Li Sizhao

Li Sizhao (died May 23, 922 ), né Han , known at one point as Li Jintong , courtesy name Yiguang , formally the Prince of Longxi , was a Chinese military general and politician. He served as major general under Li Keyong and Li Keyong's son and successor Li Cunxu, the princes of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Jin. He was an adoptive nephew of Li Keyong's, and served Li Keyong both before and after the destruction of the Tang dynasty.

Background It is not known when Li Sizhao was born. He was originally a son of a family named Han in Taigu (太谷, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi). When he had just been born, the warlord Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), which included the area, happened to be on a hunt and went near the house. Believing that the house was exuding an unusual aura, he conversed with Li Sizhao's father, who indicated that he had just had a son. Li Keyong purchased the infant by giving his father gold and silk, and took the infant back. He gave the child to his younger brother Li Kerou , who adopted the child as a son. Li Sizhao's original personal name was Jintong, but was later changed to Sizhao. As he grew, he became a brave soldier even though he had a diminutive stature. He initially favored drinking, but after Li Keyong gave him a mild rebuke, no longer drank for the rest of his life. Li Keyong favored Li Sizhao for his carefulness and tolerance, and made Li Sizhao a commander of his guard corps, often having Li Sizhao accompany him on campaigns.

Service under Li Keyong The first campaign in which historical sources described Li Sizhao as himself leading an army was in 897, when Li Keyong's ally Wang Ke the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) was attacked by his cousin Wang Gong the military governor of Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), who was allied with Li Keyong's archenemy Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan). Both Li Keyong and Zhu sent forces in support of their respective allies, with Li Keyong's army commanded by Li Sizhao. The Xuanwu generals Zhang Cunjing and Yang Shihou were initially able to defeat Wang Ke and put Huguo's capital Hezhong Municipality under siege, but Li Sizhao was able to then defeat the Baoyi forces at Yishi and then at Zhangdian (張店, both in modern Yuncheng) and lift the siege on Hezhong.

In 898, when Wang Ke was set to marry a daughter of Li Keyong's and went from Hezhong to Hedong's capital Taiyuan Municipality to do so, Li Keyong sent Li Sizhao to defend Huguo in Wang Ke's absence.

In fall 900, Zhu himself launched a major attack on Chengde and Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), whose military governor Wang Gao was an ally of Li Keyong's. He first forced Wang Rong to submit, and then attacked Wang Gao. When Zhu defeated Wang Gao's uncle Wang Chuzhi, Wang Gao abandoned Yiwu and fled to Hedong. The Yiwu soldiers subsequently supported Wang Chuzhi to take over the circuit and sue for peace with Xuanwu by submitting to Zhu. During Zhu's campaign, Li Keyong tried to relieve the pressure on Yiwu by sending Li Sizhao to attack Zhu's Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan). Li Sizhao quickly captured Heyang's Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) and then put Heyang Circuit's capital Heyang under siege. However, he was subsequently repelled by the Xuanwu officer Yan Bao and forced to withdraw.

In 903, Li Keyong's officer Wang Jinghui the prefect of Yun Prefecture (雲州, in modern Datong, Shanxi) rebelled against Li Keyong and submitted to Liu Rengong. Li Keyong sent Li Sizhao and an adoptive son, Li Cunshen, to attack Wang. Liu Rengong sent an army to aid Wang, forcing Li Sizhao and Li Cunshen to hold off on their attack and allowing Wang to take his army and flee to Liu. Even though Li Sizhao and Li Cunshen subsequently defeated another officer who rebelled against Li Keyong, Qibi Rang , who then committed suicide, and retake Zhenwu (振武, in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia), which Qibi had seized, Li Keyong was still angry at them for allowing Wang to escape. He caned them and, for the time being, stripped them of their offices.

In 906, Luo Shaowei, who distrusted the Weibo headquarters guards corps – as they had a history of assassinating or rebelling against past military governors – slaughtered the headquarters guards with support from Zhu. The other troops were outraged by this slaughter, and the officer Shi Renyu rebelled and occupied Gaotang (高唐, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), seeking aid from Li Keyong and Liu Shouwen. He was soon under attack by Xuanwu forces. Li Keyong sent Li Sizhao to attack Xing Prefecture to try to relieve the pressure on Shi, but Li Sizhao was unable to capture Xing, defended by Niu Cunjie , and was forced to withdraw. Xuanwu forces was then able to capture Gaotang and slaughter Shi and the population of Gaotang.

Later in 906, Zhu advanced north and again put Liu Shouwen under siege at Cang Prefecture. Liu Rengong sought aid from Li Keyong to try to save Liu Shouwen. Under Li Keyong's demand, Liu Rengong sent troops to join Hedong forces under Li Sizhao and Zhou in attacking Lu Prefecture, to try to recapture Zhaoyi Circuit. When the joint Hedong/Lulong forces reached Lu Prefecture, Ding, who had been mourning Emperor Zhaozong (whom Zhu had assassinated in 905 and replaced with his son Emperor Ai), surrendered Lu to them. Li Keyong made Li Sizhao the acting military governor of Zhaoyi. However, a subsequent attack by Hedong forces on Ze Prefecture was unable to capture it, and therefore only Lu Prefecture was in Hedong hands by that point.

Li Keyong, knowing that there was a rivalry between Li Sizhao and Zhou, also told Li Cunxu:

In 914, after Li Cunxu had conquered the territory (then known as Yan) of Liu Rengong's son and successor Liu Shouguang, he advanced south to attack Xing Prefecture. Li Sizhao took his army and joined Li Cunxu in the attack. However, when Yang Shihou arrived to aid the Later Liang garrison of Xing, the Jin army withdrew.

In 916, while Li Cunxu was in a standoff with the Later Liang general Liu Xun at Wei Prefecture (魏州, Weibo's capital, which had by that point fallen to Jin), the Later Liang general Wang Tan launched a surprise attack on Taiyuan, which was caught without preparation and nearly fell, escaping that fate only due to the effort of the retired officer An Jinquan , who commanded a group of retired officers' family members in defending the city. When Li Sizhao heard that Taiyuan was under attack, he immediately sent his officer Shi Junli with a detachment of cavalry soldiers to head for Taiyuan to aid in its defense. Shi arrived within a day and announced that Li Sizhao's main army was on its way, and then conducted raids on the Later Liang army with An. The next day, Wang withdrew, allowing Taiyuan to remain uncaptured.

In 920, Later Liang forces under Liu Xun attacked Zhu Youqian the military governor of Huguo, a Later Liang general who had recently submitted to Jin. Li Cunxu sent Li Sizhao, Li Cunshen, Li Jianji, and Li Cunxian to aid Zhu Youqian. Jin forces defeated Liu's army, causing him to withdraw with substantial losses.

Notes and references

History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 52. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 36. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271.