Li Hanzhi

Li Hanzhi (; 842 – July 26, 899), formally the Prince of Longxi , nickname Li Moyun , was a Chinese Buddhist monk, military general, politician, and warlord of the late medieval Tang dynasty. He was initially a follower of the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao, and later became a Tang general, mostly known for his service under Li Keyong. He was known for ferocity in carrying out raids.

Background Li Hanzhi was born in 842, during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. He was from Xiangcheng (項城, in modern Zhoukou, Henan). His father Li Wen was, and his family had been, farmers for generations. It was said that in his youth, Li Hanzhi was strong and dextrous, and he was capable of fighting several people at the same time. He initially studied Confucian doctrines, but could not achieve much in doing so, and thereafter became a Buddhist monk. However, because his behavior was not proper, wherever he went, he found no acceptance; in particular, when he begged for food at Suanzao (酸棗, in modern Xinxiang, Henan), no one would give him any food. In anger, he abandoned his monk clothing and became a bandit in the region. At that time, as Huang Chao had risen in rebellion against then-reigning Emperor Xizong, Li joined Huang and became a key general in Huang's army.

Initial service under Gao Pian and Zhuge Shuang Gao Pian made Li Hanzhi an officer in his army, and later commissioned as the prefect of Guang Prefecture (光州, in modern Xinyang, Henan). At a later point, when Qin Zongquan the military governor of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) rebelled against Tang and seized nearby territory, Li was pressured by the Fengguo army and abandoned Guang Prefecture. He returned home to Xiangcheng and gathered his forces there, and submitted to Zhuge Shuang the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan). Zhuge made him the prefect of Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Luoyang, Henan). Subsequently, when Emperor Xizong commissioned Zhuge as one of the commanders of the forces against Qin, Zhuge commissioned Li as his deputy, as well as the defender of the Tang eastern capital Luoyang. As Luoyang had been laid waste by the wars by that point, Li made Shengshan Temple his headquarters. Meanwhile, when Li Keyong, the ethnically Shatuo military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), went through Luoyang on the way back to Hedong after a campaign against Huang, Li welcomed him and formed a friendship with him.

In 886, Zhuge died, and initially the officers Liu Jing and Zhang Quanyi supported Zhuge's son Zhuge Zhongfang as the acting military governor, but Liu held the actual authorities. He feared that Li would not easily be controllable, so he entered Luoyang himself and attacked Li at Mianchi. Li defeated him and slaughtered most of his army. Li then prepared to give chase across the Yellow River (as Heyang's capital, the city of Heyang, was just north of the Yellow River). Liu sent Zhang to resist Li, but by this point, Zhang was also alienated by Liu's domination of the circuit, and then instead joined Li in attacking Heyang. They were, however, defeated by Liu, and withdrew to Huai Prefecture.

Loss of Heyang Circuit Li Hanzhi and Zhang Quanyi had a close friendship initially, but the friendship gradually waned over Li's lack of respect for Zhang's campaign to rebuild Luoyang. Further, even though Zhang tried to supply Li's army well, Li often seized Zhang's subordinates and tortured them if they could not satisfy Li's demands. In 888, while Li was preparing a campaign against Wang Chongying the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Wang secretly persuaded Zhang to turn against Li. Zhang thus took his forces and attacked Heyang, capturing it and taking Li's family captive. Zhang then claimed the title of military governor of Heyang. Li fled to Ze Prefecture and sought aid from Li Keyong.

In 890, when Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong, at the instigation of the chancellor Zhang Jun, as well as Zhu Quanzhong, Li Kuangchou the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), and Helian Duo the military governor of Datong Circuit (大同, headquartered in modern Datong, Shanxi), announced a general campaign against Li Keyong, one of the prongs of the imperial/Xuanwu/Lulong joint attacks at Heyong was aimed at Li Hanzhi at Ze Prefecture, and as part of the announcement, Emperor Zhaozong stripped Li Hanzhi, as well as Li Keyong, of all offices and titles. Li Keyong sent Li Cunxiao to aid Li Hanzhi; Li Cunxiao, after capturing Zhang Jun's deputy Sun Kui in a surprise attack, defeated the Xuanwu forces sieging Ze Prefecture, forcing them to withdraw. After Li Keyong subsequently defeated Zhang's main forces, Emperor Zhaozong was forced to exile Zhang and fellow chancellor Kong Wei in 891 and restore Li Keyong's and Li Hanzhi's offices. Emperor Zhaozong also created him the Prince of Longxi.

Submission to Zhu Quanzhong However, the Jingnan campaign also sowed the seed of Li Hanzhi's dissatisfaction toward Li Keyong. After Jingnan fell to Li Keyong, Li Hanzhi requested that he be given the circuit, which Li Keyong refused — citing the fact that he had promised to turn the circuit to the imperial government and had already recommended the imperial general Su Wenjian as the new military governor. Li Hanzhi complained bitterly to Li Keyong's strategist Gai Yu, claiming that all he wanted was a small circuit at which he and his army could rest. Gai tried to speak on his behalf, to no avail — and, over the next few years, whenever Li Keyong conquered a circuit or one of the circuits under his control needed a military governor, Li Keyong would refuse to consider Li Hanzhi. Gai feared that Li Hanzhi would be resentful, but when he spoke with Li Keyong, Li Keyong stated that the reason why he did not want to give a circuit to Li Hanzhi was that he feared that if Li Hanzhi had a circuit, he would no longer follow Li Keyong's orders.

Around the new year 899, one of Li Keyong's subordinates, Xue Zhiqin the military governor of Zhaoyi, died. A replacement was not quickly announced. Li Hanzhi decided to preempt Li Keyong; he entered Zhaoyi's capital Lu Prefecture , taking it over, and then submitted a report to Li Keyong asking to be made military governor. Li Keyong, in anger, sent messengers to rebuke him. Li Hanzhi then turned against Li Keyong, arresting the Hedong officers at Lu Prefecture and delivering them, with his son Li Hao , to Zhu Quanzhong, asking for aid. Li Keyong launched an attack on Li Hanzhi, with his nephew Li Sizhao quickly capturing Ze Prefecture and taking Li Hanzhi's family members prisoner. (Li Keyong also wanted to put Li Qi to death, but Li Keyong's son Li Cunxu, who was friendly with Li Qi, gave Li Qi a horse to escape on.) Zhu thereafter commissioned Li Hanzhi as the military governor of Zhaoyi.

Li Keyong then sent Li Junqing to siege Lu Prefecture. Zhu himself headed to Heyang to prepare further operations, but sent Zhang Cunjing to give immediate aid to Li Hanzhi. Zhang defeated Li Junqing and forced him to withdraw. Li Keyong put Li Junqing to death, and replaced him with Li Sizhao. At that time, Li Hanzhi fell ill, and Zhu decided to swap his and Ding Hui's circuits, making him the military governor of Heyang and Ding the military governor of Zhaoyi. Li Hanzhi thus headed south to Heyang Circuit, and he died after reaching Huai Prefecture.

Notes and references

New Book of Tang, vol. 187. History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 15. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 42. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 253, 255, 256, 257, 258, 260, 261.