接管凤翔

李昌言背景不详，《旧唐书》《新唐书》均无他的传。乾符四年（877年），农民军王仙芝陷随州，山南东道节度使李福求援，李昌言时任左武卫大将军，率凤翔军五百骑前去，于是王仙芝转移。中和元年（881年），郑畋任凤翔节度使和京城四面诸军行营都统时，农民军黄巢已占领长安迫使唐僖宗逃往成都，李昌言任凤翔军的行军司马，驻军兴平。二月，黄巢将尚让、王璠率众五万攻凤翔，郑畋命李昌言等伏于要害，以伏兵打败之，追击于龙尾陂，黄巢军丢下兵仗溃逃，被斩首万计，凤翔军得其铠仗，大振。在和自称大齐皇帝的黄巢的对战中，凤翔府库耗竭，郑畋减少了对士卒的犒赏，并削减军饷。李昌言知道士兵不满，予以煽动。十月，他遣麾下求为南面都统，引军回凤翔军部凤翔府，作进攻之势。郑畋不意遇袭，登城对李昌言说：「我正要入朝，公能戢兵爱人，为国灭贼吗？能的话，就守此吧。」郑畋不希望部下自相残杀，让权给李昌言后前往成都会合唐僖宗，李昌言自为留后，护卫郑畋出境，郑畋在途中染病辞职并表荐李昌言继任。十一月，僖宗任郑畋为太子少傅（由于当时并无太子，这完全只是荣誉职位），任李昌言为凤翔节度行营招讨使，二年（882年）二月兼京城西面行营都统。

任节度使

诸道行营都统王铎命邠宁节度使朱玫以凤翔、夏绥军屯兴平。七月，黄巢军攻凤翔，败李昌言于涝水，又攻武功、槐里，泾原、邠宁军都退兵，只有凤翔军坚壁而守。三年（883年），唐僖宗授予他同中书门下平章事的宰相荣衔。

同年稍迟时候，黄巢兵败，唐军收复长安，李昌言奏称探知长安黄巢军溃散，唐僖宗准备重返长安。此时，郑畋再任宰相，但在很多问题上和当权宦官田令孜及其兄西川节度使陈敬瑄矛盾尖锐。为了让郑畋辞职，田令孜和陈敬瑄指使李昌言上表称，士兵骚乱，如果郑畋和陛下一同回京，不会让郑畋通过。郑畋察觉到自己受到威胁，于是辞职。

四年（884年），李昌言病重。他任弟弟李昌符为留后，而后去世。僖宗任李昌符为节度使。

评价

• 《北梦琐言》：郑文公畋首倡中兴，传檄讨贼，杀戮黄寇，镇静关畿。一旦部校李昌言胁而逐之，尚不能固位。

注释

Takeover of Fengxiang Circuit

Little is known about Li Changyan's background, as neither of the official histories of Tang Dynasty (the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang) contained a biography for him. It is known that as of 881, when Zheng Tian was serving as the military governor of Fengxiang and the overall commander against the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao—after Huang had captured the imperial capital Chang'an earlier that year and forced then-reigning Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu—Li Changyan was serving as the commander of the Fengxiang forces (行军司马, Xingjun Sima) and stationed at Xingping (兴平, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi). Due to the indecisive nature of the warfare with Huang, who declared himself emperor of a new state of Qi, the Fengxiang treasury was becoming drained, and Zheng was giving less rewards to the soldiers than the soldiers expected and cutting down on the salaries. Li Changyan, knowing that the soldiers were displeased, fanned their discontent. In winter 881, he took his soldiers from Xingyuan back to Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality and poised to attack. Zheng, not wanting to have his forces battle each other, transferred his powers to Li Changyan and headed toward Chengdu to join Emperor Xizong, but on the way also offered to resign. Emperor Xizong gave Zheng the post of advisor to the Crown Prince—a completely honorary post since there was no crown prince at the time—while making Li Changyan military governor.

As military governor

It is unclear what role Li Changyan had in the campaign against Huang Chao. In 883, Emperor Xizong bestowed on him the honorary chancellor title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.

Later that year, after Huang had been defeated and Tang forces recaptured Chang'an, Emperor Xizong was beginning to prepare for a return to Chang'an. At that time, Zheng was again chancellor, but was in sharp disagreement in many matters with the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and Tian's brother Chen Jingxuan the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Chengdu). In order to get Zheng to remove himself, Tian and Chen had Li Changyan submit a petition stating, "The soldiers are being troubled. When Zheng Tian follows Your Imperial Majesty back to the capital, he should not pass here." Zheng, seeing the nature of the threat, resigned.

In 884, Li Changyan became seriously ill. He commissioned his brother Li Changfu as acting military governor, and thereafter died. Emperor Xizong then commissioned Li Changfu as military governor.

Notes and references