Li Guangyan


Li Guangyan , courtesy name Guangyuan, né Ädiz Guangyan, was a Chinese military general and politician of Tiele ethnicity who served under the Tang dynasty. He was known for his participation in various campaigns against regional warlords during the reigns of Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Muzong.

Background

Ädiz Guangyan was born in 761, during the reign of Emperor Suzong. He had at least one older brother, Ädiz Guangjin, and one older sister, who was older than Ädiz Guangjin. Their father Ädiz Liangchen had been a hereditary prefect of Jitian Prefecture — one of the prefectures that Tang established for the settlement of Uyghur-related tribes that submitted to Tang during the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Hequ. — and his Ädiz tribal army was part of the army of Shuofang Circuit.
Ädiz Guangyan's older sister married an army officer named Sheli Gezhan. In 764, when the military governor of Shuofang, Pugu Huai'en, was in rebellion against Emperor Suzong's son Emperor Daizong, Sheli participated in the killing of Pugu's son Pugu Yang and subsequently submitted to the imperial general Xin Yunjing, the military governor of Hedong Circuit. As the Ädiz brothers were dependent on their brother-in-law, they also settled their household at Hedong's capital Taiyuan. Both Ädiz Guangjin and Ädiz Guangyan learned riding and archery skills from Sheli. It was said that while Ädiz Guangjin was brave and resolute, his fighting abilities and strategies were not as good as Sheli's, but that Sheli was particularly complimentary of Ädiz Guangyan, whose abilities he considered superior to his own.
By this point, Ädiz Guangjin was already known for his battlefield accomplishment while serving under Guo Ziyi, and by 765 was already created a prince. In 769, when the Ädiz brothers' mother died, it was said that there were 44 commemorative banners sent by generals and chancellors to mourn her and that she was buried in an extravagant ceremony.
It was said that the Ädiz brothers were known for their love of family members. Ädiz Guangyan had already been married before his mother's death, and his mother entrusted the affairs of the household to Ädiz Guangyan's wife. When his mother died, Ädiz Guangyan, during the three years of mourning observance for her, was said to not return to his bedchambers for those three years — i.e., did not have sexual relations. After the mourning period, Ädiz Guangjin, who had previously not been married, married. Ädiz Guangyan had his wife send the household books to Ädiz Guangjin's wife — to let her take authority over the household, as the wife of the older brother. Ädiz Guangjin had the books returned to Ädiz Guangyan's wife and told Ädiz Guangyan, "Your wife served our mother, and it was our mother who put her in charge of the household. This cannot be changed." The brothers embraced each other and wept.
Ädiz Guangyan participated in the campaign against Li Huaiguang and had accomplishments during the campaign. His then-commander, the military governor Ma Sui, was impressed by his appearance, and gave Ädiz Guangyan his own sword.

During Emperor Xianzong's reign

Before the campaign against Wu Yuanji

In 806, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's grandson Emperor Xianzong, Yang Huilin seized control of Xiasui Circuit, and Emperor Xianzong mobilized the armies of Hedong and Tiande Base to attack Yang. Yan Shou the military governor of Hedong sent Ädiz Guangjin and Ädiz Guangyan to attack Yang. Soon, Yang's subordinate Zhang Chengjin killed Yang and surrendered.
In the fall, Ädiz Guangyan was ordered to rendezvous with the army commanded by the general Gao Chongwen in attacking the rebel warlord Liu Pi, who had seized control of Xichuan Circuit. Ädiz Guangyan was late for the rendezvous by one day, and feared punishment. He thus advanced behind Liu's lines at Lutou Pass and cut off Lutou Pass's supply route and led to its surrender to Gao. It was said that Ädiz Guangyan became famous due to this battle, and he was later successively made the prefect of Dai and Ming Prefecture.
In 811, Emperor Xianzong bestowed the imperial surname of Li on Ädiz Guangjin, then the military governor of Zhenwu Circuit — and therefore, the Ädiz brothers were renamed Li.

The campaign against Wu Yuanji

In 814, with Emperor Xianzong preparing a campaign against the rebel Zhangyi Circuit, whose military governor Wu Shaoyang had just died and Wu Shaoyang's son Wu Yuanji had just seized the control of without imperial approval, Li Guangyan was moved from Ming Prefecture to be the prefect of Chen Prefecture, as part of a number of movements of generals in preparation for the campaign. Li Guangyan was also made the commander of the forces of Zhongwu Circuit, to which Chen Prefecture belonged to. Later that year, after Wu Yuanji openly rebelled, Li was made the military governor of Zhongwu, serving under his old commander Yan, who was put in charge of the operations against Zhangyi. Almost alone among the imperial generals against Zhangyi, Li had repeated success against Zhangyi troops, and when Emperor Xianzong sent the official Pei Du to the front to review the troops in 815, Pei's report to Emperor Xianzong singled Li out as brave and righteous in his behavior. However, while often victorious, he was not always so, and he suffered a defeat in fall 815 at Shiqu.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xianzong, seeing Yan as an ineffective overall commander, put Han Hong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit in overall command of the forces. However, it was said that Han, who liked having authority, did not want Wu to be destroyed too quickly and disliked Li for his fervent campaigning. In order to subvert Li, Han found a beautiful woman who he had trained in singing, dancing, music and the game of Liubo, and dressed in fine clothes and luxurious jewels. He had his messenger deliver the woman to Li as a gift, in the hope that she would distract him from his military activities. When Han's messenger delivered the woman to Li at a grand feast, it was said that all of the guests were astonished by her beauty. However, Li responded to the messenger:
He wept, as did the other guests. He then presented Han's messenger with gifts of his own for Han, and had the messenger deliver his gifts, along with the woman, back to Han, commenting, "Please thank the Lord Chancellor for me, Li Guangyan. I have promised the body to the empire, and I will not bear the sun or the moon together with the bandit ; I would rather die first."
There was another incident in which Li came in conflict with Han. On an occasion Han ordered a general attack against a Zhangyi city, the Zhangyi forces responded by concentrating a counterattack against Li's colleague Wu Chongyin, the military governor of Heyang Circuit, and the attack was so fierce that Wu Chongyin was hit by spears several times. He sought immediate aid from Li, and Li sent his officers Tian Ying and Song Chaoyin to attack the Zhangyi forces from behind. After Tian and Song were successful, the attack against Wu Chongyin was terminated. However, as Li violated Han's orders in doing so, Han had Tian and Song arrested and was ready to execute them. Li, fearing Han, did not dare to intercede directly, but the imperial eunuch Jing Zhongxin happened to be present, and falsely ordered, in Emperor Xianzong's name, that Tian and Song be spared, before submitting a report to Emperor Xianzong as to what happened. Both Li and Han subsequently submitted conflicting reports, and Emperor Xianzong spared Tian and Song over Han's objections.
Thereafter, Li and Wu Chongyin were repeatedly defeating Zhangyi troops, but there was no decisive victory. In summer 817, when Li attacked the important Zhangyi city of Yancheng, the defender of Yancheng, Deng Huaijin offered to surrender to Li — but as Deng's and his soldiers' families were all at Zhangyi's capital prefecture Cai Prefecture, Deng requested that he first be allowed to summon a relief army, and that Li then attack the relief army, before Deng would surrender, in hopes that Wu Yuanji would spare Deng's and his soldiers' families. Li agreed, and he subsequently defeated a Zhangyi army sent to relieve Yancheng, and Deng then surrendered. Wu Yuanji, in fear of continued advances by Li, sent his strongest soldiers, under Dong Chongzhi, to be stationed at Huiqu, to try to defend against a probable Li attack.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xianzong had commissioned Pei to oversee the operations against Zhangyi, and when Pei arrived at the front, he made Yancheng his headquarters. There was an occasion when Pei was overseeing the construction of the fortress of Tuokou, when Dong launched a surprise attack, almost capturing Pei. The Zhangyi forces were fought off by Li and Tian Bu, however, allowing Pei to escape capture — as it was said that Li foresaw a potential surprise attack by Dong and therefore had stationed Tian nearby. With the Zhangyi forces concentrated on defending against Li Guangyan, Cai Prefecture was left relatively unguarded, and later in the year, Li Su the military governor of Tangsuideng Circuit was able to launch a surprise attack on Cai Prefecture, capturing Wu Yuanji. With Cai Prefecture having fallen and Dong having fled back to Cai Prefecture to surrender to Li Su, Li Guangyan entered Dong's camp and accepted the Zhangyi soldiers' surrender there. For his contributions, Li Guangyan was given the title of acting Sikong. In spring 818, Emperor Xianzong had a eunuch hold a feast for him at the eunuch's mansion and gave him a large award of rice. Emperor Xianzong also personally welcomed Li Guangyan and awarded him a golden belt and multicolored banners.

After the campaign against Wu Yuanji

In summer 818, in preparation for the campaign against another warlord, Li Shidao the military governor of Pinglu Circuit, Emperor Xianzong moved Li Guangyan to be the military governor of Yicheng Circuit. He was permitted to take some Zhongwu troops with him, and he subsequently, as part of the campaign against Li Shidao, defeated Pinglu forces at Puyang. However, subsequently, Emperor Xianzong came to believe that Zhongwu and Yicheng forces should not be mixed, and therefore returned Li Guangyan to Zhongwu.
In 819, during a Tufan incursion, Li Guangyan was moved to be the military governor of Binning Circuit and permitted to take 6,000 Zhongwu soldiers with him. He was also put in charge of reconstructing Yan Prefecture. At that time, the chancellor Huangfu Bo, whom Emperor Xianzong trusted, was in charge of the finances, and was not prompt in delivering supplies to the border defense troops. Worse, the supplies that he delivered were said to be so decrepit that the food could not be eaten and the clothes could not be worn; the soldiers were so angry that it was often rumored that mutinies would occur. Li was said to be so distressed that he considered committing suicide, as his petitions to Emperor Xianzong on the subject were not believed.