1. Song Qiqiu's strategies were viewed as instrumental in allowing Xu Zhigao to consolidate his power during the latter part of the regency of Xu Wen, Xu Zhigao's adoptive father and regent of Wu, eventually allowing Xu Zhigao to take over the Wu state and take the throne as the emperor of Southern Tang.
Song Qiqiu was born in 887, during the late Tang dynasty.
Song Qiqiu's family had been from Luling for generations.
Song Qiqiu eventually was forced to work for a house of prostitution run by a Lady Wei, apparently at Sheng Prefecture.
Song Qiqiu was building a staff and welcomed talented people as staff members.
Song Qiqiu offered his poems to Xu Zhigao through the officer Yao Kezhan to show his talent.
Song Qiqiu promoted Xu Zhigao to be the military prefect of Run Prefecture, where his headquarters had previously been, despite Xu Zhigao's wishes to be given Xuan Prefecture.
When, as Song Qiqiu anticipated, the senior general Zhu Jin started an uprising at Guangling in 918 and killed Xu Zhixun, Xu Zhigao was able to cross the river easily and put down the disturbance quickly.
In particular, it was said that it was Song Qiqiu who advocated a major reduction in the silk tax to encourage the people to produce silk, and that after Xu Zhigao adopted the suggestion, the region between the Yangtze and the Huai River became very wealthy.
Still, only after Xu Wen's death in 927 was Song Qiqiu promoted, eventually to be the deputy minister of defense.
Song Qiqiu believed that he would not be able to get people to be obedient to him given his relative lack of seniority, decided not to accept.
Still, after doing so, Song Qiqiu retired with the title of You Pushe.
Song Qiqiu was considering seizing the Wu throne and become emperor himself, but as Yang Pu was known to be careful and without fault as an emperor, he was initially intending on waiting for the next Wu emperor to take the throne before seizing imperial title, an intent that Song agreed with.
When Song Qiqiu realized what Zhou was doing he became resentful that Zhou would take this initiative, and instead took the stand of opposing it, arguing that the time was not appropriate, yet.
Song Qiqiu further requested that Zhou be executed as an apology to the emperor.
When Song Qiqiu thereafter asked to retire, Xu Zhigao gave him a garden as a gift.
Song Qiqiu continued to take the stand of opposing the coming imperial transition.
Meanwhile, while Song Qiqiu carried the long-abandoned and now-reinstituted titles of Left Prime Minister and Da Shitu in the new Southern Tang administration, he was not given real responsibilities.
When Song Qiqiu again objected in 938 that, as Left Prime Minister, he should be allowed to participate in the governance, Emperor Liezu gave the excuse that the office building had not been built yet.
In 942, at Song Qiqiu's repeated request, Emperor Liezu allowed him to join the other chancellors in governance, and further had him oversee the executive bureau of government, with Emperor Liezu's son Li Jingsui the Prince of Shou shifted from his responsibility of overseeing the executive bureau to overseeing the legislative and examination bureaus instead, with Li Jing overseeing all three bureaus as well.
Song Qiqiu thereafter claimed an illness and requested to be relieved of the responsibility of overseeing the executive bureau.
For several months, Song Qiqiu did not meet with the emperor.
Song Qiqiu often ruled on matters while wearing a silk robe that Emperor Liezu gave him.
However, by later 943, Song Qiqiu had displeased Emperor Yuanzong by having his associates make false accusations against Zhou, whom Emperor Yuanzong respected.
Song Qiqiu thereafter built a large mansion at Qingyang and lived luxuriously, but continued to be bitter.
Once he issued this edict there was much opposition, and Song Qiqiu submitted a petition from his retirement at Qingyang urging against it, thus impressing Emperor Yuanzong.
Therefore, in 945, when Li Jingda's staff member Xie Zhongxuan pointed out that the people were disappointed that someone as respected for his talent as Song Qiqiu was not given any power, and Li Jingda relayed this suggestion to Emperor Yuanzong, Emperor Yuanzong sent Li Jingda to Qingyang to recall Song Qiqiu.
Once Song Qiqiu arrived at Jinling, Song Qiqiu was given the titles of Taifu and Zhongshu Ling, thus titularly restoring him to chancellorship, but was said to be not given actual decision-making authority.
Song Qiqiu recommended Chen as an emissary to Li Hongyi, predicting that Chen would be able to persuade Li Hongyi to give up his private domain and relocate to Jinling.
Song Qiqiu offered to be punished as well, because he had recommended Chen, but no punishment came.
Song Qiqiu apparently remained at Zhennan until 951, when Emperor Yuanzong recalled him to Jinling to again serve as Taifu, and created him the Duke of Chu and gave him the honorary title of military governor of Dongchuan Circuit.
Song Qiqiu advocated the strategy of spreading out the Southern Tang forces near the Huai, to try to confuse the Later Zhou forces so that they would not dare to advance deeply into Southern Tang territory, and then cutting off their food supply routes, forcing them to retreat and sue for peace.
Song Qiqiu spoke against the proposal heavily and Chen and Chen's deputy Li Zhenggu subsequently accused Li Deming of treason.
Song Qiqiu argued that doing so would create enmity between the two states, and instead advocated letting them leave without trouble.
Song Qiqiu lamented and believed that this was divine retribution for his suggestion to have Yang Pu's family put under secure guard, and thereafter hanged himself.