Li Tongjie (李同捷) (died June 1, 829Academia Sinica
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Old Book of Tang The ''Old Book of Tang'', or simply the ''Book of Tang'', is the first classic historical work about the Tang dynasty, comprising 200 chapters, and is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Originally compiled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

'', vol. 143.) was a general of the

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

. After the death of his father Li Quanlüe (李全略) in 826, Li Tongjie tried to take over Henghai Circuit (橫海, headquartered in modern

Cangzhou Cangzhou; Jilu Mandarin, locally pronounced as is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province of China, province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunh ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

), which his father had been the military governor (''

jiedushi The ''jiedushi'' (, Old Turkic: Tarduş) or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of ''jiedushi'' has been translated as "military commissi ...

'') of, and he rejected a subsequent imperial edict for him to serve at a different circuit. A subsequent imperial campaign against him ensued, defeating him in 829. He surrendered and was executed by the imperial official Bo Qi (柏耆).

Background

It is not known when Li Tongjie was born. His father Li Quanlüe was originally named Wang Rijian (王日簡), but in 822, soon after Wang Rijian was made the military governor of Henghai, then-reigning Emperor Muzong gave Wang Rijian the imperial surname of Li and the new personal name of Quanlüe. Li Tongjie thus must have been born with the surname of Wang as well, although it is not known whether the personal name of Tongjie was also a changed one. While Li Quanlüe served as military governor, Li Tongjie served as his deputy.

Campaign against imperial forces

In 826, during the reign of Emperor Muzong's son Emperor Jingzong, Li Quanlüe died. Li Tongjie seized control of the circuit, and he bribed the military governors of the nearby circuits, hoping that they would intercede on his behalf so that the imperial government would agree to have him succeed his father. Initially, the imperial government took no action, and after Emperor Jingzong was assassinated around the new year 827 and was succeeded by his brother Emperor Wenzong, Li Tongjie was hopeful that the new emperor would consider letting him remain in control of Henghai. He sent his secretary Cui Congzhang (崔從長) and his brothers Li Tongzhi (李同志) and Li Tongsun (李同巽) to the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

to pay homage to Emperor Wenzong, claiming to be willing to follow imperial orders.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243. In response, however, Emperor Wenzong ordered that

Wu Chongyin Wu Chongyin () (761 – November 30, 827), courtesy name Baojun (), formally Duke Yimu of Zhangyi (), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang dynasty. Background Wu Chongyin was born in 761, during the reign of Emperor Suzong. ...

the military governor of nearby Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern

Tai'an Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

), himself a former military governor of Henghai, be made the military governor of Henghai. To placate Li Tongjie, Emperor Wenzong made him the military governor of Yanhai Circuit (兗海, headquartered in modern

Jining Jining () is a former capital of Shandong. Is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the no ...

). Fearing that the military governor of the nearby circuits would encourage Li Tongjie to resist, Emperor Wenzong bestowed honorific titles on

Shi Xiancheng Shi Xiancheng () (died July 30, 829)http://dbo.sinica.edu.tw/ftms-bin/kiwi1/luso.sh?lstype=2&dyna=%AD%F0&king=%A4%E5%A9v&reign=%A4%D3%A9M&yy=3&ycanzi=&mm=6&dd=26&dcanzi= was a general of the History of China, Chinese Tang dynasty, who ruled Weibo Ci ...

the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...

), Li Zaiyi the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

), Kang Zhimu (康志睦) the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern

Weifang Weifang ( zh, s=潍坊, t=濰坊, p=Wéifāng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao ...

), and

Wang Tingcou Wang Tingcou (王廷湊 or 王庭湊; died 834), formally the Duke of Taiyuan (), was a general of the Chinese Tang dynasty who, in 821, during the reign of Emperor Muzong, took over control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shi ...

the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern

Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and most populous city of China's Hebei Province. A prefecture-level city southwest of Beijing, it administers eight districts, three county-le ...

). Li Tongjie refused to follow the imperial edict, claiming that the soldiers would not permit it. Emperor Wenzong ordered a general campaign against him, and ordered Wu, Wang Zhixing, Kang, Shi, and Li Zaiyi, as well as Li Ting (李聽) the military governor of Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern

Anyang Anyang ( zh, s=安阳, t=安陽; ) is a prefecture-level city in Henan, China. Geographical coordinates are 35° 41'~ 36° 21' north latitude and 113° 38'~ 114° 59' east longitude. The northernmost city in Henan, Anyang borders Puyang to the eas ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

) and Zhang Bo (張播) the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern

Baoding Baoding is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2020 census, Baoding City had 11,544,036 inhabitants, of which 2,549,787 lived in the metropolitan area made of 4 out of 5 urban distri ...

) to converge on Henghai. Shi considered aiding Li Tongjie, because one of his children was married to one of Li Quanlüe's children. However, after the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Wei Chuhou Wei Chuhou (韋處厚) (773 – January 29, 829''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 243.), né Wei Chun (韋淳), courtesy name Dezai (德載), formally the Duke of Lingchang (靈昌公), was an official of the Chinese Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor du ...

warned Shi, and Shi's own son Shi Tang (史唐) advised against aiding Li Tongjie, Shi Xiancheng did not do so, and sent troops against Li Tongjie, commanded by Shi Tang and the officer Qi Zhishao (亓志紹). Only Wang Tingcou sought to help Li Tongjie, and while his forces did not engage imperial forces, he mobilized his forces and stationed them at his borders with Weibo, to try to distract the Weibo troops. Wang Tingcou also supplied Li Tongjie with salt and food supplies. Wang Tingcou also tried to bribe the

Shatuo The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as Sha-t'o, Sanskrit SartZuev Yu.A., ''"Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuyao" of 8-10th centuries)"'', Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, I ...

chieftain Zhuye Zhiyi (朱邪執宜), seeking for Zhuye to ally with him to aid Li Tongjie; Zhuye refused. Meanwhile, Wu had initial success against Henghai troops, but died in winter 827; the imperial government initially named Li Huan (李寰) the military governor of Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern

Linfen Linfen () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of T ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

) to succeed Wu, but after Li Huan not only reported to the battlefield slowly but was also allowing his soldiers to pillage the countryside on the way, Emperor Wenzong instead named Fu Liangbi (傅良弼) the military governor of Xiasui Circuit (夏綏, headquartered in modern

Yulin, Shaanxi Yulin ( zh, s=榆林 , p=Yúlín , ‘’’local pronunciation: �y³⁵ˌljʌŋ��’’) is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north, Shanxi to the east, and Ningxia to th ...

), and then the imperial guard general Li You (after Fu died on the way to the front) as his replacement. The imperial generals became stalemated against Li Tongjie. Whenever they had minor victories, they exaggerated their success. To placate them, the imperial government rewarded them handsomely, and it was said that the wealth of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

Huai River The Huai River, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

region became drained in order to reward them. However, the imperial troops were eventually wearing Li Tongjie down. Wang Tingcou, seeing that he was unable to save Li Tongjie by himself, persuaded Qi to turn against Shi Xiancheng and Shi Tang. Around the near year 829, Qi mutinied and headed toward Weibo's capital prefecture Wei Prefecture (魏博). Emperor Wenzong sent the official Bo Qi (柏耆) to Wei Prefecture to comfort Shi Xiancheng and the troops, and further diverted troops from Yicheng and Heyang (河陽, headquartered in modern

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

) Circuits to help Shi Xiancheng battle Qi Zhishao. Subsequently, Shi Tang and Li Ting joined their forces and defeated Qi Zhishao, who fled to Chengde.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 244. In spring 829, Li You captured one of the Henghai prefectures, De Prefecture (德州, in modern

Dezhou Dezhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei ...

), and the De garrison fled to Chengde. Li Tongjie, seeing that he was nearing defeat, sent letters to Li You, offering to surrender. Li You agreed to accept his surrender and reported this to the imperial government; he also sent his officer Wan Hong (萬洪) into Henghai's capital Cang Prefecture (滄州), to take over control of the city from Li Tongjie. Emperor Wenzong sent Bo to the front to comfort the troops, but Bo, believing that Li Tongjie might be planning treachery, instead rode into Cang Prefecture with several hundred cavalry soldiers. He found an excuse and executed Wan, and then seized Li Tongjie and his family members, beginning to escort them to Chang'an. On June 1, hearing rumors that Wang Tingcou was planning to launch a raid to free Li Tongjie, Bo beheaded Li Tongjie and sent his head to Chang'an. (The generals, angry that Bo appeared to be planning to claim all of the credit, submitted various accusations against Bo; further, as Li You became seriously ill soon after hearing the news of Bo's killing of Wan, Emperor Wenzong remarked, "If Li You dies, it is Bo who killed him!" Li You soon thereafter died, and Emperor Wenzong ordered Bo to commit suicide.) Li Tongjie's mother Lady Sun, his wife Lady Cui, and his son Li Yuankui (李元逵) were all delivered to Chang'an. Emperor Wenzong pardoned them, but sent them to Hunan Circuit (湖南, headquartered in modern

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

). Li Tongzhi and Li Tongsun, who were not born of Lady Sun, were also spared, but were exiled with their mothers.''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'', vol. 213. It was said that in the aftermaths of the campaign, Henghai was covered with bones, and only about 30-40% of the population remained.

Notes and references

* ''

'', vol. 143. * ''

'', vol. 213 * ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', vols.

243 __NOTOC__ Year 243 ( CCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Arrianus and Papus (or, less frequently, year 996 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominat ...

244 __NOTOC__ Year 244 ( CCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Armenius and Aemilianus (or, less frequently, year 997 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 2 ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Li Tongjie 829 deaths Tang dynasty generals Year of birth unknown