Li Gui (; died 619),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Chuze (), was the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of a short-lived state of Liang, which he established at the end 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 ...

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. He governed the parts of modern

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

west of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

. In 618, he briefly considered submitting to

Emperor Gaozu of Tang Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635, born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude) was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day ...

(Li Yuan), with whom they both believed he had a distant family relationship, but ultimately rejected the idea. In 619, the

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 ...

official An Xinggui () pretended to submit to him, and then started an uprising at his capital Wuwei (武威, in modern

Wuwei, Gansu Wuwei () is a prefecture-level city in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important b ...

), overthrowing him and turning him over to Emperor Gaozu, who executed him.

As prince

Li Gui was from Wuwei Commandery (武威, roughly modern

), and he served as a militia officer in the local government. His family was said to be rich, and he used his wealth to help those who were poor, and thus gained a good reputation. He was also said to be well-read and capable in debating and logic. In summer 617, when

Xue Ju Xue Ju () (died 618), formally Emperor Wu (武皇帝, "Martial"), was the founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, whose state was eventually destroyed by the Tang Dynasty. He rose against Su ...

rebelled against

's rule at Jincheng (金城, in modern

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

), Li discussed with his associates Cao Zhen (), Guan Jin (), Liang Shuo (), Li Yun (), and An Xiuren () the possibility of also rebelling against Sui rule – under the reasoning that they were fearful that Xue would pillage Wuwei unless someone resisted, and the Sui officials were not capable of doing so. They resolved to do so, and when it came time to decide on a leader, Cao suggested that because prophecies had indicated that the next emperor would be named Li, that Li Gui should be their leader. In fall 617, Li had An gather the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

chiefs of the region, while he himself gathered the prominent families among the

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

, and they rose together, arresting the Sui officials Xie Tongshi () and Wei Shizheng (). Li claimed himself the title of "the Great Prince of Liang west of the

River A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

," and adopted a governmental structure modelled after that of Sui's founder Emperor Wen. Guan proposed that the Sui officials be slaughtered and that their wealth be divided. Li responded: "You forced me to be leader, so you should listen to my orders. We rose in righteousness to save the people; if we murder for money, we are just bandits, and how can we achieve great things?" He invited Xie and Wei to join his administration. The

Western Tujue The Western Turkic Khaganate () or Onoq Khaganate ( otk, 𐰆𐰣:𐰸:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣, On oq budun, Ten arrow people) was a Turkic khaganate in Eurasia, formed as a result of the wars in the beginning of the 7th century (593–603 CE) after t ...

general Ashina Kandu (), claiming the title of Kan Khan (), also submitted to him. Sui Dynasty Uprisings

Soon, Xue sent his general Chang Zhongxing () to cross the Yellow River to attack Li Gui. Li Gui sent Li Yun to resist Chang, and Li Yun defeated Chang and captured all of his army. Li Gui wanted to release Chang's soldiers, but Li Yun opposed, believing that they would flee back to Xue and attack again; rather, Li Yun proposed that they all be slaughtered. Li Gui responded, "If Heaven protects me, I will eventually capture their leader, and they will all be mine. if Heaven does not protect me, it is useless for me to keep them." He therefore released them. Li Gui soon took four other commanderies – Zhangye (張掖, roughly modern

Zhangye Zhangye (), formerly romanized as Changyeh or known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south. Its central district is Ga ...

), Dunhuang (敦煌, roughly modern

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Dunhuang was a major ...

), Xiping (西平, roughly modern

Xining Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and wa ...

Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...

), and Fuhan (枹罕, roughly modern Linxia,

), controlling the territory west of the Yellow River. Soon, however, Ashina Kandu rebelled, but Li Gui was able to defeat and destroy him. Meanwhile,

, who had established

in spring 618 and wanted to enter an alliance with Li Gui to attack Xue Ju's successor

Xue Rengao Xue Rengao (; died 618), also known as Xue Renguo (),The ''Old Book of Tang'' and the ''New Book of Tang'' both gave his name as Xue Rengao, but the ''Zizhi Tongjian'' gave his name as Xue Renguo. was an emperor of the short-lived state of Qin, ...

, sent messengers to Li Gui, calling him "younger cousin." Li Gui was pleased, and he sent his brother Li Mao () to the Tang capital

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 ...

to greet Emperor Gaozu. Emperor Gaozu, in response, sent his official Zhang Qide () to Wuwei to commission Li Gui as the commandant of Liang Prefecture (i.e., Wuwei) and created him the Prince of Liang. Before Zhang could arrive at Li Gui's domain, however, Li claimed imperial title (as the Emperor of Liang) in winter 618. He created his son Li Boyu () as

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

As emperor

Once Li Gui claimed imperial title, however, his governance appeared to deteriorate. He initially trusted Liang Shuo, whom he regarded as intelligent, as his chief strategist. However, as Liang Shuo realized that the Xiongnu chiefs were becoming increasingly powerful, he advised Li Gui to curb their powers, and so made an enemy out of An Xiuren, who was the leader of the Xiongnu chiefs. Further, when Li Gui's son Li Zhongyan () visited Liang Shuo, Liang Shuo did not respect him, and so Li Zhongyan, displeased, along with An, jointly accused Liang Shuo of treason, and so Li Gui poisoned Liang Shuo to death. Also around this time, a sorcerer told Li Gui that a goddess was about to be sent to him from heaven, and Li Gui thus built a tower to be ready to welcome the goddess. Further, at that time, Li Gui's realm was suffering from a famine, and Cao Zhen suggested that the food supplies be given to the hungry. However, Xie Tongshi, who wanted to undermine Li Gui's rule, instead told Li Gui that those who were starving were all weak anyway and that he should not waste food on the weak – suggesting that all Cao was doing was trying to gain popularity. Li Gui agreed and withheld food rations, causing the people to lose their respect for him. In spring 619, Zhang Qide arrived in Liang territory. (By this point, Emperor Gaozu's son

Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

(the eventual Emperor Taizong) had already destroyed Xue Rengao.) Li Gui, upon hearing Emperor Gaozu's offer, indicated that he was inclined to accept – as he saw Emperor Gaozu as a cousin, and that he should then accept the Tang-bestowed title of Prince of Liang. Cao disagreed, suggesting that he should not prostrate himself to Tang, but rather, if he wanted to submit, he should use the model

Emperor Xuan of Western Liang Emperor Xuan of (Western) Liang ((西)梁宣帝; 519 – March or April 562), personal name Xiao Cha (蕭詧), courtesy name Lisun (理孫), was the founding emperor of the Western Liang dynasty of China. He took the throne of the Liang dynasty ...

used when submitting to

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty and ...

– continuing to use imperial title, but at the same time declaring himself a subject. Li Gui agreed, and he sent his official Deng Xiao () to Chang'an, and he, while declaring submission to Emperor Gaozu, used for himself the title of, "Your subject and younger imperial cousin, Li Gui the Emperor of Liang." Emperor Gaozu was displeased and detained Deng, and he began to discuss an attack on Li Gui. He sent messengers to enter into a peace treaty with

Tuyuhun Tuyuhun (; LHC: *''tʰɑʔ-jok-guənʔ''; Wade-Giles: ''T'u-yühun''), also known as Henan () and Azha (; ), was a dynastic kingdom established by the nomadic peoples related to the Xianbei in the Qilian Mountains and upper Yellow River valle ...

's Busabuo Khan,

Murong Fuyun Murong Fuyun () (597–635), regnal name Busabo Khan (), was a ruler of the Xianbei-led dynastic state of Tuyuhun. He first became ruler when his brother Murong Shifu was assassinated in 597, and became one of the longest-ruling monarchs of Tuyuhun ...

, offering to return Murong Fuyun's son

Murong Shun Murong Shun (慕容順) (died 635), regal title Zhugulüwugandou Khan (趉故呂烏甘豆可汗) or, in short, Gandou Khan (甘豆可汗), Tang Dynasty noble title Prince of Xiping (西平王), was briefly a Khan (title), khan of the Xianbei state T ...

(who had been detained by Sui). Murong Fuyun was pleased, and attacked Liang as per Tang instructions, to weaken Li Gui.

Defeat and death

In summer 619, An Xiuren's brother An Xinggui (), then serving as an official under Tang's Emperor Gaozu, proposed that he go to Liang to try to persuade Li Gui to submit. He further told Emperor Gaozu that his plan was to first try to persuade Li Gui, but that if he was unable to do that, he would rise against Li Gui and overthrow him. Emperor Gaozu agreed with the plan. Once An Xinggui arrived in Wuwei, Li Gui made him a general. He tried to persuade Li Gui to submit to Tang and offer his territory to Tang. Li Gui refused, believing that he could defend his realm against Tang. An Xinggui then plotted with An Xiuren, and they gathered the Xiongnu people to attack Li Gui. Li Gui was unable to withstand the attack, and withdrew within Wuwei. An Xinggui put Wuwei under siege, while calling for the people to surrender. The people of Wuwei exited the city in droves to surrender to An Xinggui. Li Gui, seeing that the situation was hopeless, climbed up the tower he built for the goddess, along with his empress, holding one final feast of farewell. An Xinggui soon entered the city and captured him, delivering him to Chang'an. Emperor Gaozu executed him and his sons and brothers.

References

* ''

Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

''
vol. 55
* ''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

''
vol. 86
* ''

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. 184, 185,

186 Year 186 ( CLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 939 ''Ab urbe co ...

, 187. {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Gui Chinese emperors Sui dynasty politicians Sui dynasty Taoists Tang dynasty Taoists 619 deaths Executed people from Gansu 7th-century executions by the Tang dynasty 7th-century Chinese monarchs People from Wuwei Politicians from Gansu Year of birth unknown Transition from Sui to Tang Founding monarchs