Ministers › Provincial Governors
Fang Fengshi
Jiayu official who as governor of Datong used the defection of Altan Khan's grandson to help Wang Chonggu make peace with the Mongols, and later ran the Xuanfu-Datong frontier
A walled hilltop city with a tall brick gate tower stands above a pine-covered cliff, its wall running along the ridge, while a long wooden bridge crosses a wide river below and plains, islets and layered mountains stretch into the distance, with no person in view.
Also known as Zi Xingzhi · Hao Jinhu
Fang Fengshi, courtesy name Xingzhi, came from Jiayu in Huguang and gained his jinshi in 1541. After county and prefectural posts he became governor of Liaodong early in the Longqing reign and was moved to Datong in 1570. That winter Altan Khan's grandson Daiching Ejei crossed over to the Ming, and Fang, telling the supreme commander Wang Chonggu that the chance must not be lost, received him and agreed with Wang to trade him for Zhao Quan and other Chinese renegades in Altan's camp. Altan handed over the renegades, the grandson went home, and in 1571 Altan accepted the title Prince Shunyi and opened border markets. Early in the Wanli reign Fang succeeded Wang as supreme commander of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi, and on his recall in 1577 he defended the tribute-and-trade system in a long memorial. He later served as minister of war; on his retirement the emperor gave him the characters for 'utmost loyalty' in his own hand, and contemporaries paired him with Wang Chonggu.
Life and times
Dates 1522 CE–1596 CE