On Yang Xingmi’s Bloc—With an Emphasis on Socio-political Setting, Subjugation, and Subordination

Abstract

The disintegration of Tang central authority and the resultant spawning of local strongmen (tuhao 土豪) shaped the socio-political nature of Yang Xingmi’s 楊行密 (852–905) bloc. Generally speaking, blocs founded by tuhao had generally been characterized by provincialism, but Yang Xingmi managed to avoid excessive reliance on a particular geographical origin. How to handle the challenges posed by recalcitrant meritorious officials was also of major concern to Yang Xingmi, and later Xu Wen 徐溫 (862–927), in the process of consolidating their authority. Thanks to a strong central army, rebellions initiated by ambitious meritorious officials were suppressed. In addition to finding methods for subjugating Yang’s recalcitrant meritorious officials, Xu Wen needed to address challenges posed by local strongmen; this article serves as a case study on the methodology of using genealogical records to examine the dynamics instrumental in shaping local history.