Ma Qiu

Ma Qiu (died 350) was a military general of Later Zhao and Former Qin during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Ma Qiu participated in Zhao's campaigns against Former Yan and Former Liang, in which both he met with failures. During the confusion of Shi Hu's death, he sided with Ran Min in 350, helping in his order to exterminate the barbarians. However, he was captured by Fu Hong and was later executed after he assassinated him.

Ma Qiu
麻秋
Inspector of Liangzhou (涼州刺史)
In office
346 (346) – 350 (350)
MonarchShi Hu/Shi Shi/Shi Zun/Shi Jian
General Who Directs The Army (軍師將軍)
In office
350 (350) – 350 (350)
MonarchPu Hong
Personal details
BornUnknown
Died350

Service under Later Zhao

Ma Qiu's earliest mentions was in 333, during Shi Hu's control over the emperor Shi Hong. Around this time, the powerful Di chieftain Pu Hong broke away from Later Zhao. Shi Hu sent Ma Qiu to subdue him but Pu Hong immediately surrendered without a fight. Shi Hu valued Pu Hong's influence over the Di, so he did not punish but rather rewarded him.[1]

Ma Qiu was involved in the joint Later Zhao and Former Yan campaign against the Duan tribe in 338. Ma Qiu and Guo Tai (郭太) pursued the tribe's leader, Duan Liao to Mount Miyun, capturing his mother and wife and slaughtering his troops. The Duan tribe was on the verge of collapsing but by this point, Shi Hu had realised that Yan was not interested in letting Zhao benefit from the war. Shi Hu ordered Ma Qiu to retrieve Duan Liao, who had offered his surrender at Mount Miyun. The Yan general Murong Ke ambushed Ma Qiu at Sanzangkou (三藏口, in present-day Chengde, Hebei), leaving three-fifths of his army dead. Ma Qiu returned on foot to an angered Shi Hu, who stripped him off his titles and offices.[2]

Ma Qiu returned to prominence in 346, now serving as Inspector of Liangzhou. Shi Hu wanted to conquer the Former Liang state and had Ma Qiu attack Jincheng with Sun Fudu (孫伏都). The Administrator of Jincheng, Zhang Chong (張沖) had offered to surrender to Ma Qiu so Liang's Duke, Zhang Chonghua responded by sending Xie Ai to repel the invaders. Ma Qiu conquered Jincheng, where the Prefect Che Ji (車濟) refused to surrender to him and committed suicide. Ma Qiu then conquered Daxia after Liang's general Liang Shi (梁式) arrested its Administrator Song Yan (宋晏) and handed over the city. Ma Qiu forced Song Yan to write a letter to the Commandant of Wanshu (宛戍, in present-day Guanghe, Gansu), Song Ju (宋矩) convincing him to surrender but he refused. Instead, he killed his own wife and kids before taking his own life. Ma Qiu was impressed by the loyalty of Che Ji and Song Yan, so he had them both buried with proper burial.[3]

Ma Qiu continued his advances into Liang the following year in 347 by attacking Fuhan (枹罕, in present-day Linxia County, Gansu). Although he completely surrounded the city, the defences were sturdy. He used siege ladders and tunnels to breach their defenses but all these failed while getting thousands of his men killed. Zhao's general Liu Hun (劉渾) came to reinforce Ma Qiu but Liang's general Zhang Qu (張璩) arrived and viciously attacked the Zhao forces. Ma Qiu abandoned the siege and retreated to Daxia.[4]

Shi Ning was sent in to further reinforce Ma Qiu. Xie Ai went to face Ma Qiu's army, riding a light carriage, wearing a white headdress and having drums played as he proceeded. Ma Qiu saw him foolish-looking and thought he was mocking him, so he sent his cavalries to fight him. However, Xie Ai refused to move, which makes the cavalries suspect that an ambush was amiss, so they did not move further. With the cavalries away, a Liang army led by Zhang Mao attacked Ma Qiu's camp. The Zhao army scattered and Xie Ai joined in the fight. Ma Qiu was badly routed and fled alone on horseback to Daxia.[5]

Ma Qiu returned with Shi Ning (石寧) and captured Fuhan before proceeding to Henei. He was further reinforced by Sun Fudu and Liu Hun and attacked Zhang Chonghua. Xie Ai marched south-west, defeating Wang Zhuo before fighting Ma Qiu again. Ma was defeated once more and fled to Jincheng, much to Shi Hu's frustration. Despite Liang surviving, Ma Qiu would get the last laugh as he attacked Zhang Chonghua for the last time. This time, he defeated Zhang Mao, convincing a general of Liang named Li Kui (李逵) to surrender to him while the Di and the Qiang living south of the Yellow River submitted to Zhao.[6]

During the confusion following Shi Hu's death

Shi Hu passed away in 349, succeeded by his son Shi Shi. However, his brother Shi Zun overthrew him and started a series of four short-lived emperors in Zhao between 349 to 351. During Shi Shi and Shi Zun's time, Ma Qiu seemed to have taken a neutral stance. In 349, he repelled an invasion by Jin's Inspector of Liángzhou Sima Xun. The situation in Zhao worsened in 350 when Shi Hu's adopted grandson Ran Min took over the emperor. When Ma Qiu marched to Luoyang together with Wang Lang, he received Ran Min's order to execute any living barbarian in sight. Ma Qiu complied and had many of Wang Lang's barbarian troops executed, causing the latter to flee.[7]

Ma Qiu then marched to Yecheng to meet with Ran Min. However, he was intercepted by Pu Hong's general Pu Xiong and brought before him. Pu Hong decided to make Ma Qiu his General Who Directs the Army. Later that year, Pu Hong would establish his state of Former Qin and change his surname to Fu. Ma Qiu would advise Fu Hong to concentrate in conquering Guanzhong while Ran Min and Shi Zhi were at war. Fu Hong agreed but Ma Qiu was not as loyal as he thought. At a feast, Ma Qiu took the chance to poison Fu Hong and took over his army. Unfortunately for him, though Fu Hong was assassinated, he did not get far with his plans, as Ma Qiu would be quickly arrested and executed by Fu Hong's son, Fu Jian.[8]

References
  1. (虎分命諸將屯汧、隴，遣將軍麻秋討蒲洪。洪帥戶二萬降於虎，虎迎拜洪光烈將軍、護氐校尉。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 95
  2. (恪伏精騎七千於密雲山，大敗之，獲其司馬陽裕。) Book of Jin, Volume 109
  3. (季龍又令麻秋進陷大夏，大夏護軍梁式執太守宋晏，以城應秋。秋遣晏以書誘宛戍都尉宋矩。宋矩謂秋曰：「辭父事君，當立功義；功義不立，當守名節。矩終不肯主偷生於世。」於是先殺妻子，自刎而死。) Book of Jin, Volume 86
  4. (俄而麻秋進攻枹罕，時晉陽太守郎坦以城大難守，宜棄外城。武城太守張悛曰：「棄外城則大事去矣，不可以動眾心。」甯戎校尉張璩從之，固守大城。秋率眾八萬，圍塹數重，雲梯雹車，地突百道，皆通於內。城中亦應之，殺傷秋眾已數萬。季龍復遣其將劉渾等率步騎二萬會之。郎坦恨言之不從，教軍士李嘉潛與秋通，引賊千餘人上城西北隅。璩使宋修、張弘、辛挹、郭普距之，短兵接戰，斬二百餘人，賊乃退。璩戮李嘉以徇，燒其攻具。秋退保大夏，謂諸將曰：「我用兵於五都之間，攻城掠地，往無不捷。及登秦隴，謂有征無戰。豈悟南襲仇池，破軍殺將；築城長最，匹馬不歸；及攻此城，傷兵挫銳。殆天所贊，非人力也。」季龍聞而歎曰：「吾以偏師定九州，今以九州之力困於枹罕，真所謂彼有人焉，未可圖也。」) Book of Jin, Volume 86
  5. (重華以謝艾為使持節、軍師將軍，率步騎三萬，進軍臨河。秋以三萬眾距之。艾乘軺車，冠白，鳴鼓而行。秋望而怒曰：「艾年少書生，冠服如此，輕我也。」命黑槊龍驤三千人馳擊之。艾左右大擾。左戰帥李偉勸艾乘馬，艾不從，乃下車踞胡床，指麾處分。賊以為伏兵發也，懼不敢進。張瑁從左南緣河而截其後，秋軍乃退。艾乘勝奔擊，遂大敗之，斬秋將杜勳、汲魚，俘斬一萬三級，秋匹馬奔大夏。重華論功，以謝艾為太府左長史，進封福祿縣伯，邑五千戶，帛八千匹。) Book of Jin, Volume 86
  6. (趙麻秋又襲張重華將張瑁，敗之，斬首三千餘級。枹罕護軍李逵帥眾七千降於趙，自河以南氐、羌皆附於趙。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 98
  7. (王朗、麻秋自長安赴洛陽。秋承閔書，誅朗部胡千餘人。朗奔襄國。秋帥衆歸鄴，蒲洪使其子龍驤將軍雄迎擊，獲之，以爲軍師將軍。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 98
  8. (軍師將軍麻秋說洪西都長安，洪深然之。已而秋因宴鳩洪，將並其衆。世子健收斬秋。) Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Volume 4
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