Song Qiqiu (887–959), courtesy name Zisong, formally Duke Chouliao of Chu (), was the chief strategist of Emperor Liezu of Southern Tang (Xu Zhigao/Li Bian), the founding emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Southern Tang. His strategies were viewed as instrumental in allowing Xu Zhigao to consolidate his power during the latter part of the regency of Xu Wen, Xu Zhigao's adoptive father and regent of Wu, eventually allowing Xu Zhigao to take over the Wu state and take the throne as the emperor of Southern Tang. After the establishment of Southern Tang, Song had a falling out with Emperor Liezu and largely lost his power, but became powerful again during the reign of Emperor Liezu's son Emperor Yuanzong, until he eventually lost the trust of the emperor and committed suicide in 959.
Background Song Qiqiu was born in 887, during the late Tang dynasty. His family had been from Luling (廬陵, in modern Ji'an, Jiangxi) for generations. In his youth, he was studious and ambitious, and was particularly well-learned in strategies.Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms (十國春秋), vol. 20.
Song Qiqiu's father Song Cheng (), at some point, served as the deputy military governor to the late Tang warlord Zhong Chuan the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi). After Song Cheng's death, Song Qiqiu thus remained at Zhennan and became dependent on Zhong and Zhong's family (apparently including Zhong's son and successor Zhong Kuangshi). At some point, he apparently became a candidate for imperial examinations, but it was unclear whether he actually stood for those examinations.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 268.
During Hongnong/Wu In 906, Zhennan was conquered by Yang Wo, the ruler of rival Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu).Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 265. With the Zhongs thus no longer in control, Song Qiqiu became impoverished, and was forced to follow a group of people to head to Huainan proper to try to make a living. He eventually was forced to work for a house of prostitution run by a Lady Wei, apparently at Sheng Prefecture (昇州, in modern Nanjing, Jiangsu). Lady Wei supplied him with money, and he eventually took her as his wife.
In 912, by which point Huainan (and other affiliated circuits, including Zhennan) essentially constituted an independent state of Wu ruled titularly by Yang Wo's brother and successor Yang Longyan but was actually being ruled by Yang Longyan's regent Xu Wen, Xu Wen's adoptive son Xu Zhigao was made the prefect of Sheng Prefecture. He was building a staff and welcomed talented people as staff members. Song offered his poems to Xu Zhigao through the officer Yao Kezhan () to show his talent. Xu Zhigao was impressed with his talent and invited him to serve on staff. Song thereafter became a chief strategist for Xu Zhigao.
By 917, Xu Zhigao was said to have built Sheng Prefecture into such a prosperous city that, when his adoptive father Xu Wen visited, he came to like the city, and therefore set his headquarters there. He promoted Xu Zhigao to be the military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi) of Run Prefecture (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), where his headquarters had previously been, despite Xu Zhigao's wishes to be given Xuan Prefecture (宣州, in modern Xuancheng, Anhui). Initially, Xu Zhigao was not happy, but Song privately advised him to accept the Run command, pointing out that Run Prefecture was just across the Yangtze River from the Wu capital Guangling — easy for him to take advantage of any disturbances that might rise as a result of misdeeds by Xu Zhigao's adoptive brother Xu Zhixun, whom, as Xu Wen's oldest biological son, Xu Wen had left in charge at Guangling as junior regent. Given Song's analysis, Xu Zhigao changed his attitude and accepted the Run command gladly.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 269. When, as Song anticipated, the senior general Zhu Jin started an uprising at Guangling in 918 and killed Xu Zhixun, Xu Zhigao was able to cross the river easily and put down the disturbance quickly. With Xu Wen's other biological sons all being young, Xu Wen thus left Xu Zhigao as the junior regent at Guangling, replacing Xu Zhixun.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 270.
Xu Zhigao changed from the ways that Xu Zhixun misruled and gained the trust of the people and the officials. Song continued to serve as Xu Zhigao's chief strategist. In particular, it was said that it was Song who advocated a major reduction in the silk tax to encourage the people to produce silk, and that after Xu Zhigao adopted the suggestion, the region between the Yangtze and the Huai River became very wealthy. Xu Zhigao wanted to promote Song to higher position, but Xu Wen disliked Song and left him at a relatively low rank, as an army secretary. Nevertheless, it was said that Xu Zhigao and Song would nightly converse in private at a pavilion by the river, or in a hall with no barriers but with a great furnace, for them to use pokers to write in the ash, thus allowing them to quickly erase whatever they wrote to each other and keep their conversation secret. Still, only after Xu Wen's death in 927Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 276. was Song promoted, eventually to be the deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang).
In 931, Xu Zhigao was poised to make Song chancellor. Song, however, believed that he would not be able to get people to be obedient to him given his relative lack of seniority, decided not to accept. Instead, he requested to return to Zhennan's capital Hong Prefecture () to rebury his father. Instead, on the way, he entered Mount Jiuhua and became a hermit at Yingtian Temple () on the mountain. Despite edicts from Yang Longan's brother and successor, Yang Pu (who by that point had claimed imperial title) and letters from Xu Zhigao, he refused to exit the mountain. Xu Zhigao had to send his son Xu Jingtong to Mount Jiuhua to personally persuade Song, for Song to return to the imperial government. Still, after doing so, Song retired with the title of You Pushe (). As a result of this episode, Yingtian Temple was renamed Zhengxian Temple (徵賢寺, "temple where the able was summoned"). However, later in the year, when Xu Zhigao himself took up position at Jinling (i.e., Run Prefecture) following Xu Wen's example and left Xu JIngtong in charge at Guangling, Song agreed to return to the imperial government to serve as chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (), along with Wang Lingmou, to assist Xu JIngtong.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 277.
By 933, under Song's advice, Xu Zhigao was considering moving the capital (and the emperor) from Guangling to Jinling.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 278. He was also considering seizing the Wu throne and become emperor himself, but as Yang Pu was known to be careful and without fault as an emperor, he was initially intending on waiting for the next Wu emperor to take the throne before seizing imperial title, an intent that Song agreed with. In spring 934, though, when the officer Zhou Zong observed Xu Zhigao complaining about his white facial hair, Zhou, realizing that Xu Zhigao did not want to wait any further, volunteered to go to Guangling himself to hint to Yang Pu that he should yield the throne. When Song realized what Zhou was doing, however, he became resentful that Zhou would take this initiative, and instead took the stand of opposing it, arguing that the time was not appropriate, yet. He further requested that Zhou be executed as an apology to the emperor. As a result, Xu Zhigao demoted Zhou out of the headquarters to serve as the deputy military prefect of Chi Prefecture (池州, in modern Chizhou, Anhui). Later, though, when other officers Li Jianxun and Xu Jie also suggested that Xu Zhigao quickly take the throne, Xu Zhigao summoned Zhou back to headquarters, and thereafter began to distance himself from Song. Indeed, later in the year, Xu Zhigao summoned Song back to Jinling to serve as his deputy in his position as the supreme commander of all circuits, but gave him no real responsibilities. When Song thereafter asked to retire, Xu Zhigao gave him a garden as a gift.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 279.
In 936, after Xu Zhigao assumed the greater title as generalissimo, he made Xu Jingtong deputy generalissimo, and made Song and Xu Jie deputies to Xu Jingtong. Song, however, continued to take the stand of opposing the coming imperial transition. When Xu Zhigao had the senior generals Li Decheng (Li Jianxun's father) and Zhou Ben submit petitions for such a transition, to further try to put on a display that this transition was the result of a consensus, Song commented to Li Jianxun, "Your honored father was a great contributor to Taizu [(i.e., all Wu rulers' father Yang Xingmi, whose conquests established the foundation for the Wu state)], and now his reputation is dumped on the ground."Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 280. Still, around this time, Xu Zhigao did agree to a suggestion of Song's — to establish friendly relations with Khitan, to plan a possible invasion of the Central Plains (then ruled by Later Jin). Xu Zhigao thus sent beautiful women and jewels to Khitan, and Khitan's Emperor Taizong thereafter sent emissaries to Wu as well.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 281.
In late 937, Yang Pu did, under Xu Zhigao's pressure, issue an edict yielding the throne to Xu Zhigao, ending Wu. It was said that the only well-known Wu official who did not then sign a petition urging Xu Zhigao to take the throne was Song.
During Emperor Liezu's reign Xu Zhigao took the throne, establishing Southern Tang (as its Emperor Liezu). When he subsequently held a banquet for high-level officials, Li Decheng, at the banquet, stated that all who were there were happy that he accepted the throne, except for Song Qiqiu, and then gave Emperor Liezu the letter that Song wrote him, trying to stop him from urging Emperor Liezu to take the throne. Emperor Liezu refused to look at the letter, stating: "Zisong [(Song's courtesy name)] is an old friend of 30 years. He will surely not turn against me." Hearing this, Song bowed to him and thanked him.