Chen Hongjin

Chen Hongjin (Chinese: 陳洪進) (914–985), courtesy name Jichuan (濟川), formally Duke Zhongshun of Qi (岐國忠順公), was a warlord late in the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, who controlled Qingyuan Circuit (headquartered in modern Quanzhou, Fujian).

When he grew older, he was known for an impressive stature and bravery, and became a soldier at Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian), which Xianyou belonged to.

In a siege of Ting Prefecture (汀州, in modern Longyan, Fujian), Chen successfully climbed up the city wall first, and after the battle, became a deputy commander of the Quan army (副兵馬使, Fu Bingma Shi).

The officer Liu Congxiao encouraged other officers, including Wang Zhongshun (王忠順), Zhang Hansi, and Dong Si'an (董思安) to join him in a plot against Huang, arguing that they, having been the long-term subjects of Min's ruling Wang family, could not stand by and allow Zhu to take over.

Upon seeing Huang's head, the Fu detachment scattered and fled, and several of the officers accompanied him to Jian to pay homage to Wang Yanzheng.

[1] It was said, though, that Zhang, on account of his old age, was incapable of governing the circuit, and most of the matters ended up being decided by Chen, whom he made the deputy military governor.

Zhang, surprised and not able to think what else to do, turned his seal to Chen, who then announced the transition to the officers and administrators and took over control of the circuit.

[7][1] However, he also secretly sent the officer Wei Renji (魏仁濟) to Song—which controlled the Central Plains region and had by that point forced Southern Tang into submission as a vassal—asking to directly submit to Song's Emperor Taizu (as Liu Congxiao had).

In summer 964, Chen Hongjin's mother died, but Emperor Taizu then formally recalled him to governmental service.

In 976, Wuyue's king Qian Chu went to the Song capital Kaifeng to pay homage to Emperor Taizu.

However, when he reached South Jian Prefecture (南劍州, in modern Nanping), news arrived that Emperor Taizu had died.

Emperor Taizong sent the official Cheng Deyuan (程德元) to meet him at Su Prefecture (宿州, in modern Suzhou, Anhui) to welcome him.

Chen, then, under the advice of his staff member Liu Changyan (劉昌言), decided to surrender his territory (Pinghai Circuit, consisting of Quan and Zhang Prefectures) to the Song emperor completely.

)[9] Emperor Taizong commissioned Chen Hongjin as the military governor of Wuning Circuit (武寧, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu), and gave him the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).

[9] (However, by this point, military governorships were gradually waning in authority due to Emperor Taizu's centralization of the army.