Luo Shaowei facts for kids

Luo Shaowei (Chinese: 羅紹威; 877 – July 4, 910) was an important leader during the end of China's Tang dynasty and the start of the Later Liang period. He was a military governor, which meant he was a powerful leader who controlled a large area called Weibo Circuit (also known as Tianxiong Circuit). This area was located in what is now Handan, Hebei province.

Luo Shaowei's rule over Weibo was quite independent at first. However, towards the end of his life, his region became more connected to the Later Liang state. This happened after he took strong action to control his rebellious guard soldiers. While this made his own rule safer, it also made his army weaker and more dependent on the Later Liang government.

Early Life and Family

Luo Shaowei was born in 877. His family came from Guixiang, a place within Weibo's main city, Wei Prefecture. His father, Luo Hongxin, was an officer in the Weibo army.

In 888, when Luo Shaowei was 11, the soldiers in Weibo rebelled against their leader, Le Yanzhen. They were angry because Le Yanzhen's son treated them badly. The soldiers forced Le Yanzhen to retire. They first chose another officer, Zhao Wenbian, to lead them. But when Le Yanzhen's son attacked, Zhao Wenbian didn't fight back. So, the soldiers killed Zhao and chose Luo Shaowei's father, Luo Hongxin, as their new leader. Luo Hongxin then defeated and killed Le Yanzhen's son, and later Le Yanzhen himself. Luo Hongxin became the new military governor.

Luo Shaowei later became the deputy military governor. When his father died in 898, the soldiers supported Luo Shaowei to take over. The emperor at the time, Emperor Zhaozong, approved this. Luo Shaowei was given the title of Prince of Changsha.

Leading Weibo Circuit

During the Tang Dynasty

Luo Shaowei was known for being smart and making quick decisions, even when he was young. He was also good at managing his region.

In 899, a powerful leader named Liu Rengong attacked Weibo. Luo Shaowei asked for help from his friend, Zhu Quanzhong, another military governor. Zhu Wen sent his generals to help Luo. They defeated Liu Rengong and made him retreat. Luo Shaowei also tried to get help from Zhu Wen's enemy, Li Keyong, but Zhu Wen's forces had already won before Li Keyong's help arrived.

In 904, Emperor Zhaozong was forced by Zhu Wen to move the capital city. Zhu Wen asked his allies, including Luo Shaowei, to help build new palaces. Luo Shaowei sent his army to help. Because of his help, Weibo Circuit was renamed Tianxiong Circuit, and Luo Shaowei's title was changed to Prince of Ye.

In 905, some of Luo Shaowei's guard soldiers planned a rebellion. When Luo Shaowei found out, one of the leaders, Li Gongquan, set fire to some buildings and stole things before running away.

This event made Luo Shaowei worried about his guard soldiers. These guards had a long history of causing trouble and even overthrowing past leaders. So, Luo Shaowei secretly asked Zhu Wen for help to control them. In 906, Zhu Wen sent a large army. Zhu Wen's officer, Ma Sixun, entered the city with many soldiers hidden in supply containers, pretending to be there for a funeral. Luo Shaowei then secretly damaged the guards' weapons. That night, Luo Shaowei and Ma Sixun attacked the guard corps. The guards couldn't fight back well because their weapons were damaged. Many of them and their families were removed from their positions.

This action shocked other soldiers. Some rebelled, but they were quickly defeated by Zhu Wen's officers. Even with Zhu Wen's help, it took Luo Shaowei half a year to stop all the small rebellions. During this time, Luo Shaowei had to provide a lot of supplies for Zhu Wen's army, which used up many of Tianxiong's resources. While dealing with the guards made Luo Shaowei's rule safer, it also weakened his army's fighting ability. Luo Shaowei later regretted the high cost, saying he had made a huge mistake.

Later that year, Luo Shaowei became the main supplier for Zhu Wen's army when Zhu Wen went on another military campaign. Luo Shaowei also built a fancy house for Zhu Wen. In 907, Zhu Wen stayed in Wei Prefecture to recover from an illness. Luo Shaowei was worried Zhu Wen might try to take over Tianxiong. So, Luo Shaowei suggested to Zhu Wen that he should become the new emperor. Zhu Wen didn't agree right away, but he was grateful to Luo Shaowei. Later that year, Zhu Wen forced the Tang emperor to give up his throne, ending the Tang dynasty and starting the new Later Liang dynasty. Zhu Wen became Emperor Taizu.

During Later Liang

The new Later Liang emperor gave Luo Shaowei an important title. Many regional leaders recognized the new Later Liang government, but some did not. Luo Shaowei tried to convince other leaders to join Later Liang.

In 909, Luo Shaowei became ill and couldn't move some of his body parts. He wrote to Emperor Taizu, offering to give up control of his region. He said that Wei Prefecture was an important place surrounded by enemies and that the emperor should send a skilled official to defend it, while he would retire.

Emperor Taizu was touched by Luo Shaowei's loyalty. He didn't take over the region but instead appointed Luo Shaowei's second son, Luo Zhouhan, as the temporary leader. Emperor Taizu sent a message back, saying he hoped Luo Shaowei would recover and that he would honor Luo Shaowei's family for generations.

Luo Shaowei did not recover and passed away in 910. Emperor Taizu then made Luo Zhouhan the full military governor.

Luo Shaowei was also known for his writing skills. He had a large collection of books and even started schools in his region. He enjoyed writing poems, especially during gatherings with his staff. He admired the poet Luo Yin and sent him gifts, calling him a relative because they shared the same last name. Luo Yin sent his poems back to Luo Shaowei. Luo Shaowei collected his own poems and called his collection The Collection of My Thefts from Jiangdong, referring to the region where Luo Yin lived.