Wang Yanqiu

Wang Yanqiu (869 or 873 930 or 932), also known by his adoptive name Du Yanqiu, his courtesy name Yingzhi, and his honorary renaming Li Shaoqian during the period 923926, was a Chinese general and official of the Later Liang and Later Tang Empires during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Era of Chinese history.

Life

Early years The biographies of Wang Yanqiu in the History and New History of the Five Dynasties differ in a number of details.

He was born during the reign of the Tang emperor Xizong, either in 869 or in 873. The New History simply states that he came from the Tang's eastern capital Luoyang, Du was rewarded by being named one of the commanders of the Left Longxiang Army. He was made one of the generals of the army on the northern border with Jin soon thereafter.

Under the Later Tang Duan Ning and Du Yanqiu subsequently submitted a petition to Li Cunxu, blaming much of the weakness of the Later Liang on the corruption of several important officialsZhu Zhen's sister's husband Zhao Yan, Zhao Gu , Zhang Xiyi , Zhang Hanjie, Zhang Hanjie's cousins Zhang Hanlun and Zhang Hanrong , and Zhu Gui . They recommended these officials' execution. The emperor agreed and added the senior Later Liang advisors Jing Xiang and Li Zhen to the list, as well as Yelü Salaabo , the younger brother to the Khitan Empire's Emperor Taizu, who had previously betrayed both the Khitan and Later Tang Empires. The emperor subsequently bestowed the imperial clan surname of Li on Du Yanqiu and also gave him a new name of Shaoqian. The emperor Li Cunxu was shortly after killed in another mutiny within Luoyang itself, and Li Siyuan entered Luoyang, initially claiming the title of regent and later emperor (posthumously remembered as Emperor Mingzong).

Shortly after Li Siyuan took the throne, a number of generals whom the previous emperor had obliged to join the imperial clan requested to have their original names restored. Li Siyuan approved the requests, and Li Shaoqian took the opportunity not only to restore his original given name of Yanqiu but also to retake his original surname Wang. stationed at Mancheng (, in modern Baoding). Yiwu had long been ruled very independently, appointing its own prefects and keeping its own tax revenues since the late Tang.