Background

It is not known when Liu Jianfeng was born, but it is known that he was from Langshan (朗山, in modern Zhumadian, Henan). At some point, he became an officer at Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan) and was stationed at Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian), which Langshan belonged to, as part of the effort to resist the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, serving alongside his Zhongwu Circuit colleague Sun Ru, and both served under Qin Zongquan the military governor of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered at Cai Prefecture). They continued to serve under Qin after Qin had rebelled against the rule of Emperor Xizong and declared himself emperor.

Service under Sun Ru

In 886, Qin Zongquan put Sun Ru in command of an army to attack Tang's Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan); Sun prevailed over the acting military governor of Heyang, Zhuge Zhongfang (諸葛仲方), and took over the circuit. Despite the victory, Zhang Ji, who also served under Sun, secretly stated to Liu Jianfeng, "Lord Qin is harsh and paranoid, and will soon be destroyed. We have to find a way to avoid this fate ourselves." Liu, who saw the wisdom in Zhang's words, befriended him.

Sun subsequently withdrew from Heyang after Qin suffered a major defeat at the hands of Zhu Quanzhong the Tang military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan). Later in the year, Qin sent his brother Qin Zongheng (秦宗衡), with Sun as his deputy, to advance into Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), to contend for control of the circuit, which by that point had fallen into an internecine struggle between Qin Yan and Bi Shiduo on one side, and Yang Xingmi on the other. Liu, Zhang, and Ma Yin were all in this army commanded by Qin Zongheng. When they arrived at Huainan's capital Yang Prefecture (揚州), Yang Xingmi had captured it and forced Qin Yan and Bi to flee. Qin Yan and Bi then joined forces with Qin Zongheng as well. Soon thereafter, when Qin Zongquan, himself facing military pressure from Zhu, tried to recall Qin Zongheng's army, Sun assassinated Qin Zongheng and took over the army, thereafter executing Qin Yan and Bi. Sun soon defeated Yang Xingmi and took over Yang Prefecture, claiming the title of military governor of Huainan. (Yang subsequently took Ningguo Circuit (寧國, headquartered in modern Xuanzhou, Anhui and became its military governor.) In 889, Sun had Liu attack and capture Chang (常州, in modern Changzhou, Jiangsu) and Run (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) from Yang Xingmi's subordinate Tian Jun and Cheng Ji (成及), a subordinate of Qian Liu (who then controlled Hang Prefecture (杭州, in modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang), respectively. In 890, by which time Chang Prefecture had again been taken by Yang Xingmi and was defended by Yang Xingmi's subordinate Zhang Xingzhou, Liu again captured it and killed Zhang, and then put Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), then under the control of Yang Xingmi's subordinate Li You (李友), under siege. Sun subsequently captured Su Prefecture himself and killed Li.

In spring 891, Sun launched the initial phase of an ambitious plan to first destroy Yang Xingmi and then Zhu. He took all of the army available to him and headed for Xuanshe's capital Xuan Prefecture (宣州). Liu was part of Sun's army. Sun's army was initially victorious, and by spring 892 had put Xuan Prefecture under siege. However, Sun was unable to capture Xuan, and soon got bogged down, with Yang sending raiders to cut off his food supplies. Further, his army was soon troubled by torrential floods and illnesses, and Sun himself was suffering from malaria. He was forced to send Liu and Ma out to raid the nearby regions for food. Meanwhile, Yang, hearing that Sun was suffering from malaria, attacked. He crushed Sun's army and killed Sun. Most of Sun's soldiers surrendered to Yang. Liu and Ma took 7,000 soldiers and headed south, toward Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangsi); the soldiers supported Liu as their leader, with Ma as his forward commander and Zhang Ji as his strategist. The army's size eventually ballooned to over 100,000.

Seizure of Wuan Circuit

Instead of attacking Zhennan Circuit, Liu Jianfeng's army continued to head southwest, toward Wu'an Circuit, which was then ruled by Deng Chuna. When Liu reached Liling (醴陵, in modern Zhuzhou, Hunan) in summer 894, Deng sent his subordinates Jiang Xun (蔣勛) and Deng Jichong (鄧繼崇) to defend Longhui Pass (龍回關, in modern Shaoyang, Hunan) against Liu's advance. Ma Yin advanced to the pass and sent a messenger to Jiang and Deng Jichong. The messenger persuaded Jiang and Deng Jichong that Liu's arrival was foretold by the stars and that their army would be unable to resist his. At the suggestion of the messenger, Jiang and Deng Jichong disbanded their army. Liu then had his soldiers put on the uniforms that Jiang's and Deng Jichong's army wore, and then quickly advanced to Wu'an's capital Tan Prefecture (in modern Changsha, Hunan). When they arrived there, the Tan Prefecture's defenders mistook them for Jiang's and Deng Jichong's army, and therefore took no precautions. Liu's army directly headed for the headquarters, where Deng Chuna was holding a feast. They captured Deng Chuna, and Liu executed him and claimed the title of acting military governor. In summer 895, then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong commissioned Liu as the military governor of Wu'an.

Death

In winter 895, after Jiang Xun's request to be the prefect of Shao Prefecture (邵州, in modern Shaoyang) was rebuffed by Liu Jianfeng, he and Deng Jichong rose to oppose Liu. They quickly captured Shao Prefecture and tried to pressure Tan Prefecture. In spring 896, Liu sent Ma Yin to attack Jiang and Deng, and Ma had initial successes.

However, while this campaign was still going on, it was said that Liu had become arrogant and alcoholic after he took over the circuit. He also carried on an affair with the beautiful wife of his officer Chen Shan. Chen, angry, used a hammer to assassinate Liu. The soldiers initially supported Zhang Ji to succeed Liu, but Zhang declined and eventually supported Ma.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 190.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 257, 258, 259, 260.

家世

劉建鋒生年不詳，是蔡州朗山人。他曾任忠武軍龍驤指揮使，與決勝指揮使孫儒一同在奉國軍節度使秦宗權帳下戍蔡州以抵抗黃巢的大規模農民軍，彼此關係也好。後來秦宗權叛唐僖宗，自己稱帝，他們也繼續追隨。

效力孫儒

光啟二年（886年），秦宗權命孫儒率軍攻唐廷治下的河陽；孫儒敗河陽留後諸葛仲方，奪取河陽。雖然取勝，十二月，孫儒帳下行軍司馬張佶卻秘密對劉建鋒說：「秦公剛鷙而猜忌，很快會滅亡，我們早晚被朱全忠（宣武軍節度使）所滅，必須設法自免！」劉建鋒正自危，從中看出了張佶的智慧，于是和他交友。孫儒也認同張佶所言。

秦宗權遭朱全忠大敗後，孫儒撤離河陽。三年（887年）十月，秦宗權派弟弟秦宗衡進軍淮南爭奪其控制權，以孫儒為副，劉建鋒為前鋒。當時淮南正陷入兩敗俱傷的內戰，一方為自稱淮南節度使秦彥和左廂都知兵馬使畢師鐸，另一方為廬州刺史楊行密。張佶、馬殷也都在秦宗衡軍中。他們到淮南軍部揚州時，楊行密已將其占領並迫使秦彥和畢師鐸逃遁。秦彥和畢師鐸也加入了秦宗衡軍。不久，當秦宗權面臨朱全忠的軍事壓力試圖召回秦宗衡軍時，孫儒殺秦宗衡，奪取軍隊，與劉建鋒、左軍判官許德勛等盟誓，又殺秦彥、畢師鐸。孫儒不久敗楊行密，奪取揚州，自稱淮南節度使。劉建鋒成為孫儒別將。楊行密隨後占有寧國軍，並成為其節度使。龍紀元年（889年）十二月，孫儒命劉建鋒從楊行密馬步都虞候田頵手中奪取常州，守之，又驅逐杭州刺史錢鏐部下潤州制置使成及，取潤州。大順元年（890年）二月，楊行密部將安仁義、牙將劉威、田頵等敗劉建鋒于武進，取常州，劉建鋒又驅逐潤、常州之間的楊行密諸將。閏九月，劉建鋒再攻常州，殺制置使張行周，圍楊行密部將李友控制的蘇州。十二月，孫儒親自攻拔蘇州，殺李友。

大順二年（891年）春，孫儒展開先滅楊行密再滅朱全忠的初步計劃。他引全軍進軍宣歙軍部宣州。劉建鋒率軍隨軍。孫儒軍起初取勝，景福元年（892年）二月，圍宣州。但他不能攻陷宣州，很快陷入困境，五月，楊行密又出奇兵斷其糧道。孫儒的軍隊又為大雨和疫病所苦，自己也染上了瘧疾，只得派劉建鋒和馬殷分兵劫掠鄰近諸縣以求食。六月，楊行密得知孫儒染瘧疾，攻之，擊潰孫儒軍，殺孫儒。孫儒軍大多投降楊行密。劉建鋒和馬殷為孫儒而哭，互相說：「公常有志被立廟祭祀，等吾等有了領地，當為他立廟以報德。」率七千士兵南下向鎮南軍進軍；士兵推劉建鋒為帥，馬殷為先鋒指揮使，張佶為謀主。這支軍隊劫掠洪州、虔州、吉州等數州，不久達到十餘萬人。

奪取武安軍

劉建鋒軍沒有攻打鎮南軍，而是繼續向西南朝當時在鄧處訥治下的武安軍行進。乾寧元年（894年）五月，劉建鋒兵到醴陵，鄧處訥派邵州指揮使蔣勛、鄧繼崇守龍回關以阻劉建鋒進軍。馬殷到關下，派出使者，使者說服蔣勛、鄧繼崇：劉建鋒的到來是有星象預兆的，他們的軍隊不足以抵抗之。在使者建議下，蔣勛、鄧繼崇解散了軍隊。劉建鋒命部下士兵穿上蔣勛、鄧繼崇士兵的軍服，很快進軍到武安軍軍部潭州。他們兵到後，潭州守軍誤認他們為蔣勛、鄧繼崇的軍隊，不做防備。劉建鋒軍直入軍府，鄧處訥正在飲宴，被擒，劉建鋒殺之，在張佶等推戴下自稱留後，上表京師。當年，劉建鋒等舉唐世旻為永州刺史。當時受命宣撫南方各藩鎮的諫議大夫孫偓從衡州、永州前往潭州安撫劉建鋒。

二年（895年）四月，唐昭宗任劉建鋒為武安軍節度使，拜檢校尚書左僕射。劉建鋒以馬殷為內外馬步軍都指揮使。同入武安軍的還有許德勛、姚彥章、秦彥暉、王環、李瓊等。

身亡

劉建鋒答應賞賜蔣勛，卻未及行動。同年十一月，蔣勛求為邵州刺史，劉建鋒不許，蔣勛就和鄧繼崇起兵反劉。他們很快攻陷邵州，試圖壓迫潭州。三年（896年）正月，劉建鋒派馬殷討蔣、鄧，取得初步勝果。

但是，戰事還在進行，劉建鋒自從奪取武安軍後就變得驕傲嗜酒。他本是庸人，經常和部曲飲酒歡呼，還和新息小史長直兵牽櫳官陳贍美艷的妻子私通。陳贍被同僚戲言，以為恥，四月，怒而用蒺藜鐵撾殺了劉建鋒。士兵起初迎張佶為留後，但張佶拒絕了，三軍最終推立權知邵州刺史馬殷，並誅殺陳贍。馬殷上任之際，誅殺謀害劉建鋒者數十人，並從此禁用蒺藜。

劉建鋒生前官爵為武安軍節度使、檢校司空、彭城郡侯，邑千戶。馬殷後來以湖南為根據建立楚國，很感恩劉建鋒，屢次上表請求追贈，使其得以累贈太傅。後唐末帝清泰二年（935年）十二月，因楚國所請，贈劉建鋒太尉。其妻厙狄氏，贈韓國夫人。

注釋及參考文獻