liu Bei initially declined and offered the governorship to Yuan Shu, but Kong Rong eventually convinced him to accept.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Tao Qian offers Liu Bei the governorship of Xu Province three times, but Liu Bei, with his kind heart, declines every time, saying "I shall never take advantage of one's situation, especially when he is so close to passing over." In 194, on his death bed, Tao Qian attempted one last time to ask Liu Bei to take over; Liu Bei accepted it so as to honour Tao Qian's dying wish. Tao Qian dies peacefully soon after.