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Zu Ti
Eastern Jin general who rose at cockcrow to practise swordplay with Liu Kun, swore mid-river to retake the north, and won back most of the land south of the Yellow River
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Shizhi
- Roles
- Commanders
Zu Ti, courtesy name Shizhi, came from Qiu in Fanyang. Serving as a registrar of Si province with Liu Kun, he shared a bed with him, and when a cock crowed at midnight he kicked Liu awake and got up to practise with his sword. After the fall of Luoyang in 311 he led several hundred families of kin south and was chosen their leader. In 313 Sima Rui, then Prince of Langya, made him governor of Yu province but gave him only rations for a thousand men and no arms; crossing the Yangzi, Zu struck his oar mid-stream and swore that if he failed to clear the north he would not cross back. Forging weapons at Huaiyin, he fought Shi Le for years and recovered most of the land south of the Yellow River. In 321 the court put Dai Yuan over him, and Zu fell ill with frustration and died at Yongqiu at fifty-five. The people of Yu province built shrines to him.
Life and times
Dates 266 CE–321 CE