Du Fan (1182～1245) was a minister of the Southern Song Dynasty. The courtesy name is Chengzhi, the nickname is Lizhai, and the posthumous title is Qingxian. He was a native of Dujia Village, Huangyan, Taizhou (now part of Zhejiang Province). Jinshi in the first year of Jiading. He is the Censor of the Liguan Palace, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Secretary of the Central Committee, the Minister of the Privy Council with Tongzhi, and the Right Prime Minister and the Privy Envoy. In December 2006, Du Fan's tomb was discovered in Huangyan.
A brief introduction to the life of Du Fan, minister of the Southern Song Dynasty
Du Fan studied under his ancestors Du Ye and Du Zhiren when he was young. He was a Jinshi in the first year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (1208), and served successively as Jintan County Lieutenant, Wuzhou Judicial Officer and Anji Army Officer, and Anji Secretary General. In December of the second year of Duanping (1235), he was appointed as the supervisory censor. He impeached the right prime minister Zheng Qing for not appreciating his talents, asking for meritorious service, and using troops in Heluo. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians died. The following year, he was appointed Taichang Shaoqing. Faced with the deterioration of the government, he told Emperor Lizong not to use small favors to extend great friendships, and not to flout public laws with personal feelings. Strictly control the palace affairs, so that no words can be allowed to enter the palace; ban appointments with eunuchs, so that no one can be framed and betrayed. In the middle of the court, powerful traitors were in power, and even Emperor Lizong refused to allow Du Fan to return to his fields. In October of the same year, he served as secretary supervisor and storyteller of Chongzheng Palace. At that time, the Mongolian army invaded Jiangling. Du Lizong approved the report and Jiangling was relieved. In December, Du Fan was reinstated as censor. As for Lizong, he indulged in lustful behavior, appointed powerful traitors, preached about Taoism, and gave direct advice. Your Majesty has a reputation of being fond of admonitions, but he refuses to give advice. How can there be any false reputation in the world that can be justified? Faced with Xiangshu being ruined, Jiangling in danger, and the two Huaihe Rivers in turmoil, the government was controlled by Zheng Qingzhi's father and son, who framed innocent people, recruited power and took bribes, and colluded with the Shu army Zhao Yanna to lose his army and harm the country. Du Fan was worried at the beginning, and then committed the crime. Since then, he and the students of Taixue have repeatedly impeached Zheng Qingzhi, Li Mingfu and others. Du Fan said: If Ming Fu does not go, then I will go. Lizong did not accept what he said, and Du Fan refused to serve as a Taiwan official.
On the second day of the first month of the first year of Jiaxi (1237), Du Fan crossed the river and returned home. Lizong was shocked after hearing this and ordered his envoys to Huangyan to persuade him to return, but Du Fan resigned. Lizong had no choice but to transfer Privy Councilor Li Mingfu to the post of magistrate. In the winter of the second year of Jiaxi, Du Fan was appointed magistrate of Ningguo, Jiangxi. When there was a severe drought and food shortage, Du Fan immediately sent 4,000 hu of rice and millet to the Changping warehouse for relief, and invited wealthy households in the city to open warehouses with courtesy. After hearing the news, the hungry people from Huaihe and Huaihe came. The leader of the hungry people, Zhang Shixian, led more than 3,000 people to gather outside the city. Du Fan planned to capture Zhang Shixian, release grain to save the people, and evacuate the hungry people. In June of the fourth year of Jiaxi's reign, he returned to Beijing and served as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and concurrently as a member of Zhongshushe. In April of the following year, he was appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of War, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the Minister of Zhongshu. In the sixth month, Emperor Lizong ordered his ministers to pray for rain in heaven and earth, ancestral temples, communities, and palaces. In the seventh month, Du Fan came to visit. Natural disasters were inherent, but the banquets in the palace were not derogatory; Orders change day by day, rules and disciplines are ruined, and His Majesty is also afraid to reflect on himself! Emperor Lizong issued an edict, and all officials at home and abroad put their best efforts into developing strategies to endanger the system.
In June of the second year of Chunv (1242), he was appointed bachelor of Duanming Palace and a member of the Privy Council. Two years later, he was appointed as Tongzhi Privy Councilor. Li Ming returned to the capital to serve as counselor and political advisor. Du Fan disdained Li Yidian as his minister and left the capital. Lizong urgently sent envoys to recall him and ordered the city gates not to leave the city. After hearing the news, the students of Taixue wrote to Lizong to persuade him to stay, and denounced the right prime minister Shi Songzhi and Li Ming for regaining power and treason and harming the country. Shi Songzhi instigated the censors Liu Jinzhi, Zhao Lun and others to discuss Du Fan and Li Mingfu. Lizong changed Li Mingfu to the post of magistrate of the state, and Du Fan promoted Dongxiao Palace to his original position. In October, Du Fan was ordered to return to his old post. Soon after Shi Songzhi Ding You resigned, virtuous ministers were appointed one after another.
How did Du Fan die?
In December of the fourth year of Chunv (1244), Du Fan was appointed prime minister and envoy to the right, and Fan Zhong was appointed prime minister to the left. The two worked together to purge the imperial court, select talents, and expel Shi Song's accomplices Quan Yuan, Pu Dounan, Liu Jinzhi, Zheng Qiqian, etc. In February of the following year, Lizong personally wrote a sincere letter, preaching justice, gathering everyone's thoughts, and bestowing loyalty and benefit to Du Fan. Du Fan recommended five things: correct the root cause, protect the palace, select talents, cherish famous weapons, and use money sparingly. Lizong ordered Du Fan to formulate political decrees, and Du Fan wrote twelve things to determine the country and the people's hearts in order to restore the Song Dynasty.
Meng Gong, the guard general of Jiangling, had lived in Jianghuai for a long time with a large number of troops, and the court was always in trouble. After Du Fan became prime minister, Meng Gong wrote a letter to congratulate him. Du Fan replied to the letter and said: The ancients said that if the generals harmonize each other, then the soldiers will be attached to each other. If you use skills as a cage, it is not something that someone would disdain. Meng Gong said: Now I sincerely promise you that I will never be the same as my predecessors in using skills to control them, and I am willing to serve you to the death. The Mongolian army invaded in a large scale. Du Fan ordered Huaiyang and Ezhu commanders to attack from the east and west, and Hefei and Shouchun relieved the siege.
In April of the fifth year of Chunv (1245), Du Fan died of illness at the age of 64. Lizong stayed out of court for three days to reduce meals and presented it to the young master, with the posthumous title of Qingxian. He was buried in May. The hearse passed by and people gathered in the memorial alley to cry. In July, he was buried in Huangduling (now Paimen), Jinghua Township, 70 miles west of Huangyan County.
He is the author of 5 volumes of "Ancient Rhythm Poems", 6 volumes of "Miscellaneous Essays", 10 volumes of "Zuo Manuscript", 3 volumes of "External System", 3 volumes of "Jingyan Lecture Notes", and "Book of Changes" , "Spring and Autumn" and so on. Huang Zhen said in the "Biography of Du Fan, the Prime Minister of Wuchen History": Only when the great evil is brought to an end can a righteous person like Du Gong be found. Che Ruoshui's "Mr. Jie Lizhai" said: Yuanyuan Han has been looking forward to it for a long time, and now things are new. The world is watching for changes, but Huang Tian can't bear to mislead others. His nephew Du Hu died for his country after the fall of the Song Dynasty.