Helian Duo (赫連鐸) (died 894) was an ethnically- Tuyuhun warlord in the late Tang dynasty . He had a long-running enmity with the Shatuo chieftain Li Keyong , and was killed by Li Keyong in 894.
99-522: Little is known about Helian Duo's background, including his birth year, other than that, as of the time of Emperor Yizong , he was then a Tuyuhun chief and carried the Tang-bestowed title of commandant of Yin Mountains . Later, when Tang imperial forces had to battle a rebellion led by Pang Xun at Xu Prefecture (徐州, in modern Xuzhou , Jiangsu ), Helian participated in the campaign. In 878,
198-487: A campaign against Zhu Quanzhong, but his orders drew no immediate reactions. Meanwhile, Zhu Quanzhong had long wanted to kill Li Yu, outwardly on the account that Li Yu had once improperly taken the throne (albeit under the eunuchs' pressure), but truly because he was apprehensive of Li Yu's status as the emperor's oldest son and his handsome appearance. Emperor Zhaozong resisted Zhu's wishes on this issue. Further, at that time, Li Maozhen, Li Jihui, Li Keyong, Liu Rengong
297-522: A corps of Fengxiang troops at Chang'an to counteract the eunuchs; Li Maozhen agreed, and left his adoptive son Li Jiyun ( 李繼筠 ) in command of the Fengxiang soldiers at Chang'an. Despite this setback, Cui continued to try to plan to slaughter the eunuchs. The eunuchs headed by Han eventually became aware of this, and, in order to reduce Cui's power, they had the Shence Army soldiers claim that Cui
396-465: A diplomatic row over the name of the Nanzhao king Qiulong ( 酋龍 )—as it violated naming taboo for Emperor Yizong's ancestor Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji). Emperor Yizong thus refused to issue an edict formally bestowing Qiulong his kingly title. Qiulong responded by changing his state's name to Dali and declaring himself emperor (thus positioning himself as an equal to Emperor Yizong) and by attacking
495-509: A major force under his adoptive sons Li Cunxin and Li Siyuan , and they defeated Li Kuangwei and Helian, capturing Li Kuangwei's son Li Renzong (李仁宗) and Helian's son-in-law, forcing them to withdraw. Zhang's main operations against Li Keyong subsequently collapsed under pressure from Li Keyong. Faced with defeat, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to restore all of Li Keyong's titles. Li Keyong then attacked Yun Prefecture again in 891, putting it under siege. After Helian ran out of food supplies, he
594-589: A number of Tang outposts. Meanwhile, the agrarian rebel Qiu Fu ( 裘甫 ) and his followers were overrunning Zhedong Circuit (浙東, headquartered in modern Shaoxing , Zhejiang ). Qiu's rebellion was suppressed by the imperial general Wang Shi in 860, but the Dali attacks would become more intense, and Dali briefly captured the important city Yong Prefecture (邕州, in modern Nanning , Guangxi ) in 861 and then captured Jiao Prefecture (交州, in modern Hanoi , Vietnam ) in 862, retaining it. Despite these crises, Emperor Yizong
693-551: A side effect of those pills, he had a large ulcerous boil on his back, such that he was bedridden and could not meet with the chancellors or other officials. He entrusted Li Zi to three high-level eunuchs that he favored—the directors of palace communications ( Shumishi ) Wang Guizhang ( 王歸長 ) and Ma Gongru ( 馬公儒 ) and the director of the southern court affairs (宣徽南院使, Xuanhui Nanyuanshi ) Wang Jufang ( 王居方 ). After Emperor Xuanzong died, Wang Guizhang, Ma, and Wang Jufang did not initially announce his death, and were set to send one of
792-643: A surprise attack against Helian and Li Kuangwei, capturing some 300 Tuyuhun scouts. Soon, when Li Junqing arrived, Li Keyong entered Yun Prefecture, and then again attacked and defeated Helian and Li Kuangwei. Helian and Li Kuangwei were forced to flee. In summer 893, Li Keyong launched another attack on the Tuyuhun tribesmen. He killed Helian and captured Bai Yicheng, thus ending the Tuyuhun resistance against him. Emperor Yizong of Tang Emperor Yizong of Tang (December 28, 833 – August 15, 873), né Li Wen , later changed to Li Cui ( Chinese : 李 漼 ),
891-618: The Guanzhong region fell one by one to Zhu, while Shannan West and nearby holdings fell to Wang. Still, Fengxiang's defenses were holding, and by fall 902, Zhu, with his attacks hampered by rains and illnesses to the soldiers, was considering a withdrawal. A trap advocated by and set by Zhu's officer Gao Jichang , however, induced Li Maozhen to send his troops outside the city walls to attack Zhu's troops, where they were crushed by Zhu's troops. From this point on, Li Maozhen could not fight back against Zhu any more, and by winter 902, Fengxiang
990-713: The Qinling Mountains with his officials, and the people of Chang'an followed in droves. Meanwhile, Li Keyong engaged and defeated Wang's and Li Maozhen's troops, then put Wang's capital Bin Prefecture ( 邠州 ) under siege. Wang fled and was killed by his own subordinates in flight. Li Maozhen and Han capitulated, sending apologies and tributes to Emperor Zhaozong. Emperor Zhaozong, who returned to Chang'an, bestowed great honors on Li Keyong and his key subordinates, but hesitated when Li Keyong proposed to attack Li Maozhen, believing that if Li Keyong destroyed Li Maozhen,
1089-519: The Shatuo chieftain Zhuye Chixin (who was bestowed the imperial surname of Li, as well as a new name of Guochang because of his contributions), was able to defeat Pang in 869 was the rebellion suppressed. (Subsequently, though, Kang, due to the false accusations of the chancellor Lu Yan and the imperial scholar Wei Baoheng (the husband of Emperor Yizong's favorite daughter Princess Tongchang),
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#17327732607381188-497: The chancellors Zhang Jun and Kong Wei . Emperor Zhaozong thus declared a general campaign against Li Keyong, with Zhang in command. As part of the operations against Li Keyong, Li Kuangwei and Helian were to attack Li Keyong from the north. They had initial successes, as Li Kuangwei captured Wei Prefecture, and Helian, along with Tufan and Xiajiasi tribesmen, attacked Zhelu Base (遮虜軍, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi ), killing its defender Liu Huzi (劉胡子). However, Li Keyong then sent
1287-632: The Chang'an region) Wen Zhang ( 溫璋 ) tried to intercede, both were exiled; in response, Wen committed suicide. Princess Tongchang was buried in a grand ceremony that demonstrated Emperor Yizong's wastefulness. As described in the Zizhi Tongjian : The members of the Wei household fought over the ashes of the items burned as offerings to the Princess, in order to sieve out the gold and the silver among
1386-579: The Dada (達靼) tribe, then near the Yin Mountains. For his accomplishments against the Shatuo, Helian was made the prefect of Datong's capital Yun Prefecture (雲州) and the defender of Datong Circuit. Soon after Helian Duo was commissioned the defender of Datong, he sent bribes to the Dada chiefs, asking them to kill Li Guochang and Li Keyong. Li Keyong, however, found out about this, and was able to impress
1485-431: The Dada chiefs of his archery ability at a banquet, and further proclaimed that he had no intent to stay in Dada lands long, thus alleviating their fears about him. In 882, when Li Keyong tried to recapture Wei Prefecture, Helian and Li Keju battled him, along with Qibi Zhang (契苾璋) the military governor of Zhenwu, but were not able to defeat him. In 885, by which time Li Keyong, due to his great accomplishments in defeating
1584-403: The Dali border at Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu , Sichuan ) led to a major misstep on the part of Emperor Yizong, as he was misled by the official Li Shiwang ( 李師望 ) into carving out seven border prefectures out of Xichuan into a new Dingbian Circuit (定邊, headquartered at Xi Prefecture ( 巂州 ), in modern Chengdu) and commissioning Li Shiwang as its military governor despite
1683-598: The Shatuo chieftain Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong rose against the rule of Emperor Yizong's son and successor Emperor Xizong at Zhenwu (振武, headquartered in modern Hohhot , Inner Mongolia ) and Datong (大同, headquartered in modern Datong , Shanxi ) Circuits, respectively. Emperor Xizong ordered Helian, as well as the Tang military governors ( jiedushi ) Li Jun (李均) the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi , Shanxi ) and Li Keju
1782-560: The Xichuan campaign) and Li Xi , whom they perceived to be behind Emperor Zhaozong's decision. The actions of Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han, in turn, drew a strong reaction from Li Keyong, who launched his army, crossed the Yellow River , and prepared to attack the three of them. Rumors developed that Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu both wanted to seize the emperor and take him to their domains. Emperor Zhaozong, in response, fled into
1881-458: The Xusi soldiers to mutiny under the leadership of Pang Xun . They headed northeast home, and when they reached Xusi's capital Xu Prefecture ( 徐州 ), they attacked and captured it. After Pang's initial attempts to obtain an imperial commission was rebuffed, the mutineer army attacked the nearby regions, with the imperial forces unable to stop them. Not until Kang Chengxun, with major assistance from
1980-523: The Yangs fled (and were eventually captured by Han and delivered to Chang'an to be executed). Li Maozhen wanted to add Shannan West to his territory, so he requested to be Shannan West's military governor, fully expecting that Emperor Zhaozong would allow him to retain both Fengxiang and Shannan West. Instead, Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict making him the military governor of Shannan West and Wuding (武定, headquartered in modern Hanzhong) Circuits, while making
2079-774: The Yellow River to Hedong from there; he also sent Li Jiepi to Hedong to prepare for his arrival. However, after he left Chang'an, Han Jian sent emissaries, and then personally arrived to meet with him, to persuade him to go to Zhenguo's capital Hua Prefecture ( 華州 ) instead, promising to do all he could to uphold imperial power. As both Emperor Zhaozong and his officials were fearful of the lengthy trek to Hedong, Emperor Zhaozong agreed and headed for Hua Prefecture instead. Once Emperor Zhaozong arrived at Hua Prefecture, however, he became effectively under Han's control, and Han stopped any real imperial attempt to engage Li Maozhen militarily. Further, he forced Emperor Zhaozong to disband
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#17327732607382178-522: The army collapsed. Li Maozhen approached Chang'an, demanding Du's death. Emperor Zhaozong capitulated, ordering Du to commit suicide and allowing Li Maozhen to retain Fengxiang, Shannan West, Wuding, and Tianxiong. It was said that after this point, Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu, in alliance with the chancellor Cui Zhaowei , were heavily influencing imperial governance, such that the emperor would not dare to carry out any measures that they opposed. The next point of contention came in 895, when Wang Chongying
2277-465: The ashes. The clothing, jewelry, and toys burned filled 120 wagons each. The paper ceremonial guards and paper guard corps were decorated with colorful silk, jewelry, and jade, as were the items that she would be using in the underworld, such that the light reflected from them from as far as 20 li away. The Emperor awarded the funereal household over 100 hu [(斛, a unit of fluid volume) of wine, and cakes that required 40 camels to bear them, to supply
2376-448: The balance of power would be lost. He therefore forbade Li Keyong from attacking Li Maozhen. Li Keyong withdrew to Hedong Circuit, and, owing to his eventual defeats at the hands of Zhu Quanzhong, would not be able to return again. With Li Keyong gone from the region, Li Maozhen, who had been intimidated into an apologetic posture to the imperial court, again became arrogant. He became suspicious of Emperor Zhaozong's attempts to rebuild
2475-473: The campaign against Chen in a stalemate—the imperial army had put Xichuan's capital Chengdu under siege and caused a terrible famine within the city, but had not been able to capture it—the imperial treasury was being drained, and Emperor Zhaozong decided to end the Xichuan campaign as well. He pardoned Chen and recalled Wei, while ordering Gu and Wang (for whom he had created a Yongping Circuit ( 永平 ) out of parts of Xichuan territory) back to their circuits. Wang
2574-425: The capital to the eastern capital Luoyang , Han and Li Maozhen became apprehensive that he would launch an army to seize the emperor, and therefore repaired the palaces and governmental offices at Chang'an (which Li Maozhen's army had destroyed). In fall 898, Emperor Zhaozong returned to Chang'an, but with no army around him now other than the eunuch-controlled Shence Armies. Meanwhile, also rising in power at court
2673-549: The chancellor Xu Yanruo the military governor of Fengxiang. Despite the misgivings of the chancellor Du Rangneng , Emperor Zhaozong launched a campaign against Li Maozhen, with Du in charge of the logistics and Li Sizhou ( 李嗣周 ) the Prince of Qin in command of the imperial guards, which Emperor Zhaozong had rebuilt with new recruits. The imperial army had low morale and little battle experience, however, and when Li Sizhou set to engage Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu's experienced armies,
2772-406: The commander of the forces against the Yangs. Emperor Zhaozong, while inimical to the Yangs, was hesitant to give Li Maozhen more authority and territory, and therefore initially denied the request. However, Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu launched an attack anyway, forcing Emperor Zhaozong into approving Li Maozhen as the commander against the Yangs. By winter 892, Xingyuan had fallen to Li Maozhen, and
2871-491: The control of Xichuan but was unable to prevail against Chen by himself.) Still resenting Tian, who was then sheltered by Chen from edicts that Emperor Xizong had previously entered ordering Tian into exile, Emperor Zhaozong ordered Chen back to Chang'an and commissioned Wei Zhaodu as his replacement. When Chen refused to be replaced, Emperor Zhaozong ordered a general campaign against him, with Wei in command, assisted by Wang, Gu, and Yang Fugong's adoptive nephew Yang Shouliang
2970-499: The dancers, and some 800 pi [(匹, a unit of textile length)] of silk serving as the carpet they danced on. After their dance was over, the jewelry that fell off them covered the ground completely. Despite Princess Tongchang's death, Emperor Yizong continued to remain close to Wei Baoheng, who became extremely powerful and corrupt late in Emperor Yizong's reign. Emperor Yizong also reacted in anger whenever Consort Guo's family
3069-409: The emperor and the chief eunuch, leading to a public argument between Yang and the chancellors Kong Wei on one occasion over Kong's accusation that Yang was disrespecting the emperor. Nothing further came of the dispute publicly at this point, however. Nevertheless, at the suggestion of Kong's colleague Zhang Jun , who advocated that a strong imperial army directly under the emperor was essential for
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3168-473: The emperor. In fall 904, he had his associate Jiang Xuanhui ( 蔣玄暉 ), along with his adoptive son Zhu Yougong ( 朱友恭 ) and officer Shi Shucong ( 氏叔琮 ), take soldiers to the palace and assassinate Emperor Zhaozong. Jiang initially issued a declaration blaming the assassination on Emperor Zhaozong's concubines Pei Zhenyi ( 裴貞一 ) and Li Jianrong ( 李漸榮 ), but Zhu later blamed it on Zhu Yougong and Shi and forced them to commit suicide. Emperor Zhaozong's son Li Zuo
3267-543: The eunuch commanders of the Shence Armies ( 神策軍 ), Wang Zongshi ( 王宗實 ), who was not on good terms with them, out of Chang'an to Huai'nan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) to serve as the eunuch monitor for Huai'nan. Wang Zongshi, however, reacted by intruding into the palace; finding that Emperor Xuanzong had already died, he arrested Wang Guizhang, Ma, and Wang Jufang for falsely issuing edicts, and then put them to death. He welcomed Li Wen to
3366-413: The eunuchs. Zhu agreed, and began mobilizing his army. Han and the other eunuchs, hearing of Zhu's impending arrival, believed that Zhu's forces were intending to slaughter them. They, with the cooperation of Li Jiyun, Li Jihui, and Li Yanbi (but not Li Jizhao, who refused to align with them), seized Emperor Zhaozong and his household, and took them to Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality. Cui and
3465-408: The imperial army was suffering repeated defeats at the hands of Li Keyong's Hedong army, and the supplemental troops from Jingnan (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang , Shaanxi ) and Fengxiang (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji , Shaanxi ) Circuits abandoned the imperial army and withdrew by themselves, eventually leading to a total collapse of the imperial army, with Zhang and his deputy, Han Jian
3564-463: The imperial government's authority effectively disappeared. In the midst of all this, Emperor Zhaozong tried to salvage the dying dynasty. However, his efforts to reassert imperial power generally backfired, as his unsuccessful campaigns against Li Keyong , Chen Jingxuan , and Li Maozhen , merely allowed them to re-affirm their power. Eventually, the major warlord Zhu Wen seized control of the imperial government and in 904 had Emperor Zhaozong killed as
3663-586: The imperial guards and putting them under the commands of imperial princes, including Li Sizhou, Li Jiepi ( 李戒丕 ) the Prince of Yan, and Emperor Zhaozong's uncle Li Zi the Prince of Tong. In summer 896, he launched an attack on Chang'an. Emperor Zhaozong immediately sought aid from Li Keyong, but with Li Keyong being unable to launch an army at that time and Li Maozhen's forces having defeated Li Sizhou's, Li Sizhou recommended fleeing to Hedong. Emperor Zhaozong initially agreed and prepared to head for Fu Prefecture (鄜州, in modern Yan'an , Shaanxi ), preparing to cross
3762-416: The imperial guards corps that Cui was trying to rebuild. In spring 904, he acted, writing to Cui and his associates Zheng Yuangui ( 鄭元規 ) the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e., the Chang'an region) and the officer Chen Ban ( 陳班 ), and then sending Xuanwu soldiers to surround Cui's mansion and kill Cui and his associates. Then, citing the possibility that Li Maozhen and his adoptive son Li Jihui (not
3861-400: The imperial guards under the imperial princes' control, and, after Li Jiepi returned from Hedong—thus exposing the fact that Li Keyong was in no shape to launch an army to aid the emperor—slaughtered 11 imperial princes. Emperor Zhaozong made peace with Li Maozhen in spring 898, restoring the titles that he had previously stripped from Li Maozhen. With Zhu Quanzhong urging the emperor to move
3960-539: The imperial official sent to take over Zhaoyi, Sun Kui ( 孫揆 ), was intercepted and captured by Li Keyong's adoptive son Li Cunxiao (and subsequently executed when he would not submit to Li Keyong), badly affecting the imperial army's morale. Li Cunxiao subsequently put Zhaoyi's capital Lu Prefecture ( 潞州 ) under siege, forcing Zhu's army to withdraw. Li Kuangwei and Helian's armies were also repelled by Li Keyong's adoptive sons Li Cunxin and Li Siyuan , leaving Zhang's imperial army to face Li Keyong himself. By late 890,
4059-527: The imperial officials largely remained at Chang'an, although some followed the emperor and the eunuchs to Fengxiang. After Zhu arrived at Chang'an to confer with Cui, he advanced to Fengxiang and put it under siege. Li Maozhen sought an alliance with Wang Jian. Wang Jian, however, tried to play both sides—outwardly aligning with Zhu, but secretly encouraging Li Maozhen to resist Zhu, while sending an army to head north to attack Li Maozhen's Shannan West Circuit. With Fengxiang under siege, Li Maozhen's holdings in
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4158-410: The imperial officials wanted him to succeed Emperor Xizong, but the powerful eunuch Yang Fugong (who had succeeded Tian as the surveyor of the eunuch-controlled Shence Armies ) wanted Li Jie to succeed Emperor Xizong, so Emperor Xizong issued an edict creating Li Jie crown prince . Shortly after, Emperor Xizong died, and Li Jie, changing his name to Li Min, took the throne as Emperor Zhaozong. During
4257-705: The major agrarian rebel Huang Chao for the Tang imperial government, had been given the military governorship of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in Taiyuan , Shanxi ), both Li Keju and Wang Rong the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang , Hebei ) feared the strength that Li Keyong showed and his alliance with their neighbor Wang Chucun the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding , Hebei ). They decided to attack and destroy Wang Chucun, and, to prevent Li Keyong from coming to Wang Chucun's aid, they persuaded Helian to attack Li Keyong. Helian did so, but
4356-516: The middle of Emperor Xuanzong's Dazhong era (847–860), and was posthumously created the higher rank of Zhaorong ( 昭容 ), the sixth highest rank for imperial consorts. Li Wen was not favored by his father, whose favorite son was his younger brother Li Zi the Prince of Kui; as a result, Li Wen was sent out of the palace to live at the imperial princes' residence, known as the Sixteen Mansions, while Li Zi and four other princes lived in
4455-573: The military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan , Shanxi )—one of the most powerful warlords of the realm and archrival to the also powerful Zhu Quanzhong—as both Zhu and Li Kuangwei the military governor of Lulong were at that time also requesting an imperial campaign against the expanding Li Keyong. Emperor Zhaozong, despite his reservations, approved the campaign, which got under way in summer 890, with Zhu's army attacking Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi , Shanxi ), then also under Li Keyong's control, from
4554-519: The military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng , Shanxi ), died, precipitating a succession struggle between his nephew Wang Ke (the adoptive son of Wang Chongying's brother and predecessor Wang Chongrong and biological son of another brother, Wang Chongjian ( 王重簡 )), whom the Huguo soldiers supported, and his son Wang Gong the military governor of Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia , Henan ), who coveted
4653-425: The military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang , Shaanxi ) and Han Jian, as well as his brother Li Maozhuang ( 李茂莊 ) the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui , Gansu ) and Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue ( 王行約 ) the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan), submitted a joint petition for Li Maozhen to be made
4752-479: The military governor of Jinshang Circuit (金商, headquartered in modern Ankang , Shaanxi ), Yang Shouzhen ( 楊守貞 ) the military governor of Longjian Circuit (龍劍, headquartered in modern Mianyang , Sichuan ), and Yang Shouhou ( 楊守厚 ) the prefect of Mian Prefecture (綿州, also in modern Mianyang). In response to the Yangs' rebellion, Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji , Shaanxi ), along with his allies Wang Xingyu
4851-626: The military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing ), Helian's fellow Tuyuhun chieftain Bai Yicheng (白義誠), and the Sage (薩葛) chieftain Mi Haiwan (米海萬) to attack Li Guochang and Li Keyong. In summer 879, when Li Keyong was personally defending against an attack by Li Keju, Li Keyong left his officer Gao Wenji (高文集) in command of his base at Shuo Prefecture (朔州, in modern Shuozhou , Shanxi ). Helian persuaded Gao to submit to
4950-466: The military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing ), Wang Jian, Yang Xingmi, and Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang , Hubei ) were all issuing declarations calling for the emperor's return to Chang'an. Zhu became apprehensive that, as he battled other warlords in campaigns, Emperor Zhaozong might find a way to rise against him at Luoyang, and therefore resolved to remove
5049-547: The military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong , Shaanxi ). While the campaign against Chen was starting, another campaign that had been ongoing during the latter years of Emperor Zhaozong's reign was ending. Qin Zongquan , formerly the Tang military governor of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian , Henan ), had declared himself emperor at Fengguo's capital Cai Prefecture ( 蔡州 ) in 885 and had sent out armies to conquer
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#17327732607385148-431: The military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan , Shaanxi ) escaping with just a small contingent; the rest of the imperial army was effectively lost. With Li Keyong subsequently threatening an invasion, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to restore Li Keyong to his titles and positions and exile Zhang and Kong, ending the campaign against Li Keyong in disaster. With the defeat against Li Keyong, and
5247-459: The more prosperous Huguo Circuit. Li Keyong supported Wang Ke, while Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han supported Wang Gong, and all of them submitted competing petitions on the behalf of the feuding cousins. Emperor Zhaozong approved Li Keyong's petition and made Wang Ke the military governor of Huguo. In response, Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, and Han marched on the capital again, killing the chancellors Wei Zhaodu (who had returned to chancellorship after
5346-420: The mourning period, the chancellor Wei Zhaodu served as regent . Emperor Zhaozong's ascension created great anticipation in the people's minds, as he was considered intelligent, handsome, decisive, and talented, with ambitions to restore imperial power that had been lost during Emperor Xizong's reign. Not long after taking the throne, he changed his name further to Li Ye. As soon as Emperor Zhaozong took
5445-475: The nearby Tang circuits. By 888, his power had waned under attacks by Tang's military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng , Henan ), Zhu Quanzhong , and in late 888 he was overthrown in a coup by his officer Shen Cong ( 申叢 ); he was subsequently delivered to Zhu, who then delivered him to Chang'an to be executed. Even though Yang Fugong had been instrumental in having Emperor Zhaozong made emperor, by 889 conflicts had begun between
5544-514: The new Tang-commissioned military governor of Datong, Li Zhuo (李琢), and Gao surrendered with the Shatuo chieftain Li Youjin (李友金), Mi, and Shi Jingcun , after arresting fellow officer Fu Wenda (傅文達). When Li Keyong tried to return to Shuo to attack Gao, Li Keju defeated him. Li Zhuo and Helian then attacked Li Guochang at Wei Prefecture (蔚州, in modern Zhangjiakou , Hebei ) and defeated him as well. Li Guochang and Li Keyong were forced to flee to
5643-441: The next day, and Li Yan took the throne (as Emperor Xizong). Consorts and Issue: Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (March 31, 867 – September 22, 904), né Li Jie , name later changed to Li Min and again to Li Ye , was the penultimate emperor of China's Tang dynasty . He reigned from 888 to 904 (although he was briefly deposed by the eunuch Liu Jishu in 900 and restored in 901). Emperor Zhaozong
5742-406: The obvious impractical nature of Dingbian's territory—as Xi Prefecture was extremely close to Xichuan's capital Chengdu Municipality and unsuitable to serve as the capital for a circuit intended to concentrate on border defense. The Dingbian debacle demoralized the officers at Xichuan, who went as far as secretly encouraging Dali to attack Dingbian to expose Li Shiwang. Yet more disastrous, though,
5841-498: The palace and forced Emperor Zhaozong to yield the throne to his son Li Yu, Prince of De the Crown Prince . Emperor Zhaozong and his wife (Li Yu's mother) Empress He were honored as retired emperor ( Taishang Huang ) and retired empress ( Taishang Huanghou ) but put under house arrest. Li Yu, whose name the eunuchs changed to Li Zhen, was proclaimed emperor, but the eunuchs controlled the court. They wanted to kill Cui, but
5940-542: The palace, and then issued an edict in Emperor Xuanzong's name creating Li Wen crown prince and changing his name to Li Cui. The next day, Emperor Xuanzong's death was announced, and Li Cui became emperor (as Emperor Yizong). Emperor Yizong honored his grandmother (Emperor Xuanzong's mother) Empress Dowager Zheng as grand empress dowager , while posthumously honoring his mother Consort Chao as empress dowager . Meanwhile, long-time lead chancellor Linghu Tao
6039-428: The palace. Emperor Xuanzong also considered creating Li Zi crown prince , but hesitated because Li Wen, not Li Zi, was his oldest son, and therefore went throughout his entire reign without designating an heir. Late in Emperor Xuanzong's reign, he came to favor certain alchemists who promised immortality, and he took pills that they made. It was said that as a result, he became paranoid and easily angered. By 859, as
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#17327732607386138-531: The plans to be too drastic, Cui accused Wang of being in league with the powerful eunuchs Zhu Daobi ( 朱道弼 ) and Jing Wuxiu ( 景務脩 ), who served as the directors of palace communications ( Shumishi ). Upon Cui's accusations, Emperor Zhaozong ordered Wang, Zhu Daobi, and Jing to commit suicide, and it was said that from this point Cui became the leading figure at court, with the eunuchs angry at and fearful of him. The eunuchs also had become fearful of Emperor Zhaozong himself, who, after returning from Hua Prefecture,
6237-488: The prelude of taking over the Tang throne. Zhu also killed many of Emperor Zhaozong's ministers, including the chancellor , Cui Yin . Zhu then placed Zhaozong's 13-year-old son as a puppet emperor (as Emperor Ai ). By 907, Zhu himself took over the throne, ending the Tang dynasty and establishing a new Later Liang dynasty. Emperor Zhaozong's reign lasted almost 16 years and he was buried in the He Mausoleum ( 和陵 ). He
6336-445: The proposal, and put the eunuchs Han Quanhui and Zhang Yanhong ( 張彥弘 ), both of whom had previously served as eunuch monitors of the Fengxiang army, in command of the Shence Armies, and further wanted the retired eunuch Yan Zunmei ( 嚴遵美 ) to serve as the overseer of both Shence Armies, but Yan declined and remained in retirement. Cui, apprehensive of allowing the eunuchs to command the Shence Armies again, requested Li Maozhen to leave
6435-465: The reign of his son Emperor Xizong . Li Wen was born around the new year 834, during the reign of his cousin Emperor Wenzong . His father Li Yi was then the Prince of Guang, and Li Wen was born at Li Yi's mansion. He was Li Yi's first son. His mother was Li Yi's concubine Lady Chao. In 846, after the death of Emperor Wenzong's brother and successor Emperor Wuzong , Li Yi, whose name
6534-508: The remaining eunuchs, regardless of whether they supported Han's actions. This would be the effective end of the Shence Armies. After Emperor Zhaozong returned to Chang'an, the capital became under the military control of the Xuanwu contingent; while Zhu Quanzhong himself returned to Xuanwu's capital Daliang , he left his nephew Zhu Youlun ( 朱友倫 ) in command at Chang'an. Cui Yin began to see signs that Zhu Quanzhong might be intending to seize
6633-405: The request. Li Jie thereafter bore a deep resentment for Tian. In 888, by which time Huang's rebellion had been crushed and the imperial court had returned to Chang'an, Emperor Xizong grew gravely ill. It was said that Emperor Xizong's younger brother and Li Jie's older brother Li Bao ( 李保 ) the Prince of Ji was the oldest among Emperor Xizong's surviving brothers and was considered wise, and so
6732-409: The restoration of imperial power to counteract the warlords and the eunuch-commanded Shence Armies, Emperor Zhaozong began recruiting an imperial army that eventually numbered 100,000 by spring 890. At that point, Kong and Zhang believed that it was time to test this army, to show its strengths in the struggle against Yang at court. Zhang, therefore, advocated a campaign against the warlord Li Keyong
6831-520: The retirement. Soon thereafter, rumors that Yang was planning a rebellion at Chang'an against the emperor, along with his adoptive nephew Yang Shouxin ( 楊守信 ). Emperor Zhaozong sent the imperial guards to preemptively attack Yang Fugong's mansion, and Yang Fugong and Yang Shouxin fled to Yang Shouliang's Shannan West Circuit. Yang Fugong thereafter started a rebellion against the imperial government, along with Yang Shouliang, Yang Shouxin, and other adoptive sons and nephews, including Yang Shouzhong ( 楊守忠 )
6930-552: The same mother as his older brother Li Yan , whose mother was a different Consort Wang, it might have been that he was raised by Li Yan's mother. ) In 872, Emperor Yizong created Li Jie the Prince of Shou. In 877, by which time Li Yan (named Li Xuan by this point) was emperor (as Emperor Xizong), Li Jie was given the honorary titles of Kaifu Yitong Sansi ( 開府儀同三司 ), commandant at You Prefecture (幽州, in modern Beijing ), and military governor ( Jiedushi ) of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered at Beijing). (At that time, Lulong Circuit
7029-411: The same person as the one killed in 903) the military governor of Jingnan Circuit may attack Chang'an, he forced Emperor Zhaozong to abandon Chang'an and move the capital to Luoyang. While on the journey to Luoyang, Emperor Zhaozong sent secret orders to Wang Jian, Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou , Huainan ), and Li Keyong, asking them to start
7128-489: The southeast; Li Kuangwei and Helian Duo the military governor of Datong Circuit (大同, headquartered in modern Datong , Shanxi ) attacking from the northeast; and the main imperial army, under Zhang's command and supplemented by the armies of various circuits around Chang'an, attacking from the southwest. Zhu's army was able to seize Zhaoyi quickly, due to the assassination of Zhaoyi's military governor Li Kegong (李克恭, Li Keyong's brother) by his officer An Jushou ( 安居受 ), but
7227-433: The throne and became fearful, and therefore began to rebuild the imperial guards with himself in command, and a rift began to develop between Zhu and Cui. The rift became deeper after Zhu Youlun died in an accident while playing polo late in 903, which Zhu Quanzhong believed to be a murderous plot set up by Cui. He sent another nephew, Zhu Youliang ( 朱友諒 ), to succeed Zhu Youlun, and further sent Xuanwu soldiers to infiltrate
7326-408: The throne, he received petitions from Wang Jian and Gu Yanlang , advocating that Tian Lingzi's brother Chen Jingxuan the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu , Sichuan ), be removed from his post. (Wang, who was allied with Gu (the military governor of neighboring Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang , Sichuan ), had been fighting Chen for
7425-433: The workers laboring at the funeral. The Emperor and Consort Guo [(Princess Tongchang's mother and Emperor Yizong's favorite concubine )] missed their daughter greatly, and they commissioned the musician Li Keji [(李可及)] to author a music piece entitled, "Lamentation for a Hundred Years," with sad and delicate tones and several hundred dancers set to dance to it. The palace storage provided large numbers of jewels to decorate
7524-489: The year as well as ordering frequent musical performances in the palace. If the entertainment was to his liking, Yizong would not only reward the entertainers greatly but also bestow governmental ranks. Emperor Yizong eventually exhausted the empire's treasury that had accumulated during his father's administration. Extreme hardships, including famines that forced people to resort to cannibalism , led to widespread agrarian rebellions late in his reign. Those rebellions would plague
7623-410: Was 37. Li Jie was born in 867, during the reign of his father Emperor Yizong , in the eastern palace at the imperial capital Chang'an . His mother was Emperor Yizong's concubine Consort Wang, who was said to have come from a humble background and whose rank within the palace was not recorded. She appeared to have died shortly after giving birth to Li Jie. (As Li Jie was also said to have been from
7722-428: Was a mutiny by soldiers for Xusi Circuit (徐泗, headquartered in modern Xuzhou , Jiangsu ), who had been posted to Gui Prefecture (桂州, in modern Guilin , Guangxi ) to defend against a potential Dali attack, with a promise that they would be allowed to return home after three years. When the term was up in 868, however, the governor of Xusi Circuit, Cui Yanzeng ( 崔彥曾 ), ordered that the term be extended one year, causing
7821-443: Was accused of misconduct. In 873, in a grand ceremony, Emperor Yizong welcomed what was claimed to be a relic (a finger bone) of Gautama Buddha to the palace, despite warnings by some that his grandfather Emperor Xianzong died shortly after also welcoming the same relic to the palace. (Emperor Yizong responded to the warnings by stating, "As long as I can see it once while living, I do not have regrets about dying.") The ceremony
7920-481: Was actually governed by the warlord Li Keju . ) It was said that Li Jie was particularly close to Emperor Xizong since they shared the same mother, and he followed Emperor Xizong in flight from Chang'an from the attack of the agrarian rebels led by Huang Chao in 880. While on this flight, Li Jie, who was then 13, ran out of energy and requested a horse from the eunuch Tian Lingzi , who dominated Emperor Xizong's court; Tian refused and whipped Li Jie's attendant for
8019-761: Was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Emperor Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuanzong . After Emperor Xuanzong's death in 859, Emperor Yizong was placed on the throne by the eunuch Wang Zongshi ( 王宗實 ), who killed other eunuchs supporting another son of Emperor Xuanzong, Li Zi the Prince of Kui. According to traditional historians, Emperor Yizong did not pay much attention to governmental affairs but instead chose to live in opulence, became an alcoholic and surrounded himself with women while his government levied heavy taxes on its citizens. A deeply devout Buddhist , even more so than his father, he would hold grand Buddhist ceremonies throughout
8118-413: Was changed to Li Chen, became emperor (as Emperor Xuanzong). He created five of his sons, including Li Wen, imperial princes, with Li Wen carrying the title of Prince of Yun. Li Wen's mother Lady Chao was created the imperial consort rank of Meiren ( 美人 ), which was only the 15th highest rank for imperial consorts (and there could be as many as nine Meiren at any single point). She died sometime in
8217-480: Was described to be depressed, alcoholic, and unpredictable in his temperament. The four top-ranked eunuchs— Liu Jishu and Wang Zhongxian ( 王仲先 ) the commanders of the Shence Armies, and Wang Yanfan ( 王彥範 ) and Xue Qiwo ( 薛齊偓 ) the new directors of palace communications—began plotting to remove him. After an incident in winter 900 in which Emperor Zhaozong, in a drunken rage, killed several attending eunuchs and ladies in waiting , Liu Jishu led Shence Army troops into
8316-465: Was exiled.) Meanwhile, late in 869, Li Shiwang provoked Dali by killing its emissary Yang Qiuqing ( 楊酋慶 ). Dali's emperor Qiulong thus launched a major attack on Dingbian, and neither Li nor his successor Dou Pang ( 竇滂 ) was able to repel it. The Dali forces quickly arrived at Chengdu's vicinity and put Chengdu under siege. Emperor Yizong commissioned Gao Pian as Xichuan's military governor, and Dali forces thereafter withdrew, but both Dingbian (which
8415-643: Was fearful that Cui's ally Zhu Quanzhong might react violently, so they only relieved Cui from his secondary posts as the director of finances and the director of salt and iron monopolies. Cui, in turn, was in communications with Zhu, plotting to restore the emperor. He also persuaded the Shence Army officer Sun Dezhao ( 孫德昭 ) to join his cause, and Sun in turn persuaded his fellow officers Dong Yanbi ( 董彥弼 ) and Zhou Chenghui ( 周承誨 ) to join. In spring 901, they acted. They first ambushed and killed Wang Zhongxian, and captured Liu and Wang Yanfan, who were then killed by caning. Xue tried to commit suicide by drowning, but
8514-444: Was forced to abandon Yun Prefecture and flee, initially to fellow Tuyuhun tribesmen, and then to Lulong's capital You Prefecture (幽州). In fall 892, Helian Duo and Li Kuangwei launched an attack to try to recapture Yun Prefecture. At that time, Li Keyong happened to be at Tianning Base (天寧, in modern Xinzhou), and he immediately ordered his officer Li Junqing (李君慶) to launch an army from his headquarters at Taiyuan, while he himself made
8613-406: Was in such a desperate shape such that the residents were resorting to cannibalism. In spring 903, Li Maozhen sued for peace with Zhu, surrendering Emperor Zhaozong and the imperial household to him while killing Han and the other leading eunuchs, as well as Li Jiyun, Li Jihui, and Li Yanbi. Zhu took the emperor back to Chang'an, where one of the first actions Zhu and Cui carried out was to slaughter
8712-481: Was killed by an arrow, and Shen Xin (申信) surrendered to Helian. Li Keyong was forced to withdraw. As a result of Li Keyong's attack on Helian, Helian and Li Kuangwei submitted petitions to Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong , asking the emperor to declare a general campaign against Li Keyong. They were concurred in by Li Keyong's rival Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng , Henan ), as well as
8811-557: Was not able to prevent Li Keyong from aiding Wang Chucun to fight off the Chengde/Lulong invasion. (After the failed attack, Li Keju was defeated by his own officer Li Quanzhong , who mutinied. Li Keju committed suicide and Li Quanzhong succeeded him.) In 890, Li Keyong launched a major attack against Helian and captured the eastern part of Yun Prefecture. Helian sought aid from Li Quanzhong's son and successor Li Kuangwei , who came to his aid. Li Keyong's officer An Jinjun (安金俊)
8910-415: Was not giving them the proper winter uniforms. Emperor Zhaozong was forced to again remove Cui from his post as the director of salt and iron monopolies. Moreover, by this point they had persuaded Li Jiyun and his Fengxiang soldiers to be on their side. Cui, realizing that the eunuchs were intending to destroy him, became fearful, and wrote Zhu Quanzhong, urging him to bring troops to Chang'an to act against
9009-444: Was relieved of his chancellor position and replaced with the former chancellor Bai Minzhong , although Bai, when recalled to the capital Chang'an , fell and suffered an injury while he was climbing up the stairs at the imperial meeting hall, and therefore never actually assumed chancellor position before resigning in early 861. Meanwhile, Emperor Yizong was immediately met with two military crises. Tang and Nanzhao had gotten into
9108-415: Was said to be spending much of his time in feast and games, ignoring the affairs of state, despite his officials' urging to attend to them, although he was sending generals to the Dali front (including Kang Chengxun and Gao Pian ), without initial success. Over the course of 865–866, however, Gao Pian was able to defeat Dali forces and recapture Jiao Prefecture. Meanwhile, though, the tense situation on
9207-487: Was said to bring out great offerings by the households of Chang'an. Emperor Yizong himself walked toward the relic and bowed on the ground in tears. Later in the year, Emperor Yizong became critically ill. With his not having designated an heir, the eunuchs Liu Xingshen ( 劉行深 ) and Han Wenyue ( 韓文約 ) supported his 11-year-old son Li Yan the Prince of Pu as his heir. Liu and Han had an edict issued in Emperor Yizong's name creating Li Yan crown prince. Emperor Yizong died
9306-522: Was still at Chang'an, Cui Yin made a proposal intending to eliminate the control that the eunuchs had over the Shence Armies—that he and fellow chancellor Lu Yi be put in command of the Shence Armies. This proposal was opposed by Li Jizhao, Li Jihui, and Li Yanbi, however, and as Cui cited, as a rationale, the possibility that the Shence Armies could thus counteract the warlords, Li Maozhen was also suspicious of it. Emperor Zhaozong therefore rejected
9405-468: Was taken out of the water and decapitated. Emperor Zhaozong was restored to the throne. In gratitude to the three officers, he bestowed the imperial clan name of Li on them, renaming them Li Jizhao ( 李繼昭 ), Li Yanbi ( 李彥弼 ), and Li Jihui ( 李繼誨 ) respectively. Shortly after Emperor Zhaozong's restoration, Li Maozhen showed an intent of reestablishing his relationship with the emperor by visiting Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Zhaozong. While Li Maozhen
9504-410: Was the chancellor Cui Yin , who hated the eunuchs ardently and who was allied with Zhu Quanzhong. By 900, Emperor Zhaozong, who had come to trust Cui and who would later describe him as "faithful but trickier" (than Han Wo , the official the emperor was making the comment to) was planning with Cui to slaughter the eunuchs. When Cui's fellow chancellor Wang Tuan urged against such action, believing
9603-469: Was the seventh son of Emperor Yizong and younger brother of Emperor Xizong . Later, Li Jie was murdered by Zhu Wen , who would later become the founding emperor of the Later Liang dynasty . During Emperor Zhaozong's reign, the Tang dynasty fell into total disarray and rebellions, which had been ongoing since the reign of his older brother, Emperor Xizong, as they erupted throughout the country while
9702-444: Was then merged back into Xichuan) and Xichuan had been deeply wounded. Princess Tongchang died in 870, and this caused a major display of Emperor Yizong's caprice at the capital Chang'an , as Emperor Yizong, in anger that the imperial physicians were not able to cure her, executed some 20 imperial physicians and had some 300 of their relatives imprisoned. When the chancellor Liu Zhan and the mayor of Jingzhao Municipality (京兆, i.e.,
9801-458: Was unwilling to accept this result, however, and he intimidated Wei into returning to Chang'an by himself, while Wang continued the siege of Chengdu. In fall 891, Chen and Tian surrendered to Wang, and Wang took over Xichuan Circuit. The end of the campaign against Li Keyong, which Yang Fugong had opposed, did not end the tension between Emperor Zhaozong and Yang, but intensified it. In fall 891, Yang sought to retire, and Emperor Zhaozong approved
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