Background

It is not known when Xu Shang was born. He was a fifth-generation descendant of Xu Yougong (徐有功), a famed judge during the reign of Wu Zetian. His family claimed to be originally descended from mythical Xia dynasty judge Gao Yao and traced its ancestry through a line of officials of the Qin dynasty, the Han dynasty, the state Cao Wei, the Jin dynasty (266–420), the Liu Song dynasty, the Southern Qi dynasty, the Liang dynasty, the Chen dynasty, and the Tang dynasty. His father Xu Zai (徐宰) served as a judge at the supreme court (大理寺, Dali Si). Xu Shang had at least one younger brother, Xu Gong (徐宫). By Xu Zai's time, the family was living in Xinzheng (新郑, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan). In Xu Shang's youth, he was a hermit in the Zhongtiao Mountains (中条山), but he later came out of the hermit living and passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class.

During Emperor Xuānzongs reign

Sometime during the Dazhong era (847–860) of Emperor Xuānzong, Xu Shang was promoted to be Shangshu Zuo Cheng (尚书左丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau of government (尚书省, Shangshu Sheng). At a later point, Emperor Xuānzong sent him to survey the border regions and to issue edicts in those regions. He was then made the military governor (jiedushi) of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). While he was serving there, there were a group of Tujue remnants who crossed the Yellow River and submitted to him. He settled them and organized them into an elite fighting force of 1,000 men.

Xu was later transferred to Shannan East Circuit (山南东道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei). As Shannan East had rugged terrain, there were many mountains where bandits gathered. Xu trained an elite group of soldiers to combat banditry. As of 858, when a mutiny at Hunan Circuit (湖南, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan) expelled the governor (观察使, Guanchashi) Han Cong (韩悰), Xu sent these elite soldiers to suppress the Hunan mutiny. He also sent some of his elite soldiers, under his officer Han Jiyou (韩季友), to aid Wei Zhou (韦宙) the governor of Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi) in combating a mutiny at Jiangxi, and subsequently Wei was able to suppress the mutiny there.

During Emperor Yizongs reign

Early in the Xiantong era (860–874) of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong, Xu Shang was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as the minister of justice (刑部尚书, Xingbu Shangshu) and the director of the salt and iron monopolies; he was also created the Viscount of Dongguan In 865, by which time he was apparently serving as chief imperial censor (御史大夫), he was made the deputy minister of justice (刑部侍郎, Xingbu Shilang) and given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中书门下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. In 869, he was sent out of Chang'an to serve as the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荆南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), continuing to carry the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi as an honorary title. He died while serving there, although the date is not known. His son Xu Yanruo later served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Zhaozong.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 113.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 249, 250, 251.

生平

徐有功的五世孙。早年读书于东条山。大和五年（831年），中进士，释褐秘书省校书郎。累迁侍御史，改礼部员外郎。不久改知制诰，转郎中，会昌三年（843年）充翰林学士，后拜中书舍人，累官山南东道（今湖北西北部）节度使。入京为御史大夫。宣宗大中八年（854年）拜河中节度使。咸通初年，担任刑部尚书，充诸道盐铁转运使，迁兵部尚书。咸通四年（863年），拜相。六年罢相，历官检校右仆射、江陵尹、荆南（今湖北江陵）节度观察使。后来入京担任吏部尚书，累迁太子太保，不久卒。有子徐彦若、徐仁嗣、徐仁矩（字广裕）、徐仁范、徐仁勖（字道诲）、徐彦枢。徐彦若后为唐昭宗宰相。曾孙女徐氏嫁孔昌弼之子孔葆。

参考书目

• 《旧唐书》卷一百七十九《徐彦若传》附

• 《新唐书》卷一百一十三《徐有功传》附