50 Facts About Meng Chang

Meng Chang ruled from 934 until 965, when his state was conquered by the Song Dynasty.

Meng Chang was Meng Zhixiang's fifth son but the third to grow up.

Meng Chang commissioned Meng Renzan's father Meng Zhixiang as the military governor of Former Shu's main territory Xichuan Circuit.

Meng Chang was succeeded as Later Tang's emperor by his adoptive brother Li Siyuan.

In 934, shortly after Li Siyuan's death, Meng Chang Zhixiang declared himself emperor of a new state of Shu.

Meng Chang bestowed on Meng Renzan the titles of acting Taibao, military governor of Dongchuan, director of Chongsheng Palace, and honorary chancellor.

Meng Chang Zhixiang had been suffering from a stroke for years, and by fall 934, he was extremely ill.

Meng Chang's associates advocated putting Li Zhao to death, too, but Meng Chang did not do so, instead forcing Li Zhao into retirement.

In 935, Meng Chang honored his mother Consort Li empress dowager.

Meng Chang refused, finding that the campaign was too far away from Later Shu proper.

Meng Chang became aware of this and, in 941, he reformed the situation by stripping Zhao Tingyin, Wang, and Zhang of their military governorships while giving them other honorary titles.

Meng Chang subsequently sent five civilian officials to five circuits to serve as their acting military governors.

Also in 941, when Later Jin's military governor of Shannan East Circuit, An Congjin, was plotting to rebel against Shi, he sent emissaries to Meng Chang seeking aid, requesting that Later Shu attack Later Jin's Jin and Shang Prefectures to distract Later Jin's forces.

In 943, Meng Chang issued an edict for general selections of females ranging from age 12 to 19, to fill his palace with concubines.

In 944, for reasons not stated in history, Meng Chang reversed his earlier reform with having actual acting military governors at the circuits, and again had major generals and chancellors assume military governorships remotely.

At Zhao's request, Meng Chang launched a large army and put it under the command of the former Later Jin general Zhang Qianzhao, who had submitted to Later Shu, to aid Zhao.

Meng Chang had Wang Chuhui write Hou Yi the Later Han military governor of Fengxiang, persuading Hou to submit to Later Shu as well.

Meng Chang then launched a larger army under the command of An Siqian the military governor of Shannan West to try to aid Wang and Zhao Siwan, despite the urging by the chancellor Wu Zhaoyi that doing so was risky.

Meng Chang was protecting fugitives and putting people who owed him money in jail.

However, Meng Chang did not wish to kill either of them, and allowed them to retire.

In 950, Meng Chang created his brothers and sons imperial princes.

Meng Chang put his cousin, Yi Shenzheng, acting chief of staff to replace Gao.

Meng Chang issued a general pardon and authorized stipends for the victims of the flood.

Meng Chang then executed Wang and delivered Wang's head to Chengdu.

Indeed, at times when he dismissed soldiers from imperial guard service due to his dissatisfactions with them, but Meng Chang overruled him and kept the soldiers on the imperial guard rolls, he would find ways to have those soldiers killed.

Meng Chang removed Sun Hanshao from his imperial guard command, apparently concerned about Sun as well.

Meng Chang was planning on sending his attendant Zhao Jizha to those prefectures to review their preparedness for the impending Later Zhou invasion.

Meng Chang thus made Zhao the monitor of the Xiongwu army and gave him 1,000 elite soldiers to accompany him to Xiongwu to prepare the defense.

Meng Chang ordered Wang Zhaoyuan to review the troop situation on the northern border with Later Zhou.

When Meng Chang met him to inquire him as to what was happening on the front, he was unable to answer.

Meng Chang sent the generals Li Tinggui and Gao Yanchou to the front to combat the Later Zhou army.

In fear that Guo would launch a further attack deeper into Later Shu territory, Meng Chang mobilized large armies and stationed them at Jianmen Pass and Baidi.

In 956, Meng Chang, while maintaining the division of the imperial guards between 10 generals, put Li Tinggui in overall command of the imperial guards.

In 957, Meng Chang allowed him to retire from military duties.

Meng Chang stated to Meng that the reason why the imperial governance was ineffective was because the government was controlled by wicked people.

When Meng Chang asked him who the wicked people were, he referred to Li Hao and Wang.

Meanwhile, Gao Baorong, the ruler of Jingnan, who carried the title of Prince of Nanping as a vassal of Later Zhou, wrote Meng Chang repeatedly, urging him to submit as a vassal to Later Zhou.

Meng Chang was concerned sufficiently that he submitted the matter to discussions by his senior officials.

Meng Chang thus had Li Hao write Gao back, rejecting the overture.

In preparation against the coming Later Zhou invasion, Meng Chang had the generals Zhao Chongtao, his elder brother Meng Chang Yiye, Zhao Sijin, and Gao Yanchou take up defensive positions various passes into Shu lands.

Xu committed suicide, and Meng Chang ordered Wang to commit suicide.

In 962, Meng Chang created his son Meng Chang Xuanzhe crown prince.

Later in 962, Meng Chang ordered a closer review of the tax rolls for the prefectures under Later Shu control, hoping to collect more revenues by stricter enforcement of the tax code.

The county magistrate Si Chun submitted a petition, arguing that stricter enforcement would merely put greater stress on the people and would damage the state, but Meng Chang did not listen to him.

Meng Chang thus made Zhang the military prefect of Feng Prefecture with orders for him to survey the geography of the region, to prepare an eventual invasion of Later Shu.

Wang Zhaoyuan strongly opposed and so Meng Chang reacted by again ramping up defenses to prepare for invasion.

In 964, at Wang's suggestion, Meng Chang wrote secret letters hidden in wax pills and tried to have three covert messengers deliver them to Liu Jun, suggesting simultaneous preemptive strikes on Song.

Meng Chang Xuanzhe took his army and fled back to Chengdu.

When Wang Quanbin reached Chengdu, Meng Chang surrendered to him, ending Later Shu.

Meng Chang created Meng the Duke of Qin, and gave him the additional honorary titles of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, acting Taishi, and Zhongshu Ling.