Qiao Zhou

Qiao Zhou (died 270), courtesy name Yunnan, was an official and scholar of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) in the late Eastern Han dynasty before becoming a subject of the warlord Liu Bei, who established the Shu Han regime in 221. Qiao Zhou served in the Shu government from the time when Liu Bei ascended the throne (in 221) to the fall of Shu in 263. He is also known for persuading the Shu emperor Liu Shan to surrender to Wei in 263.

Qiao Zhou
譙周
Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍)
In office
263 (263) – ? (?)
MonarchCao Huan
/ Emperor Wu of Jin
Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉)
In office
263 (263) – ? (?)
MonarchCao Huan
/ Emperor Wu of Jin
Household Counsellor (光祿大夫)
In office
? (?) – 263 (263)
MonarchLiu Shan
Attendant Counsellor (中散大夫)
In office
? (?) – ? (?)
MonarchLiu Shan
Personal details
BornUnknown
Langzhong, Sichuan
Died270[1]
Children
  • Qiao Xi
  • Qiao Xian
  • Qiao Tong
FatherQiao Pin
OccupationOfficial, scholar
Courtesy nameYunnan (允南)
PeerageMarquis of Yangcheng Village
(陽城亭侯)
In this Chinese name, the family name is Qiao.

He has a grandson Qiao Xiu (譙秀), a hermit.

Assessments of Qiao Zhou's surrender stance

In Sanguozhi, the historian Chen Shou praised that Qiao's proposal "preserved" the Liu ex-royal family and "help" Shu Han. Such praise was due to Chen's position as the subordinate of Western Jin dysnasty and also because Qiao was Chen's teacher. Historians with different viewpoints, such as Sun Sheng, heavily criticized Qiao Zhou's stance of surrender, called Qiao as "traitor".[2]

Yi Zhongtian commented that Qiao's "treachery" was not due to his personality (Qiao was well-known for his good moral conduct) but because of difference in political stance. Qiao Zhou was the representative of the local Shu intelligentsia nobility (士族) who had long been at odd with Shu Han's governmentd due to:[3]

  1. Shu government had long been mainly made up of "foreign" magistrates who competed against the local nobility in governmental posts and political power. Liu Yan, Liu Zhang, Liu Bei and their close associates were mostly not the local Shu nobility. Zhuge Liang later enacted a "fair" talent enrollment, employed many local Shu intelligenstia and managed to earn their respect, however he failed to completely solve the conflict.
  2. Zhuge Liang's fair and transparent rule of law were harmful for the nobility because it restrict their social privileges and prevented them from manipulating the politics. Meanwhile, the nine-rank system of Cao Wei and later Western Jin enable the nobility to recommend and promote their own scions, which was beneficial for the local Shu clans.
  3. Shu Han government relentlessly launched the nothern expeditions against Cao Wei, resulted in heavy expenditure. Such expenditure was not only the burden of the common people, but also was harmful for the Shu nobility since taxes were imposed on them.

As a result, "betrayed" the Shu Han and "surrendered" to Cao Wei was beneficial for the local Shu's nobility - represented by Qiao Zhou and others, and they were eager to welcome Cao Wei's invasion.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Qiao Zhou is depicted as an astrologer whose studies greatly aided Zhuge Liang during the Northern Expeditions against Shu's rival state Cao Wei.

See also

References
  1. The Sanguozhi mentioned that Qiao Zhou died in the 6th year of the Taishi era (265-274) during the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin. Quote from Sanguozhi vol. 42: ([泰始]六年秋， ... 至冬卒。)
  2. Sanguozhi. Chen Shou. Annotated by Pei Songzhi. Vol. 2: Records of Shu. Biography of Qiao Zhou.
  3. Yi Zhongtian. Analysis of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 2, Vietnamese translation. Publisher of People's Public Security, 2010. Chapter 42: Passed away in Helplessness. Chapter 48: Convergence of Separated Lines. Epilouge: The Billowing Yangtze River Flows East.
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