Dou Chong

Dou Chong (died c. 394) was a military general and ruler of Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Dou Chong rose to prominence after the Battle of Feishui in 383, during which many of Former Qin's generals had betrayed their ruler Fu Jian. He campaigned against Western Yan during the last remaining months of Fu Jian's life and continued to serve his successors Fu Pi and Fu Deng, the latter who showered him with important offices in his government. However, by 393, Dou Chong grew impatient and power-hungry, and after Fu Deng refused to make him Prince of Tianshui, he rebelled and declared himself King of Qin. Dou Chong's Qin only lasted a year, before he was defeated and captured by Later Qin's Yao Xing.

Dou Chong
竇衝
King of Qin (秦王)
Reign393 – 394
Prime Minister of the Left (左丞相)
In office
392 (392) – 393 (393)
MonarchFu Deng
Personal details
BornUnknown
Wudu District, Longnan, Gansu
Diedc. 394
In this Chinese name, the family name is Dou.

Service under Fu Jian

Dou Chong was an ethnic Di from Wudu which at the time was ruled by Chouchi. It is not known when Dou Chong specifically joined Fu Jian but he first appeared in the records in 368, during the rebellion of Fu Liu (苻柳), Fu Shuang (苻雙), Fu Sou (苻廋) and Fu Wu (苻武). Dou Chong was serving as the General of the Forbidden Guards of the Left at the time and participated in quelling the rebellion by leading cavalries.[1]

In 380, Fu Jian's elder cousin, Fu Luo, rebelled against him in Helong (和龍, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning). Fu Jian sent Dou Chong and Lü Guang to campaign against them. Dou Chong fought Fu Luo at Zhongshan, where he greatly routed and captured him. Dou Chong sent Fu Luo back to the capital, who was punished through exile by Fu Jian. Lü Guang and Shi Yue also defeated and killed Fu Luo's conspirators, Fu Chong (苻重) and Ping Gui (平規), thus ending the rebellion.[2]

Before the Battle of Feishui in 383, Fu Jian appointed Yao Chang as Prancing Dragon General. Fu Jian jokingly said to him, "Before, I established my rule as the General Longxiang. I do not easily confer this title on others. You should take good care of the title." However, Dou Chong objected to his playful comment, telling him, "Kings should not joke, this is an ominous sign." Fu Jian made no reply. The Battle of Feishui ended horribly for Fu Jian that year, and this defeat was followed by betrayal from his general Murong Chui in 384, followed by many others including Murong Hong and Yao Chang himself.[3]

Dou Chong remained by Fu Jian's side, serving his son Fu Rui (苻叡) as his chief clerk. Under Fu Rui, he helped him campaign against Murong Hong but was later given the responsibility to defeat Hong's brother, Murong Chong at Pingyang, as he too had rebelled. Dou Chong defeated Murong Chong at Hedong, causing him to abandon his infantry and flee to Murong Hong.[4]

In the middle of the year, Dou Chong submitted to the Jin dynasty. The Jin court appointed Dou Chong as Colonel of the Eastern Qiang Tribes following his submission but shortly after his appointment, he defected back to Qin and invaded Hanzhong. The Jin administrators, Huangfu Zhao (皇甫釗) and Zhou Xun (周勳) surrendered three counties of Baxi (巴西; around present-day Langzhong, Sichuan) to Dou, and Jin's Inspector of Liangzhou, Zhou Qiong (周瓊) had little troops to resist them. Qiong asked the Inspector of Yuzhou, Zhu Xu for help, so Zhu sent Huangfu Zhen (皇甫貞) to assist him. The two drove Dou Chong back east of Chang'an while both Huangfu Zhao and Zhou Xun were killed.[5]

In early 385, the former emperor of Former Yan and also Murong Hong's brother, Murong Wei, apologized to Fu Jian regarding the actions of his brothers. In reality, this was a ruse to let his guard down and assassinate him. One of the conspirators involved was Tu Xian (突賢), who had a sister that happened to be Dou Chong's concubine. The two did not get along with each other, and with knowledge of the plot, Tu Xian's sister revealed to Dou Chong of Murong Wei's intentions. Dou Chong immediately told Fu Jian about it, and when its revealed that Murong Wei had already gotten the Xianbei citizens in Chang'an involved in the scheme, Fu Jian executed Murong Wei and massacred the Xianbei in the city.[6]

Dou Chong's last service for Fu Jian was later in 385, when Murong Chong sent his general Gao Gai (高蓋) to attack Chang'an. Gao Gai attacked during the night to catch the defenders by surprise but Dou Chong and others routed him and proceeded to have him and his men cannibalize their fallen enemies.[7]

Service under Fu Pi and Fu Deng

Fu Jian was captured and killed by Yao Chang in 385. News of his son, Fu Pi ascending the throne took a while to reach to his family members and generals, but once it reached Dou Chong, he occupied Zichuan (兹川), where he gathered thousands of followers under his command. Dou Chong then submitted to Fu Pi and sent a messenger together with the other loyalists asking him to lead a joint attack against Later Qin. Fu Pi appointed Dou Chong as Governor of Liangzhou and during Fu Pi's one year reign, Dou Chong headed the assault on Chang'an together with Deng Jing (鄧景).[8]

After Fu Pi was killed in 386, a distant relative of his, Fu Deng, succeeded him. Fu Deng made Dou Chong the Governor of Southern Qinzhou after he ascended. In 389, Dou Chong was further promoted to Grand Marshal, Commander of military affairs in Longdong (隴東, roughly modern Baoji, Shaanxi), and Governor of Yongzhou. Dou Chong reached his highest position in Qin in 392, as Fu Deng made him his Prime Minister of the Left. Dou Chong camped at Huayin and shortly after attacked Jin at Huangtian Castle (皇天塢). However, he was repelled when reinforcements from Yang Quanqi arrived to lift the siege.[9]

As King of Qin

Despite the promotions that Fu Deng had given him, Dou Chong was still discontent and wanted to become Prince of Tianshui. Fu Deng refused to give him such a title, much to Dou Chong's annoyance. In the middle of 393, Dou Chong's patience wore off, and he declared himself King of Qin, challenging Fu Deng's claimant. Dou Chong also went as far as to changing the reign era title to the first year of Yuanguang (元光).[10]

Fu Deng responded to Dou Chong's declaration by attacking him at Fort Yeren (野人堡, in modern Pucheng County, Shaanxi), Dou Chong asked Later Qin for aid, and at the advice of Yin Wei, Yao Chang sent his son Yao Xing to help him. Yao Xing attacked Fu Deng's vulnerable defenses at Fort Hukong (胡空堡, in modern Bin County, Shaanxi), forcing Fu Deng to lift his siege against Dou Chong. Fu Deng was then ambushed and badly routed by Yao Xing, thus sparing Dou Chong from Qin's attack.[11]

The following year in 394, the Later Qin generals Qiang Xi (強熙) and Qiang Duo (強多) revolted against the state and acclaimed Dou Chong as their leader. Yao Xing, now Later Qin's emperor, personally campaigned against Dou Chong and the rebels. Qiang Duo's nephew, Qiang Liangguo (強良國), killed him and submitted back to Yao Xing. Qiang Duo's death caused panic, and Qiang Xi and Dou Chong fled their own way. Dou Chong made his way to Qianchuan but a Di leader by the name of Chou Gao (仇高) arrested him and sent him to Yao Xing. Dou Chong's cousin, Dou Tong (竇統) surrendered their troops to Yao Xing, ending Dou Chong's state of Qin. What became of Dou Chong after his capture is not known.[12]

References
  1. (堅遣後禁將軍楊成世、左將軍毛嵩等討雙、武，王猛、鄧羌攻蒲阪，楊安、張蠔攻陝城。成世、毛嵩為雙、武所敗，堅又遣其武衛王鑒、甯朔呂光等率中外精銳以討之，左衛苻雅、左禁竇沖率羽林騎七千繼發。) Book of Jin, Volume 113
  2. (北海公重悉薊城之眾與洛會，屯中山，有眾十萬。五月，竇沖等與洛戰於中山，洛兵大敗，生擒洛，送長安。北海公重走還薊，呂光追斬之。屯騎校尉石越自東萊帥騎一萬，浮海襲和龍，斬平規，幽州悉平。堅赦洛不誅，徙涼州之西海郡。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 105
  3. (苻堅伐晉，以萇為龍驤將軍，督益、梁二州諸軍事。謂萇曰：「朕本以龍驤建業，龍驤之號，未曾假人。今特以相授。山南之事，一以委卿。」堅左將軍竇沖進曰：「王者無戲言，此將不祥之徵也。」堅默然。) Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Volume 5
  4. (竇衝擊慕容沖於河東，大破之，沖奔於泓。) Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Volume 4
  5. (初，氏人竇沖求降，朝廷以為東羌校尉。後沖反，欲入漢中，安定人皇甫釗、京兆人周勳等謀納沖，瓊密知之，收釗、勳等斬之。尋卒。子虓嗣。) Book of Jin, Volume 58
  6. (北部人突賢之妹，為堅左將軍竇衝小妻，賢與妹別，妹請衝留其兄。衝馳入白堅，堅大驚，召騰問之，騰具首服。乃誅暐父子及其宗族，城內鮮卑無少長男女皆殺之。) Book of Northern Wei, Volume 95
  7. (壬申，沖遣尚書令高蓋夜襲長安，入其南城，左將軍竇衝、前禁將軍李辯等擊破之，斬首八百級，分其屍而食之。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 107
  8. (左將軍竇衝據茲川，有衆數萬，與秦州刺史王統、河州刺史毛興、益州刺史王廣、南秦州刺史楊璧、衞將軍楊定皆自隴右遣使邀丕，共擊後秦。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 107
  9. (苻堅將竇沖率眾攻平陽太守張元熙於皇天塢，佺期擊走之。) Book of Jin, Volume 84
  10. (秦右丞相竇衝矜才尚人，自請封天水王；秦主登不許。六月，衝自稱秦王，改元元光。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 109
  11. (苻登與竇沖相持，萇議擊之，尹緯言於萇曰：「太子純厚之稱，著于遐邇，將領英略，未為遠近所知。宜遣太子親行，可以漸廣威武，防窺窬之原。」萇從之，戎興曰：「賊徒知汝轉近，必相驅入堡，聚而掩之，無不克矣。」比至胡空堡，沖圍自解。登聞興向胡空堡，引還，興因襲平涼，大獲而歸，咸如萇策。使興還鎮長安。) Book of Jin, Volume 109
  12. (安南強熙、鎮遠楊多叛，推竇沖為盟主，所在擾亂。興率諸將討之，軍次武功，多兄子良國殺多而降。沖弟彰武與沖離貳，沖奔強熙。熙聞興將至，率戶二千奔秦州。竇沖走汧川，汧川氐仇高執送之。沖從弟統率其眾降於興。) Book of Jin, Volume 117
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