During Tang Dynasty

It is not known when Zhou Xiang was born, but he was said to be from Xu Prefecture (許州, in modern Xuchang, Henan). The first historical reference to him was in 887, when he was referred to as a former storage officer for Long Prefecture (龍州, in modern Mianyang, Sichuan). Apparently, after leaving that post, he became a guest of the general Wang Jian, who was then the prefect of Li Prefecture (利州, in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan).

In 887, then-reigning Emperor Xizong of Tang commissioned a new military governor (Jiedushi) of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), which Li Prefecture belonged to — Yang Shouliang, the adoptive nephew of the powerful eunuch Yang Fugong. Yang Shouliang was apprehensive about Wang's military abilities, and made several attempts to summon him to Shannan West's capital Xingyuan Municipality. Wang, in fear of what Yang might do to him, refused to go, and asked Zhou for advice. Zhou stated to him:

Wang agreed with Zhou, and he subsequently gathered a group of 8,000 men from the tribes of the area, and then launched a surprise attack on Lang Prefecture via Jialing River. He expelled Yang Maoshi and took over Lang, claiming to be its defender. He then further built up his troops, using Lang as a base. Yang Shouliang could not control him at all from that point on.

Wang later became embroiled in a campaign against Chen to try to take over Xichuan Circuit, but was initially unable to prevail. By summer 888, Wang, believing that he could no longer pillage the surroundings of Xichuan's capital Chengdu and that Chengdu's defenses were so strong that he could not prevail quickly, considered withdrawing. Both Zhou and another strategist, Qiwu Jian (綦毋諫), opposed, with Zhou proposing that he instead attack and capture one of Xichuan's prefectures, Qiong Prefecture to use as a base of operations, as the area around Qiong Prefecture was wealthy and capable of sustaining his army. Wang had another idea — that he should petition the imperial government to send a senior official to head the operations against Chen and serve as that official's assistant, so he had Zhou draft a petition on his behalf, to then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong (Emperor Xizong's brother and successor), who had long hated Tian. Emperor Zhaozong, in response to Wang's petition and a similar petition from Wang's ally Gu Yanlang the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang), commissioned the chancellor Wei Zhaodu to be the military governor of Xichuan, and, when Chen refused to allow Wei to take over, declared a general campaign against Chen, with Wei in command and Wang, Gu, and Yang Shouliang serving as Wei's assistants.

By 891, the army sieging Chengdu, consisting of troops largely from Wang but also with troops from Gu, had put Chengdu into a chokehold such that the population was starving. However, the imperial government had just suffered a major loss in campaign against another warlord, Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and the costs of the Xichuan campaign gave Emperor Zhaozong second thoughts. In spring 891, Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict pardoning Chen and ordering Gu and Wang to return to their own circuits (Emperor Zhaozong's having earlier carved out four prefectures of Xichuan as a new Yongping Circuit (永平, headquartered at Qiong Prefecture, which Wang had captured) and made Wang its military governor). Wang, however, believing that this was a prime chance to capture Xichuan, and when he consulted Zhou, Zhou suggested that he urge Wei to return to the imperial court while he himself would then maintain the campaign. Wang then intimidated Wei by executing one of his close associates, Luo Bao, on purported offenses of embezzlement. Wei, frightened, transferred his command to Wang and left for the imperial capital Chang'an. Wang subsequently continued the siege, and in fall 891, Chen and Tian surrendered. Wang took over Xichuan Circuit and was subsequently confirmed by Emperor Zhaozong as its military governor.

There were no further historical references to specific strategic suggestions that Zhou made to Wang, but it was said that much of Wang's subsequent pacification of the region, including his takeover of Dongchuan, could be credited to additional strategies that Zhou offered.

During Wang Jians reign

In 907, another major warlord, Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), had Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai yield the throne to him, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu. Wang Jian, along with Li Keyong, Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), and Yang Wo the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), refused to recognize the new Later Liang emperor, and briefly, Wang and Yang were jointly issuing declarations calling for the entire realm to rise against Later Liang. However, when they did not get sufficient responses, Wang decided to declare himself the emperor of a new state of Shu (known later as Former Shu) (as its Emperor Gaozu). In 910, he made Zhou Xiang Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎, the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng)) and chancellor, with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. However, nothing else was recorded in history about Zhou's acts during Wang Jian's reign.

During Wang Yans reign

After Wang Jian died in 918 and was succeeded by his son Wang Zongyan as emperor, he trusted a number of eunuchs, making them generals and allowing them to intervene in governance. It was said that they were arrogant, unrestrained, corrupt, and violent, causing much damage to the state. When Zhou Xiang tried to urge Wang Yan to change his ways, Wang Yan would not listen. In 920, he made Zhou the military governor of Yongping Circuit (then-headquartered in modern Ya'an, Sichuan), sending him out of the capital but still having him maintain the Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi designation as an honorary chancellor. Zhou died shortly after due to illness.

Notes and references

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 40.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 257, 258, 270, 271.

唐朝年間

周庠生于唐宣宗大中十一年（857年），許州人。光啟年間曾任龍州司倉參軍。考核期滿回朝時，因川中道路阻隔，在綿谷縣寓居。王建為利州刺史時（光啟二年（886年）上任），周庠前往拜謁，王建素聞其名，見到他很高興，也很厚待，引為賓客。

光啟三年（887年），唐僖宗任權勢宦官楊複恭養侄楊守亮為山南西道節度使。利州屬山南西道管轄，楊守亮忌王建驍勇，屢次召他來軍部興元府。王建害怕楊守亮對自己不利，不敢去，三月，向周庠尋求建議。周庠說：「唐朝要滅亡了，藩鎮節度使互相吞噬，但他們都沒有雄才遠略，不能幫助災難中的百姓。公勇而有謀，得士卒心，立大功的除了公還能有誰！但葭萌（利州治所）是四戰之地，難以久安。閬州偏僻，當地人富裕，楊茂實（閬州刺史，《九國志》《蜀檮杌》等作楊行遷）是陳敬瑄和田令孜（陳敬瑄時任西川節度使，田令孜是陳敬瑄之弟，是曾居高位掌權但失勢的宦官，在陳敬瑄處避難，陳敬瑄違背朝廷命令庇護田令孜）的心腹，不納貢。如果上表聲言其罪，興兵討伐，一戰可擒。」王建同意，招募溪洞酋豪達八千人，沿嘉陵江而下突襲閬州，逐楊茂實（《蜀檮杌》作殺之），占據閬州，自稱防禦使。奏署周庠為判官。王建進一步擴軍，以閬州為根據地，楊守亮再不能控制他。

王建後來討伐陳敬瑄以奪取西川，但起初不能取得優勢。文德元年（888年）五月，王建認為西川軍府成都尚強，難以速勝，成都附近也無可劫掠，想罷兵。周庠和另一謀士綦毋諫認為不可。周庠提出西川治下的邛州一帶富庶，足以支持軍隊，可以攻取作為根據地。王建也有了新的主意：上表朝廷請求派大臣為帥討伐陳敬瑄，自己輔佐其事。于是王建讓周庠為他上表長期憎恨田令孜的在位皇帝唐昭宗。王建盟友東川節度使顧彥朗也作了類似要求的上表，昭宗因而下詔褒獎，任宰相韋昭度為西川節度使，在陳敬瑄拒絕韋昭度接任後宣布討伐陳敬瑄，以韋昭度為行營招討使，王建為行營諸軍都指揮使、顧彥朗為行軍司馬、楊守亮為副招討使相助。並以邛州等四州為永平軍，以王建為節度使。

大順二年（891年），王建軍占大多數也包括顧彥朗軍在內的軍隊將成都包圍得缺糧了。但朝廷剛在討伐另一軍閥河東節度使李克用時蒙受大損，西川戰事的耗費也讓昭宗重新考慮。三月，昭宗下詔赦免陳敬瑄，命顧彥朗、王建各歸本鎮（當時王建已克邛州）。但四月，王建認為這是奪取西川的最佳機會，與周庠商議，欲請韋昭度班師，又擔心朝廷問責，周庠說如今皇綱不振、強臣掣肘，號令不出壺關，王建應該折節為軍民打算，顧不上這些了，建議王建勸韋昭度回朝，而由王建自己繼續戰事。王建殺韋昭度親吏駱保，稱其盜軍糧，恫嚇韋昭度。韋昭度果然大懼，交軍權給王建，回長安。王建繼續圍城，八月，陳敬瑄、田令孜投降。王建占有西川，並被昭宗確認為西川節度使。

周庠給王建的明確的戰略建議沒有更多的歷史記載，但記載表明王建參與兩川事務包括奪取東川，周庠出謀為多。

約大順二年（891年），周庠曾權知邛州，臨邛縣將女扮男裝的放火人黃崇嘏送到州府，周庠令下獄。黃崇嘏獻上詩作，得召見，自稱鄉貢進士，三十歲左右，應對詳敏，周庠于是命釋放。後數日，黃崇嘏複獻長歌，周庠更以為奇，召于學院與諸子侄同游。黃崇嘏善琴祺書畫，不久周庠薦為攝司戶參軍，胥吏畏服，案牘一清。周庠重其英明，又美其風採，一年後想把女兒嫁給她，黃崇嘏作文辭謝，上詩一章表示自己是女子，周庠讀詩後很驚駭，急忙召見，詰問得知是已故黃使君女，幼失父母，與老嫗同居，不曾許婚。周庠更嘉其貞潔。黃崇嘏請求罷歸臨邛，不知所終。

王建奏授周庠觀察判官，約天祐年間出知渝州。未幾，詔加節度判官，遷嘉州刺史。

王建年間

天祐四年（907年），另一大軍閥宣武軍節度使朱全忠迫使唐哀帝禪位，建立後梁，為太祖皇帝，代唐。王建和李克用、鳳翔節度使李茂貞、淮南節度使楊渥拒絕承認後梁皇帝，王建和楊渥還一度移檄諸道，號召興複唐朝，但沒人響應。王建決定自己稱帝，于是建立蜀國（史稱前蜀），為高祖皇帝。召周庠拜成都尹，遷御史中丞，武成三年（910年）十二月，王建任周庠為中書侍郎、宰相，授同中書門下平章事。但王建年間再無周庠行事記載。

杜光庭曾代周庠作《周庠員外助上元齋詞二首》《周庠員外為母轉經設醮詞》《周庠員外填本命醮詞》。

王衍年間

光天元年（918年），王建崩，周庠議山陵事。子王衍繼位為帝，周庠不久進司徒、同平章事。王衍寵信內給事王廷紹、歐陽晃、李周輅、宋光葆、宋承蘊、田魯儔等，七月，以為將軍及軍使，幹預政事。這些人驕縱貪暴，給國家造成大損。周庠為此切諫，王衍不聽。不久周庠告老，遷左僕射。乾德二年（920年）六月，王衍任周庠充永平節度使、雲南安撫使，遣出京城，仍保有同平章事為榮譽宰相。未幾病卒，年六十六。

評價

• 《十國春秋》論曰：周庠參贊帷幄，雍容風議，直言無隱，卒秉國鈞，殆所謂社稷臣者非邪！

　• 爭議事件：曾在竹藤上畫下女子大腿圖，而遭同儕唾棄。

注釋及參考文獻