Li Quanzhong
Encyclopedia
Li Quanzhong (d. 886) was a warlord late in the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing
) from 885
, when he overthrew the prior military governor (Jiedushi
) Li Keju
, to his death in 886
. His sons Li Kuangwei
and Li Kuangchou
successively served as military governors after he did.
's Guangming era (880
-881
), he served as the military advisor to the prefect of Di Prefecture (棣州, in modern Binzhou
, Shandong
). After that term, he returned to Lulong and served under the military governor Li Keju
.
, Li Keju and his ally Wang Rong
the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
, Hebei
), were apprehensive that Wang Chucun
the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding
, Hebei
), was allied with the powerful warlord Li Keyong
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
), as they feared that Li Keyong would eventually have designs on their territory. They therefore entered into a pact to jointly attack Yiwu (which lay between Lulong and Chengde), conquer it, and divide its territory.
To that end, Li Keju had Li Quanzhong take 60,000 soldiers and attack Yiwu's Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding). Li Quanzhong's subordinate Liu Rengong
dug a tunnel into Yi Prefecture's city walls, and the Lulong troops were able to use the tunnel to capture it. However, after the Lulong troops took Yi Prefecture, they became arrogant and did not take precautions against an Yiwu counterattack. Wang Chucun thereafter had his soldiers put on sheepskin at night to appear to be sheep and approached Yi. The Lulong troops thought that there was a large herd for them to pillage, and therefore came out of the city to seize it. They were surprised by the Yiwu soldiers, who attacked and retook Yi. Li Quanzhong, after the defeat, fled back toward You Prefecture (幽州, i.e., Fanyang).
Fearing that Li Keju would punish him for the defeat, Li Quanzhong decided to instead attack You Prefecture. He caught Li Keju by surprise, and Li Keju, despondent over the situation, committed suicide with his family by climbing up a tower and setting fire to it. Li Quanzhong took over the circuit and claimed the title of acting military governor; this act was then confirmed by the imperial government.
, Emperor Xizong officially commissioned Li Quanzhong as the military governor of Lulong. Li Quanzhong died in fall 886, and the imperial government then commissioned his son Li Kuangwei
as acting military governor, and later full military governor.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, who controlled Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
) from 885
885
Year 885 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Vikings besiege Paris.* Godfrith, the Sea King is killed in Lobith...
, when he overthrew the prior military governor (Jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) Li Keju
Li Keju
Li Keju was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit from 876 to 885.- Background :...
, to his death in 886
886
Year 886 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :...
. His sons Li Kuangwei
Li Kuangwei
Li Kuangwei was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit after inherited it from his father Li Quanzhong in 886, until he was overthrown by his brother Li Kuangchou in 893...
and Li Kuangchou
Li Kuangchou
Li Kuangchou was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, ruling Lulong Circuit from 893, when he overthrew his older brother Li Kuangwei, to his own defeat in late 894/early 895, as its military governor .- Background and takeover of Lulong Circuit :It is not known when Li Kuangchou...
successively served as military governors after he did.
Background
It is not known when Li Quanzhong was born, but it is known that he was from Lulong Circuit's capital Fanyang (范陽). During Emperor XizongEmperor Xizong of Tang
Emperor Xizong of Tang , né Li Yan , later name changed to Li Xuan , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 873 to 888. He was the fifth son of his predecessor Emperor Yizong and was the elder brother of his successor Emperor Zhaozong...
's Guangming era (880
880
Year 880 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* Pope John VIII issues the bull Industriae Tuae, creating an independent ecclesiastical province in Great Moravia with Archbishop Saint Methodius as its head...
-881
881
Year 881 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Charles the Fat is crowned Western Emperor.* Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France routs Norman pirates....
), he served as the military advisor to the prefect of Di Prefecture (棣州, in modern Binzhou
Binzhou
Binzhou is a prefecture-level city in northern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River with two arms extended to the southern bank, Binzhou borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southwest, Dezhou to the west, Zibo to the south,...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
). After that term, he returned to Lulong and served under the military governor Li Keju
Li Keju
Li Keju was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit from 876 to 885.- Background :...
.
Seizure of Lulong
In spring 885885
Year 885 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Vikings besiege Paris.* Godfrith, the Sea King is killed in Lobith...
, Li Keju and his ally Wang Rong
Wang Rong
Wang Rong , style name Junchong , was a politician of the Jin Dynasty period of Chinese history.Wang Rong served under Jin as the 3rd East General. Wang Rong participated during the final conquest of Eastern Wu, where he led his army as far as to that of Wuchang...
the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang
Shijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), were apprehensive that Wang Chucun
Wang Chucun
Wang Chucun was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Yiwu Circuit in late Tang. He was one of the main contributors in Tang's eventual defeat of the agrarian rebel Huang Chao....
the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), was allied with the powerful warlord Li Keyong
Li Keyong
Li Keyong was a Shatuo military governor during the late Tang Dynasty and was key to developing a base of power for the Shatuo in what is today Shanxi Province in China...
the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), as they feared that Li Keyong would eventually have designs on their territory. They therefore entered into a pact to jointly attack Yiwu (which lay between Lulong and Chengde), conquer it, and divide its territory.
To that end, Li Keju had Li Quanzhong take 60,000 soldiers and attack Yiwu's Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding). Li Quanzhong's subordinate Liu Rengong
Liu Rengong
Liu Rengong was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Lulong Circuit from 895 to 907...
dug a tunnel into Yi Prefecture's city walls, and the Lulong troops were able to use the tunnel to capture it. However, after the Lulong troops took Yi Prefecture, they became arrogant and did not take precautions against an Yiwu counterattack. Wang Chucun thereafter had his soldiers put on sheepskin at night to appear to be sheep and approached Yi. The Lulong troops thought that there was a large herd for them to pillage, and therefore came out of the city to seize it. They were surprised by the Yiwu soldiers, who attacked and retook Yi. Li Quanzhong, after the defeat, fled back toward You Prefecture (幽州, i.e., Fanyang).
Fearing that Li Keju would punish him for the defeat, Li Quanzhong decided to instead attack You Prefecture. He caught Li Keju by surprise, and Li Keju, despondent over the situation, committed suicide with his family by climbing up a tower and setting fire to it. Li Quanzhong took over the circuit and claimed the title of acting military governor; this act was then confirmed by the imperial government.
Brief rule
In spring 886886
Year 886 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :...
, Emperor Xizong officially commissioned Li Quanzhong as the military governor of Lulong. Li Quanzhong died in fall 886, and the imperial government then commissioned his son Li Kuangwei
Li Kuangwei
Li Kuangwei was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, who controlled Lulong Circuit after inherited it from his father Li Quanzhong in 886, until he was overthrown by his brother Li Kuangchou in 893...
as acting military governor, and later full military governor.