Ren Fu任福

Where the histories differ

The contradiction between the 'Annals of Renzong' and the 'Biography of Ren Fu' regarding the circuit of Ren Fu's official posts

• histories differThe 'History of Song: Annals of Renzong' records that Ren Fu's positions at the time of the Battle of Haoshuichuan and when he captured Baibai City were 'Deputy General-in-Chief of the Huanqing Circuit Horse and Infantry', but the 'History of Song: Biography of Ren Fu' records that his successive positions did not include 'Huanqing Circuit', and at the Battle of Haoshuichuan he was 'Military Inspector of the Jingyuan Circuit'.

  The 'History of Song: Annals of Renzong II' records: 'The Deputy Commander of the Huanqing Circuit Horse and Infantry, Ren Fu, captured Baibai City.' The 'History of Song: Annals of Renzong III' records: 'Yuanhao invaded Weizhou, and Ren Fu, the Deputy General-in-Chief of the Huanqing Circuit Horse and Infantry, was defeated at Haoshuichuan.' However, consulting the 'History of Song: Biography of Ren Fu' (appended after the 'Biography of Liu Ping'), Ren Fu's career trajectory is recorded as 'promoted to Deputy General-in-Chief of the Qin Feng Circuit Horse and Infantry', 'became Deputy General-in-Chief of the Fuyan Circuit', 'transferred to Military Inspector of the Jingyuan Circuit'. At the time of the Battle of Haoshuichuan, he was subordinate to the Jingyuan Circuit, and there is no record in his life of serving as 'Deputy General-in-Chief of the Huanqing Circuit Horse and Infantry'. There is an obvious historical contradiction between the annals and the biography regarding the circuit of Ren Fu's official posts.