Chai Shao
Chai Shao (588–638), courtesy name Sichang, posthumously known as Duke Xiang of Qiao, was a Chinese general who served under the emperors Gaozu and Taizong in the early Tang dynasty.
Chai Shao 柴紹 | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Chai Shao (1747) | |
| Born | 588 |
| Died | 638 (aged 49–50) |
| Other names | Sichang (嗣昌) Duke Xiang of Qiao (譙襄公) |
| Occupation | General |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Pingyang |
| Parent(s) |
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Chai Shao was the son of Chai Shen, the Duke of Julu. He married Princess Pingyang, a daughter of Emperor Gaozu, the founder of the Tang dynasty, and distinguished himself as a general in the battles between the Tang Empire and Turkic invaders. On one occasion, when he was attacking the Tuyuhun forces which then threatened the frontier, his army was almost overwhelmed by a dense shower of arrows from the enemy's bows. However, Chai Shao sent forward some girls to play and dance to the Tartar guitar, which so fascinated the Tartar soldiers that they desisted from the fight to watch. Meanwhile, Chai Shao, by a rapid strategic movement, succeeded in surrounding them, and the whole force was cut to pieces. He aided Emperor Taizong in consolidating his control over the Tang Empire. In 628, he was appointed as the Governor of Huazhou in Shaanxi.
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References
This article incorporates text from entry Ch'ai Shao in A Chinese Biographical Dictionary by Herbert A. Giles (1898), a publication now in the public domain.