Li Jitao

Li Jitao (; died 20 January 924 ), nickname Liude , was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Jin, Later Liang, and Jin's successor state Later Tang. His father Li Sizhao, as an adoptive cousin of Jin's prince Li Cunxu (the later Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang), was an honored major general for Jin, but after Li Sizhao's death, Li Jitao took over Li Sizhao's territory and turned his allegiance to Jin's archrival Later Liang. After Later Tang conquered Later Liang, Emperor Zhuangzong was initially inclined to spare Li Jitao, but later found that he was still plotting against imperial governance, and therefore had him executed.

Background It is not known when Li Jitao was born. His father Li Sizhao was an adoptive nephew of the major late-Tang dynasty warlord Li Keyong the military governor (Jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), and his mother Lady Yang was Li Sizhao's wife and described to be very capable of managing finances, such that Li Sizhao's household became extremely wealthy. In Li Sizhao's biography in the Old History of the Five Dynasties, Li Sizhao was said to have seven sons, but only six were listed with their birth rank and said to be born of Lady Yang; among those six, Li Jitao was the second born, with an older brother, Li Jichou , and four younger brothers, Li Jizhong , Li Jineng , Li Jixi , and Li Jiyuan . (Another brother, Li Jida , was not given a birth rank in Li Sizhao's biography, nor was it clear whether he was born of Lady Yang or not; however, the Zizhi Tongjian suggested that Li Jida was next ranked after Li Jitao. ) Lady Yang's large collection of money was said to be helpful to Li Sizhao's campaigns, as, for example, in 907–908, when he, then the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) under Li Keyong, then the Prince of Jin (and then, after Li Keyong's death, Li Keyong's son and heir Li Cunxu), came under the siege of Li Keyong's archrival Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong) at Zhaoyi's capital Lu Prefecture ; Lady Yang's wealth was said to be able to allow him to supply his army despite his being under siege. Li Jitao himself was described as treacherous and lacking in righteous behavior when he was young.

However, Li Cunwo, still angry over Li Jitao's brothers' threats to kill him, rebuked Li Jitao repeatedly, causing Li Jitao to become fearful. He thus bribed Emperor Zhuangzong's attendants to have them request for him that he be sent back to Anyi. Emperor Zhuangzong, however, did not agree. Li Jitao thereafter tried to secretly send a letter to Li Jiyuan, asking him to have the soldiers display discontent by setting fires, hoping that if that occurred, Emperor Zhuangzong would decide to send him back to calm the soldiers. The letter, however, was apparently intercepted. Once Emperor Zhuangzong discovered this, he first ordered that Li Jitao be demoted to be the prefect of Deng Prefecture (登州, in modern Yantai, Shandong), and then ordered him executed, along with his two sons.

Notes and references

Old History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 52. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 36. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 271, 272.