Background

It is not known where or when Li Kening was born, but it is known that he was Li Keyong's youngest brother and therefore would have been born after 856, when Li Keyong was born. Their father was the ethnic Shatuo general Li Guochang, whose name was originally Zhuye Chixin but was later bestowed the Tang Dynasty imperial clan name of Li and a new name of Guochang, but because Li Kening's birth year is unknown, it is not known whether he would have been born with the name of Li or Zhuye. He was said to be kind and filially pious, and (despite his eventual fate) described to be the most virtuous among Li Keyong's brothers and cousins.

Service under Li Keyong

When Li Keyong rose in rebellion against Duan Wenchu (段文楚) the Tang defender of Datong Circuit (大同, headquartered in modern Datong, Shanxi) in 878, Li Kening served under him and carried the title of commander of Fengcheng Base (奉誠軍). When Li Keyong's enemy Helian Duo subsequently attacked the Shatuo base Huanghua (黃花, in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), Li Kening helped defend the city and protect Li Keyong and the other brothers, and also participated in the later defense of Li Keyong's then-power base of Wei Prefecture (蔚州, in modern Zhangjiakou, Hebei). Presumably, when Li Keyong subsequently was defeated and forced to flee to the Dada (達靼) tribes, then in the Yin Mountains region, Li Kening followed him, for later, when Li Keyong returned from Dada to aid the Tang cause against the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao's state of Qi in 881, Li Kening was said to be part of that army; he followed Li Keyong in Li Keyong's subsequent campaigns against Huang.

After Li Keyong was made the military governor (Jiedushi) by then-reigning Emperor Xizong of Tang in 883 for his contributions against Huang, Li Kening was made the prefect of Liao Prefecture (遼州, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi), and then the defender of Yun Prefecture (雲州, in modern Datong). Early in the Qianning era (894-898) of Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong, Li Kening was made the prefect of Xin Prefecture (忻州, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi). He served under Li Keyong when Li Keyong defeated the warlord Wang Xingyu (the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi)) in 895, and for this achievement was given the honorary title of acting Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies). There was an incident in 902 when Hedong's capital Taiyuan came under siege by Li Keyong's archrival Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan); at that time, Li Kening was set to return from Taiyuan to his post at Xin Prefecture, but hearing of Zhu's attack, returned to Taiyuan and showed determination in helping in the defense by stating, "This city is where I will die. Where else can I go from here?" Li Kening's remarks helped the morale of the soldiers, and the city's defenses held.

Early in the Tianyou era (904 and on — used by Emperor Zhaozong, Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai, as well as post-Tang regimes that refused to recognize the subsequent Later Liang, founded by Zhu), Li Kening was made the commander of all Han and non-Han soldiers within Li Keyong's realm, acting Taibao (太保), and the military governor of Zhenwu Circuit (振武, headquartered in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), and he made the decisions that did not needed to be submitted to Li Keyong.

In 908, Li Keyong — who was then the prince of his own state of Jin after Zhu usurped the Tang throne in 907 and established Later Liang, which he refused to recognize — became deathly ill. He entrusted his son and heir Li Cunxu to Li Kening, the eunuch monitor of the army Zhang Chengye, the generals Li Cunzhang and Wu Gong (吳珙), and the secretary Lu Zhi (盧質), before dying, on February 23.

After Li Keyongs death

After Li Keyong's death, Li Kening initially took over the discipline of the army, and no one dared to create a disturbance. By contrast, the officers and the soldiers did not then respect the young (then 22) Li Cunxu, and they were constantly commenting about him. Li Cunxu, in fear, offered the command of the army to Li Kening, but Li Kening declined, pointing out that he was Li Keyong's lawful heir. Under Li Kening's and Zhang Chengye's insistence, Li Cunxu took the titles of Prince of Jin and military governor of Hedong.

Many of Li Keyong's adoptive sons who served as officers, however, were older and more accomplished militarily than Li Cunxu, and they did not respect him; many refused to meet him to pay homage, and some refused to bow to him. One of those, Li Cunhao (李存顥), tried to persuade Li Kening to take over the command himself, but Li Kening refused Li Cunhao's overture, going as far as to threaten him with execution. However, Li Cunhao and several other adoptive sons sent their wives to persuade Li Kening's wife Lady Meng. (Lady Meng was a sister to the Jin officer Meng Zhixiang, who would later become the founding emperor of Later Shu.) Lady Meng agreed with their idea, and therefore urged Li Kening to go with the idea, causing Li Kening's resolve to support Li Cunxu to be shaken. Further, he was also encountering policy disagreements with Zhang and Li Cunzhang and argued with them frequently. He thereafter killed an officer, Li Cunzhi (李存質), without Li Cunxu's approval, and also requested to be made the military governor of Datong Circuit. Li Cunxu agreed.

Despite Li Cunxu's agreement with Li Kening, the conspiracy around Li Kening continued. Li Cunhao specifically planned, with Li Kening's understanding, to seize Li Cunxu when Li Cunxu would visit Li Kening's mansion, deliver Li Cunxu and his mother Lady Dowager Cao to the Later Liang emperor, and take over Hedong Circuit. Li Kening met the officer Shi Jingrong (史敬鎔) to try to get Shi to join the plot and to surveil Li Cunxu. Shi pretended to agree, and then informed the plot to Li Cunxu. Li Cunxu met with Lady Dowager Cao and Zhang and initially offered to resign to try to avoid a conflict, but Zhang persuaded him to act against Li Kening. Zhang summoned Li Cunzhang, Wu Gong, as well as the officers Li Cunjing (李存敬) and Zhu Shouyin to prepare against Li Kening.

On March 25, 908, Li Cunxu held a feast at his own mansion, and all the high-level officers attended. At the feast, soldiers that Li Cunxu had previously hidden seized Li Kening and Li Cunhao. Li Cunxu, weeping, stated to Li Kening:

Li Kening responded, ambiguously:

That day, Li Cunxu executed Li Kening and Li Cunhao.

Notes and references

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 50.

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 14.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 263, 266.

生平

李克寧為人仁孝，在諸兄弟中最賢，事奉李克用小心不懈。最初跟從李克用於雲中起兵，為奉誠軍使。李克寧跟從李克用與赫連鐸、李可舉大戰於雲州、蔚州之間，赫連鐸攻打黃花城時，李克寧奉李克用及諸弟登城迎戰，血戰三日，力盡而且軍備已用竭，殺敵數以萬計。燕軍攻打蔚州，李克寧昆仲於嬰城拒敵，晝夜廢寢忘餐十數日。其後跟從李克用投奔韃靼及入關驅逐黃巢。凡出征從行無不守衞於兄弟之間，最推祟仁孝，小心恭謹，李克用尤其對他友愛。及後鎮守太原，授職為遼州刺史，累升至雲州防禦使。乾寧二年（895年），改為忻州刺史，跟從李克用入關討伐王行瑜，充當馬步軍都將，以軍功授職檢校司徒。天祐元年（904年），授職為內外都制置、管內蕃漢都知兵馬使、檢校太保，充當振武節度使，軍中之事，事無大小皆由李克寧決定。

天祐五年（908年）正月，李克用病危時，李克寧等侍侯，垂泣辭訣，李克寧問：「王萬一不諱，後事何屬？」因而召回李存勗侍奉於旁，李克用謂李克寧、張承業說：「亞子累公等。」當年李克用諸位養子皆驍勇之士，為李克用成就大業，故特別寵愛他們，衣服禮秩有如嫡子。諸位養子麾下皆有精兵，恃功自恣，自先王時已經常見優假。李克用駕崩後，他們欺李存勗年少，諸位養子或託疾不朝，或見而不拜。李存勗因憚忌他們而告知李克寧：「兒年孤稚，未通庶政，雖有先王之命，恐不足以當大事。叔父勳德俱高，先王嘗任以政矣，敢以軍府煩季父，以待兒之有立。」克寧曰：「吾兄之命，以兒屬我，誰敢易之！」因下而北面再拜稱賀，李存勗乃即晉王之位，軍民之事皆委任李克寧決定，權柄既重，令眾人皆攀附李克寧。義兒李存顥陰謀煽動李克寧取而代之，李克寧斷言拒絕。李克寧雖然無篡奪之心，但是李存顥等人不斷遊說，李存顥等亦各派遣他們的妻子遊說李克寧之妻孟夫人（李存勗姐夫孟知祥妹），使孟夫人也勸說李克寧謀叛，李克寧才開始動搖。都虞候李存質因得罪李克寧，被李克寧所殺，而李克寧與張承業、李存璋有嫌隙，又要求兼領大同軍節度使。於是倖臣史敬鎔面見太后，狀告李克寧與李存顥陰謀拿下李存勗及太后以便投降後梁。李存勗召見張承業、李存璋二人商量後，下命吳珙、李存璋防備。同年二月二十日，當諸將於府第時，乃伏兵於府中，置酒大會，李克寧既至，於席間擒下李存顥、李克寧二人，李存勗垂泣告知李克寧：「兒初以軍府讓季父，季父不忍棄先人遺命。今已事定，復欲以兒子母投畀豺虎，季父何忍此心！」李克寧泣對：「蓋讒夫交構，吾復何言！」當日，李克寧與李存顥俱伏法。李克寧仁而無斷，故因此被害。

李克寧妻孟氏被遣回其兄孟知祥處，他們的兒子李存瓌留在晉國，後來成為後唐的供奉官。

延伸閱讀