Li Yichao () (died 935) was an ethnically-

Dangxiang The Tangut people (Tangut language, Tangut: , ''mjɨ nja̱'' or , ''mji dzjwo''; ; ; ) were a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan people who founded and inhabited the Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. The group initially lived under Tuyuhun aut ...

warlord of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...

, ruling Dingnan Circuit (定難, 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 ...

) from 933 to his death in 935, as its 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 ...

'') in ''de facto'' independence.

Background

It is not known when Li Yichao was born. He was the second son of

Li Renfu Li Renfu (李仁福) (died March 10, 933''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 278.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), possibly né Tuoba Renfu (拓拔仁福), formally the Prince of Guo (虢王), was an ethnic Dangxiang (Tangut) warlord durin ...

. During Li Renfu's rule of Dingnan Circuit, he served as an officer at Dingnan's capital Xia Prefecture (夏州, in modern Yulin,

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

).''

Old History of the Five Dynasties The ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'' ( zh, t=舊五代史, pinyin=, p=Jiù Wǔdài Shǐ) was an official history mainly focusing on Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Five Dynasties era (907–960), which controlled much of northern C ...

'', vol. 132.

Campaign against
Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...
forces

When Li Renfu died in 933, the officers of the circuit supported Li Yichao to succeed him, and he claimed the title of acting military governor, and thereafter sought to be officially commissioned as military governor from

.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 278. However,

Li Siyuan Li Siyuan (李嗣源, later changed to Li Dan (李亶)) (10 October 867 – 15 December 933), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (後唐明宗), was the second emperor of the Later Tang dynasty of China, reign ...

, the emperor of Later Tang, to which Li Renfu was formally a vassal, had long suspected Li Renfu of being in secret communications with Later Tang's northern rival Khitan Empire, and therefore wanted to dislodge Li Yichao from Dingnan. So, he issued an edict commissioning Li Yichao as the acting military governor of nearby Zhangwu Circuit (彰武, headquartered in modern

Yan'an Yan'an; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi Province of China, province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several c ...

), while commissioning Zhangwu's military governor

An Congjin An Congjin (; died 942) was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Tang and Later Jin. In 941, he rebelled against the rule of Later Jin's founding emperor Shi Jingtang, but was defeated, and he then commi ...

as the acting military governor of Dingwu. He also had Yao Yanchou () the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

), command 50,000 soldiers, to try to escort An to Dingnan. He also issued an edict addressing the people of Dingnan, stating that he felt that Li Yichao was too young to defend the border region that Dingnan was, stating that if he followed the imperial orders, he would receive the great honors that

Li Congyan Li Congyan () (898'' History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 132. – November 26, 946Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), né Li Jiyan () (name changed 926), formally the Prince of Qi (), was a son and the heir of Li Maozhen, the o ...

and Gao Yuntao () received (after their respective fathers' deaths) and if he disobeyed them, he would receive the disasters that Wang Du and Li Kuangbin () received. Li Yichao refused to follow Li Siyuan's orders. Rather, he sent his older brother or cousin (only known historically by the nickname of Prince Aluo () to defend against the Later Tang attack at Qingling Gate (青嶺門, in modern Yan'an), and also gathered up all Dangxiang tribesmen in his territory for the defense. The Later Tang forces under Yao and An put Xia Prefecture under siege. However, the city walls were said to be exceedingly firm based on original construction by

Helian Bobo Helian Bobo ( zh, t=赫連勃勃; Middle Chinese Guangyun: ; 381 – September 425), né Liu Bobo (劉勃勃), courtesy name Qujie (屈孑), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wulie of Xia (夏武烈帝), was the founding emperor of ...

, and the Dangxiang tribesmen were able to effectively cut off food supply routes of the Later Tang army such that it was difficult to resupply the army. Li Yichao and his brothers went on the city walls and begged An to withdraw, stating to him: Upon hearing about this plea, Li Siyuan ordered a withdrawal. It was said that from this point on, Dingnan viewed the imperial government lightly, such that whenever there were rebellions against the imperial government, it would get in communications with the rebels to demand bribes in order to aid them against the imperial government.

As military governor of Dingnan

In winter 933, at Li Yichao's request, Li Siyuan formally made him the military governor of Dingnan. In 935, Li Yichao fell ill, and he submitted a petition asking that his brother (older, according to the ''

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 ...

''—and therefore may be the same person as Prince Aluo''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 279.—or younger, according to the ''

'' and the ''

New History of the Five Dynasties The ''Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'' (''Wudai Shiji'') is a Chinese history book on the Five Dynasties period (907–960), written by the Song dynasty official Ouyang Xiu in private. It was drafted during Ouyang's exile from 1036 t ...

''''

'', vol. 40.), Li Yiyin, be put in charge of Dingnan. He died shortly after, and then-ruling Later Tang emperor,

Li Congke Li Congke ( zh, s=李从珂, t=李從珂, p=Lǐ Cóngkē) (11 February 885 – 11 January 937), also known in historiography as the Last Emperor of Later Tang (), Deposed Emperor of Later Tang (), Wang Congke () (particularly during the succee ...

(Li Siyuan's adoptive son) made Li Yiyin the military governor of Dingnan.

References

Citations

Sources

* ''

'', vol. 132. * ''

'', vol. 40. * ''