Li Keyong

During Emperor Zhaozong's and Emperor Ai's reigns

Expansion of power and confrontation with the imperial government Also in spring 888, Emperor Xizong died, and his brother Li Jie (who later changed his name to Li Min, and then to Li Ye) the Prince of Shou became emperor (as Emperor Zhaozong) with Yang Fugong's support. Emperor Zhaozong bestowed the honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on Li Keyong.

Although Emperor Zhaozong became emperor due to Yang's backing, he had long wanted to restore imperial power over eunuchs and warlords, and he therefore came into close association with the chancellors Zhang Jun and Kong Wei, who had similar ambitions for imperial power, to resist Yang's hold over the imperial government. Li Keyong, however, disrespected Zhang, and Zhang therefore resented him. In addition, Zhang wanted to assert imperial power by waging a successful campaign against a warlord. When, in light of Li Keyong's unsuccessful campaign against Helian, Helian, Li Kuangwei, and Zhu all submitted petitions requesting that Emperor Zhaozong condemn Li Keyong as a renegade and declare a general campaign against him, Zhang advocated the same. Emperor Zhaozong, despite his own initial reluctance and Yang's advice to the contrary, agreed with Zhang and, in summer 890, ordered a general campaign against Li Keyong, putting Zhang in command of the overall operations against Li Keyong with the official Sun Kui (孫揆) as Zhang's deputy, while ordering all circuits around Li Keyong to attack him. He also stripped Li Keyong of all of his imperially granted titles and offices.

Meanwhile, by winter 892, Li Cunxiao had become fearful and resentful after Li Cunxin had accused him of being in secret communications with Wang Rong and Zhu Quanzhong. In reaction, Li Cunxiao in fact entered into a pact with Wang Rong and Zhu, and also submitted a petition to Emperor Zhaozong, offering the three prefectures that he controlled to the imperial government and asking for another campaign against Li Keyong. Emperor Zhaozong commissioned Li Cunxiao as the military governor of the three prefectures, but refused to declare a campaign against Li Keyong. In spring 893, Li Keyong put Li Cunxiao's headquarters at Xing Prefecture under siege, and when Wang Rong sent troops to try to aid Li Cunxiao, Li Keyong defeated them, and then shifted his attention to sieging Wang Rong's headquarters at Zhen Prefecture (鎮州). Li Cunxiao joined Wang in defending against Li Keyong, and both sought aid from Zhu, but Zhu was then locked into a prolonged confrontation with Shi Pu and could not come to their aid. Li Kuangwei, however, did, and defeated Li Keyong, who returned to Xing and again put it under siege. (The battle was costly for Li Kuangwei, however, as his brother Li Kuangchou used the opportunity to mutiny at Lulong's capital You Prefecture and seized the circuit. Li Kuangwei, for some time, remained at Zhen Prefecture as Wang Rong's honored guest, but when he then tried to seize the circuit from Wang Rong, Wang's guards killed him.) Emperor Zhaozong agreed, and informed Li Keyong of the decision to pardon Li Maozhen, asking him to concentrate on Wang Xingyu. Emperor Zhaozong also gave one of his most beautiful concubines, Consort Chen the Lady of Wei, to Li Keyong. and also bestowed great honors on Li Hanzhi and Li Keyong's chief strategist Gai Yu. Meanwhile, Li Keyong secretly advised Emperor Zhaozong that Li Maozhen should also be destroyed—and that the imperial government will never have peace so as long as Li Maozhen stood. Emperor Zhaozong consulted with imperial officials, and a number of them feared that if Li Keyong destroyed Li Maozhen, he would be impossible to control, and Emperor Zhaozong therefore, while greatly praising Li Keyong, declined his proposal. He also sent Li Keyong an edict that declined to have Li Keyong come to Chang'an to greet him. Li Keyong then left the Chang'an region and returned to Hedong. )

Meanwhile, after Li Keyong's withdrawal from the Chang'an region, Li Maozhen and Han Jian continued their arrogance toward Emperor Zhaozong's court. In summer 896, Li Maozhen, believing that Emperor Zhaozong's attempt to reorganize the imperial guards and putting the imperial princes Li Jiepi (李戒丕) the Prince of Yan and Li Sizhou (李嗣周) the Prince of Qin in charge of them were intended to target him. He thus launched an attack against Chang'an. Li Jiepi initially advised Emperor Zhaozong to flee to Hedong to join Li Keyong, but after Emperor Zhaozong left Chang'an, Han made repeated overtures to Emperor Zhaozong, and Emperor Zhaozong, whose officials feared the long journey to Taiyuan, relented, and went to Hua Prefecture to join Han. Li Maozhen entered Chang'an and burned it.

Meanwhile, at Chang'an, Emperor Zhaozong, who had been deposed by the powerful eunuchs in late 900 and replaced by his son Li Yu, Prince of De the Crown Prince, but returned to the throne in spring 901 after being rescued by Shence Army officers loyal to him, had been considering a proposal by the chancellor Cui Yin to slaughter the eunuchs. The powerful eunuch Han Quanhui thus considered preemptively assassinating Cui. Cui, finding this out, invited Zhu to bring troops to Chang'an to kill the eunuchs, and when the eunuchs found out, they, who were by this point allied with Li Maozhen, in turn seized Emperor Zhaozong and forced him to flee to Fengxiang. Zhu quickly arrived at Chang'an and then headed to Fengxiang, putting it under siege. Li Maozhen sought aid from Li Keyong. Subsequently, when Emperor Zhaozong, under Zhu's pressure, issued an edict that all eunuchs in the empire be slaughtered, Li Keyong saved the eunuch monitor to Hedong, Zhang Chengye, and executed another inmate in Zhang's stead.

In spring 904, Zhu killed Cui and forced Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital to Luoyang. On the way to Luoyang, Emperor Zhaozong made a final attempt to seek aid from Li Keyong, as well as Yang Xingmi and Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit, sending secret emissaries to them, but neither Li Keyong nor Wang Jian acted on the call for aid. (Yang did, but after making some exploratory attacks gave up on the campaign as well.) Later in 904, Zhu assassinated Emperor Zhaozong and replaced him with his son Li Zuo the Prince of Hui (as Emperor Ai), and the Tang court came under Zhu's complete control.

Family

Consort(s) and issue : Consort Dowager, of the Liu clan (劉氏)(honored 923) Empress Zhenjian, Of the Cao clan (貞簡皇后曹氏) Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (後唐莊宗 李存勗; 885–926), 1st son Li Cunba, Prince of Yong (永王 李存霸, d. 926), 2nd son Li Cunli, Prince of Xue (薛王李存禮), 4th son Li Cunwo, Prince of Shen (申王 李存渥; d. 926), 5th son Grand Princess Qionghua (琼华长公主), 1st daughter Married Meng Zhixiang, Emperor Gaozu of (Later) Shu and had issue (2 sons) Lady of Wei, of the Chen clan (陈氏), personal name Zhiyuan (智愿) Furen, of the Zhang clan (夫人張氏), wife of Li Kuangchou Princess Yaoying (瑤英長公主), 11th daughter married Zhang Yangzhao (張延釗) Unknown: Li Cunmei, Prince of Yong (邕王 李存美), 3rd son Li Cunyi, Prince of Mu (薛王 李存乂, d. 926), 6th son Li Cunque, Prince of Tong (通王 李存確), 7th son Li Cunji, Prince of Ya (通王 李存紀), 8th son Li Cunju (李存矩), 11th Daughter, wife of Wang Ye (王鄴), nephew of Wang Chucun Daughter, wife of Wang Ke Daughter, wife of Wang Yu (王郁), son of Wang Chuzhi Adoptive Children Li Cunxin (李存信), né Zhang Wuluo (張污落) (862–902) Li Cunxiao (李存孝), né An Jingsi (安敬思) (executed 894) Li Cunzhang (李存璋) (died 922) Li Cunzhi (李存質) Li Cunhao (李存顥) (executed 908) Li Cunshi (李存實) Li Cunshen (李存審), ne Fu Cun (符存) (died 924) Li Cunjing (李存敬) (killed by Li Chong (李沖) 926) Li Cunjin (李存進), né Sun Chongjin (孫重進) (857–922) Li Cunxian (李存賢), né Wang Xian (王賢) (860–924) Li Cunzhen (李存貞) Li Siyuan (李嗣源), later Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang Li Siben (李嗣本), né Zhang (張), created Weixin Khan (created 913, killed in battle 916) Li Si'en (李嗣恩), né Luo (駱) (died 918) Li Cunru (李存儒), né Yang Po'er (楊婆兒)

The Thirteen Grand-guardians The Ming dynasty novel Romance of the Last Years of Tang and Five Dynasties History (《殘唐五代史演義》) whose author was allegedly Luo Guanzhong, focused on Li Keyong's 13 grand-guardians (太保), all sons or adoptive sons according to the novel. In history, Li Cunxu was a son while Li Siyuan, Li Cunxin and Li Cunxiao were adoptive sons. Li Sizhao was an adoptive nephew; Kang Junli and Shi Jingsi were clearly not adopted by Li Keyong, hence their different surnames. Of the other ones mentioned in the novel, Li Cunzhi (李存直) was probably based on the homonymous Li Cunzhi (李存質); while Li Cunjiang (李存江), Li Cunlong (李存龍), Li Cunhu (李存虎), Li Cunbao (李存豹) and Li Cunshou (李存受) are not found in history and might be based on Li Cunjin, Li Siben (李嗣本), Li Si'en (李嗣恩), Li Cunzhang and Li Cunshen.

In the novel, Li Cunxiao is the 13th grand-protector and the main character. Modern adaptations of the novel include: The Heroic Ones (《十三太保》), a 1970 Hong Kong film, starring Ku Feng as Li Keyong and David Chiang as Li Cunxiao. General Stone (《十三太保李存孝》), a 1976 Hong Kong film, starring Woo Kei as Li Keyong and Tan Tao-liang as Li Cunxiao. The Wild Bunch (《十三太保》), a 1982 Hong Kong television series, starring Paul Chun as Li Keyong and Felix Wong as Li Cunxiao. In 2007, Hong Kong TVB planned a series titled Thirteen Treasures (《李克用與十三太保》) with Elliot Yue as Li Keyong and Ron Ng as Li Cunxiao, but the project was abolished after only filming a teaser.