背景

趙光裔生年不詳。其家族最初來自奉天（位于現在的陝西咸陽），但是後來搬到了東都洛陽，本人是否出生于洛陽則不詳。他的曾祖父趙植據記載官至唐嶺南節度觀察使。趙光裔的祖父趙存約曾擔任山南西道節度使李絳的從事，在公元830年，李絳和包括趙存約在內的眾多下屬都死于兵變。趙光裔的父親趙隱進士及第，最終在唐宣宗年間成為宰相。

唐末時期

趙光裔年輕時，以刻苦學習，注重修養著稱，唐光啟三年（887年），進士擢第。兄長趙光逢先已及第，弟趙光胤後也及第。入仕後，于唐昭宗乾寧年間，從思勛郎中、弘文館學士，做到膳部郎中，知制誥（負責起草文件），賜金紫。同時，趙光逢任中書舍人（正五品），趙光胤也官至駕部郎中（從五品）。兄弟數人並列顯貴，各以品行雅正，學識清高著名。北人聞其名聲，都相當欽佩敬服。後來，光逢相後梁，光胤相後唐，光裔和兒子趙損先後做了南漢的宰相。一門同時出了四位相國，時人譽之為家門榮耀，縉紳盛事。唐朝滅亡後，在取代唐朝的後梁仍任原職。

後梁時期

908年，梁太祖派趙光裔和右補闕李殷衡充官告使，授名義上為封臣實則獨立、控制已改名為清海的嶺南東道鎮的節度使軍閥劉隱（南漢烈宗）為清海和靜海節度使。劉隱將二人留在清海，不許他們回洛陽。劉隱十分敬重趙光裔，以禮相待，推心置腹，留作自己的機密參謀。不久，更奏請提拔光裔為節度副使。

南漢時期

公元917年，南漢高祖劉岩稱帝，拜光裔為兵部尚書，與李殷衡、楊洞潛一同拜為同平章事（即宰相）。不久後升為門下侍郎。自此升居相位，掌管內外政務，參議國事機要，統領大局。

趙光裔覺得自己出身于名門，家族威望尤顯赫，即使放在中原朝廷也是數一數二的。現在雖然官至宰相，但南漢朝廷割據嶺南一隅，遠離中原，時常被稱為「僭偽」。因此常覺羞恥，泱泱思歸。劉岩得知到光裔的想法，想安撫他，于是背地裡練習起光裔的筆跡。熟練後，模仿筆跡寫了封家書，派人潛入洛陽，把光裔的兩個兒子趙損、趙益及老小家眷接來廣州。一家人得以團聚，光裔又驚又喜，自此之後便盡心盡職于南漢。

南漢一度和北面鄰國楚國關係融洽。楚開國之君馬殷及其繼任者皆為後梁及其後繼者後唐、後晉的名義封臣，劉岩在稱帝前就于915年娶了馬殷的女兒。稱帝後，他立馬氏為皇后。但934年馬皇后死後，兩國關係惡化，楚國的繁榮也對南漢構成威脅。大有年間，因南漢與楚國連年戰爭，勞民傷財。939年，光裔便上奏曰：「自馬皇后崩後四、五年來，未嘗通使于楚。親鄰舊好，不可忘也。」同時推薦善辯好才，反應機敏的李紓作為使者出使楚國，雙方言和，罷兵交好。李紓不辱使命，和談進行得很成功，不久後楚國也派來使者回訪。此後兩國保持友好關係，終劉岩之朝，不見兵戈，邊境安寧。

光裔在南漢為相二十多年，嶺南邊陲之地，在他治理下，引入了先進的生產技術，發展海陸貿易交往，使得府庫充實，富甲一方；同時積極與周邊國家改善關係，聯姻通好，和睦四鄰，邊烽無警。時人稱為賢相。940年初，趙光裔卒。死後，已改名劉䶮的劉岩任趙光裔子趙損繼為宰相。

評價

• 《十國春秋》論曰：五季時，中原擾攘，獨嶺海承平小安，民不受兵，光裔、洞潛之功居多。

注釋及參考文獻

分類:五代十國人物

Background

It is not known when Zhao Guangyi was born. His family was originally from Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), but had later relocated to the Tang Dynasty eastern capital Luoyang, although it is not clear whether he himself was born in Luoyang. His great-grandfather Zhao Zhi (趙植) was said to have served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Lingnan East Circuit (嶺南東道, headquartered in modern Guangzhou, Guangdong). Zhao Guangyi's grandfather Zhao Cunyue (趙存約) was an assistant to Li Jiang the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) when Li and a large number of his staff members, including Zhao Cunyue, were killed in a mutiny in 830. Zhao Guangyi's father Zhao Yin was a prominent official who eventually became a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.

During Tang

Zhao Guangyi was said to be a hard studier in his youth. He passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class in 887; his older brother Zhao Guangfeng had done so earlier, and his younger brother Zhao Guangyin would do so later. During the middle of the Qianning era (894-898) of Emperor Xuānzong's grandson Emperor Zhaozong, Zhao Guangyi was made a Sixun Langzhong (司勳郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Lìbu), as well as a scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (弘文館). He was later made Shanbu Langzhong (膳部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Lǐbu, note different tone than the ministry of civil service affairs) and was in charge of drafting edicts. As Zhao Guangfeng was then at the more prestigious post of the chief imperial scholar and also drafting edicts, the brothers' elevation were considered an honor. Zhao Guangyi remained at those posts after Tang's destruction in 907 and succession by Later Tang.

During Later Liang

Among warlords who were nominally vassals, but acting in fact independently, of Later Liang's founding emperor Emperor Taizu was Liu Yin, who was in control of Lingnan East — which had been renamed Qinghai Circuit (清海) by that point. In 908, Emperor Taizu sent Zhao Guangyi and another imperial official, Li Yinheng, to Qinghai to officially bestow on Liu Yin the titles of military governor of Qinghai and Jinghai (靜海, headquartered in modern Hanoi, Vietnam) Circuits. After the bestowment, however, Liu Yin did not allow Zhao and Li to return to Later Liang's capital Luoyang, but instead kept them at Qinghai. Liu Yin made Zhao his deputy military governor.

During Southern Han

In 917, Liu Yin's brother and successor Liu Yan declared his domain a new state of Yue (shortly later renamed Han, and therefore known to historians as Southern Han), as its Emperor Gaozu. He commissioned Zhao Guangyi, Li Yinheng, and another official, Yang Dongqian, chancellors. Zhao was also made the minister of defense (兵部尚書).

Despite Zhao's service as Southern Han's chancellor, he had long longed to return to central China, as he felt that, as a member of a prominent Central Plains aristocratic family, it was shameful to serve for a regional state. Knowing this, Liu Yan wanted to comfort him, and therefore forged a letter in his handwriting style and sent a secret messenger to Luoyang to summon his two sons Zhao Sun and Zhao Yi (趙益) to Southern Han, and Zhao Sun and Zhao Yi subsequently took their families and went to Southern Han. Their arrivals was a pleasant surprise for Zhao Guangyi, and it was said that thereafter he wholeheartedly served Liu Yan.

Southern Han had, for some time, cordial relations with its northern neighbor Chu, whose founding king Ma Yin and his successors remained nominally vassals of Later Liang's (and later, its successor states Later Tang and Later Jin), and prior to his taking imperial title, Liu Yan had married a daughter of Ma Yin's in 915. After he declared himself emperor, he created her empress. After she died in 934, however, the relationship between the two states deteriorated, and Chu's prosperity became a major threat to Southern Han. In 939, Zhao spoke to Liu Yan about this, pointing out that the two states had not had formal relations since Empress Ma's death, and advocating that an emissary be sent to Chu. He further recommended the official Li Shu (李紓) as a suitable emissary. After Li's mission, Chu also sent emissaries to Southern Han, It was said that after these exchanges, there were no further troubles between Southern Han and Chu for the rest of Liu Yan's reign.

It was said that for the over two decades that Zhao served as chancellor, the Southern Han imperial storage was full, and that the borders were safe. He died around the new year 940. After his death, Liu Yan made Zhao Sun a chancellor to succeed him.

Notes and references

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms (十國春秋), vol. 62.

• Book of Southern Han (南漢書), vol. 9.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 267, 270, 282.