家世和早期仕途

周寶生于唐憲宗年間的814年，是平州人氏。曾祖周待選在安史之亂時為魯城令，試圖阻止安祿山進軍時被敗殺。祖父周光濟為唐朝對安祿山的大燕政權作戰的平盧節度使侯希逸牙將，因其父之死而尋求複仇，只要抓到參與燕軍曾圍魯城者，都手刃之。隨後他又效力侯希逸的繼任者實際獨立統治平盧的李正己。李正己死後，周光濟隨其堂兄李洧以徐州歸朝廷。周寶父周懷義，通書記，官至檢校工部尚書、天德西城防禦使，但因宰相李吉甫拒絕支持他遷徙天德城的建議而憂死。

因家族為朝廷效力，周寶得以蔭為千牛備身。周懷義參軍殷侑成為天平軍節度使後，邀周寶為部將。唐武宗會昌年間（841年—847年），周寶回長安入宿衛，隸右神策軍，因而與同僚高駢為密友，高駢比周寶年輕，事周寶如兄長。周寶曆任良原鎮使，善馬球，將其作為軍將訓練的一部分。後因未得升官，他見了同樣愛好馬球的武宗，請求做武宗宮中的馬球手。武宗同意了，擢金吾將軍。但周寶在打馬球時失去了一隻眼睛。進檢校工部尚書、涇原節度使。他支持涇原的城防，聚糧二十萬斛，被號為良將。

控制鎮海

乾符六年（879年）十月，周寶以神策大將軍被任為檢校尚書左僕射，兼潤州刺史、鎮海軍節度使、浙江西道觀察等使，代替被調往鄰鎮揚州任淮南節度使的高駢。最初周寶和高駢關係友好；當時高駢領鹽鐵事，闢周寶子周佶為支使，周寶也請高駢的從子來他的幕府。但儘管他們曾在右神策軍彼此以兄弟相待，高駢作為將軍名聲遠蓋周寶，開始輕視他，他們的治所又相鄰，開始有爭執。中和元年（881年），長安已落入黃巢農民大軍之手，迫使唐僖宗逃往成都。高駢稱在準備一場攻打黃巢收複長安的大規模行動，且作為諸道行營都統發檄寫信要求周寶調軍為備。當時周寶已加檢校司空。周寶大喜，照辦，點閱軍隊準備勤王。有人告知周寶高駢有意吞併江東學漢末孫策三分天下，周寶尚不信。後周寶偵察發現高駢並無真正的用兵計劃，便以為高駢其實想攻打他。當高駢邀請他到軍中議事時，他稱病不出，二人互相侮辱，友誼完全破裂。于是高駢以周寶和浙東節度使劉漢宏為後患為由，不發兵助朝廷，甚至故意請求致仕。

周寶的鎮海軍自身也被黃巢的農民軍攻打，城鎮淪陷，因而以董昌的杭州八都兵抵禦。杭州八都早年為抵禦王郢之亂而建，史書對八都兵的記載有些矛盾，經考証周寶時期的八都兵包括以下人員：董昌的臨安縣「石鏡都」，陳晟（前任為曹圭）的餘杭縣「臨平都」，吳文舉的於潛縣「於潛都」，徐及的鹽官縣「鹽官都」，杜陵的新城縣「武安都」，饒京（阮結）的唐山縣「唐山都」、成及（前任聞人宇，或文禹）富陽縣「富春都」和劉孟安錢塘縣「龍泉都」）。《資治通鑑》、《吳越備史》、《新唐書》三者對杭州八都組成的敘述有些許不同，今經考証以上述所列為準。

九月，八都之一的董昌趁新任杭州刺史路審中將赴任之機，奪取杭州，自稱杭州都押牙、知州事，並遣將吏請命于周寶。周寶自認為力不能制董昌，表其為杭州刺史。十一月，唐僖宗加周寶榮譽宰相銜同中書門下平章事，兼天下租庸副使，封汝南郡王。二年（882年）七月，周寶奏高駢承制以變軍首領孫端為宣歙觀察使。僖宗詔命周寶與宣歙觀察使裴虔余發兵拒之。

周寶溫和寬宏，喜歡接納士人，見京師淪陷，有心勤王，組織了一支叫「後樓都」的新軍，軍餉比鎮海軍多一倍，鎮海軍因而怨恨。周寶讓兒子周璵統領後樓都，但周璵馭軍無方，後樓都驕橫無軍紀。周寶也開始飲宴娛樂度日，不注意軍隊的需求。他任女婿楊茂實為蘇州刺史，楊茂實課以重稅，百姓負擔過重。控制僖宗朝廷的當權宦官田令孜派趙載代楊茂實。周寶累次上表請求讓楊留任，但均未獲准，于是讓楊在離任前毀壞官署。

但是，周寶對鎮海諸州的實際控制還在繼續崩潰。早在中和元年二月，餘杭鎮使陳晟奪取睦州。光啟二年（886年）正月，因同樣打馬球而為他所寵的部下牙將張鬱兵變攻陷常州，六月周寶派另一牙將丁從實敗之，收複常州。周寶還發牒文給高駢商議處置臨淮叛卒事，高駢回信責周寶縱容養奸。十二月，董昌部下都知兵馬使錢鏐敗劉漢宏，董昌占有浙東，將杭州交給錢鏐，周寶同意，承制以錢鏐權知杭州軍州事兼杭州管內都指揮使。當時，田令孜下屬右散騎常侍沈誥使江南，仗著和田令孜的關係，做出很多腐敗行為。僖宗的遠親襄王李煴短期登基（同年他和主要支持者靜難節度使朱玫被殺，使僖宗再次成為無可爭議的皇帝），下令搜捕田令孜黨羽，周寶趁機捕殺沈誥和趙載。

敗亡

三年（887年），周寶耽于享樂，不問政事。他徵發民夫為軍部潤州建羅城二十餘里並建造東面官邸，百姓苦之。三月，周寶和僚屬飲宴，有人說鎮海軍對後樓都懷怨，周寶答：「他們敢作亂就殺了他們！」度支催勤使薛朗將此言告訴朋友鎮海軍牙將劉浩，以為警告，劉浩說：「我們只有兵變才能免死！」當夜率其黨同僚刁頵及薛朗等兵變，攻周寶官邸。周寶正睡覺，醒來，見外兵格鬥，火照城中，驚出，諭道：「為吾所用則是吾兵，否則是寇。六州皆我鎮，去哪不行？」試圖召後樓都對抗變軍，但很快發現後樓都也加入了變軍。他別無他法迎戰變軍，于是率家人從青陽門出奔，步行逃到常州投丁從實。亂兵大掠，劉浩殺周寶僚佐崔綰、陸鍔、田倍等，推薛朗為留後，薛朗自稱知府事。周寶先前兼租庸副使，儲存財貨堆積如山，都落入變軍之手。當高駢得知周寶倒台，為之慶賀，還送齏一瓶、葛粉十斤給他，以為譏諷。周寶怒而將其擲在地上，說：「你有呂用之，難說以後會發生什麼！」呂用之是高駢信任的方士，當時已對高駢治下的淮南有了很大的控制權。最終因呂用之腐敗，左廂都知兵馬使畢師鐸兵變，高駢對呂用之說「你好自為之，不要讓我成為周侍中！」結果畢師鐸驅逐呂用之，但隨即囚禁了高駢，九月，高駢被殺。周寶在常州召後樓都，沒有一人前來。

周寶知淮南六合鎮遏使徐約有精兵，以蘇州誘其攻占據蘇州的張雄。張雄出逃海上，使別將趙暉據上元，周寶所部潰卒多歸趙暉。

十月，錢鏐派東安都將杜稜攻常州，丁從實逃到海陵。錢鏐以部將對節度使的儀式以軍禮從郊外迎周寶歸杭州，居于樟亭驛。先前周寶去丹陽，州人總說「待錢來」，至此應驗。十二月，周寶卒于樟亭驛。贈太保。《新唐書·僖宗紀》稱十月丁卯日錢鏐殺之，《新唐書·周寶傳》載十月錢鏐殺之，《十國紀年》亦載周寶或系錢鏐所殺，但《資治通鑑》取《吳越備史》。錢鏐攻破潤州擒住薛朗後，剖其心以祭周寶。

家庭

妻

• 博陵郡夫人崔氏，崔鉉女

子女

• 周佶

• 周璵

• 周氏，嫁楊茂實

注釋及參考文獻

Background and early career

Zhou Bao was born in 814, during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. His family was originally from Ping Prefecture (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei). His great-grandfather Zhou Daixuan (周待選) had served as the magistrate of Lucheng County (魯城, in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) during An Lushan's rebellion, and had tried to resist the advances of An's army but was defeated and killed. Zhou Bao's grandfather Zhou Guangji (周光濟) subsequently served under Hou Xiyi (侯希逸) the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, then-headquartered in modern Chaoyang, Liaoning), a Tang general in the subsequent wars between Tang and An's Yan state. It was said that because of Zhou Daixuan's death, Zhou Guangji wanted revenge, and so whenever he captured those who participated in the Yan siege of Lucheng, he would kill them with his own hands. Subsequently, he served under Hou's successor Li Zhengji, who was de facto independent in his rule of Pinglu (which had then moved south to be headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong). After Li Zhengji's death, Zhou Guangji followed Li Zhengji's cousin Li Wei (李洧) in submitting Xu Prefecture (徐州, in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu) to the imperial government. Zhou Bao's father Zhou Huaiyi (周懷義) later also served as a general, eventually being promoted to being the defender of the western part of Tiande (天德, in modern Bayan Nur, Inner Mongolia), but was said to have died in distress when the chancellor Li Jifu refused to support his proposal to move Tiande's location.

Because of his family's history of service to the imperial government, Zhou Bao became an imperial guard. When Yin Wei (殷洧), who had previously served on Zhou Huaiyi's staff, became the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an — having been carved out of Pinglu Circuit previously), he invited Zhou Bao to serve under him. During the Huichang era (841-847) of Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Wuzong, Zhou returned to the capital Chang'an and was made an officer at the Right Shence Army (右神策軍). There, he became a close friend to fellow Right Shence Army officer Gao Pian, such that Gao, who was younger, treated Zhou like an older brother. At one point, he became the defender of Liangyuan Base (良原鎮, in modern Pingliang, Gansu), and, as he was good at polo, had the soldiers play polo as part of their training. Subsequently, as he was not being promoted, he met with Emperor Wuzong, who also liked polo, and offered to be a polo player in Emperor Wuzong's palace. Emperor Wuzong agreed, but it was during this time that, during a polo accident, Zhou lost one eye. He subsequently was made the military governor of Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern Pingliang). It was said that he shored up Jingyuan's defenses and stored food supplies, and was known as a good general.

Control of Zhenhai Circuit

In winter 879, Zhou Bao was made the military governor of Zhenhai Circuit, succeeding Gao Pian, who was transferred to neighboring Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). Initially, the relationship between Zhou and Gao were friendly; Gao, who at that point also carried the title of director of salt and iron monopolies, invited Zhou's son Zhou Ji (周佶) to serve as an assistant, while Zhou Bao invited a nephew of Gao's to serve on his staff. However, despite the fact that they were treating each other's as brothers previously when they were at Right Shence Army, Gao, who by that point had become a far more famous general than Zhou, began to take Zhou lightly, and by this point, with their circuits neighboring each other, they began to have disputes. By 881, when Chang'an had fallen to the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong (Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong's grandson) to flee to Chengdu. Gao claimed that he was preparing a major operation to attack Huang to recapture Chang'an, and he, as the commander of Tang troops in the region, ordered Zhou to mobilize his troops to prepare for the operation. Zhou did so, but then discovered that Gao was making no real plans to launch his troops, and therefore believed that Gao was planning to attack him. When Gao summoned him for a meeting, Zhou refused to go, and after they sent insults back and forth, the friendship was completely broken. Gao subsequently used his rivalry with Zhou and Liu Hanhong the governor of Zhedong Circuit (浙東, headquartered in modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang) as an excuse not to launch his troops to aid the imperial government.

Meanwhile, with Zhenhai Circuit itself being attacked by agrarian rebels, and towns falling to them, Zhou organized eight special corps to defend against the agrarian rebels. In 881, however, one of the eight commanders, Dong Chang, took the opportunity when the new imperially-commissioned prefect of Hang Prefecture (杭州, in modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang), Lu Shenzhong (路審中), was set to arrive there, to seize it before Lu arrived. Dong requested official sanction from Zhou, and as Zhou did not feel he had the power to stop Dong, he commissioned Dong as the prefect of Hang Prefecture. Later in the year, Emperor Xizong gave Zhou the honorary chancellor title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). Zhou was also made the deputy director of salt and iron monopolies, and created the Prince of Ru'nan. As he had ambitions of eventually heading for the imperial government's aid, he organized a new corps, known as the Rear Tower Corps (後樓都), paying them twice the salary of regular troops. (This caused great resentment from the regular troops.) Zhou put his son Zhou Yu (周璵) in command of the Rear Tower Corps, but it was said that Zhou Yu was not an effective commander, and the Rear Tower Corps became arrogant and lacking in discipline. Zhou Bao himself was said to be beginning to spend his time in feast and pleasure, and not paying attention to his troops' needs. He made his son-in-law Yang Maoshi (楊茂實) the prefect of Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu), and it was said that Yang tried to collect large amounts of taxes from the people, overburdening them. The powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, who then controlled Emperor Xizong's court, sent the official Zhao Zai (趙載) to replace Yang. Zhou made repeated attempts to petition for Yang's retention, but the petitions were not accepted, so he had Yang vandalize the government offices before leaving.

However, the continued breakdown of Zhou's actual control over the prefectures consisting of Zhenhai Circuit continued. In 886, Zhou's officer Zhang Yu (張郁), who had initially gained Zhou's favor as he was also a polo player, mutinied and captured Chang Prefecture (常州, in modern Changzhou, Jiangsu), but later in the year Zhou was able to send another officer, Ding Congshi (丁從實), to defeat Zhang and recapture Chang Prefecture. Also around this time, another officer, Chen Sheng (陳晟), seized control of Mu Prefecture (睦州, in modern Hangzhou). Also in 886, Dong's subordinate Qian Liu defeated Liu Hanhong, and Dong took over Zhedong Circuit. Dong gave the control of Hang Prefecture to Qian, which Zhou approved. At that time, Tian's associate Shen Gao (沈誥) was surveying the region and, relying on his association with Tian, was engaging in many corrupt acts. When Emperor Xizong's cousin Li Yun the Prince of Xiang briefly seized the throne (although both he and his main support Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) were killed later in 886, allowing Emperor Xizong to again be undisputed emperor) and ordered a general arrest of Tian's associates, Zhou took this opportunity to arrest and execute Shen and Zhao Zai.

Downfall and death

By 887, Zhou Bao was said to be devoting his time to pleasure, not paying attention to governance. He was also conscripting the laborers to build outer walls for the circuit capital Run Prefecture (潤州), as well as an eastern addition to his mansion. The people resented the heavy labor. Once, when Zhou was feasting with his staff, staff members expressed to him their concerns about the regular troops' resentment of the Rear Tower Corps. Zhou responded, "If they dare to create disturbances, execute them." When his staff member Xue Lang informed this to Xue's friend, the officer Liu Hao (劉浩) to warn Liu, Liu stated, "We can only escape death if we mutiny." That night, Liu started a mutiny with his soldiers and attacked Zhou's mansion. Zhou woke up and tried to summon the Rear Tower Corps to fight the mutineers, but soon found out that the Rear Tower Corps had joined the mutineers. He could not think of another way to counter the mutiny, so he took his family members and fled on foot to Chang Prefecture to join Ding Congshi. Liu killed many of Zhou's staff members, took over the headquarters, and supported Xue as the acting military governor. Because Zhou was previously the deputy director of the monopolies, he had much wealth stored away, and it all fell into the mutineers' hands. When Gao Pian heard of Zhou's fall, he celebrated it, and sent a bag of powder to Zhou to satirize the collapse of his power. Zhou angrily threw the bag onto the ground and stated, "It is hard to say what will happen to you given that you have Lü Yongzhi!" (Lü was a sorcerer whom Gao trusted, who had by this point had great control on Gao's governance of Huainan. Eventually, as a result of Lü's corruption, the officer Bi Shiduo would mutiny, resulting in Gao's own death later in 887.)

In winter 887, Qian Liu sent his officer Du Leng (杜稜) to attack Chang Prefecture, and Ding fled to Hailing (海陵, in modern Taizhou, Jiangsu). Qian had Zhou escorted to Hang Prefecture, where he welcomed Zhou in a grand ceremony fitting the ceremony welcome by a subordinate of a military governor. Zhou would die at Hang Prefecture early in 888. The New Book of Tang indicated that Qian killed Zhou, but Sima Guang, the lead author of the Zizhi Tongjian, found the account not credible and did not adopt it. When Qian captured Run Prefecture and arrested Xue, he had Xue's heart cut out of his body and sacrificed to Zhou.

Notes and references

• New Book of Tang, vol. 186.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 253, 254, 255, 256, 257.