Li Mian

Li Mian (; 717 – September 14, 788 ), courtesy name Xuanqing (玄卿), formally Duke Zhenjian of Qian (汧貞簡公), was a Chinese judge, military general, musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong.

Background Li Mian was born in 717, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. He was a member of the Tang dynasty's imperial Li clan, being a great-grandson of Li Yuanyi (李元懿) the Prince of Zheng, a son of Tang's founding emperor Emperor Gaozu. His father Li Zeyan (李擇言) was a son of Li Yuanyi's son Li Xuan (李璿) the Duke of Nanhai, but as Li Xuan's brother Li Lin (李琳) the Duke of Ande was sonless, Li Lin adopted Li Zeyan, who thus inherited the title of Duke of Ande. Li Zeyan successively served as a prefect of four prefectures, and while serving under the important official Zhang Jiazhen, who was otherwise arrogant and condescending toward his subordinates, was particularly respected by Zhang. In 757, after Tang forces recaptured Chang'an and were attacking east and seeking to recapture the eastern capital Luoyang, which had become the Yan capital, there was an occasion when over 100 Yan captives were delivered to Chang'an, to be executed on Emperor Suzong's orders. Li Mian submitted a petition stating:

Emperor Suzong thus pardoned the captives.

Subsequently, after Tang forces recaptured Luoyang, Li Mian served as the deputy mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region), and later successively served as military commander under the generals Wang Sili (王思禮) and Li Guozhen (李國貞). He later became the commandant at Liang Prefecture (梁州, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong). On one occasion, when Wang Zui (王晬), a capable junior official that he had made the magistrate of Liang Prefecture's seat Nanzheng County (南鄭), was falsely accused by powerful men at court and ordered executed by Emperor Suzong's edict, Li Mian, instead of following the edict, detained Wang but stopped the execution, and immediately submitted a petition defending Wang. Wang was subsequently spared. However, as a result, in 762, Li Mian was recalled to Chang'an to serve as Dali Shaoqing (大理少卿), the deputy chief judge of the supreme court (大理寺, Dali Si). Once Li Mian was at Chang'an, he met Emperor Suzong to proclaim Wang's innocence and list Wang's accomplishments. Emperor Suzong approved of him and made him the deputy minister of worship (太常卿, Taichang Qing). Emperor Suzong wanted to promote him further, but as Li Mian would not be submissive to the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo, and so Li Mian was sent out of the capital to serve as the prefect of Fen Prefecture (汾州, in modern Linfen, Shanxi). It was said that because Li Mian was honest in his governance of the circuit, previously, only four or five foreign merchant ships would arrive in Guang Prefecture per year, but toward the end of his term, because Li Mian did not demand bribes, more than 40 foreign merchant ships would arrive each year. Later, when he was recalled to Chang'an, on the journey back, as he was going through Shimen (石門, in modern Changde, Hunan), he threw treasures that his family members had collected into the Yangtze River to show that he did not treasure them. This led popular opinion at the time to compare him to such honest officials of the past such as Song Jing, Lu Huan (盧奐), and Li Chaoyin (李朝隱). The people and officials of Guang Prefecture requested Emperor Daizong's permission to build a monument in Li Mian's honor, and Emperor Daizong agreed. In 775, Emperor Daizong made him the minister of public works (工部尚書, Gongbu Shangshu) and created him the Duke of Qian.

During Emperor Dezong's reign

As military governor of Yongping Circuit Later in 779, Emperor Daizong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Dezong. Emperor Dezong made Li Mian an honorary chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事). When Liu Qia (劉洽) the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit was subsequently able to put LI Na under siege at Pu Prefecture, Li Mian persuaded Li Na to offer to submit to imperial authority, but Emperor Dezong, convinced of victory at that point, refused to accept Li Na's surrender. Subsequently, Li Na was able to regroup and continue to resist the imperial government. When Emperor Dezong subsequently ordered Li Xilie to attack Li Na, Li Xilie, who was secretly aligned with Li Na, pretended to be ready to attack Pinglu through Yongping, and he requested Li Mian to permit him passage, while he was preparing to launch a surprise attack on Yongping instead. Li Mian prepared to welcome Li Xilie through his circuit but mobilized his own troops to prepare for an attack. Li Xilie, realizing that Li Mian was taking precautions, did not attack Yongping at this point.

By 783, when Li Xilie was openly defying the imperial government, the chancellor Lu Qi, resentful of the senior official Yan Zhenqing, suggested Emperor Dezong to send Yan to Huaixi to try to persuade Li Xilie to resubmit. Li Mian, seeking that Yan's mission would be fruitless and that he was heading for certain death, submitted an objection and tried to intercept Yan on the way, but was unable to do so. Yan was subsequently detained by Li Xilie, although Li Xilie's subordinates Zhou Zeng (周曾), Wang Bin (王玢), and Yao Dan (姚憺) were in secret communications with Li Mian and hoping to replace Li Xilie and replace him with Yan. Soon, their plot was discovered, however, and Li Xilie killed them. Subsequently, when the imperial general Emperor Dezong sent to attack Li Xilie, Geshu Yao (哥舒曜), was put under siege by LI Xilie at Xiangcheng (襄城, in modern Xuchang, Henan), Emperor Dezong ordered Li Mian and Liu Dexin (劉德信) to aid Geshu. Li Mian, believing that since Li Xilie was attacking Xiangcheng, Xu Prefecture (許州, in modern Xuchang) would be easy to capture, and once Xu Prefecture fell, Li Xilie would be forced to lift the siege on Xiangcheng. He therefore ordered Liu and Tang Hanchen (唐漢臣) to attack Xu Prefecture. Before Liu and Tang could reach Xu Prefecture, however, Emperor Dezong sent an edict ordering them to stop. Liu and Tang were surprised and dismayed, and they withdrew, and they became careless in their retreat. They were ambushed by Li Xilie's officer Li Kecheng (李克誠), and suffered massive losses. With Li Mian fearful that Luoyang would be under attack, he sent an army under Li Jian (李堅) with 4,000 men to Luoyang to aid it, but subsequently, with the return path cut off by Li Xilie, they were unable to return to Bian Prefecture. From that point on, Yongping itself was in a precarious position, unable to aid Geshu and finding it difficult to stand against Li Xilie.

By late 783, Li Xilie was putting Bian Prefecture under siege. Li Mian held the city against the siege for more than a month, but with no aid forces arriving, he abandoned Bian Prefecture and took over 10,000 people to flee to Xuanwu's capital Song Prefecture. Li Mian submitted a petition to Emperor Dezong — who was at Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) at the time due to rebellion by Zhu Ci, who had seized Chang'an and declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qin — requesting punishment. Emperor Dezong responded, "I was unable to defend the imperial ancestral temples. Li Mian needs not be insecure." Li Mian subsequently transferred his troops to Liu Qia. By fall 784, with Li Mian repeatedly requesting punishment, Emperor Dezong removed him from the overall command of the three circuits and the military governorship of Yongping, but recalled him to Chang'an (which had been recaptured by that point) to serve as chancellor as well as acting Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies). When Li Mian arrived at Chang'an, many officials commented, "Li Mian lost Daliang [(大梁, another name for Bian Prefecture)] and should not remain as chancellor." Emperor Dezong's trusted senior advisor Li Mi pointed out that while Li Mian was not a capable general, he was a capable governor that the people loved and respected, and that he, by transferring the command to Liu, contributed to Liu's subsequent victory. Emperor Dezong agreed with Li Mi and allowed Li Mian to exercise his authority as chancellor.

Chancellorship and after chancellorship Li Mian, while he was then in the chancellor's office, did not dare to exert his authority, and he often simply yielded to the other chancellors. This caused Li Mian to be further admired for his honesty, but also because of such bluntness, Emperor Dezong distanced himself from Li Mian. Subsequently, with Li Mian repeatedly offering to resign, he was removed from his chancellor post and made a senior advisor to Emperor Dezong's crown prince Li Song. Li Mian died later in 786 and was buried with great honors.

Li Mian was known for his abilities in guqin and poetry, and he wrote a number of musical pieces. It was said that during his time in high positions, for more than 20 years, he distributed his salaries to his relatives and subordinates, leaving little for himself, such that when he died, there were no savings, and that despite his honored status, he was constantly humble in dealing with subordinates. He had invited two famed individuals, Li Xun (李巡) and Zhang Can (張參), as secretaries, and after both Li Xun and Zhang died while serving him, for three years, during feasts, he would have places set for them at the table and offered meals and wine to their spirits.

Notes and references

Old Book of Tang, vol. 131 . New Book of Tang, vol. 131. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 218, 220, 222, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 231, 232.