Han Tuozhou

Han Tuozhou

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Han Tuozhou (simplified: 韩侂胄, traditional: 韓侂胄, pinyin: Hán Tuōzhòu, jyutping: hon4 tok3 zau6) was the chancellor of the Song court under the Qingyuan Emperor. He never appeared in person; he was known through the talk of others.

Biography

In the talk of Niu Family Village

The storyteller Zhang Shiwu ended his tale of Qin Hui by noting that the present emperor’s man in charge was Chancellor Han Tuozhou, and that what the days to come would bring was hard to say. Guo Xiaotian answered that everyone called Han a great villain, and that in ruining the country and grinding down the people he and Qin Hui might be sworn brothers (ch. 1).

Guo Xiaotian later repeated a story heard in a Lin’an teahouse: Han would not even look at an official’s memorial unless it bore the words “and respectfully present such-and-such gifts”. Yang Tiexin told how a woodcutter had seen Han lead his officials on an outing into the countryside. Han sighed that the bamboo fences and thatched cottages lacked only the sound of chickens and dogs; at once barking and crowing came from the grass, and out crawled Prefect Zhao of Lin’an himself (ch. 1).

The Jin tribute

Wanyan Honglie told Bao Xiruo that he had come to Lin’an partly to collect the tribute the Song still owed. He had warned Han Tuozhou that if it was not paid within a month he would come with an army to fetch it, and the silver and silk had crossed the river before he even left Lin’an. Han had also sent him gold and silver privately (ch. 2).

Behind the scenes

Historical basis

Han Tuozhou (1152–1207) was a real Southern Song statesman who dominated the court of Emperor Ningzong. He persecuted the Neo-Confucian faction of Zhu Xi and, in 1206, launched a northern campaign against the Jin that ended in defeat. In 1207 he was killed in a palace plot in which Shi Miyuan took part, and his head was sent to the Jin as part of the peace settlement.

See also

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