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 fall 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.
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.
During Hongnong/Wu
In 906, Zhennan was conquered by Yang Wo, the ruler of rival Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu). 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. 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.