Zhu Xuan (朱瑄[1][2][3] or 朱宣[4][5]) (d. 897) was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty, who, from 882 to 897, controlled Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong) as its military governor (jiedushi).
He formed a power bloc with his cousin Zhu Jin, who ruled neighboring Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong), and subsequently, they, along with their ally Shi Pu the military governor of Ganhua Circuit (感化, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu), engaged in a lengthy war with their former ally Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) that ravaged the countryside.
As of 882, he was serving under Cao Cunshi (曹存實) the military governor of Tianping Circuit, when Cao was killed in battle when Tianping came under attack by Han Jian the military governor of neighboring Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei).
Zhu took over the defense of Tianping's capital Yun Prefecture (鄆州) after Cao's death and was able to prevent it from falling to Han.
[3][6] In 883, Emperor Xizong made Zhu Xuan full military governor of Tianping.
[7] In winter 884, Zhu Xuan made an unsuccessful bid to take over Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan).
At that time, An Shiru (安師儒) the military governor of Yicheng had alienated his soldiers by overly entrusting authorities to his officers Xiahou Yan (夏侯晏) and Du Biao (杜標).
Zhu Quanzhong took over Yicheng and made his officer Hu Zhen (胡真) acting military governor.
Zhu Quanzhong used this as an excuse to send Zhu Zhen and Ge Congzhou to attack Tianping's Cao Prefecture (曹州, in modern Heze, Shandong); they captured it and executed Cao's prefect Qiu Hongli (丘弘禮).
Zhu Quanzhong barely escaped with his life, while his deputy military governor Li Fan (李璠) was killed.
[10] Late in 893, Ge Congzhou attacked Qi Prefecture (齊州, in modern Jinan, Shandong).
In spring 894, however, Zhu Quanzhong personally engaged them and defeated them, killing more than 10,000 Tianping and Taining soldiers.
With the path from Hedong thus cut off, no further reinforcement from Li Keyong could arrive, and it was said that thereafter, the situation became hopeless for Tianping and Taining.
[11] In 897, Zhu Quanzhong's officers Ge Congzhou and Pang Shigu (龐師古) jointly again sieged Yun Prefecture.
When Zhu Xuan reached Zhongdu (中都, in modern Tai'an), the people in the countryside captured him and his wife Lady Rong, and surrendered them to Ge.
Zhu Jin, meanwhile, could also not hold Taining, and he fled, along with Shi and Li Chengsi, south to Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) to submit to Huainan's military governor Yang Xingmi, allowing Zhu Quanzhong to take over the entire Yellow River-Huai River region.