Li Renhan

Li Renhan (李仁罕) (died 934), courtesy name Demei (德美), was a major general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Later Shu. He contributed greatly to the campaigns that allowed Later Shu's founding emperor Meng Zhixiang to control his realm. However, later in his career, he became arrogant and greedy, such that Meng Zhixiang's son and successor Meng Chang and other high-level officials came to see him as a threat to Meng Chang's governance, so they had him arrested and executed.

Background It is not known when Li Renhan was born, but it is known that he was from Chenliu (陳留, in modern Kaifeng, Henan). His early career was not well-documented in history, but it is known that he was an officer in Later Tang's army that conquered Former Shu in 925. When, in 926, after the conquest, the Later Tang commander of that invasion army, Li Jiji the Prince of Wei (the son of then-Later Tang emperor Li Cunxu) was prepared to depart Chengdu (the capital of the destroyed Former Shu state) and return to Later Tang's capital Luoyang, he left a detachment, commanded by several officers — Li Renhan, Pan Rensi , Zhao Tingyin, Zhang Ye (Li Renhan's nephew), Wu Zhang , and Li Tinghou — at Chengdu, to await the arrival of the new Later Tang-commissioned military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Chengdu), Meng Zhixiang, to arrive. (Apparently, then, when Meng subsequently arrived to take office, Li and those other officers came under his command.)

Service under Meng Zhixiang By 930, the relationships that Meng Zhixiang and Dong Zhang the military governor of neighboring Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) with the imperial government, with Li Cunxu's adoptive brother Li Siyuan as emperor (Li Cunxu's having been killed in a mutiny at Luoyang in 926), had become very strained, and it appeared that war between the imperial government and these two circuits would erupt at any time. At that juncture, there was a time when Li Renhan and Zhang Ye invited Meng to a feast. This led to a rumor, which a Buddhist nun informed Meng, that the two of them were intending to assassinate Meng at the feast. Meng investigated, found no proof of the assassination plot, and eventually discovered that the rumors were being spread by the officers Du Yanchang and Wang Xingben . He put Du and Wang to death by cutting them in halves at the waist. He then proceeded to attend the feast at Li's house without any guards accompanying him. Li, in gratitude for this show of trust, knelt down to him and cried, stating, "This old soldier can only die to repay your grace." It was said that this incident led the generals to have greater attachment to Meng.

In fall 930, Meng and Dong formally rose against the imperial government. Meng sent Li to command the army against the imperially-held Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), with Zhao Tingyin serving as his deputy and Zhang serving as his forward commander. Li shortly after put Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture under siege, with the imperial general Xia Luqi the military governor of Wuxin defending. When Xia sent his officer Kang Wentong out of the city to battle Li, Kang, hearing that the previously imperially held Baoning Circuit (保寧, headquartered in modern Nanchong, Sichuan) had already fallen to the joint Dongchuan/Xichuan army, surrendered to Li. In spring 931, Sui Prefecture fell to Li; Xia committed suicide.

In 934, Meng claimed imperial title as emperor of a new state of Later Shu.

Immediately after Meng Chang's assumption of the throne, Li Renhan insisted on being put in command of the imperial guards. Meng Chang initially reluctantly agreed and put him in command, making Zhao Tingyin his deputy. Meng Chang also gave him the honorary chancellor designation Zhongshu Ling . However, Zhang Gongduo and several of Meng Chang's close associates thereafter accused Li Renhan of plotting treason. After consulting with Zhao Jiliang and Zhao Tingyin, Meng decided to arrest him while he was attending an imperial meeting, and then put him to death, along with his son Li Jihong and several associates. (Shocked by the development, the senior general Li Zhao , who had previously refused to bow to the young emperor, changed his attitude and became very submissive. Meng's associates advocated putting Li Zhao to death, too, but Meng did not do so, instead forcing Li Zhao into retirement.)

Notes and references

Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 51. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 274, 277, 278, 279.