Feng Yanji (Chinese: 馮延己) (per the Zizhi Tongjian[1] and the History of Song[2]) or Feng Yansi (馮延巳) (per the New History of the Five Dynasties[3] and Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms[4] (903-June 23, 960[4][5]), alternative name Feng Yansi (馮延嗣), courtesy name Zhengzhong (正中), was a famed poet and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Tang, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Southern Tang's second emperor Li Jing (Emperor Yuanzong).
But the Master made you, Lord, a friend to the Prince of Qi in order to ask you to guide him with kindness and righteousness, not to spend time in entertainment and games with him.
Even though I am not capable, your capabilities are enough to bring the state into danger.While serving at Li Jing's headquarters, Feng Yanji and Feng Yanlu had often advocated reversing the ban disallowing people from selling their sons and daughters into servitude, but Li Bian, agreeing with the advice of the official Xiao Yan (蕭儼) that that effectively would enslave the children of the poor in favor of the rich, disapproved.
"[1] Feng Yanji received the positions of Jianyi Daifu (諫議大夫) and imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi).
Feng Yanji and his partisans wanted to use this case to control the officials' access to the emperor, and therefore encouraged him to issue an edict stating, "Li Jingsui the Prince of Qi shall oversee all policy matters.
This greatly shocked the state, and the imperial guard officer Jia Chong (賈崇) was eventually able to persuade Li Jing to reverse the decision.
However, Min's traditional capital Fú Prefecture (福州, in modern Fuzhou, Fujian, note different tone) was still in the hands of the warlord Li Hongyi, who was paying nominal allegiance to both Southern Tang and its northern neighbor Later Jin.
(In light of the Southern Tang losses, it also soon lost effective control of the Quan (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian) and Nan (南州, in modern Zhangzhou, Fujian) Prefectures region to the warlord Liu Congxiao, although Liu remained in nominal allegiance to Southern Tang.
[9] (Feng Yanji was apparently then given the honorary title of military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhaowu Circuit (昭武, headquartered in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan, then under the control of Later Shu), and then left governmental service for some time to observe a mourning period for his mother — or possibly stepmother (i.e., Feng Yanlu's mother) — and then was restored to a general title, and then made Taidi Taibao (太弟太保, senior advisor to Li Jingsui) and (honorarily) military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi, then under the control of Later Jin's successor state Later Han.
[4] In 952, Li Jing again made Feng Yanji chancellor, along with Xu Jingyun (徐景運) (who was removed not long after) and Sun Sheng.
Feng also received the title of Zuo Pushe (左僕射, one of the heads of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng)).
Sun, who did not have a good opinion of Feng, privately stated, "How is it that a golden goblet and a jade bowl now contains dog feces?"
[10] It was said that the reason why Feng was able to gain Li Jing's favor was that he constantly advocated strategies for taking the Central Plains.
Li Jing's plans in 951 had been to take those circuits by force, but by 952, he was weary of the campaigns, and considered abandoning the Jingjiang project entirely and try to gain Liu's nominal allegiance by making him military governor.
Sun agreed with the idea, but Feng opposed, arguing that acquiescing with just taking Wu'an would make Southern Tang appear weak.
Bian abandoned Tan and fled, leading to Southern Tang's loss of the circuit and effectively gaining nothing from the Chu adventure.
[13] The war only ended in 958 when Southern Tang capitulated and ceded all of its territory north of the Yangtze River, and also agreed to be a vassal to Later Zhou.