家世

孔循生于唐僖宗中和四年（884年），祖上、籍贯失载。早孤，流落到宣武军军部汴州，与董璋、高季昌都被富人李让养为子。后来朱全忠为宣武军节度使，李让成为朱全忠养子，孔循也改姓为朱。因此他长大后，与董璋、高季昌都效力朱全忠帐下，朱全忠诸子有一乳母喜爱他，养他为子，她丈夫姓赵，孔循就也姓了赵，取名殷衡。

天佑元年（904年），已控制唐昭宗的朱全忠迫唐昭宗从长安迁到他掌控更为牢固的洛阳。昭宗一到洛阳，所有宫内人员都被朱全忠所任，这样朱全忠可以牢固掌控宫中事务。以赵殷衡为宣徽副使，王殷为正使。在任上，赵殷衡与枢密使蒋玄晖、太常卿张廷范共同参与当年末奉朱全忠命弑昭宗的图谋。唐昭宗年幼的儿子唐哀帝继位。

唐哀帝年间

二年（905年），朱全忠准备篡位。蒋玄晖、张廷范和朱全忠另一盟友宰相柳璨因而筹备改朝换代的传统仪式步骤，其中包括为时封梁王的朱全忠封一个更大的王号，授九锡。但朱全忠不耐心，希望加速改朝换代。王殷和赵殷衡嫉妒蒋玄晖有权有宠，想取代他，十一月就趁出使汴州之机向朱全忠诬陷蒋玄晖、柳璨在用这些仪式延长唐朝国祚，以希局势有所改变，十二月又诬陷蒋玄晖与柳璨、张廷范于哀帝母何太后的居所积善宫夜宴，对太后焚香为誓，共商复唐，刻了石像埋在积善宫。朱全忠相信了，将蒋玄晖下狱，以赵殷衡权判宣徽院事，又斩蒋玄晖，罢枢密使及宣徽南院使之职，只置宣徽使一员，任王殷为之，赵殷衡为副。王殷、赵殷衡又诬称何太后私通蒋玄晖；她随后也被王殷和赵殷衡奉朱全忠密令缢杀于积善宫。朱全忠并捕杀柳璨、张廷范。赵殷衡被任为枢密副使。朱全忠于四年（907年）迫唐哀帝禅位于己，代唐建立后梁，为后梁太祖皇帝。

后梁年间

后梁乾化元年（911年）七月，太祖赏保义军节度使王檀守御邢州之功，加开府仪同三司、检校太尉，进封琅琊郡王，命时任宣徽使的赵殷衡携诏书慰谕，赐绢千匹、银千两。后梁年间，赵殷衡历任汝州防御使、左卫大将军、租庸使，改回原本姓名孔循。

后唐年间

后唐庄宗年间及影响

龙德三年（923年），后梁为大敌后唐所灭，孔循成为后唐庄宗部下。同光二年（924年）八月，租庸使王正言中风。因庄宗宠信的伶人景进推荐，庄宗提拔王正言副使孔谦为正使，时任右威卫大将军的孔循为副使。在庄宗统治的馀年，孔谦以为增加皇帝个人收入而对百姓课以重税闻名，导致百姓怨恨庄宗。孔循在孔谦抽重税行为中起到的作用不详。

三年（925年）四月，孔循权知汴州。四年（926年），庄宗因遭到百姓和自己将领的怨恨面临多起叛乱。一个名叫皇甫晖的士兵因为赌博失利，煽动同袍们发动了兵变，是为邺城之变，引发一连串的叛乱，庄宗养兄李嗣源奉命前去邺城平乱，却被士兵挟持而一起叛变。三月，李嗣源从邺城向汴州南下，庄宗也意图从都城洛阳前往汴州阻止李嗣源进军。孔循决定首鼠两端，于是同时遣使奉表去庄宗处和秘密送款李嗣源，欢迎他们，并秘密告诉下属：「先到的入城。」预备以北门迎李嗣源，西门迎庄宗，备下了相同的礼物。城中的骑将曹州刺史西方邺责怪他说：「主上破梁，对公有不杀之恩，你为什么想迎接总管（指李嗣源）？」孔循不答。西方邺揣度孔循不可以理相争，考虑到李嗣源部下左射军统领石敬瑭的妻子是李嗣源的女儿，正在汴州，想杀了她来坚定人心。孔循知其谋，将石妻藏在家中，西方邺无可奈何。李嗣源先到汴州，于是孔循迎接李嗣源入城。庄宗意识到这以后，回到洛阳。李嗣源发兵洛阳，时前翰林学士冯道因服丧完毕刚被复召，行经汴州，孔循劝冯道暂留等待，冯道说：「吾奉诏赴阙，岂可自留！」快速赶到洛阳。四月，庄宗在洛阳被部将从马直指挥使郭从谦发起的兵变所害。李嗣源随后入洛阳，初自称监国，仍在思量是自己夺位还是将帝位给正从后唐灭前蜀之战班师的庄宗子李继岌。时值前朝枢密使张居翰告老，在李嗣源盟友武宁军节度使李绍真推荐下，李嗣源以孔循为枢密副使。不久李继岌被部将们抛弃，自杀，李嗣源准备登基。孔循以左骁卫大将军被任为枢密使。李绍真和孔循认为唐朝国运已尽，建议另建国号，不再用唐朝的土德，但因吏部尚书李琪建议，李嗣源决定维持唐国号，以庄宗继承人身份继位，即后唐明宗。

后唐明宗年间

明宗刚登基不久，因不识字，多命在朝政中有权势的近臣枢密使安重诲读四方奏摺，但安重诲学问粗浅，时常不懂文辞的深意。孔循教安重诲访求儒者置于左右，而两人都不知道唐朝故事，于是因孔循建议遵循唐朝侍读官员之号，五月，明宗设置端明殿学士，任命冯道等为之。六月，汴州控鹤指挥使张谏作乱，很快被马步都指挥使、曹州刺史李彦饶镇压。明宗命孔循暂时知汴州，并逮捕作乱者指挥使赵虔等家属三千馀家。又加孔循检校太保、守秘书监，依前充枢密使。孔循奉命将赵虔等全部族诛。

同时孔循与安重诲结盟。安重诲因孔循熟知朝廷故事，常听其建议。明宗罢前朝宰相豆卢革和韦说后，考虑相国的继位人选。任圜即将拜相。安重诲不希望任圜被任为唯一的宰相，问孔循宰相人选。孔循不喜欢河北人（即后唐前身晋国境内人，与被称为河南人的原后梁境内人相对）为宰相，且与曾同在后梁共事的太子宾客郑珏交好，于是称郑珏在后梁贞明年间久在中书省为宰相，性畏慎有长者之风，美文辞，好人物；并推荐太常卿崔协。而任圜在成为宰相后则推荐李琪。郑珏被任为宰相，任圜、安重诲、郑珏、孔循商议宰相人选。孔循希望崔协也被任为宰相，且与郑珏都厌恶李琪，二人对安重诲称「李琪不是没有文才，但不廉洁！宰相，端方有器度的人足以为之，太常卿崔协可以。」后来群臣在明宗面前议论拜相时，安重诲推荐崔协，任圜反对。朝议没有结果，退朝时，宰相和枢密使在中兴殿廊屋下休息，孔循不作揖，拂衣而去，说：「天下事一也是任圜，二也是任圜，任圜是什么人！假如崔协暴死就算了，不死就必须做宰相。」于是称病不朝数日，明宗派安重诲告谕之，才入朝。孔循与安重诲每天说李琪的短处而称誉崔协，于是天成二年（927年）正月，明宗终以崔协、冯道并为宰相。当月又加安重诲兼侍中、孔循检校太傅、同平章事。任圜看重中书舍人李愚，屡次对安重诲推荐，欲用为宰相，也因孔循用事援引崔协而无果。

庄宗死后，已有独立于朝廷之举的荆南节度使南平王高季兴（即高季昌）更有独立之举，当年二月，攻取相邻的夔州。明宗怒讨之，以山南东道节度使刘训为南面招讨使、知荆南行府事。三月，刘训围荆南军部江陵，但因江陵城坚不能速克，将士及刘训本人都染病。四月，明宗派孔循去江陵前线劳军及视察战况。五月，孔循到，遣使入城说降，高季兴拒绝。山南东道军部襄州小校献上竹龙之术，造两道竹龙到江陵城下，也无用。江陵城防依旧坚固，明宗只得诏刘训军回。

九月，明宗将幸汴州，以孔循兼东都留守。

孔循性格狡猾奸佞，时仍为安重诲所亲信。明宗想以安重诲女儿为皇子妻，孔循对安重诲说：「公是机密之臣，不宜与皇子建立姻亲。」安重诲以为孔循此建议是好意，拒绝了明宗。久后有人对安重诲说：「孔循善于离间人，不可让他处在机密的地方。」孔循闻讯，也秘密派人结交明宗宠妃王德妃，以请求把自己的女儿嫁给皇子，于是王德妃请求以孔循女为皇子李从厚妻。明宗同意了。安重诲大怒。三年（928年）二月，以孔循充忠武军节度使，逐出中央政府，仍保留同平章事为荣衔及兼东都留守。郑珏在相位碌碌无为又患病耳聋，孔循罢官后他也不自安，急忙称病请辞，最终致仕。三月，中书省奏称孟夏荐飨应该由宰相行事，在朝只有宰相二员，推荐孔循摄太尉行事，孔循称自己作为使相有军务在身，不宜做祭祀这样重要的事。七月，洛阳有人私自酿酒，违背酒只能由国家专营的禁令，孔循灭其族。明宗认为这很冤枉，尽管没有为此惩罚孔循，却也在他人奏请下下诏允许百姓私自酿酒。十一月，李从厚与孔循女结婚，孔循去汴州参加婚礼，结交王德妃党羽，意图留在朝中；安重诲坚决反对，婚礼后，明宗命孔循回忠武军。四年（929年）四月，追回孔循带去藩镇赴任的中书直省吏。

长兴元年（930年）三月，孔循又被任为横海军节度使。二年（931年）三月，卒于任上。朝廷为之废朝。孔循女将在明宗死后李从厚的短暂统治时期内成为皇后。

注释及参考文献

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 (李让), 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 (蒋玄晖) 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 (景进), 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 (邺都, 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 (李彦饶). 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 (荆南, 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 (横海, 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.