Background

It is not known when Feng Xingxi was born, but it is known that he was from Wudang (武當, in modern Shiyan, Hubei), and that he was known in his home territory for his strategies and his bravery. At one point, he became an officer at Jun Prefecture (均州), which Wudang was part of. In or shortly before 884, there was an incident where the agrarian rebel leader Sun Xi gathered several thousand people and prepared to attack Jun Prefecture. The prefect Lü Ye was panicking, but Feng reacted by hiding the troops and then personally, without escort, going to see Sun, to state to him:

Sun was pleased and did not suspect Feng. Once Sun crossed the river, the Jun Prefecture soldiers all went to Sun, ostensibly to show respect. The soldiers that Feng had hidden then ambushed Sun, and Feng himself killed Sun and the few followers he had with him. His army, left north of the Han River, collapsed and fled. Following his success Feng also had Lü Ye expelled. When Liu Jurong the military governor (Jiedushi) of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), which Jun Prefecture belonged to, reported this to then-reigning Emperor Xizong, who was then at Chengdu (the imperial capital Chang'an having fallen to the agrarian rebel Huang Chao at that time), Feng was commissioned as the prefect of Jun. Meanwhile, there were bandits to the west of Jun who frequently intercepted the tributes that the eastern circuits were submitting to Emperor Xizong at Chengdu. Feng attacked and killed them, to ensure that the tributes would properly reach Emperor Xizong. At one subsequent point, when Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) sent his adoptive son Li Jizhen (李繼臻) to occupy Jin Prefecture (金州, in modern Ankang, Shaanxi), Feng attacked Li Jizhen and took over Jin. The emperor (either Emperor Xizong or his brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong) thereafter made the defender (防禦使, Fangyushi) of a new Zhaoxin Circuit (昭信) with its capital at Jin Prefecture.

As warlord in late Tang Dynasty

In 891, by which time the powerful eunuch Yang Fugong (who had helped Emperor Zhaozong become emperor after Emperor Xizong's death in 888) had a fall out with Emperor Zhaozong and started a rebellion against Emperor Zhaozong with his adoptive sons and nephews Yang Shouliang, Yang Shouzhong, Yang Shouzhen, and Yang Shouhou, Yang Shouliang wanted to try to attack Chang'an (where Emperor Zhaozong was at) through Feng Xingxi's territory, but Feng repelled his attack. (The Yangs were subsequently defeated by Li Maozhen.)

In 898, the status of Zhaoxin Circuit was upgraded, as Feng was made a military governor.

in 901, after a plan by Emperor Zhaozong and the chancellor Cui Yin to slaughter the eunuchs was discovered, the eunuch Han Quanhui forcibly took Emperor Zhaozong to Li Maozhen's Fengxiang Circuit. Cui summoned the powerful warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) to Chang'an, and Zhu subsequently put Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege. During the siege, Han sent some 20 eunuchs through Jin Prefecture, intending to have them head to the southeastern circuits to order the military governors there to attack Zhu. By this point, though, Feng (whose circuit had been renamed Rongzhao Circuit (戎昭)) had already sent his deputy military governor Lu Chongju (魯崇矩) to Zhu to submit to him, and when the eunuchs got to Jin Prefecture, Feng executed them and delivered the edicts that Han issued in Emperor Zhaozong's name that the eunuchs were carrying to Zhu.

In 904, Feng was additionally appointed military governor of Wuding Circuit (武定, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi). While Zhu Quanzhong later attacked and conquered Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) and Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), Feng Xingxi sent his son Feng Xu to lead naval troops to Jun and Fang prefectures to gather with Zhu's troops.

In 905, Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) sent his adoptive son Wang Zonghe (王宗賀) to attack Rongzhao, and after Wang Zonghe achieved repeated victories against him, Feng abandoned Jin Prefecture and fled back to Jun Prefecture. Feng's officer Quan Shilang (全師朗) surrendered Jin to Wang Zonghe. (Wang Jian subsequently made Quan the defender of Jin and adopted him, changing his name to Wang Zonglang (王宗朗).) However, later in the year, after Wang Zonglang came to believe that he could not hold Jin, he burned the city and fled to Wang Jian's capital Chengdu. Feng retook it, but, finding it too damaged to serve as headquarters, received permission (probably from Zhu, as Emperor Zhaozong was well within Zhu's control by that point) to move the capital of the circuit to Jun Prefecture.

In 906, Rongzhao Circuit was abolished by Zhu's order (as Zhu believed that the people of Jin Prefecture did not like Feng as their governor); its prefectures were merged into Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, i.e., Shannan East). Feng himself was transferred to be the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan).

During Later Liang

After Zhu Quanzhong seized the throne in 907, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu, Feng Xingxi continued to serve under Later Liang. When Emperor Taizu was set to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth as an emperor, Feng offered to attend to him during the ceremony, and offered a large amount of tribute; in response, Emperor Taizu treated him with great respect. Emperor Taizu also created him the Prince of Changle.

In 910, Feng fell gravely ill. Apparently fearing that Feng's soldiers (many of whom previously served under the major Tang rebel Qin Zongquan) or Feng's own family might try to seize control of Kuangguo Circuit, which was very close to the Later Liang capital Kaifeng, Emperor Taizu sent the imperial scholar Li Ting (李珽) to Kuangguo's capital Xu Prefecture to effectively take control of the circuit. Feng transferred his authorities to Li, and soon thereafter died.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 186.

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 15.

• ''New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 42.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 258, 261, 262, 265, 267.

家世背景

馮行襲生年不詳，均州武當人，以有勇有謀聞名當地。曾任均州都校。中和四年（884年）十二月，農民軍頭領孫喜聚集數千人準備攻均州。刺史呂燁害怕，馮行襲卻伏下軍隊，隻身往見孫喜：「本州人會歡迎你成為本州的良牧的。但你的徒眾太多，本州人害怕被劫掠，害怕你。你應該把軍隊留在漢江以北，只率心腹人輕騎前進。我馮行襲將做你的前導，安慰士民，他們肯定會歸順你。」孫喜高興，不懷疑馮行襲。孫喜渡河後，均州士卒都迎上來，作尊敬狀。馮行襲部伏兵盡出，馮行襲將孫喜打倒在地，斬之，與伏兵手刃其心腹數人。孫喜留在江北的軍隊也潰散。馮行襲乘勝驅逐呂燁。均州上級的山南東道節度使劉巨容將此事上奏因農民軍黃巢攻占長安而停留成都的唐僖宗，馮行襲被任為均州刺史。當時均州西有盜賊，常攔截東面諸鎮對成都唐僖宗的上貢。馮行襲攻殺群盜賊，確保貢路暢通。洋州節度使葛佐闢馮行襲為行軍司馬，使以兵鎮谷口，通秦、蜀道路，馮行襲由此知名。鳳翔節度使李茂貞派養子李繼臻據金州，馮行襲攻李繼臻，占領金州。唐昭宗任馮行襲為昭信防禦使，以金州為治所。

晚唐軍閥

文德元年（888年）唐僖宗駕崩後，當權宦官楊複恭助唐昭宗繼位。大順二年（891年），楊複恭與昭宗生隙，與養子、侄子楊守亮、楊守忠、楊守貞、楊守厚反叛昭宗。十二月，楊守亮試圖經由馮行襲轄區攻昭宗所在的長安，被馮行襲大敗。後諸楊為李茂貞所敗。

馮行襲被授檢校太子少保，封長樂縣開國子，加食邑。光化元年（898年）正月，馮行襲以昭信軍防禦使、特進、檢校太子太保、使持節金州諸軍事、守金州刺史、御史大夫、上柱國、長樂縣開國伯、食邑七百戶的身份被任為昭信節度使，昭信因而升格為軍鎮。

天複元年（901年），唐昭宗和宰相崔胤屠戮宦官的計劃被察覺，宦官韓全誨挾持昭宗奔鳳翔投李茂貞。崔胤召有權勢的軍閥宣武軍節度使朱全忠前來長安，朱全忠圍攻鳳翔府。其間，韓全誨派卻文晏等二十餘名宦官行經金州，意圖前往東南諸鎮命他們攻打朱全忠。同州節度留後司馬鄴出使說服馮行襲，馮行襲派副使魯崇矩去朱全忠處聽命。十二月，當宦官們到達金州時，馮行襲盡數誅之，將他們攜帶的韓全誨矯詔送到朱全忠處。

天祐元年（904年），馮行襲改姓朱，兼領武定軍節度使。朱全忠攻克山南東道和荊南時，馮行襲派兒子馮勖率水師在均州、房州與其會合。九月，馮行襲奏昭信軍犯朱全忠祖父朱信諱。

二年（905年）八月，西川節度使王建派養子王宗賀攻戎昭，九月，屢戰屢勝，馮行襲棄金州，逃回均州。其親校全師朗以金州降王宗賀。王建以全師朗為金州觀察使，收為養子，改名王宗朗。但王宗朗自認守不住金州，燒了城池奔成都投王建。十月，昭信軍得賜名戎昭軍。十二月，馮行襲複奪金州，卻發現金州已經殘破不堪為治所，得昭宗或控制昭宗的朱全忠許可，將軍部遷到均州。

三年（906年）五月，朱溫認為金州人不擁護長官馮行襲，下令廢除戎昭軍，併入山南東道。馮行襲則以助平山南東道之功調任匡國節度使。剛到任，就殺了大吏張澄並聲言其罪，當地人震懾。

後梁年間

四年（907年），朱全忠篡唐，建立後梁，稱太祖皇帝，馮行襲效命後梁。五月，馮行襲與平盧節度使韓建、義武軍節度使王處直請求太祖開內宴，分別進貢方物。梁太祖祭祀天地，馮行襲請求入覲，上貢很多，因此也受到很多恩禮。朱全忠派詔翰林學士杜曉撰德政碑以賜之。馮行襲累官至兼中書令，冊拜司空，封長樂郡王。

馮行襲在匡國軍三年，貢軍糧二十萬石。開平四年（910年）五月，馮行襲病篤，上表請代。梁太祖害怕馮行襲的手下士兵（其中有故大軍閥秦宗權蔡州舊部兩千人）或家人試圖奪取和後梁都城開封很近的匡國軍的控制權，派崇政院直學士李珽為留後，前往匡國軍部許州控制匡國。李珽到許州後，對將吏們說：「天子握百萬兵，距此才數舍；馮公忠純，別使皇上有所疑。你們赤心奉國，何憂不富貴！」馮行襲想派人代受詔，李珽說：「東首加朝服才是禮。」于是在臥室內宣詔，令馮行襲善自保養，若有不測，子孫都可保後福。馮行襲感泣而謝，遂解二印以授李珽，李珽代掌軍府事。當時馮行襲嚴酷，因被從事魏峻切諫觸怒，誣陷魏峻貪贓，下獄欲誅。李珽便審理魏峻冤情，立時釋放他，回報太祖，太祖覽奏喜道：「我本就知道李珽必能為我辦事，馮行襲門戶不朽了。」馮行襲過世，輟朝一日，贈太傅。謚忠敬。馮行襲部兵被分隸諸校，冒馮姓者皆還本宗。

馮行襲性嚴烈，為政深刻寡恩，但在治所都有好運，境內曾有蝗災，但不久有群鳥啄食，沒有遭害；百姓乏食時，總有野生稻穀出現在田間。雖威福在己，但他一直竭力奉梁室，故得以保其功名。

家庭

長子馮勖，歷任蘄、沁二州刺史。次子馮德晏，官至金吾將軍。

注釋及參考文獻