家世

孔循生于唐僖宗中和四年（884年），祖上、籍貫失載。早孤，流落到宣武軍軍部汴州，與董璋、高季昌都被富人李讓養為子。後來朱全忠為宣武軍節度使，李讓成為朱全忠養子，孔循也改姓為朱。因此他長大後，與董璋、高季昌都效力朱全忠帳下，朱全忠諸子有一乳母喜愛他，養他為子，她丈夫姓趙，孔循就也姓了趙，取名殷衡。

天祐元年（904年），已控制唐昭宗的朱全忠迫唐昭宗從長安遷到他掌控更為牢固的洛陽。昭宗一到洛陽，所有宮內人員都被朱全忠所任，這樣朱全忠可以牢固掌控宮中事務。以趙殷衡為宣徽副使，王殷為正使。在任上，趙殷衡與樞密使蔣玄暉、太常卿張廷范共同參與當年末奉朱全忠命弒昭宗的圖謀。唐昭宗年幼的兒子唐哀帝繼位。

唐哀帝年間

二年（905年），朱全忠準備篡位。蔣玄暉、張廷范和朱全忠另一盟友宰相柳璨因而籌備改朝換代的傳統儀式步驟，其中包括為時封梁王的朱全忠封一個更大的王號，授九錫。但朱全忠不耐心，希望加速改朝換代。王殷和趙殷衡嫉妒蔣玄暉有權有寵，想取代他，十一月就趁出使汴州之機向朱全忠誣陷蔣玄暉、柳璨在用這些儀式延長唐朝國祚，以希局勢有所改變，十二月又誣陷蔣玄暉與柳璨、張廷范于哀帝母何太后的居所積善宮夜宴，對太后焚香為誓，共商複唐，刻了石像埋在積善宮。朱全忠相信了，將蔣玄暉下獄，以趙殷衡權判宣徽院事，又斬蔣玄暉，罷樞密使及宣徽南院使之職，只置宣徽使一員，任王殷為之，趙殷衡為副。王殷、趙殷衡又誣稱何太后私通蔣玄暉；她隨後也被王殷和趙殷衡奉朱全忠密令縊殺于積善宮。朱全忠並捕殺柳璨、張廷范。趙殷衡被任為樞密副使。朱全忠于四年（907年）迫唐哀帝禪位于己，代唐建立後梁，為後梁太祖皇帝。

後梁年間

後梁乾化元年（911年）七月，太祖賞保義軍節度使王檀守御邢州之功，加開府儀同三司、檢校太尉，進封琅琊郡王，命時任宣徽使的趙殷衡攜詔書慰諭，賜絹千匹、銀千兩。後梁年間，趙殷衡歷任汝州防禦使、左衛大將軍、租庸使，改回原本姓名孔循。

後唐年間

後唐莊宗年間及影響

龍德三年（923年），後梁為大敵後唐所滅，孔循成為後唐莊宗部下。同光二年（924年）八月，租庸使王正言中風。因莊宗寵信的伶人景進推薦，莊宗提拔王正言副使孔謙為正使，時任右威衛大將軍的孔循為副使。在莊宗統治的餘年，孔謙以為增加皇帝個人收入而對百姓課以重稅聞名，導致百姓怨恨莊宗。孔循在孔謙抽重稅行為中起到的作用不詳。

三年（925年）四月，孔循權知汴州。四年（926年），莊宗因遭到百姓和自己將領的怨恨面臨多起叛亂。一個名叫皇甫暉的士兵因為賭博失利，煽動同袍們發動了兵變，是為鄴城之變，引發一連串的叛亂，莊宗養兄李嗣源奉命前去鄴城平亂，卻被士兵挾持而一起叛變。三月，李嗣源從鄴城向汴州南下，莊宗也意圖從都城洛陽前往汴州阻止李嗣源進軍。孔循決定首鼠兩端，于是同時遣使奉表去莊宗處和秘密送款李嗣源，歡迎他們，並秘密告訴下屬：「先到的入城。」預備以北門迎李嗣源，西門迎莊宗，備下了相同的禮物。城中的騎將曹州刺史西方鄴責怪他說：「主上破梁，對公有不殺之恩，你為什麼想迎接總管（指李嗣源）？」孔循不答。西方鄴揣度孔循不可以理相爭，考慮到李嗣源部下左射軍統領石敬瑭的妻子是李嗣源的女兒，正在汴州，想殺了她來堅定人心。孔循知其謀，將石妻藏在家中，西方鄴無可奈何。李嗣源先到汴州，于是孔循迎接李嗣源入城。莊宗意識到這以後，回到洛陽。李嗣源發兵洛陽，時前翰林學士馮道因服喪完畢剛被複召，行經汴州，孔循勸馮道暫留等待，馮道說：「吾奉詔赴闕，豈可自留！」快速趕到洛陽。四月，莊宗在洛陽被部將從馬直指揮使郭從謙發起的兵變所害。李嗣源隨後入洛陽，初自稱監國，仍在思量是自己奪位還是將帝位給正從後唐滅前蜀之戰班師的莊宗子李繼岌。時值前朝樞密使張居翰告老，在李嗣源盟友武寧軍節度使李紹真推薦下，李嗣源以孔循為樞密副使。不久李繼岌被部將們拋棄，自殺，李嗣源準備登基。孔循以左驍衛大將軍被任為樞密使。李紹真和孔循認為唐朝國運已盡，建議另建國號，不再用唐朝的土德，但因吏部尚書李琪建議，李嗣源決定維持唐國號，以莊宗繼承人身份繼位，即後唐明宗。

後唐明宗年間

明宗剛登基不久，因不識字，多命在朝政中有權勢的近臣樞密使安重誨讀四方奏摺，但安重誨學問粗淺，時常不懂文辭的深意。孔循教安重誨訪求儒者置于左右，而兩人都不知道唐朝故事，于是因孔循建議遵循唐朝侍讀官員之號，五月，明宗設置端明殿學士，任命馮道等為之。六月，汴州控鶴指揮使張諫作亂，很快被馬步都指揮使、曹州刺史李彥饒鎮壓。明宗命孔循暫時知汴州，並逮捕作亂者指揮使趙虔等家屬三千餘家。又加孔循檢校太保、守秘書監，依前充樞密使。孔循奉命將趙虔等全部族誅。

同時孔循與安重誨結盟。安重誨因孔循熟知朝廷故事，常聽其建議。明宗罷前朝宰相豆盧革和韋說後，考慮相國的繼位人選。任圜即將拜相。安重誨不希望任圜被任為唯一的宰相，問孔循宰相人選。孔循不喜歡河北人（即後唐前身晉國境內人，與被稱為河南人的原後梁境內人相對）為宰相，且與曾同在後梁共事的太子賓客鄭玨交好，于是稱鄭玨在後梁貞明年間久在中書省為宰相，性畏慎有長者之風，美文辭，好人物；並推薦太常卿崔協。而任圜在成為宰相後則推薦李琪。鄭玨被任為宰相，任圜、安重誨、鄭玨、孔循商議宰相人選。孔循希望崔協也被任為宰相，且與鄭玨都厭惡李琪，二人對安重誨稱「李琪不是沒有文才，但不廉潔！宰相，端方有器度的人足以為之，太常卿崔協可以。」後來群臣在明宗面前議論拜相時，安重誨推薦崔協，任圜反對。朝議沒有結果，退朝時，宰相和樞密使在中興殿廊屋下休息，孔循不作揖，拂衣而去，說：「天下事一也是任圜，二也是任圜，任圜是什麼人！假如崔協暴死就算了，不死就必須做宰相。」于是稱病不朝數日，明宗派安重誨告諭之，才入朝。孔循與安重誨每天說李琪的短處而稱譽崔協，于是天成二年（927年）正月，明宗終以崔協、馮道並為宰相。當月又加安重誨兼侍中、孔循檢校太傅、同平章事。任圜看重中書舍人李愚，屢次對安重誨推薦，欲用為宰相，也因孔循用事援引崔協而無果。

莊宗死後，已有獨立于朝廷之舉的荊南節度使南平王高季興（即高季昌）更有獨立之舉，當年二月，攻取相鄰的夔州。明宗怒討之，以山南東道節度使劉訓為南面招討使、知荊南行府事。三月，劉訓圍荊南軍部江陵，但因江陵城堅不能速克，將士及劉訓本人都染病。四月，明宗派孔循去江陵前線勞軍及視察戰況。五月，孔循到，遣使入城說降，高季興拒絕。山南東道軍部襄州小校獻上竹龍之術，造兩道竹龍到江陵城下，也無用。江陵城防依舊堅固，明宗只得詔劉訓軍回。

九月，明宗將幸汴州，以孔循兼東都留守。

孔循性格狡猾奸佞，時仍為安重誨所親信。明宗想以安重誨女兒為皇子妻，孔循對安重誨說：「公是機密之臣，不宜與皇子建立姻親。」安重誨以為孔循此建議是好意，拒絕了明宗。久後有人對安重誨說：「孔循善于離間人，不可讓他處在機密的地方。」孔循聞訊，也秘密派人結交明宗寵妃王德妃，以請求把自己的女兒嫁給皇子，于是王德妃請求以孔循女為皇子李從厚妻。明宗同意了。安重誨大怒。三年（928年）二月，以孔循充忠武軍節度使，逐出中央政府，仍保留同平章事為榮銜及兼東都留守。鄭玨在相位碌碌無為又患病耳聾，孔循罷官後他也不自安，急忙稱病請辭，最終致仕。三月，中書省奏稱孟夏薦饗應該由宰相行事，在朝只有宰相二員，推薦孔循攝太尉行事，孔循稱自己作為使相有軍務在身，不宜做祭祀這樣重要的事。七月，洛陽有人私自釀酒，違背酒只能由國家專營的禁令，孔循滅其族。明宗認為這很冤枉，儘管沒有為此懲罰孔循，卻也在他人奏請下下詔允許百姓私自釀酒。十一月，李從厚與孔循女結婚，孔循去汴州參加婚禮，結交王德妃黨羽，意圖留在朝中；安重誨堅決反對，婚禮後，明宗命孔循回忠武軍。四年（929年）四月，追回孔循帶去藩鎮赴任的中書直省吏。

長興元年（930年）三月，孔循又被任為橫海軍節度使。二年（931年）三月，卒于任上。朝廷為之廢朝。孔循女將在明宗死後李從厚的短暫統治時期內成為皇后。

注釋及參考文獻

Background

Kong Xun was born in 884, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang, but his ancestry and home territory has been lost to history, as was his original personal name. He became an orphan early in his life, and gradually ended up in Bian Prefecture (汴州, in modern Kaifeng, Henan). He was taken into the household of a rich man named Li Rang (李讓), and Li raised him as an adoptive son. Later, when Zhu Quanzhong became the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered at Bian Prefecture), Li became an adoptive son of Zhu's, and so Kong also changed his family name to Zhu. As he grew older, he served in Zhu Quanzhong's army, and became favored by a wet nurse of one of Zhu Quanzhong's sons. She thus took him as an adoptive son, and as her husband's family name was Zhao, Kong took the family name of Zhao and a new personal name of Yinheng.

In 904, Zhu Quanzhong, who then had Emperor Zhaozong of Tang under his control, forced the Tang emperor to move the capital from Chang'an to Luoyang, which was more firmly under his control. Once Emperor Zhaozong arrived in Luoyang, all of the palace personnel were commissioned by Zhu, so that Zhu could tightly control the palace affairs. Zhao Yinheng became one of the deputy directors of palace affairs (宣徽副使, Xuanhui Fushi), under the director Wang Yin (王殷). While serving in that office, he participated in plotting, at Zhu's order, the assassination of Emperor Zhaozong in late 904, along with Jiang Xuanhui (蔣玄暉) and Zhang Tingfan. (Emperor Zhaozong was succeeded by his young son Emperor Ai.)

During the reign of Emperor Ai of Tang

In 905, Zhu Quanzhong was in preparation of seizing the imperial throne. Jiang Xuanhui, Zhang Tingfan, and another of Zhu's associates, the chancellor Liu Can, thus were preparing various traditional ceremonial steps for the dynastic transition, including the creation of Zhu to a princely title greater than the Prince of Liang title that he carried at that time and also the bestowment of the nine bestowments. Zhu, however, was impatient and wanted the transition to be speeded up. Wang Yin and Zhao Yinheng were jealous of Jiang and wanted to replace him, and so they submitted false accusations to Zhu stating that Jiang and Liu were using these ceremonies to try to extend Tang's dynastic life, hoping for a change in circumstances. Zhu believed in the accusations, and shortly after had Jiang, Liu, and Zhang arrested and executed. Wang and Zhao then further falsely accused Emperor Ai's mother Empress Dowager He of having an affair with Jiang; she thereafter was also killed by Wang and Zhao under secret order from Zhu. Zhu thereafter had Emperor Ai yield the throne to him in 907, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu.

During Later Liang

Sometime during Later Liang, Zhao Yinheng changed his family name back to Kong and took a new personal name of Xun. Among the offices he served in were defender of Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), general of the imperial guards, and director of material pricing (租庸使, Zuyongshi), but it is not clear what the exact progression of his offices were.

During Later Tang

During Emperor Zhuangzongs reign and aftermaths

After Later Liang was destroyed by its archrival Later Tang in 923, Kong Xun became a subject of Later Tang's Emperor Zhuangzong, and as of 924 was serving as a general of the imperial guards. That year, the Later Tang director of material pricing Wang Zhengyan (王正言) suffered a stroke. Under the recommendation of Emperor Zhuangzong's favored actor Jing Jin (景進), Emperor Zhuangzong promoted Wang's deputy Kong Qian to be director, with Kong Xun serving as his deputy. For the rest of Emperor Zhuangzong's reign, Kong Qian became known for inflicting heavy taxation on the people so that he could increase the emperor's personal wealth, which caused the people's anger against Emperor Zhuangzong; how much involvement Kong Xun had in Kong Qian's oppressive tax scheme is unclear.

As of 926, Kong Xun was serving as the acting prefect of Bian Prefecture, when Emperor Zhuangzong was facing multiple rebellions against him due to the resentment of the people and his own generals. One of the chief rebels was Emperor Zhuangzong's adoptive brother Li Siyuan, who had rebelled at Yedu (鄴都, in modern Handan, Hebei) (under duress by his own subordinates, according to traditional sources). Li Siyuan was advancing south from Yedu toward Bian Prefecture, while Emperor Zhuangzong was trying to head from the capital Luoyang to Bian Prefecture to cut off Li Siyuan's advance. Kong decided to play both sides, so he sent emissaries to both Emperor Zhuangzong and Li Siyuan welcoming them, while secretly informing his subordinates, "Whoever gets here first will get to enter." Li Siyuan arrived at Bian Prefecture first, so he welcomed Li Siyuan into the city. When Emperor Zhuangzong realized this, he returned to Luoyang, where he was then killed in a mutiny headed by the officer Guo Congqian. Li Siyuan subsequently entered Luoyang and was initially declared regent (while Li Siyuan was still pondering whether to take the throne himself or to offer the throne to Emperor Zhuangzong's son Li Jiji, who was then returning from the campaign in which Later Tang forces conquered Former Shu). Under the recommendation of Li Siyuan's ally Li Shaozhen, Li Siyuan made Kong Xun his chief of staff (Shumishi) when the carryover chief of staff Zhang Juhan requested retirement. Shortly after, when Li Jiji's own officers turned against him, Li Jiji committed suicide, so Li Siyuan prepared to take the throne. Li Shaozhen and Kong advocated that he end the use of the Tang dynastic name, but under the advice of the official Li Qi, Li Siyuan decided to retain the Tang dynastic name, taking the throne in the role of Emperor Zhuangzong's heir (as Emperor Mingzong).

During Emperor Mingzongs reign

Shortly after Emperor Mingzong took the throne, the Bian Prefecture officer Zhang Jian started a mutiny there, but the mutiny was quickly suppressed by the general Li Yanrao (李彥饒). Emperor Mingzong briefly put Kong Xun in charge of Bian Prefecture, and he arrested the mutineers' family members — some 3,000 households — and slaughtered them.

Meanwhile, Kong developed an alliance with fellow chief of staff An Chonghui, who was a close associate of Emperor Mingzong's and who was very powerful in his administration. As An believed that Kong was experienced in dealing with administrative matters, he often listened to Kong's suggestions. After Emperor Mingzong removed the carryover chancellors Doulu Ge and Wei Shuo, he was considering whom to commission as chancellors. Kong did not like the idea of having more chancellors from north of the Yellow River (i.e., from the region of Later Tang's predecessor state Jin, as opposed to the former Later Liang realm south of the Yellow River), and so was recommending Zheng Jue and Cui Xie, while the chancellor Ren Huan recommended Li Qi. Zheng was made chancellor, but Kong wanted Cui to be made chancellor as well, and so accused Li Qi of corruption. As a result, Emperor Mingzong commissioned Cui and Feng Dao as chancellors in spring 927. Shortly after, Emperor Mingzong also gave chancellor designations to An and Kong.

After Emperor Zhuangzong's death, Gao Jixing the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei) the Prince of Nanping, who was already acting somewhat independently of the imperial government, became even more independent-acting, including attacking nearby prefectures and taking them under his control. Emperor Mingzong, in anger, declared a general campaign against Gao, with the general Liu Xun in command. Liu put Jingnan's capital Jiangling under siege, but was unable to capture it quickly due to its strong defenses, and many soldiers and officers, including Liu himself, began to suffer from illnesses. In summer 927, Emperor Mingzong sent Kong to the Jiangling front to review the matter. Kong sent emissaries to Gao, trying to persuade him to surrender, but Gao refused. With Jiangling's defense holding, Emperor Mingzong was forced to recall Liu's army.

In 927, when Emperor Mingzong was visiting Bian Prefecture, he left Kong in charge of Luoyang. During this time, there was a commoner at Luoyang who violated the ban against private brewing of liquors (which was a state monopoly), and Kong reacted by slaughtering his entire family. Emperor Mingzong viewed this as a gross injustice (although he apparently did not punish Kong for it) and therefore in 928 ended the liquor monopoly.

During these years, Kong and An's alliance continued, but it would soon end. Emperor Mingzong was wanting to take a daughter of An's to be the wife for one of his sons, and Kong stated to An, "You, Lord, has responsibilities that are close to the emperor, and it is inappropriate to enter a marital relationship with an imperial prince." An, believing Kong's good faith in advising so, declined Emperor Mingzong's proposal. Meanwhile, though, Kong was ingratiating himself with Emperor Mingzong's favorite concubine Consort Wang, and as a result, Consort Wang proposed to have Emperor Mingzong's son Li Conghou marry Kong's daughter. Emperor Mingzong agreed, and when An realized that Kong had, in effect, betrayed him, he became very angry. In spring 928, he had Kong made the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan), ejecting him from the imperial government, although Kong continued to carry the honorary chancellor title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi and defender of Luoyang as honorary titles. When Li Chonghou and Kong's daughter married in winter 928, Kong went to Bian Prefecture to attend the ceremony, and Kong tried to get Consort Wang to intercede for him to allow him to stay at the imperial government; An, however, argued vehemently against it, and once the wedding was over, Emperor Mingzong ordered Kong back to Zhongwu.

Kong was subsequently made the military governor of Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei). He died in 931, while still serving at Henghai. His daughter would later become empress during Li Conghou's brief reign after Emperor Mingzong's death.

Notes and references

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 43.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 265, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277.