Zheng Tian

Zheng Tian (, 821?/825?–883?), courtesy name Taiwen (), formally Duke Wenzhao of Xingyang (), was a Chinese politician and military commander of the late Tang dynasty who served twice as a chancellor under Emperor Xizong, from 874 to 878 and again from 881 to 883, and played a crucial role in the dynasty's resistance to the cataclysmic Huang Chao Rebellion. Zheng was also an accomplished man of letters, and his ''qijue'' poem "On Mawei Slope" was included in the Qing-era anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''.

The son of a prominent political figure, Zheng enjoyed early success in the imperial examinations and entered public service at a young age. After his father's political faction fell from favor, he was blacklisted for years and only returned to office in the 860s, after forming an association with the respected statesman Liu Zhan. Zheng secured influential court postings during Liu's brief tenure as chancellor, earning a reputation as a talented edict drafter and military strategist. He remained loyal to Liu when the latter fell from power and was in turn banished from court, but was rehabilitated during the reign of Emperor Xizong and made a chancellor in 874. Although Zheng enjoyed the young emperor's respect, he was marginalized at court by his cousin and fellow chancellor Lu Xie and, following a dispute with Lu, was removed from the chancellorship in 878. Zheng was later appointed as military governor of Fengxiang Circuit, west of the imperial capital of Chang'an. In 881, when Huang Chao's rebel army forced Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu, Zheng remained resolutely loyal to the dynasty and was tasked by the emperor with rallying loyalist resistance in the capital region. Relying on his personal wealth, he organized a viable fighting force at Fengxiang Circuit and inflicted a surprise defeat on rebel forces sent to subdue him. Zheng subsequently participated in an unsuccessful military operation to retake the capital and, following a mutiny, rejoined the emperor in Chengdu and was made a chancellor once again. He was forced into retirement in 883, following disputes with the influential court eunuch Tian Lingzi, and died of illness shortly thereafter. Provided by Wikipedia