背景和早期經歷

諸葛爽曾在家鄉當過伍長，因故被縣尉杖責後開小差，淪為乞丐。咸通九年（868年）龐勛起事攻占徐州，諸葛爽加入了叛軍，積累軍功成為龐勛的小校，聚徒于青、棣之間，劫掠郡縣，臨沂人王虔裕跟隨之。龐勛戰敗後，諸葛爽和泗州守將陽群率百餘士兵向朝廷投降。乾符元年（874年）四月，朝廷下詔討民變首領王仙芝，褒獎諸葛爽等反正之人。才子羅隱也上書招討使宋威，舉諸葛爽反正事。諸葛爽累遷汝州防禦使。

廣明元年（880年），朝廷又面臨沙陀首領李國昌及其子李克用的叛亂。二月，沙陀叛軍威脅重鎮河東的太原府，諸葛爽奉命率領東都洛陽守軍北上赴代州救援，四月被北面行營招討使李琢表為副招討，與其他東北面行營兵馬歸李琢統屬，五月，被任為蔚、朔招討副使，又取代被召回長安任左金吾大將軍的吳師泰任振武節度使，但吳師泰抗命，指使軍民上表挽留自己。十月，唐僖宗無法迫使吳師泰從命，只得允許他留任振武，改任諸葛爽為夏綏節度使，加檢校尚書右僕射。

十一月，僖宗命河東節度使鄭從讜將軍隊交給諸葛爽和代州刺史北面行營馬步都虞候後院軍使朱玫等軍，由後者率代北行營兵馬赴長安阻擊黃巢，鄭從讜遣牙將論安率軍五千跟隨諸葛爽。但在長安陷落之前，諸葛爽和朱玫並沒能及時救援，十二月，僖宗被迫逃往成都。黃巢稱帝，建立大齊政權。時任代北行營兵馬使的諸葛爽與朱玫、左武衛將軍權知夏綏銀節度事拓跋思恭等屯軍渭橋。諸葛爽到同州，率工北行營兵在長安附近的櫟陽駐軍對抗屯東渭橋的黃巢部將朱溫。黃巢命朱溫誘諸葛爽投降，諸葛爽因兵敗而投降了。

接管河陽

諸葛爽降齊後，被黃巢任為河陽節度使，派往河陽。朝廷的河陽節度使羅元杲發兵抵抗，但因搜刮錢財為人所怨，他的士兵都棄甲迎接諸葛爽，羅元杲被迫逃奔僖宗行在。諸葛爽就此接管河陽，同鄉牛禮跟從他。中和元年（881年）三月，他卻又上表僖宗，要求重歸朝廷。僖宗同意了，任他為河陽節度使，進位檢校司徒，授京師東南面招討諸行營副都統。二年（882年）正月，任為諸道行營左先鋒使。五月，當時擁兵自重無心勤王的淮南節度使高駢表稱「自來所用將帥，上至帥臣，下及裨將，以臣所料，悉可坐擒，用此為謀，安能集事」，僖宗下詔反駁稱「卿尚不能縛黃巢于天長，安能坐擒諸將？只如拓拔思恭、諸葛爽輩，安能坐擒耶？勿務大言，不堪垂訓。」當月，又加諸葛爽同中書門下平章事的宰相榮銜。六月，朱溫據同州，諸葛爽率輕兵入城，朱溫偃旗設伏以待，諸葛爽以為朱溫已遁逃，軍士解甲住宿，伏兵發作，諸葛爽丟棄全部鎧馬奔還。黃巢部將尚讓派朱溫攻西關，敗諸葛爽，又破行營右司馬王重榮，諸葛爽閉關不出。

對抗韓簡

八月，鄰鎮的魏博節度使韓簡野心勃勃，想吞併鄰鎮，親率軍三萬攻打河陽，在修武擊敗諸葛爽，諸葛爽放棄河陽逃走。韓簡命部將趙文弁駐守河陽，自己東征天平軍。高駢派崔致遠寫信褒揚韓簡而罵諸葛爽。三年（883年）二月，河陽百姓示好諸葛爽，請求他回來。當時，諸葛爽已經到了金商，但得知消息後率兵一千返回河陽，進入軍部孟州，魏博守軍大驚。諸葛爽卻禮貌地對待了他們，給予賞賜後令趙文弁率他們回魏博。之前，黃巢在唐軍壓力下已經退出長安，向東返回之際，知光州事李罕之被投降黃巢的奉國軍節度使秦宗權攻打，率餘部投奔諸葛爽，被諸葛爽署為懷州刺史。黃巢所任吏部尚書的充水運使張居言也依附諸葛爽，累遷至裨校，屢有戰功，諸葛爽表為澤州刺史。

這時，韓簡攻天平軍軍部鄆州不克，剛和天平軍留後朱瑄議和，遂回攻河陽，諸葛爽派李罕之抵禦魏博軍，在新鄉遭遇，李罕之在武陟大敗韓簡八萬軍，清水為之不流。韓簡後也在偏將樂行達領導的兵變中被殺。諸葛爽軍從此大振。

而黃巢則仍然對河南的許多藩鎮構成威脅。忠武節度使周岌、感化節度使時溥、宣武節度使朱溫（已降唐，改名朱全忠）都向李克用求助。李克用已經重新降唐，且在收複長安時起到重要作用。四年（884年）二月，時任河東節度使的李克用率蕃漢之師五萬到天井關，向諸葛爽借道救援被黃巢圍攻的陳州刺史趙犨和周岌，但諸葛爽有所顧忌，藉口洛陽附近跨黃河的橋尚未修好，拒絕了。他還駐軍澤州萬善，堙井以防李克用。最後李克用繞過河陽，改道河中。

光啟元年（885年）三月時，據有河陽、洛陽的諸葛爽與其他眾多軍閥一樣自擅兵賦，不納貢，朝廷不能制，只能姑息。朝廷累加諸葛爽檢校司空，詔為東南面招討使，伐秦宗權，諸葛爽表李罕之為副，令屯宋州，又表為河南尹、東都留守。秦宗權遣都將孫儒攻東都洛陽，李罕之出奔，諸葛爽與孫儒戰于洛水，敗。諸葛爽派將接收洛陽，被李罕之驅逐，諸葛爽不能制止。

最終結局

唐僖宗光啟二年十月，河陽節度使諸葛爽卒，帳中大將劉經與張居言立其子諸葛仲方為留後，而牛禮則率十餘人改投朱全忠。

評價

儘管諸葛爽以叛軍起家，但善于理政，法令嚴明，人無怨嘆，所以得到了人士的稱讚和百姓的支持。

注釋及參考文獻

Background and early career

It is not known when Zhuge Shuang was born, but it is known that he was from Bochang (博昌, in modern Binzhou, Shandong). He was a local militia soldier at one point and served at his home county of Bochang, but after he was caned by the county magistrate for reasons lost to history, he deserted and became a beggar. When Pang Xun rebelled and took over Xu Prefecture (徐州, in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) in 868, Zhuge joined his army and became a low-level officer. When the imperial troops subsequently attacked Pang and Pang's strength was fading, Zhuge took some 100 soldiers and surrendered to the imperial army, along with fellow officer Yang Qun (陽群). He was eventually made the defender of Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Pingdingshan, Henan).

In 880, the Tang imperial government was facing a rebellion led by the Shatuo chieftain Li Guochang and Li Guochang's son Li Keyong, and the Shatuo rebels were threatening Taiyuan Municipality, the capital of the important Hedong Circuit. At that time, Zhuge, who was still serving as the defender of Ru Prefecture, was ordered to take the troops defending the eastern capital Luoyang north to help relieve Taiyuan. He was also made the deputy to the overall commander of the operations, Li Zhuo (李涿). He was also subsequently made the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhenwu Circuit (振武, headquartered in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia), replacing Wu Shitai, who was summoned back to the capital Chang'an to serve as an imperial guard general, but Wu resisted the order. Then-reigning Emperor Xizong could not force Wu to accept the order, and thereafter allowed Wu to remain at Zhenwu while making Zhuge the military governor of Xiasui Circuit (夏綏, in modern Yulin, Shaanxi).

In late 880, with the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao approaching Chang'an, Emperor Xizong ordered the military governor of Hedong, Zheng Congdang, to give his troops to Zhuge and Zhu Mei, to have them take them to Chang'an to help stop the Huang attack, but it did not appear that Zhuge and Zhu had the opportunity to do so before Chang'an fell to Huang, forcing Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu. Huang declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. Zhuge subsequently camped his troops at the site of modern Xi'an, near Chang'an, opposing those of Huang's general Zhu Wen. Huang had Zhu Wen send overtures to Zhuge to persuade Zhuge to submit to Qi, and Zhuge subsequently did.

Takeover of Heyang Circuit

After Zhuge Shuang submitted to Qi, Huang Chao commissioned him the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) and sent him to Heyang to try to take it over. The Tang-commissioned military governor Luo Yuangao tried to resist him, but Luo's soldiers deserted Luo and surrendered to Zhuge, and Luo was forced to abandon Heyang and flee to Emperor Xizong. Zhuge thus took over Heyang. In spring 881, however, he submitted a petition to Emperor Xizong, offering to resubmit to Tang. Emperor Xizong accepted and commissioned him the military governor of Heyang. Emperor Xizong further bestowed on him the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi in 882.

Campaign against Han Jian and aftermaths

In fall 882, Han Jian the military governor of nearby Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), who had ambitions of seizing nearby circuits' territory, attacked Heyang, defeating Zhuge Shuang at Xiuwu (修武, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan), and Zhuge abandoned Heyang and fled. Han subsequently left an army commanded by his officer Zhao Wenbian at Heyang to defend it, while he himself headed east and attacked Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong). In winter 882, however, the people of Heyang sent overtures to Zhuge to ask him back. At that time, Zhuge had gone as far as Jinshang Circuit (金商, headquartered in modern Shangluo, Shaanxi), but upon receiving this news returned to Heyang and entered the capital Meng Prefecture (孟州), surprising the Weibo garrison. He politely parlayed with them, gave them rewards, and sent them away. Meanwhile, Li Hanzhi the prefect of Guang Prefecture (光州, in modern Xinyang, Henan) was attacked by Qin Zongquan, who had submitted to Huang Chao (who had by that point, under Tang pressure, abandoned Chang'an and headed back east), and fled to Zhuge. Zhuge commissioned him as the prefect of Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Jiaozuo).

Meanwhile, Han was unable to capture Tianping's capital Yun Prefecture (鄆州), and eventually entered into a peace agreement with Tianping's acting military governor Zhu Xuan in spring 883. He then returned to Heyang and tried to attack it. Zhuge sent Li Hanzhi to defend against the Weibo attack, and Li Hanzhi defeated Han at Wuzhi (武陟, in modern Jiaozuo). (Subsequently, Han was killed by his soldiers in a mutiny led by Le Xingda.)

At this time, Huang was still posing a threat to many Tang circuits south of the Yellow River, and several of those military governors (Zhou Ji the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan), Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered at Xu Prefecture), and Zhu Wen (who had by this point submitted to Tang and changed his name to Zhu Quanzhong) the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan)) sought aid from Li Keyong (who had resubmitted to Tang and was instrumental in Tang's recapture of Chang'an). In spring 884, Li Keyong, who was then the military governor of Hedong, sought passage through Zhuge's territory, but Zhuge was apprehensive of Li Keyong's intentions, and therefore refused on the excuse that the Yellow River bridge near Luoyang had not been repaired. He further stationed his troops at Wanshan (萬善, in modern Jiaozuo) to guard against Li Keyong. Li Keyong thus bypassed Heyang and went through Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) instead.

Zhuge died in winter 886. His officers Liu Jing and Zhang Quanyi supported his son Zhuge Zhongfang (諸葛仲方) to be the acting military governor. Soon, however, Liu suspected Li Hanzhi's intentions and attacked him. Zhang, however, was also unhappy about Liu's control of Zhuge Zhongfang's administration, and therefore joined forces with Li Hanzhi to battle Liu. Liu initially defeated them, but subsequently, Qin's officer Sun Ru attacked Heyang, and Zhuge Zhongfang abandoned Heyang and fled to Xuanwu, ending the possibility of the Zhuge family's intergenerational hold on Heyang.

It was said that while Zhuge rose from the ranks of rebels, his rulings were logical, and the territory he governed had clear laws that were easy to follow, and therefore the people supported him.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 182.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 187.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 253, 254, 255, 256.