生平

钱弘倧为文穆王钱元瓘第七子，忠献王钱弘佐之弟，孝献世子钱弘僔同母弟。诞生时，其父梦人献黄金一箧，故幼名万金。

后汉天福十二年（辽国会同十年，947年），钱弘佐去世，子尚年幼，因此在遗诏中命弟钱弘倧继立。天福十二年六月丙寅，即王位于杭州吴越王宫天册堂。当时辽太宗耶律德光灭后晋，占据中原，于是钱弘倧向其称臣；不久辽军退去，复对后汉称臣，奉其正朔。

先前忠献王钱弘佐在位时，诸将骄横，虽然擅权者旋遭诛杀，然而对下属还是颇为宽大；而钱弘倧个性严厉坚定，等到继位后，急欲改变这种情形，因此极力抑制将领。即位后不久在碧波亭检阅水师，内牙统军使胡进思进谏说颁赏太厚，钱弘倧怒，掷笔于水中。胡进思因害怕被铲除，遂先发制人。

后汉天福十二年（947年）十二月三十日（阳历为948年2月12日），钱弘倧在王宫中夜宴诸将。胡进思怀疑王将图己，于是率内牙亲兵戎服入宫，发动政变。钱弘倧被软禁于义和院，胡进思假传钱弘倧命令，称钱弘倧中风，并迎钱弘倧之异母弟钱弘俶于私第，将其策立为王。

钱弘俶即位后，迁钱弘倧于太祖钱鏐故里衣锦军，派匡武都头薛温保护，并嘱咐薛温：「自己没有杀兄的意思，一旦传来类似的命令，必须拚死拒绝。」胡进思屡次请求钱弘俶杀钱弘倧，钱弘俶都拒绝，胡进思又假传王命要薛温杀钱弘倧，薛温也拒绝；胡进思自己派刺客方安等二人持兵器翻墙去杀钱弘倧，钱弘倧发现后闭门呼救，薛温率军赶来在庭院击杀方安二人。虽然胡进思不久后即病逝，但钱弘倧还是继续被软禁。

后周广顺元年（951年），钱弘俶把钱弘倧迁至东府越州（今浙江绍兴），并为其兴筑宫室，以东府官物为供给。在西寝殿后的卧龙山为钱弘倧开辟花园，遍植花木。遇良辰美景，钱弘倧穿道士服，拥妓乐，旦暮登山赏景。每年元夜张灯于山谷，用油数千斤；七夕在山顶以绫罗结为彩楼，钱弘倧登山击鼓，声达于外，官吏报之，钱弘俶都不追究。以后每年逢年过节时的赠礼都非常丰厚。

北宋建立后，吴越国臣服北宋，为宋之先祖赵弘殷避讳，钱弘倧改名钱倧。宋太祖开宝年间，钱倧因病去世，享年四十四岁，以王礼葬之，赠諡忠逊王（一作諡让王）。

家庭

子女

子

• 钱昆

• 钱易

• 钱惟治，被钱弘俶养为子

Background

Qian Hongzong was probably born in 928. His father was Qian Chuanguan (later known as Qian Yuanguan, King Wenmu), who, as of 928, had been designated the heir to his father (Qian Hongzong's grandfather) Qian Liu (King Wusu), the founding king of Wuyue. His mother was Qian Chuanguan's concubine Lady Fu, who had previously given birth to Qian Chuanguan's oldest biological son (fifth son overall) Qian Hongzun. Qian Hongzong was Qian Chuanguan's seventh son (third biological). When Qian Hongzong was born, Qian Chuanguan dreamed of a man presenting him with a box of gold, and therefore nicknamed Qian Hongzong Wanjin ("10,000 catties of gold").

Early in his career, Qian Hongzong served as an officer of the Wuyue royal guard corps, and carried the honorary title of acting Sikong (司空, one of the Three Excellencies). In 944, during the reign of his older brother Qian Hongzuo (King Zhongxian), who had succeeded Qian Yuanguan, he was sent to Yue Prefecture (越州, in modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang) to serve as the comforter of the eastern headquarters (i.e., Yue), and was given the honorary title of acting Taiwei (太尉, also one of the Three Excellencies). In 947, Qian Hongzuo recalled him to Wuyue's capital Qiantang to serve as chancellor. Later in the year, Qian Hongzuo died, and, in his will, named Qian Hongzong the military governor (Jiedushi) of Wuyue's two main circuits, Zhenhai (镇海, headquartered at Qiantang) and Zhendong (镇东, headquartered at Yue), as well as the honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中). Shortly after, Qian Hongzong took the throne. For the time being, he used the Huitong era name of the Khitan Liao dynasty, as Qian Hongzuo had previously submitted to Liao as a vassal.

Reign

After Qian Hongzong took the throne, he recalled his younger brother Qian Hongchu, who was then serving as the prefect of Tai Prefecture (台州, in modern Taizhou, Zhejiang), to Qiantang, to serve as acting chancellor. Shortly after, the warlord Li Da, who controlled Weiwu Circuit (威武, headquartered in modern Fuzhou, Fujian), arrived from Weiwu to pay homage to him. Qian Hongzong granted Li Da an honorary chancellor title, and gave him a new name, Li Ruyun. Li, fearing that Qian Hongzong would detain him at Qiantang, bribed the powerful royal guard general Hu Jinsi, and Hu spoke on his behalf, asking Qian Hongzong to return Li to Weiwu. Qian Hongzong agreed. Shortly after, Li, who was beginning to have conflicts with the Wuyue general Bao Xiurang (鲍修让), whose army was stationed at Fu to both help him defend the city and watch his moves, and was plotting to assassinate Bao and surrender the city to Wuyue's neighbor Southern Tang. When Bao realized this, he ambushed Li and slaughtered Li's family.

In winter 947, Later Han's emperor Liu Zhiyuan, who had taken over the Central Plains after the Liao state's withdrawal, bestowed on Qian Hongzong the titles of Generalissimo of the Southeast Armies (东南兵马都元帅, Dongnan Bingma Du Yuanshuai), military governor of Zhendong and Zhenhai, Zhongshu Ling (中书令), and Prince of Wuyue. It was only at this point that Qian Hongzong accepted Liu as his lord and started to use Later Han's era name. At a later point, Later Han bestowed the greater title of king (Guowang, compared to simply Wang (王, "prince")) on Qian Hongzong, although it was not clear when. As king, Qian Hongzong was said to be strict, as he believed that Qian Hongzuo was overly lenient such that the generals had too much power, effectively depriving the king of ability to make decisions. After he became king, he executed three administrators of Zhenhai and Zhendong that he considered to be abusing power.

Hu continued to have substantial power in the governance of the state, drawing Qian Hongzong's displeasure, and the king considered sending him out to be a prefect of a prefecture, but Hu declined. Nevertheless, from this point on, Hu's suggestions were often met with rebuke, such that Hu built a small shrine to Qian Hongzuo in his home, offering sacrifices there and shedding bitter tears. There was one occasion when Qian Hongzong was reviewing the troops and announced an award for them. Hu thought that the award was excessive and argued against it, but the young king angrily threw his pen in to the water and stated, "My wealth is to be shared with the soldiers. How is it that there can be a limit to that?" There was also once an incident where a civilian was accused of slaughtering a cow privately (i.e., without paying the taxes for doing so). The investigating officer claimed that the civilian had 1,000 illegitimate catties of meat from the incident. Qian Hongzong turned to Hu and asked, "What much does the largest cow weigh?" Hu responded, "No more than 300 catties." Qian Hongzong then responded, "Then, the only conclusion is that the investigating officer's accusations were false." He ordered the investigating officer punished. When Hu congratulated him on his intelligent ruling, he responded, "How did you know about this, Lord?" Hu, stuttering, responded, "Before your subject joined the army, I used to do this." However, Hu believed that Qian already knew of his past and was merely intending to embarrass him publicly (as being a butcher was not considered an honorable profession), and therefore was even more unhappy about the king, particularly because the king also repeatedly rebuked him over the situation with Li Ruyun.

Around new year 948, Qian Hongzong began to discuss with two officials whom he felt he could trust, He Chengxun (何承训) and Shuiqiu Zhaoquan (水丘昭券), possibly expelling Hu from the headquarters. Shuiqiu thought it might be dangerous to do so due to Hu's hold on the army, and therefore Qian hesitated. He Chengxun, fearful that the news might leak, instead decided to leak it to Hu himself. One night, when Qian was holding a feast, Hu thought that Qian was intending to act against him then, and therefore gathered his soldiers and headed for the king's mansion. He surrounded the mansion and put the king under house arrest, and the issued an order in the king's name, claiming that the king had suffered a stroke and was therefore passing the throne to his younger brother Qian Hongchu. When he went to offer the throne to Qian Hongchu, Qian Hongchu agreed, on the condition that Qian Hongzong's life be spared. When Hu agreed, Qian Hongchu took the throne (as King Zhongyi). As part of the coup, Hu killed Shuiqiu and Qian Hongzong's uncle (Lady Fu's brother) Fu Guangxuan (鄜光铉).

After reign

Qian Hongchu moved Qian Hongzong to their grandfather Qian Liu's old mansion at Yijin Base (衣锦军, in modern Hangzhou), effectively under house arrest, and sent his trusted officer Xue Wen (薛温) to guard the mansion. He secretly instructed Xue, "If there were to be unusual orders an order to kill Qian Hongzong), it would not be out of my will. You should resist to the death."

Hu, meanwhile, was repeatedly trying to persuade Qian Hongchu to put Qian Hongzong to death, and Qian Hongchu resisted. Hu falsified a secret order to Xue, ordering Xue to kill Qian Hongzong, but Xue responded, "When your servant received his orders, he did not receive any such instructions, and he dares not to carry this out." Hu instead sent two assassins against Qian Hongzong, but Qian Hongzong discovered this and yelled for help; Xue then arrived with his soldiers and killed the assassins, and then reported this to Qian Hongchu, who was shocked but who responded, "That my brother remains alive is your accomplishment." Despite this, Qian Hongchu feared but remained cordial in his attitude toward Hu, who in turn became increasingly worried. Not long after, he suffered from a tumor on his back and died from it, and Qian Hongzong was able to escape further disaster.

In 951, Qian Hongchu moved Qian Hongzong to Yue Prefecture. Qian Hongchu further built a palace, along with gardens, for Qian Hongzong, hoping to please him, and supplied him with everything. Soon after arriving at Yue, Qian Hongzong had his first son, whom Qian Hongchu favored greatly, and therefore adopted as a son and named (in consistency with his own sons, who all had the character of Wei (惟) in their names) Qian Weizhi (钱惟治). (He would later have at least two more sons, Qian Kun (钱昆) and Qian Yi (钱易).) On holidays, Qian Hongzong would often put on the robe of a Taoist priest (Taoist monk) and take concubines and musicians to go up the mountain; he would also often beat drums loudly. When the guards reported this to Qian Hongchu, Qian Hongchu did not mind, stating, "My brother is troubled by his lack of duties. He will not be happy unless he can beat drums." Qian Hongzong (who, in his last years, would have his name changed to Qian Zong to observe naming taboo with Song's Emperor Taizu's father Zhao Hongyin) would die 20 years after being moved to Yue.

Personal information

• Father

　• Qian Liu

• Mother

　• Lady Fu, the Lady of Lu

• Children

　• Qian Weizhi (钱惟治), later adopted by Qian Chu, posthumously created the Prince of Pengcheng by Emperor Zhenzong of Song

　• Qian Kun (钱昆)

　• Qian Yi (钱易)

Notes and references