Deng Chuna

Deng Chuna (Chinese: 鄧處訥; died 894), courtesy name Chongyun (沖韞), was a warlord in the late Tang dynasty China, who controlled Wu'an Circuit (武安, headquartered in modern Changsha, Hunan) as its military governor (Jiedushi) from 893 to 894, when he was defeated and killed by Liu Jianfeng, who took over the circuit.

Background and service under Min Xu

It is not known when Deng Chuna was born, but it is known that he was from Shao Prefecture (邵州, in modern Shaoyang, Hunan). In his youth, he became a soldier under Min Xu, an officer from Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi), on a deployment to Annan (安南, i.e., modern northern Vietnam). In 881, when Min and his soldiers were returning from Annan, they went through Tan Prefecture (in modern Changsha, Hunan), and Min expelled the governor of Hunan Circuit (湖南, headquartered at Tan Prefecture) and took over the circuit. Min thereafter claimed the title of acting governor and made Deng the prefect of Shao Prefecture.

Takeover of Wu'an

In 886, when Tan Prefecture was under attack by Zhou Yue the prefect of Heng Prefecture (衡州, in modern Hengyang, Hunan), Min Xu welcomed one Huang Hao (黃皓), an officer under Qin Zongquan, who had declared himself emperor of a new state centered around Cai Prefecture (蔡州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), to help him defend against Zhou's attack. Once inside the city walls of Tan Prefecture, however, Huang assassinated Min. Zhou subsequently defeated and killed Huang, and took over the circuit (which had been renamed Qinhua Circuit by that point), eventually being commissioned as its military governor (Jiedushi).

Hearing of Min's death and blaming Zhou for it, Deng Chuna mourned Min bitterly, and stated to his officers:

I, along with you, gentlemen, have benefited from the great grace of the Puye [(僕射, i.e., Min)]. Zhou You killed him for no reason.