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 ...
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 ...
Qingzhi (), was a general 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 ...
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 ...
. He started his career serving under the warlord
Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817Li Su in Li Su's campaign against Wu, became instrumental in Li Su's victory over Wu. He subsequently served the imperial government until his death immediately following his campaign against the warlord
Li Tongjie Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. ''.
Background and service under Wu Yuanji
Little is known about Li You's background, including when he was born or where his family was from. It is known that he came to serve as an officer under
Wu Yuanji Wu Yuanji (吳元濟) (783''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 145. or 793''New Book of Tang'', vol. 214. – December 12, 817Zhumadian
Zhumadian (; postal: Chumatien) is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, 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 An ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
), and fought in Wu's campaign of resistance against the imperial government after the imperial government refused to sanction Wu Yuanji's takeover of the circuit after the death of his father
Wu Shaoyang Wu Shaoyang () (died September 29, 814) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who, after seizing control of Zhangyi Circuit (彰義/彰义, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) in 809, governed it in a ''de ...
in 814. It was said that Li You was fierce in battle, and that the imperial forces feared him. He was also said to have inflicted many casualties on the imperial forces during the campaign.''
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 ...
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 ...
By 817, one of the imperially-controlled circuits that was near Zhangyi and which thus continuously battled Zhangyi forces in the campaign, Tangsuideng Circuit (唐隨鄧, headquartered in modern Zhumadian as well), had seen two military governors (''
Jiedushi
The ''jiedushi'' (), or jiedu, was a title for regional military governors in China which was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", ...
'') — Gao Xiayu () and
Yuan Zi Yuan Zi () (739 – July 19, 818), courtesy name Deshen (), formally the Duke of Huaiyang (), was an official and general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving briefly as chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Shunzong and Emperor Xianzong.
Backg ...
— defeated by Zhangyi forces in rapid succession; in response, then-reigning
Emperor Xianzong
Emperor Xianzong of Tang (4 March to 1 April 778''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 14. – 14 February 820; r. 805 – 820), personal name Li Chun, né Li Chun (), was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Emperor Shunzon ...
commissioned the less-known general Li Su as Tangsuideng's military governor.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 239. One of Li Su's tactics, while battling Zhangyi forces, was to capture Zhangyi officers that he considered capable, endearing them, and retaining them on his staff so that he could learn intelligence about Zhangyi. After he first captured Ding Shiliang (), Ding suggested that if he targeted and captured Chen Guangqia (), the strategist for the key Zhangyi officer Wu Xiulin (), Wu would surrender — and after Ding captured Chen, Wu indeed surrendered. Li Su endeared himself to Wu and asked for Wu's input on how to capture Zhangyi's capital Cai Prefecture (). Wu responded, "If you, Lord, want to capture Cai Prefecture, you need Li You. I, Wu Xiulin, am not sufficiently capable."
Li Su thereafter targeted Li You and, after setting a trap for Li You with 300 cavalry soldiers while engaging him, Li Su's officer Shi Yongcheng () was in fact able to capture Li You. Li Su's soldiers, resentful at how many casualties Li You had inflicted on them, demanded that Li You be put to death, but Li Su resisted the call and treated Li You with respect, causing Li You to be touched. It was said that when discussing tactics about how to capture Cai Prefecture, Li Su would discuss only with Li You and a fellow Zhangyi captive officer, Li Zhongyi (). The other officers feared that Li You would, at least meetings turn against Li Su and assassinate him, but Li Su did not heed their warnings. Thereafter, there were reports to Emperor Xianzong by those jealous of Li You that Li You must have been plotting still with the Zhangyi rebels, and there were renewed calls for Li You's execution. Li Su, after holding Li You and weeping, publicly declared that he would send Li You to Emperor Xianzong for Emperor Xianzong to execute him — but sent a secret petition to Emperor Xianzong, stating that if Li You were executed, the campaign would fail. Emperor Xianzong, after reviewing the petition, released Li You and returned him to Li Su. Li Su subsequently made Li You his guard commander
Li You thereafter informed Li Su that Zhangyi's elite forces were all stationed at Huiqu (洄曲, in modern
Luohe
Luohe (; postal: Loho) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province, China. It is surrounded by the cities of Xuchang, Zhoukou, Zhumadian and Pingdingshan on its north, east, south and west respectively. Its population was 2,367,490 inha ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
), under the command of the officer Dong Chongzhi (), and that Cai Prefecture itself was defended by old or weakened soldiers. He suggested that a surprise attack be made on Cai Prefecture itself to capture it, before the Huiqu forces would have any chance to react. After receiving approval from the
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 ...
Pei Du
Pei Du () (765 – April 21, 839), courtesy name Zhongli (), formally Duke Wenzhong of Jin (), was a Chinese politician. He served a government official of the during Tang dynasty, as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong, Emperor Xian ...
, whom Emperor Xianzong had put in charge overseeing the operations against Zhangyi, Li Su launched his surprise attack in winter 817. With Li You and Li Zhongyi serving as his forward commanders, he quickly reached Cai Prefecture during a winter storm, and with little resistance captured the city, seizing Wu Yuanji. The remaining Zhangyi forces under Dong surrendered, and the campaign was over. For his contributions during the campaign, Li You was made a general of the imperial guards.
Between the campaigns against Wu Yuanji and against Li Tongjie
Li You was subsequently made the military governor of Xiasui Circuit (夏綏, headquartered in modern
Yulin, Shaanxi
Yulin () is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the east, and Ningxia to the west. It has an administrative area of and as of the 2020 Chinese census had a po ...
) as well as the prefect of its capital Xia Prefecture (). In 824, by which time Emperor Xianzong's grandson Emperor Jingzong was emperor, Li You was recalled to the 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 serve as a general of the imperial guards. When he got to Chang'an, he made a tribute of 150 horses to Emperor Jingzong. The imperial censor Wen Zao () submitted an accusation that the tribute was improper and requested that Li You be arrested. Emperor Jingzong ordered that no actions be taken against Li You, but Li You still commented to his friends, "My heart was not at all shaken when I entered Cai Prefecture at midnight to capture Wu Yuanji, but now my gall falls before Censor Wen."''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243. Thereafter, because there was a Tufan incursion, Li You was sent to the front to serve as the military governor of Jingyuan Circuit (涇原, headquartered in modern
Pingliang
Pingliang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the south and east and the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the north. The city was established in 376 AD. It has a residential population of 2, ...
,
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 ...
).
Campaign against Li Tongjie
As of 828, by which time Emperor Jingzong's younger brother Emperor Wenzong was emperor, the imperial forces were locked into a campaign against
Li Tongjie Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter. '', who had seized control of Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern
Cangzhou
Cangzhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunhe, Xinhua districts and Cang County largely being conurbated had a populatio ...
,
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 ...
) after the death of his father Li Quanlüe (), the previous military governor. During the campaign, the imperial government had named a number of generals as military governors for Henghai, but each of whom either died during the campaign or was removed for other reasons. In winter 828, after the last of those, Fu Liangbi (), died on the way to the Henghai front, Li You was named the military governor of Henghai and sent to the front.
In spring 829, when 3,000 Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern
Anyang
Anyang (; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan province, 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.
It had a ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
) soldiers, who were fighting Henghai forces, suddenly mutinied and deserted, Li You intercepted them and slaughtered them. He subsequently defeated Li Tongjie in a battle and then attacked one of Henghai's prefectures, De Prefecture (德州, in modern
Dezhou
Dezhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei t ...
,
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
). He quickly captured De Prefecture, and with Henghai's capital Cang Prefecture () under attack by a general under imperial orders,
Li Zaiyi Li Zaiyi () (July 18, 788 - June 4, 837), né Li Zaiyi (李再義, note different character of his later name), courtesy name Fanggu (), formally the Prince of Wuwei (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, from 826 to 831, ruled Lulong C ...
the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
), the De Prefecture soldiers fled to Zhen Prefecture (鎮州, 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 ...
), the headquarters of Li Tongjie's ally
Wang Tingcou
Wang Tingcou (王廷湊 or 王庭湊; died 834), formally the Duke of Taiyuan (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who, in 821, during the reign of Emperor Muzong, took over control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi ...
the military governor of Chengde Circuit ().''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244.
Li Tongjie, knowing that his defeat was at hand, sent messengers to Li You, offering to surrender. Li You agreed and submitted Li Tongjie's offer to surrender to the imperial government, while sending his officer Wan Hong () to Cang Prefecture to take control of the city from Li Tongjie. The imperial officer Bo Qi () was sent to Cang Prefecture to comfort the region, but Bo, fearing that Li Tongjie was trying to trick imperial forces, led several hundred cavalry soldiers himself into Cang Prefecture. He found an excuse to kill Wan, and then had Li Tongjie and his families arrested and bound, to be delivered to Chang'an. On the way of delivering Li Tongjie to Chang'an, he heard rumors that Wang was intending to try to rescue Li Tongjie, so he beheaded Li Tongjie and delivered just the head to Chang'an.
By this point, Li You was ill, and when he heard the news of Wan's death, he was so shocked that his conditions fell worse. Meanwhile, various generals also submitted accusations against Bo, for having killed Wan for no reason and for appearing to want to take the credits of defeating Li Tongjie for himself. Emperor Wenzong commented, "If Li You dies, it is Bo Qi who kills him!" When Li You did die on June 22, Emperor Wenzong ordered Bo to commit suicide.
Notes and 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
243
__NOTOC__
Year 243 ( CCXLIII) 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 Arrianus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 996 '' Ab ...
,
244
__NOTOC__
Year 244 (Roman numerals, CCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Tiberius Pollenius Armenius Peregrinus, Arm ...