Background

It is not known when Yang Chongben was born, and the traditional historical sources were explicit in stating that the authors did not know his geographical origin. In his youth, he was adopted by the general Li Maozhen, and so changed his name to Li Jihui. The first historical record of a battle he was involved in was in 897. when he was one of the officers that Li Maozhen, then the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), sent to aid his ally Gu Yanhui the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) when Gu was under attack by Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan). One that occasion, Li Jihui was defeated by Wang Jian's adoptive son Wang Zongjin (王宗謹).

Later in the year, when Li Jihui was referred to as the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui, Gansu), he was commissioned as the military governor of Jingnan Circuit, at Li Maozhen's request.

As military governor of Jingnan

During Tang

In 901, the powerful eunuchs at the imperial court at Chang'an, led by Han Quanhui, fearing that they would be slaughtered by then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong and the chancellor Cui Yin, forcibly seized Emperor Zhaozong and took him to Fengxiang, as Li Maozhen was an ally to the eunuchs. Cui summoned his ally Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), who then attacked Fengxiang, but after an abortive initial attack, headed north to attack Jingnan. Li Jihui submitted to Zhu, and was allowed to remain as military governor of Jingnan, with his name changed back to the birth name Yang Chongben. Zhu took his wife as hostage and had her taken to Hezhong (河中, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), then under Zhu's control.

Zhu subsequently put Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege. By 903, the city was in desperate straights, and Li Maozhen was forced to sue for peace by slaughtering the eunuchs and surrendering Emperor Zhaozong to Zhu. Zhu thereafter withdrew his army and took Emperor Zhaozong back to Chang'an. During the campaign, he took Yang's family and relocated it to Hezhong. While there, he forced Yang's wife, who was exceeding beautiful, to have sexual relations with him. Unable to bear this violation, she wrote Yang, stating:

When Yang received her letter, he wept bitterly. After his family, including his wife, was returned to him after Zhu's Fengxiang campaign, he thus resolved to turn against Zhu. He changed his name back to Li Jihui and wrote Li Maozhen as a son, stating, "Tang Dynasty is about to fall. How can you, father, watch its end?" He thereafter joined forces with Li Maozhen and prepared to attack Chang'an, prompting Zhu to forcibly move Emperor Zhaozong to the eastern capital Luoyang in 904 and evacuate the city of Chang'an. Li Jihui, Li Maozhen, and Wang Jian subsequently issued a joint declaration calling for the people of the realm to unite against Zhu, and their declaration, which were echoed by Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), Liu Rengong the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), and Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), influenced Zhu in resolving to, later in 904, assassinate Emperor Zhaozong and replace him with his son Emperor Ai. He also sent his son Zhu Youyu (朱友裕) to resist them while ordering his officer Liu Xun the military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shanxi) to abandon Baoda's capital Fu Prefecture (鄜州) and withdraw to Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi). In 906, when Li Jihui, along with the forces of Fengxiang and three other circuits then under Li Maozhen's control — Baosai (保塞, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi), Zhangyi (彰義, headquartered in modern Pingliang, Gansu), and Baoda — attacked Dingnan Circuit (定難, headquartered in modern Yulin, Shaanxi), Dingnan sought aid from Zhu. Zhu ordered his generals Liu Zhijun and Kang Huaizhen (康懷貞) to aid Dingnan. Liu first attacked Baoda, capturing Liu Yanhui the prefect of Baoda's Fang Prefecture (坊州, in modern Yan'an), and then defeated Li Jihui at Meiyuan (美原, in modern Weinan), forcing Li Jihui to withdraw back to Jingnan's capital Bin Prefecture (邠州). Liu Zhijun and Kang then attacked and captured Fu Prefecture and Baosai's capital Yan Prefecture (延州), as well as three other prefectures. It was said that this was a huge blow to Li Maozhen's army.

In 907, Zhu forced Emperor Ai to yield the throne to him, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu. Li Maozhen (along with Li Keyong, Wang, and Yang Xingmi's son and successor Yang Wo) refused to recognize the new emperor, and effectively made himself the sovereign of a new state of Qi by taking on some imperial trappings, although he continued to carry only the Tang-bestowed title Prince of Qi, not imperial title. Li Jihui remained a vassal of Li Maozhen's.

During Qi

In 908, Hu Jingzhang (胡敬璋) the military governor of Baosai — which had apparently been recaptured by Qi by that point — died. Li Jihui sent his officer Liu Wanzi to Baosai to replace Hu. However, Liu, once installed, lost the support of the army by being violent, and was also in communications with Later Liang. Li Jihui had the Baosai officer Li Yanshi (李延實) assassinate Liu and take over Baosai. In reaction, the Baosai officers Gao Wanxing (高萬興) and his brother Gao Wanjin (高萬金) took their soldiers and surrendered to Liu Zhijun. In a subsequent Later Liang attack, Qi was forced to abandon Baosai and Baoda, allowing Later Liang to take over those circuits.

In 914, for reasons lost to history, Li Jihui's son Li Yanlu poisoned him to death and took over the circuit. (In 915, Li Jihui's adoptive son Li Baoheng (李保衡) assassinated Li Yanlu and surrendered to Later Liang, causing Qi to lose Jingnan permanently.)

Notes and references

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 13.

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 40.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 261, 262, 264, 265, 267, 269.

家世

楊崇本生年不詳，籍貫無可考。幼年為鳳翔節度使李茂貞所養，因而改名李繼徽。乾寧三年（896年）三月，他以天雄軍留後被任為節度使。四年（897年），他被李茂貞派去援助被西川節度使王建攻打的盟友東川節度使顧彥暉。正月，李繼徽敗于王建養子戎州刺史領鳳翔西面行營先鋒使王宗謹。

七月，在李茂貞請求下，他被任為靜難節度使。

任靜難節度使

唐朝年間

天複元年（901年），唐朝都城長安以韓全誨為首的當權宦官害怕被在位的唐昭宗和宰相崔胤屠戮，因李茂貞是他們的盟友，他們先是說服李茂貞留所選軍士四千宿衛長安，以養子李繼筠及李繼徽統帥，再挾持昭宗到鳳翔。崔胤召盟友宣武軍節度使朱全忠，朱全忠攻鳳翔，但首次進攻無果後，北上攻靜難。朱全忠子忠武軍節度使朱友裕破靈台、良原，下隴州，十一月，李繼徽在守城三天後出城以邠、寧、慶、衍四州請求投降，獲准留任，並請求改回原名楊崇本，納妻兒為質，朱全忠同意，將人質帶到自己控制的河中。

隨後朱全忠圍鳳翔軍部鳳翔府。三年（903年），鳳翔府陷入絕境，李茂貞被迫殺戮宦官並將昭宗交給朱全忠以求和。朱全忠撤軍帶昭宗回長安。其間，他帶著楊崇本的家屬，並安置于河中，且在那裡迫使美麗出眾的楊妻和他發生關係。楊妻素剛烈，無以忍耐，派侍者寫信給楊崇本：「丈夫你作為節度使，擁旄仗鉞，卻不能保護妻子。我現在已成了朱公的女人，今生無面目見你了，準備用刀或繩子自殺了。」

楊崇本收到信後，痛苦抽泣。朱全忠討伐鳳翔結束後，將楊崇本包括妻子在內的家眷還給楊崇本，楊崇本決心對抗朱全忠。天祐元年（904年）正月，他把名字改回李繼徽，以兒子的身份寫信給李茂貞：「唐室將滅，父親何忍坐視！」與李茂貞合兵，準備攻長安，朱全忠迫昭宗下詔譴責李茂貞、李繼徽，自己也被迫挾持昭宗奔東都洛陽。六月，李繼徽、李茂貞和王建隨後傳檄合兵討伐朱全忠，河東節度使李克用、盧龍節度使劉仁恭、淮南節度使楊行密、忠義節度使趙匡凝都響應，關中大震，在他們影響下，朱全忠決定于同年弒唐昭宗，立昭宗子唐哀帝為新君。他還派時任鎮國軍節度使的朱友裕為行營都統屯永壽百仁村對抗他們，出師討靜難，命部將保大節度使劉鄩棄保大軍部鄜州，撤到同州。李茂貞、李繼徽、王建會師岐陽，陳兵關中，朱全忠遣將王重師守雍州、劉知俊守同州以拒之。三年（906年）十月，李繼徽與鳳翔軍及李茂貞治下的保塞、彰義、保大三鎮聯軍六萬攻定難鎮，列十五寨，軍勢很大，定難求救于朱全忠。朱全忠命劉知俊、康懷貞救定難。劉知俊受命為西路行營招討使，先攻保大，俘保大軍坊州刺史劉彥暉，敗李茂貞、李繼徽于幕谷，以五千軍敗李繼徽六萬軍于美原，殺二萬餘眾，奪馬三千餘匹，擒列校百餘人，李繼徽、胡章僅以身免，被迫撤回靜難軍部邠州。劉、康隨後攻陷鄜州、保塞軍部延州和其餘三州。李茂貞軍從此不振。

四年（907年），朱全忠迫使哀帝讓位，終結唐朝，建立後梁，自稱太祖皇帝。李茂貞和李克用、王建、楊行密之子和繼承人楊渥一起拒絕承認這個新皇帝，並自己使用了一些帝王用具，實質上建立了新政權岐國，繼續使用天複年號和唐朝的岐王封號，不稱帝。李繼徽仍為李茂貞附庸。

在唐末戰亂中，遙領夷州刺史唐渙被李繼徽所害。時唐渙之子唐穀尚幼，隨母柳氏在李繼徽家受到養育。

岐國年間

天複八年（908年）六月，李茂貞、李繼徽合王建之師五萬攻長安，遣使會兵于李克用，李克用遣監軍張承業率師響應。九月，李茂貞、李繼徽、王建三鎮聯軍再次大舉攻長安。

十一月，已被岐國收複的保塞軍的時任節度使、李繼徽養子李彥璋（本名胡敬璋）卒。李繼徽派部將劉萬子往代。但劉萬子到任後，很快因暴虐失去軍心，且勾連後梁。次年二月，李繼徽讓李彥璋養子延州牙將李延實殺了劉萬子並接手保塞。保塞馬軍都指揮使高萬興與其弟高萬金聞變，率部投降劉知俊。劉知俊奉梁太祖命會合高萬興，攻下丹、延、鄜、坊四州，岐國被迫棄保塞、保大，這兩鎮被後梁占領。

九年（909年）七月，李茂貞、李繼徽與已從梁叛投岐的劉知俊都遣使告李克用將大舉伐朔方、定難，收關中，請李克用出兵晉、絳以張兵勢。十年（910年）七月，李茂貞、李繼徽皆遣師來會李克用，同討朔方、定難。

十四年（914年）十二月，李繼徽子李彥魯毒殺李繼徽，控制了軍鎮。史書並未記載他這麼做的原因。十五年（915年）四月，李繼徽養子李保衡（《十國春秋·劉知俊傳》作李彥康）殺李彥魯，投降後梁，使岐國永久失去了靜難。

據《殘唐李彥璋墓誌》，李彥璋生前，李繼徽曾為中書令。

子女

除李彥魯、李彥康外，據《李彥璋墓誌》，李繼徽有親子或養子：長子李彥博、李彥璋、李彥逄、李彥昇、李彥謙、李彥迺、李彥逵、李彥琥、李彥珪、李彥穎、李彥鉞。

注釋及參考文獻