Sui and Tang · Ruler and Official

Xiao Cong 蕭琮

Attested AD 585 - AD 618

Passages: 22
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

Xiao Cong was a ruler and Official.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Wenwen	溫文

Life and dates

Death

Died while confined at home
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 178

Attested activity

AD 585 to AD 618 子琮嗣 / 煬帝嗣位
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 79, passages 140, 163
AD 587 禎明元年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 15, passage 61

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Xiao Ju (蕭钜)
brother's son / nephew 弟子
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 181
Child of Xiao Kui (蕭巋)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 140
Parent of Xiao Xian (蕭鉉)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 180
Kin of Paternal cousin of Xiao Cong (蕭琮從父妹)
paternal cousin 從父妹 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 170
Kin of Xiao Cen (蕭岑)
paternal uncle 叔父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 154
Kin of Xiao Yan (蕭岩)
paternal uncle 叔父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 159
Sibling of Xiao Kan (蕭瓛)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passages 108, 190
Sibling of Sister of Xiao Cong (蕭琮妹)
younger sister 妹 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 171

Key source chapters

Book of Sui, Chapter 79 Volume 79 Biographies 44: Imperial Affines 21 passages
Book of Chen, Chapter 15 Volume 15: Imperial Family 1 passage

Career and standing

Director of the Palace Secretariat 內史令
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 164
Pillar of State 柱國
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 162
Grand Master of the Left Light 左光祿大夫
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 179
Duke of Liang 梁公
Changed to
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 164
Duke of Ju 莒國公
Granted
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 162
Prince of Dongyang 東陽王
Granted
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 144

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Imposed
Confined at home
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 178
Ruler of Later Liang · Era Name Guangyun 廣運
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passages 140, 152

Places and affiliations

Sui 隋
Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Sui 79, passage 162
Western Liang 後梁
Relation Ruled
Strongly inferred · Book of Sui 79, passage 140

Learning and skills

Skill mounted archery 弓馬 · Level expert
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 143

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Yang Su (楊素)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passages 171, 174
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Yang Yue (楊約)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 79, passage 168

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Chen 15, passage 12

References in the histories

Search passages

History

22 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 15Volume 15: Imperial Family · 1 passage

禎明元年，蕭琮尚書左僕射安平王蕭巖、晉熙王蕭瓛等，[3]率其部眾男女二萬餘口，詣慧紀請降，慧紀以兵迎之。 In the first year of Zhenming, Xiao Yan, prince of Anping and left vice director of the masters of writing under Xiao Cong, Xiao Huan, prince of Jinxi, and others[3] led more than twenty thousand followers, men and women together, to offer surrender to Huiji, who marched out with troops to receive them.

Book of Sui, Chapter 79Volume 79 Biographies 44: Imperial Affines · 21 passages

蕭巋子琮琮弟瓛 Xiao Kui; His Son Cong; Cong's Brother Huan

子琮嗣。 His son Cong succeeded him.

琮字溫文，性寬仁，有大度，倜儻不羈，博學有文義。 Cong, styled Wenwen, was generous and humane, broad-minded, free-spirited and unrestrained, widely learned and accomplished in letters.

時琮年號廣運，有識者曰：「運之為字，軍走也，吾君將奔走乎？」 Cong's era name was Guangyun. Men of insight said, "The character yun combines 'army' and 'flee'—will our lord take to flight?"

其年，琮遣大將軍戚昕以舟師襲陳公安，不克而還。 That year Cong sent Grand General Qi Xin with a naval force to strike Chen's Gong'an but failed and returned.

征琮叔父岑入朝，拜為大將軍，封懷義公，因留不遣。 Cong's uncle Cen was summoned to court, made grand general, enfeoffed as Duke of Huaiyi, and detained there.

琮所署大將軍許世武密以城召陳將宜黃侯陳紀，謀泄，琮誅之。 Grand General Xu Shiwu, whom Cong had appointed, secretly offered the city to Chen general Marquis Chen Ji of Yihuang. When the plot leaked, Cong executed him.

後二歲，上征琮入朝，率其臣下二百余人朝于京師，江陵父老莫不隕涕相謂曰：「吾君其不反矣！」 Two years later the emperor summoned Cong to court. He led more than two hundred ministers to the capital, and the elders of Jiangling wept and said to one another, "Our lord will not return!"

上以琮來朝，遣武鄉公崔弘度將兵戍之。 Because Cong had come to court, the emperor sent Duke of Wuxiang Cui Hongdu with troops to garrison Jiangling.

軍至鄀州，琮叔父岩及弟瓛等懼弘度掩襲之，遂引陳人至城下，虜居民而叛，於是廢梁國。 When the army reached E prefecture, Cong's uncle Yan and his brother Huan, fearing a surprise attack, brought Chen troops to the walls, seized the inhabitants, and rebelled. The state of Liang was abolished.

拜琮為柱國，賜爵莒國公。 Cong was made Pillar of State and enfeoffed as Duke of Ju.

煬帝嗣位，以皇后之故，甚見親重。 When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, Cong was greatly favored because of the empress.

琮之宗族，緦麻以上，並隨才擢用，於是諸蕭昆弟布列朝廷。 Cong's clansmen, even those in the remotest degree of kinship, were promoted according to talent, and Xiao brothers filled the court.

琮性淡雅，不以職務自嬰，退朝縱酒而已。 Cong was refined and detached by nature and did not burden himself with office; after court he merely drank.

內史令楊約與琮同列，帝令約宣旨誡勵，約複以私情喻之。 Director of the Palace Secretariat Yang Yue, Cong's equal in rank, was ordered to admonish him, and Yue spoke to him privately as well.

琮答曰：「琮若複事事，則何異於公哉！」 Cong replied, "If I attended to every matter again, how would I differ from you!"

約兄素，時為尚書令，見琮嫁從父妹于鉗耳氏，因謂琮曰：「公，帝王之族，望高戚美，何乃適妹鉗耳氏乎？」 Yue's brother Su, then Director of the Department of State Affairs, saw that Cong had married a cousin to the Qian'er clan and said, "You are of imperial stock, with high standing and noble connections—why marry your sister to the Qian'er?"

琮曰：「前已嫁妹于侯莫陳氏，此複何疑！」 Cong said, "I already married one sister to the Houmochen—what is there to question in this!"

琮曰：「以羌異虜，未之前聞。」 Cong said, "That the Qiang differ from barbarians is something I have never heard before."

琮雖羈旅，見北間豪貴，無所降下。 Though Cong lived as an exile in the north, he bowed to none of its great nobles.

複以琮弟子钜為梁公。 Cong's nephew Ju was then made Duke of Liang.