Li Jihui

Li Jihui (died 914), né Yang Chongben (and usually referred to by that name in historical sources), was a Chinese politician and warlord in the late Chinese Tang dynasty and early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Qi, who ruled Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) as its military governor (Jiedushi).

Background It is not known when Yang Chongben was born, and the traditional historical sources were explicit in stating that the authors did not know his geographical origin. In his youth, he was adopted by the general Li Maozhen, and so changed his name to Li Jihui.

Later in the year, when Li Jihui was referred to as the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui, Gansu), he was commissioned as the military governor of Jingnan Circuit,

Zhu subsequently put Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege. By 903, the city was in desperate straights, and Li Maozhen was forced to sue for peace by slaughtering the eunuchs and surrendering Emperor Zhaozong to Zhu. Zhu thereafter withdrew his army and took Emperor Zhaozong back to Chang'an. During the campaign, he took Yang's family and relocated it to Hezhong. While there, he forced Yang's wife, who was exceeding beautiful, to have sexual relations with him. Unable to bear this violation, she wrote Yang, stating: Li Jihui, Li Maozhen, and Wang Jian subsequently issued a joint declaration calling for the people of the realm to unite against Zhu, and their declaration, which were echoed by Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), Liu Rengong the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), and Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), influenced Zhu in resolving to, later in 904, assassinate Emperor Zhaozong and replace him with his son Emperor Ai. He also sent his son Zhu Youyu to resist them while ordering his officer Liu Xun the military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shanxi) to abandon Baoda's capital Fu Prefecture and withdraw to Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). In 906, when Li Jihui, along with the forces of Fengxiang and three other circuits then under Li Maozhen's control — Baosai (保塞, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi), Zhangyi (彰義, headquartered in modern Pingliang, Gansu), and Baoda — attacked Dingnan Circuit (定難, headquartered in modern Yulin, Shaanxi), Dingnan sought aid from Zhu. Zhu ordered his generals Liu Zhijun and Kang Huaizhen to aid Dingnan. Liu first attacked Baoda, capturing Liu Yanhui the prefect of Baoda's Fang Prefecture (坊州, in modern Yan'an), and then defeated Li Jihui at Meiyuan (美原, in modern Weinan), forcing Li Jihui to withdraw back to Jingnan's capital Bin Prefecture . Liu Zhijun and Kang then attacked and captured Fu Prefecture and Baosai's capital Yan Prefecture , as well as three other prefectures. It was said that this was a huge blow to Li Maozhen's army.

In 907, Zhu forced Emperor Ai to yield the throne to him, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu. Li Maozhen (along with Li Keyong, Wang, and Yang Xingmi's son and successor Yang Wo) refused to recognize the new emperor, and effectively made himself the sovereign of a new state of Qi by taking on some imperial trappings, although he continued to carry only the Tang-bestowed title Prince of Qi, not imperial title. Li Jihui remained a vassal of Li Maozhen's.

In 914, for reasons lost to history, Li Jihui's son Li Yanlu poisoned him to death and took over the circuit. (In 915, Li Jihui's adoptive son Li Baoheng assassinated Li Yanlu and surrendered to Later Liang, causing Qi to lose Jingnan permanently.)

Notes and references

History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 13. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 40. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 261, 262, 264, 265, 267, 269.