Li Jiji (李繼岌) (died May 28, 926
['']Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vol. 275.Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
br>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter
), formally the Prince of Wei (魏王), nickname Hege (和哥), was an imperial prince of the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...
state
Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...
. He was Later Tang's founder
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang
Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (), personal name Li Cunxu (), nickname Yazi (), stage name Li Tianxia (), was the ruling prince of the Former Jin dynasty (r. 908–923) and later became the founding emperor of the Later Tang dynasty (r. 923 ...
(Li Cunxu)'s oldest son, and was commonly regarded at the time to be Emperor Zhuangzong's heir apparent. As such, he served as the titular commander of Later Tang's campaign to destroy its neighbor
Former Shu
Great Shu (Chinese: 大蜀, Pinyin: Dàshǔ) called in retrospect Former Shu (Chinese: 前蜀, Pinyin: Qiánshǔ) or occasionally Wang Shu (王蜀), was one of the Ten Kingdoms formed during the chaotic period between the rules of the Tang dynas ...
, albeit with the major general
Guo Chongtao Guo Chongtao () (died February 20, 926''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Anshi (), formally the Duke of Zhao Commandery (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese ...
in effective control. After Later Tang conquered Former Shu, however, under the command of his mother
Empress Liu, Li Jiji killed Guo, leading to a chain reaction of mutinies that doomed Later Tang.
During Jin
It is not known for certain when Li Jiji was born. However, it is known that he was the oldest son of Li Cunxu, then the Prince of
Jin. His birth date could further be confined by the historical assertion that his mother
Lady Liu, who was Li Cunxu's
concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive.
Concubi ...
, was not his favorite initially
['']New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 14. — a Lady Hou, who had previously been the wife of Fu Daozhao (符道昭), a general of Jin's archrival
Later Liang, whom he captured in a battle in 908 shortly after his succession (after the death of Li Jiji's grandfather
Li Keyong
Li Keyong () (October 24, 856 – February 24, 908) was a Chinese military general and politician of Shatuo ethnicity, and from January 896 a Prince of Jin (, ''Jin Wang''), which would become an independent state after the fall of the Tang dyn ...
), was
[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 266.] — and it was not until Lady Liu gave birth to Li Jiji, whom Li Cunxu believed resembled him greatly, that she gained favor and became his favorite.[
The first historical reference to Li Jiji was in 917 (although it is unclear whether the incident actually happened in 917 itself), when there was a time when Li Cunxu had him dance in the honor of the ]eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
official Zhang Chengye
Zhang Chengye (張承業) (846'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 72. – November 23, 922''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 271.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), né Kang (康), courtesy name Jiyuan (繼元), was an importan ...
, and Zhang gave him a gift to show thanks — and yet displeased Li Cunxu, who considered the gift as being too small in amount. (The dispute was resolved when Li Cunxu realized, at the urging of his mother (Li Jiji's grandmother) Lady Dowager Cao of Zhang's faithfulness by not expending from the royal treasury.)[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 270.] In 922, when Li Cunxu met with a key ally, Wang Du
Wang Du () (died March 26, 929''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 276.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter/ref>), né Liu Yunlang (), was a warlord during the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China as the military governor ('' ...
the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding
Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...
, Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
), Wang proposed to give his daughter in marriage to Li Jiji, and Li Cunxu agreed.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 271.] (Li Jiji himself was said to be "emasculated from an illness" in childhood and never had a son.)[
]
During Later Tang
During Emperor Zhuangzong's reign as emperor
In 923, Li Cunxu, considering himself the legitimate successor to Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, declared himself emperor of a new Later Tang
Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...
(as its Emperor Zhuangzong). For the time being, he had his capital at Xingtang (興唐, in modern Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
, Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
), naming it the eastern capital, but also designated the old Jin capital Taiyuan
Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province. ...
as western capital and Zhending (真定, in modern Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang (; ; Mandarin: ), formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and most populous city of China’s North China's Hebei Province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about southwest of Beijin ...
, Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
) as northern capital, giving Li Jiji the titles of the defender of Zhending and the director of Xingsheng Palace (興聖宮). However, Li Jiji appeared to remain with Emperor Zhuangzong and his army at that point and did not head to Zhending.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 272.]
Later in the year, Emperor Zhuangzong was preparing a surprise attack against Later Liang's capital Daliang. Believing that success would mean total victory but that failure would mean total defeat (as the surprise attack was a desperate measure given that Later Tang was having difficulty supplying its army), he sent Lady Liu and Li Jiji back to Xingtang, and bade farewell to them, informing them that if he failed, they should gather all the family members at the Xingtang palace and commit suicide by setting fire to it. Shortly after, he defeated the Later Liang army under Wang Yanzhang
Wang Yanzhang (王彥章) (863-November 15, 923),'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 21.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 272.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter courtesy name Xianming (賢明) or Ziming (子明), nicknamed Wang T ...
and Zhang Hanjie (張漢傑), and then quickly descended on Daliang. Caught by surprise, the Later Liang emperor Zhu Zhen committed suicide, ending Later Liang. Later Liang territory came under Later Tang control, and shortly after, one of Later Liang's most senior officials, Zhang Quanyi Zhang Quanyi () (852'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 63. – April 29, 926Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.), né Zhang Juyan () or Zhang Yan (), known as Zhang Zongshi () during Later Liang ...
, arrived at Daliang to pay homage to Emperor Zhuangzong. Emperor Zhuangzong, in order to show respect to Zhang, had both Li Jiji and his uncle (Emperor Zhuangzong's brother) Li Cunji (李存紀) treat Zhang with the ceremony due an older brother — indicating that, by that point, Emperor Zhuangzong must have had Li Jiji brought to Daliang. Shortly after, Emperor Zhuangzong made Li Jiji the defender of Xingtang, and gave him the honorary chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' (同中書門下平章事), although it was not clear whether Li Jiji actually returned to Xingtang. Later that year, he also had Li Jiji treat another major general, (whom he granted a new name of Li Jilin), as an older brother.[
In 924, Emperor Zhuangzong had Li Jiji and another uncle, Li Cunwo (李存渥), go to Taiyuan to welcome Lady Cao (whom he had honored as ]empress dowager
Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere.
The title was also g ...
) and Li Keyong's wife Consort Dowager Liu
Consort Dowager Liu (劉太妃, personal name unknown) (died May 30, 925?Academia Sinica]Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', :zh:s:資治通鑑/卷273, vol. 273.) was the wife of Li Keyong, the founder of the Five Dynasties and T ...
to Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
, which he had made capital by this point. (They were able to bring Empress Dowager Cao to Luoyang, but Consort Dowager Liu refused to head for Luoyang and remained at Taiyuan instead.) Later in the year, Li Jiji took the command of the imperial guards, replacing Zhang. In 925, after his mother Lady Liu was created empress, Li Jiji was created the Prince of Wei.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 273.]
In winter 925, Emperor Zhuangzong was planning a campaign to destroy Later Tang's southwestern neighbor Former Shu
Great Shu (Chinese: 大蜀, Pinyin: Dàshǔ) called in retrospect Former Shu (Chinese: 前蜀, Pinyin: Qiánshǔ) or occasionally Wang Shu (王蜀), was one of the Ten Kingdoms formed during the chaotic period between the rules of the Tang dynas ...
. At the suggestion of his chief of staff Guo Chongtao Guo Chongtao () (died February 20, 926''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), courtesy name Anshi (), formally the Duke of Zhao Commandery (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese ...
, who believed that this would be a chance for Li Jiji to establish his reputation among the generals, he named Li Jiji the overall commander of the operations, but made Guo Li Jiji's deputy, in actual command. The Later Tang army quickly scored victory after victory against the Former Shu army,[ and, before the year was over, the Former Shu general Wang Zongbi had forced the Former Shu emperor ]Wang Zongyan
Wang Yan (王衍) (899–926), né Wang Zongyan (王宗衍), courtesy name Huayuan (化源), also known as Houzhu (後主, "later Lord"), later posthumously created the Duke of Shunzheng (順正公) by Later Tang, was the second and final emperor o ...
into surrendering to the Later Tang army. To try to ingratiate Li Jiji and Guo into recommending him to serve as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Former Shu's capital Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
), he had his son Wang Chengban (王承班) present beautiful women and treasures from Wang Yan's palace to Li Jiji and Guo. Li Jiji, however, responded, "These things now all belong to my house. How is it that you are 'offering' them?" He kept the gifts and sent Wang Chengban back. When Li Jiji arrived at Chengdu, Wang Yan formally surrendered to him, ending Former Shu.[''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 274.]
Because Guo had been in actual command of the operations, throughout the entire campaign, the generals and officials who had requests of him were trying to get audiences with him, while these generals and officials paid homage to Li Jiji in the morning. This caused Li Jiji's attendants, headed by the eunuch Li Congxi (李從襲), to be displeased. The situation compounded itself once Guo and Li Jiji set up headquarters in Chengdu to handle the aftermaths of taking over Former Shu — as Former Shu officials were all trying to secure better treatment by sending gifts and bribes to Guo and Guo's son Guo Tinghui (郭廷誨), while Li Jiji received largely decorative items not worth much — items such as saddles, screen hangers, spittles, and dusters, further angering Li Congxi and the other attendants. Further, Wang Zongbi, unable to get Guo to commit to recommending him as the military governor of Xichuan, decided to put pressure on Guo by leading a group of Former Shu officials to meet with Li Jiji, requesting that ''Guo'' be made the military governor of Xichuan, leading Li Jiji to believe that Guo wanted to take over Former Shu lands himself. To try to show his own good faith, Guo, after receiving permission from Li Jiji, soon had Wang Zongbi and his allies Wang Zongxun (王宗勳) and Wang Zongwo (王宗渥) executed, but that did not completely lift the suspicion that Li Jiji had for him. Li Jiji, meanwhile, also took the initiative to execute the Former Shu general Wang Chengxiu (王承休) and Wang Chengxiu's deputy Wang Zongrui (王宗汭) himself, believing that Wang Chengxiu and Wang Zongrui were responsible for unnecessary loss of life.[
Meanwhile, Emperor Zhuangzong was repeatedly issuing orders that Li Jiji and Guo return to Luoyang with the army. However, at that times, there were groups of bandits that rose and occupied secure positions in the mountains in light of Former Shu's destruction. Guo feared that once the Later Tang army withdrew that its control over the Former Shu lands would be endangered, and therefore sent the generals ]Ren Huan Ren or REN may refer to:
Abbreviations
* Orenburg Tsentralny Airport, IATA code REN, civil airport in Russia
* Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), Portuguese company
* Renanthera, abbreviated as Ren, orchid genus
* Ringer equivalence number ( ...
and Zhang Yun (張筠) to try to wipe out these bandits, thus delaying the withdrawal. This instead led to suspicions, both among Li Jiji's attendants and in Emperor Zhuangzong's mind (as Emperor Zhuangzong was suspecting that Guo was holding back treasures gained from Former Shu's destruction and not submitting them to the emperor) that Guo was intending a rebellion. Emperor Zhuangzong decided to send the eunuch Ma Yangui (馬彥珪) to Chengdu to observe the situation, giving him the instruction that if he believed that Guo was intending to take over the Former Shu lands himself, that he should meet with Li Jiji and act against Guo. Ma, however, after receiving these instructions, met with Empress Liu, who believed in rumors of Guo's plan to rebel. She tried to persuade Emperor Zhuangzong to issue an edict for Guo's death, but Emperor Zhuangzong refused. She instead decided to issue an order in her own name, ordering Li Jiji to kill Guo.[
In spring 926, Ma arrived in Chengdu. By that point, Li Jiji and Guo were making final preparations to depart Chengdu, when Ma delivered to Li Jiji Empress Liu's orders to kill Guo. Li Jiji hesitated, believing that it would be wrong to execute the commander of the army, particularly without an imperial edict. However, Li Congxi and the others argued to him that if the news leaked, all of them would be in danger. Li Jiji reluctantly agreed. He summoned Guo, ostensibly for a meeting, and when Guo arrived, had his guard Li Huan (李環) kill Guo with a hammer. Guo's sons Guo Tinghui and Guo Tingxin (郭廷信) were also killed. After Guo's death, Li Jiji departed Chengdu with the army.][
Guo's death and the death of Li Jilin (whom Emperor Zhuangzong subsequently killed as he suspected Li Jilin to be an ally of Guo's), which Emperor Zhuangzong later tried to justify in an edict, caused all kinds of rumors to come alive among the ranks of the imperial troops not involved in the Former Shu campaign — with rumors eventually vividly stating falsely that Guo had killed Li Jiji and was declaring independence at Chengdu, and that Empress Liu, blaming Emperor Zhuangzong for Li Jiji's death, had assassinated Emperor Zhuangzong. This spawned a mutiny at Xingtang, and the soldiers forced the officer Zhao Zaili (趙在禮) into commanding the mutiny. Soon, when Emperor Zhuangzong sent the major general ]Li Siyuan
Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reignin ...
(an adoptive brother of Emperor Zhuangzong's) to combat the mutiny, Li Siyuan's army also mutinied and forced him to join the mutiny. With the situation getting desperate, Emperor Zhuangzong tried to order Li Jiji to head for Luoyang as quickly as possible. However, Li Jiji himself had to combat a mutiny — as the general Li Shaochen, serving under him, rebelled on the way, forcing him to stop at Li Prefecture (利州, in modern Guangyuan
Guangyuan () is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China, bordering the provinces of Shaanxi to the northeast and Gansu to the northwest. The city has a population of 2,305,657 as of the 2020 census.
Located roughly between the provi ...
, Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
) and send Ren to defeat Li Shaochen, before he could continue his progress back to Luoyang, as the situation in and near Luoyang worsened for Emperor Zhuangzong.[ In summer 926, Emperor Zhuangzong, as he was preparing to himself lead an army in a last stand against Li Siyuan, was killed when the army at Luoyang itself mutinied.][
]
After Emperor Zhuangzong's death
When Li Jiji heard of Emperor Zhuangzong's death, he had advanced to Xingping (興平, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now integrated into the Xi'an metrop ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
). He decided to withdraw westward and considering using Fengxiang (鳳翔, in modern Baoji
() is a prefecture-level city in western Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China. Since the early 1990s, Baoji has been the second largest city in Shaanxi.
Geography
The prefecture-level city of Baoji had a population of 3,321,853 accordin ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
) as a further base of operations. When he reached Wugong (武功, in modern Xianyang), Li Congxi instead suggested that he should go ahead and advance toward Luoyang to try to take it over. However, by this point, the defender of Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
, Zhang Jian (張籛), apparently having turned against him, had already destroyed the bridge on the Wei River
The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization.
The source of the Wei River is close to ...
, forcing Li Jiji's army, which was then north of the Wei, to have to swim across the Wei. Once it reached Weinan (渭南, in modern Weinan
Weinan () is a prefecture-level city in the east central Shaanxi province, China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provincial capital Xi'an, and borders the provinces of Shan ...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
), Li Jiji's attendants began to abandon him, and even Li Congxi, by this point, was stating to him, "It is over. You, Prince, need to decide what to do for yourself." Li Jiji initially wept, and then fell onto a bed and told Li Huan to strangle him with a rope. (Ren took over the command of the army and took it back to Luoyang, submitting to Li Siyuan.)[
]
Notes and references
* ''Old History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' (''Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ'') was an official history mainly focus on Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern China. And it also includes some history of other south states during the ...
'', vol. 51.
* ''New History of the Five Dynasties
The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 to ...
'', vol. 14.
* ''Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vols. 270, 271
__NOTOC__
Year 271 ( CCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelianus and Bassus (or, less frequently, year 1024 '' ...
, 272, 273, 274, 275.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Jiji
People from North China
Jin (Later Tang precursor) people
Later Tang generals
Later Tang imperial princes
10th-century births
Year of birth unknown
926 deaths
Suicides in Later Tang
Suicides by asphyxiation