Li Baochen
Encyclopedia
Li Baochen (718 – February 6, 781), originally named Zhang Zhongzhi (張忠志), courtesy name Weifu (為輔), known as An Zhongzhi (安忠志) during the Anshi Rebellion and Zhang Baochen (張寶臣) 778–779, formally the Prince of Longxi (隴西王), was a general of the Chinese
rebel state Yan
, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty
, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Li was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure.
. He was ethnically Xi
and from Fanyang Circuit (范陽, headquartered in modern Beijing
), but his original lineage was not otherwise known in history. He was adopted by Zhang Suogao (張鎖高), and therefore took Zhang Suogao's surname of Zhang. He was capable in horsemanship and archery in his youth and served in the military at Fanyang as well, eventually serving under the military governor (jiedushi
) An Lushan
. On an occasion when An visited the Tang Dynasty
capital Chang'an
to pay homage to Emperor Xuanzong, Zhang Zhongzhi followed him to Chang'an and was kept there to be an archer in the imperial guards and given access to the palace.
, it was An Zhongzhi who led the attack, and he was able to seize the Tang mayor of Taiyuan, Yang Guanghui (楊光翽). An Lushan subsequently put him in charge of defending the key pass of Tumen (土門, in modern Shijiazhuang
, Hebei
). After An Lushan's subsequent death and replacement as the emperor of a new Yan
state by his son An Qingxu
, An Zhongzhi continued to serve under An Qingxu, who made him the prefect of Heng Prefecture (恆州, roughly modern Shijiazhuang). His service of An Qingxu lasted until 757, when Tang forces put An Qingxu under siege in Yecheng
. At that time, the major Yan general Shi Siming
submitted to Tang, and An Zhongzhi submitted to Tang as well, subsequently serving under Shi. Emperor Xuanzong's son and successor Emperor Suzong
created An Zhongzhi the Duke of Miyun and let him remain at his post.
However, Shi did not himself remain under submission to Tang for long, and when he himself rose against Tang and claimed the Yan throne, he made An Zhongzhi a minister and had him defend the region along with Xin Wanbao (辛萬寶). After Shi was assassinated and succeeded by his son Shi Chaoyi
in 761, An Zhongzhi refused to serve Shi Chaoyi. He had his officer Wang Wujun
kill Xin and then submitted to Tang, allowing Tang forces access to the region through Tumen. Emperor Suzong's son and successor Emperor Daizong
accepted his submission, gave him the imperial surname of Li, and further gave him the new personal name of Baochen (meaning "treasured subject"). He, along with fellow Yan generals Xue Song
, Tian Chengsi
, and Li Huaixian
, were allowed to keep their territory, and he was made the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang), consisting of six prefectures that he controlled. Emperor Daizong also created him the Duke of Zhao.
and Liang Chongyi
, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. As part of this alliance, Li Baochen's brother Li Baozheng (李寶正) married Tian's daughter, and Li Baochen gave a daughter in marriage to Li Zhengji's son Li Na
and took a daughter of Li Zhengji's to be the wife of his son Li Weicheng (李惟誠). Li Baochen, however, would for a while be more submissive to the imperial government than others in the alliance, and when Zhu Xicai
assassinated Li Huaixian in 768 and took over Lulong Circuit (盧龍, i.e., the circuit formerly known as Fanyang), Li Baochen attacked Zhu Xicai under the name of the Tang imperial regime, but he was repelled by Zhu, and Emperor Daizong subsequently allowed Zhu to retain Lulong Circuit.
Li Baochen's alliance with Tian Chengsi, who controlled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan
, Hebei
), would be severely tested in 775, as Tian, despite the alliance, looked down at his allies and had seized most of Xue Song's Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Anyang
, Henan
) after Xue's death in 773 rather than allowing Xue's family to retain the territory. In or shortly before 775, there was an incident where Li Baozheng and Tian's son Tian Wei (田維) were playing polo
at Weibo, when an accidental collision between Li Baozheng's and Tian Wei's horses killed Tian Wei. Tian Chengsi, in anger, imprisoned Li Baozheng and sent a messenger to Li Baochen in protest. Li Baochen, wanting to be conciliatory, sent a cane back with Tian's messenger and allowed Tian to discipline Li Baozheng — but Tian, in anger over his son's death, caned Li Baozheng to death, causing Li Baochen to break off the alliance with Tian. He and Li Zhengji, who also felt slighted by Tian, submitted petitions to the imperial government asking to attack Tian, and Emperor Daizong agreed, launching troops from a number of circuits loyal to the imperial government, in addition to Li Baochen's and Li Zhengji's forces, to attack Tian. Li Baochen, Zhu Tao
(whose brother Zhu Ci
had killed Zhu Xicai in 772, submitted Lulong to Tang imperial authority, and went to Chang'an to serve as chancellor, leaving Zhu Tao in command of Lulong), and Xue Jianxun (薛兼訓) the military governor of Taiyuan Circuit attacked Tian from the north, while Li Zhengji and Li Zhongchen
the military governor of Huaixi Circuit (淮西, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
, Henan
) attacked Tian from the south. Initially, these joint forces were successful in their attacks against Tian, seizing Ci Prefecture (磁州, in modern Handan) from Tian, but Tian was subsequently able to persuade Li Zhengji to break off his attack, substantially weakening the joint forces. Meanwhile, Li Baochen was offended when an imperial eunuch, Ma Chengqian (馬承倩), who had visited Li Baochen's army, was so dissatisfied with Li Baochen's gift to him that he threw it on the ground, and Tian was also able to use hoaxes to persuade Li Baochen that if he joined forces with Tian to attack Lulong, he would be successful. Li Baochen thus turned against Zhu Tao, launching a surprise attack on him, but was unable to kill Zhu Tao, effectively ending any hopes of the campaign against Tian and subsequently creating an enmity between the Chengde and Lulong Circuits. Tian subsequent ceded Cang Prefecture (滄州, in modern Cangzhou
, Hebei
) to LI Baochen, cementing the reformed alliance and increasing Li Baochen's holdings to seven prefectures. By 777, Li Baochen had an army that was 50,000-men strong, and Emperor Daizong created him the Prince of Longxi.
In 778, for reasons unclear in history, Li Baochen briefly assumed his old surname of Zhang. However, in 779, he became apprehensive about having done so, and, with Emperor Daizong's permission, reassumed the imperial surname of Li. Also in 779, when Tian Chengsi died, it was at the urging of Li Baochen that Emperor Daizong officially approved Tian Chengsi's selected successor, his nephew Tian Yue
, as Tian Chengsi's successor.
As Li Baochen grew older, he was planning to pass his territory to his son Li Weiyue
, but as Li Weiyue was described to be weak in personality, he feared that Li Weiyue would not be able to control the army. Therefore, he began to systematically kill the stronger military officers in his army to eliminate potential challengers to Li Weiyue. The only officers to escape this fate were Zhang Xiaozhong
the prefect of Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding
, Hebei
) — who resisted repeated summons by Li Baochen and stayed at Yi Prefecture, although not turning against Li Baochen while Li Baochen was alive — and Wang Wujun, who was close to Li Baochen and whose son Wang Shizhen
had married Li Baochen's daughter. It was also said that in his old age, he became particularly superstitious and trusted sorcerers who predicted that he would have long life and supreme power (i.e., become emperor). In 781, the sorcerers made him a potion that was supposed to yield long life, but instead was poisonous, and he died within three days of drinking it. Li Weiyue would succeed him without Tang imperial approval, and by 782 was killed by Wang, ending the Li family's hold on Chengde.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
rebel state Yan
Yan (Anshi)
Yan , also known as the Great Yan , was a state established in 756 by the Tang Dynasty general An Lushan, after he rebelled against the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in 755. The state was extinguished in 763, with the death of An Lushan's former subordinate, Shi Siming's son, Shi Chaoyi, who...
, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Li was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure.
Background
Zhang Zhongzhi was born in 718, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of TangEmperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. He was ethnically Xi
Kumo Xi
The Kumo Xi ) were a Mongolic steppe people located in current Manchuria from 207 AD to 907 AD. After the death of their ancestor Tadun in 207 they were no longer called Wuhuan but joined the Khitan Xianbei in submitting to the Yuwen Xianbei. Their history is widely linked to the more famous Khitan...
and from Fanyang Circuit (范陽, headquartered in modern Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
), but his original lineage was not otherwise known in history. He was adopted by Zhang Suogao (張鎖高), and therefore took Zhang Suogao's surname of Zhang. He was capable in horsemanship and archery in his youth and served in the military at Fanyang as well, eventually serving under the military governor (jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) An Lushan
An Lushan
An Lushan was a general who rebelled against the Tang Dynasty in China.His name was also transcribed into Chinese as Āluòshān or Gáluòshān ,...
. On an occasion when An visited the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
to pay homage to Emperor Xuanzong, Zhang Zhongzhi followed him to Chang'an and was kept there to be an archer in the imperial guards and given access to the palace.
During the Anshi Rebellion
An Lushan rose against Emperor Xuanzong's rule in late 755, and Zhang Zhongzhi, hearing the news, escaped from Chang'an and joined An in Fanyang. An was impressed and adopted him as a son, giving him the surname of An. Subsequently, when the rebels made a surprise raid against TaiyuanTaiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, it was An Zhongzhi who led the attack, and he was able to seize the Tang mayor of Taiyuan, Yang Guanghui (楊光翽). An Lushan subsequently put him in charge of defending the key pass of Tumen (土門, in modern Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
). After An Lushan's subsequent death and replacement as the emperor of a new Yan
Yan (Anshi)
Yan , also known as the Great Yan , was a state established in 756 by the Tang Dynasty general An Lushan, after he rebelled against the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in 755. The state was extinguished in 763, with the death of An Lushan's former subordinate, Shi Siming's son, Shi Chaoyi, who...
state by his son An Qingxu
An Qingxu
An Qingxu , né An Renzhi , was a son of An Lushan, a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who rebelled and took imperial title of his own state of Yan. An Qingxu serves as the Prince of Jin from 756 - 757, and later killed his father and took imperial title for himself. He was eventually defeated...
, An Zhongzhi continued to serve under An Qingxu, who made him the prefect of Heng Prefecture (恆州, roughly modern Shijiazhuang). His service of An Qingxu lasted until 757, when Tang forces put An Qingxu under siege in Yecheng
Yecheng
Yecheng, Karghilik or Karghalik, also known as Chokkuka, is a city in Xinjiang, China. It is 249 km by road northwest to Kashgar, and 249 km south to Mazar....
. At that time, the major Yan general Shi Siming
Shi Siming
Shi Siming , or Shi Sugan , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who followed his childhood friend An Lushan in rebelling against Tang, and who later succeeded An Lushan's son An Qingxu as emperor of the Yan state that An Lushan established.-Background:It is not known when Shi Sugan was born,...
submitted to Tang, and An Zhongzhi submitted to Tang as well, subsequently serving under Shi. Emperor Xuanzong's son and successor Emperor Suzong
Emperor Suzong of Tang
Emperor Suzong of Tang , personal name Li Heng , né Li Sisheng , known as Li Jun from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao in 738, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the son of Emperor Xuanzong...
created An Zhongzhi the Duke of Miyun and let him remain at his post.
However, Shi did not himself remain under submission to Tang for long, and when he himself rose against Tang and claimed the Yan throne, he made An Zhongzhi a minister and had him defend the region along with Xin Wanbao (辛萬寶). After Shi was assassinated and succeeded by his son Shi Chaoyi
Shi Chaoyi
Shi Chaoyi was the final emperor of the Yan state that was established in rebellion against the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Shi Siming, and he overthrew and then killed his father in a coup in 761 and took over as emperor...
in 761, An Zhongzhi refused to serve Shi Chaoyi. He had his officer Wang Wujun
Wang Wujun
Wang Wujun , courtesy name Yuanying , né Monuogan , formally Prince Zhonglie of Langye , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a long-time Jiedushi of Chengde Circuit during the reign of Emperor Dezong and ruling Chengde in a de facto independent manner...
kill Xin and then submitted to Tang, allowing Tang forces access to the region through Tumen. Emperor Suzong's son and successor Emperor Daizong
Emperor Daizong of Tang
Emperor Daizong of Tang , personal name Li Yu , né Li Chu , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty....
accepted his submission, gave him the imperial surname of Li, and further gave him the new personal name of Baochen (meaning "treasured subject"). He, along with fellow Yan generals Xue Song
Xue Song
Xue Song , formally the Prince of Pingyang , was a general of the Chinese rebel state Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled...
, Tian Chengsi
Tian Chengsi
Tian Chengsi , formally the Prince of Yanmen , was a general of the Chinese rebel state Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled...
, and Li Huaixian
Li Huaixian
Li Huaixian was a general of the Chinese rebel state Yan, who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled...
, were allowed to keep their territory, and he was made the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang), consisting of six prefectures that he controlled. Emperor Daizong also created him the Duke of Zhao.
After the Anshi Rebellion
The four former Yan generals formed alliances among themselves, as well as with two other military governors, Li ZhengjiLi Zhengji
- Background :Li Huaiyu was born in 733, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He was born in Tang's Pinglu Circuit...
and Liang Chongyi
Liang Chongyi
Liang Chongyi was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Daizong, Liang took advantage of the army's discontent after the death of the general Lai Tian to seize control of Shannan East Circuit and hold it semi-independently from the imperial regime...
, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. As part of this alliance, Li Baochen's brother Li Baozheng (李寶正) married Tian's daughter, and Li Baochen gave a daughter in marriage to Li Zhengji's son Li Na
Li Na (Tang Dynasty)
Li Na , formally the Prince of Longxi , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. Inheriting the post from his father Li Zhengji, he served as the military governor of Pinglu Circuit semi-independently from the imperial government.- Background :Li Na was born in 758, during the reign of...
and took a daughter of Li Zhengji's to be the wife of his son Li Weicheng (李惟誠). Li Baochen, however, would for a while be more submissive to the imperial government than others in the alliance, and when Zhu Xicai
Zhu Xicai
Zhu Xicai , formally the Prince of Miyun , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He initially served under Li Huaixian, the military governor of Lulong Circuit , which Li Huaixian governed in de facto independence from the imperial government...
assassinated Li Huaixian in 768 and took over Lulong Circuit (盧龍, i.e., the circuit formerly known as Fanyang), Li Baochen attacked Zhu Xicai under the name of the Tang imperial regime, but he was repelled by Zhu, and Emperor Daizong subsequently allowed Zhu to retain Lulong Circuit.
Li Baochen's alliance with Tian Chengsi, who controlled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), would be severely tested in 775, as Tian, despite the alliance, looked down at his allies and had seized most of Xue Song's Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Anyang
Anyang
Anyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, People's Republic of China. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the east, Hebi and Xinxiang to the south, and the provinces of Shanxi and Hebei to its west and north respectively....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) after Xue's death in 773 rather than allowing Xue's family to retain the territory. In or shortly before 775, there was an incident where Li Baozheng and Tian's son Tian Wei (田維) were playing polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
at Weibo, when an accidental collision between Li Baozheng's and Tian Wei's horses killed Tian Wei. Tian Chengsi, in anger, imprisoned Li Baozheng and sent a messenger to Li Baochen in protest. Li Baochen, wanting to be conciliatory, sent a cane back with Tian's messenger and allowed Tian to discipline Li Baozheng — but Tian, in anger over his son's death, caned Li Baozheng to death, causing Li Baochen to break off the alliance with Tian. He and Li Zhengji, who also felt slighted by Tian, submitted petitions to the imperial government asking to attack Tian, and Emperor Daizong agreed, launching troops from a number of circuits loyal to the imperial government, in addition to Li Baochen's and Li Zhengji's forces, to attack Tian. Li Baochen, Zhu Tao
Zhu Tao
Zhu Tao , formally the Prince of Tongyi , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who initially served imperial causes during the reigns of Emperor Daizong and Emperor Dezong, but later turned against imperial rule in alliance with Wang Wujun, Tian Yue, and Li Na...
(whose brother Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci
Zhu Ci was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He initially served as military governor of Lulong Circuit , but later became a general for the imperial government...
had killed Zhu Xicai in 772, submitted Lulong to Tang imperial authority, and went to Chang'an to serve as chancellor, leaving Zhu Tao in command of Lulong), and Xue Jianxun (薛兼訓) the military governor of Taiyuan Circuit attacked Tian from the north, while Li Zhengji and Li Zhongchen
Li Zhongchen
Li Zhongchen , né Dong Qin , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who was known, for most of his career, as both a supporter of the imperial cause but also a corrupt and violent military governor...
the military governor of Huaixi Circuit (淮西, headquartered in modern Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) attacked Tian from the south. Initially, these joint forces were successful in their attacks against Tian, seizing Ci Prefecture (磁州, in modern Handan) from Tian, but Tian was subsequently able to persuade Li Zhengji to break off his attack, substantially weakening the joint forces. Meanwhile, Li Baochen was offended when an imperial eunuch, Ma Chengqian (馬承倩), who had visited Li Baochen's army, was so dissatisfied with Li Baochen's gift to him that he threw it on the ground, and Tian was also able to use hoaxes to persuade Li Baochen that if he joined forces with Tian to attack Lulong, he would be successful. Li Baochen thus turned against Zhu Tao, launching a surprise attack on him, but was unable to kill Zhu Tao, effectively ending any hopes of the campaign against Tian and subsequently creating an enmity between the Chengde and Lulong Circuits. Tian subsequent ceded Cang Prefecture (滄州, in modern Cangzhou
Cangzhou
Cangzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. Cangzhou's urban center has a population of approximately 514,074 at the 2010 census which correspond to the built up area), while the prefecture-level administrative region in total has a population of 7,134,053...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) to LI Baochen, cementing the reformed alliance and increasing Li Baochen's holdings to seven prefectures. By 777, Li Baochen had an army that was 50,000-men strong, and Emperor Daizong created him the Prince of Longxi.
In 778, for reasons unclear in history, Li Baochen briefly assumed his old surname of Zhang. However, in 779, he became apprehensive about having done so, and, with Emperor Daizong's permission, reassumed the imperial surname of Li. Also in 779, when Tian Chengsi died, it was at the urging of Li Baochen that Emperor Daizong officially approved Tian Chengsi's selected successor, his nephew Tian Yue
Tian Yue
Tian Yue , formally the Prince of Jiyang , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who, from 782 to 784, claimed the title of Prince of Wei independent from the Tang regime...
, as Tian Chengsi's successor.
As Li Baochen grew older, he was planning to pass his territory to his son Li Weiyue
Li Weiyue
Li Weiyue was the son of the Chinese Tang Dynasty general Li Baochen. After Li Baochen's death in 781, Li Weiyue tried to succeed his father as the de facto ruler of Chengde Circuit and waged a campaign against the imperial government when Emperor Dezong refused to let him do so...
, but as Li Weiyue was described to be weak in personality, he feared that Li Weiyue would not be able to control the army. Therefore, he began to systematically kill the stronger military officers in his army to eliminate potential challengers to Li Weiyue. The only officers to escape this fate were Zhang Xiaozhong
Zhang Xiaozhong
Zhang Xiaozhong , né Zhang Alao , formally Prince Zhenwu of Shanggu , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, of Xi extraction. Initially he served the rebel state Yan, during the Anshi Rebellion, and later served the warlord Li Baochen...
the prefect of Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) — who resisted repeated summons by Li Baochen and stayed at Yi Prefecture, although not turning against Li Baochen while Li Baochen was alive — and Wang Wujun, who was close to Li Baochen and whose son Wang Shizhen
Wang Shizhen (Tang Dynasty)
Wang Shizhen , formally Prince Jingxiang of Qinghe , was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who served as a military governor of Chengde Circuit and ruled it in a de facto independent manner from the imperial regime.- Background :It is not known when Wang Shizhen was born...
had married Li Baochen's daughter. It was also said that in his old age, he became particularly superstitious and trusted sorcerers who predicted that he would have long life and supreme power (i.e., become emperor). In 781, the sorcerers made him a potion that was supposed to yield long life, but instead was poisonous, and he died within three days of drinking it. Li Weiyue would succeed him without Tang imperial approval, and by 782 was killed by Wang, ending the Li family's hold on Chengde.