家世

李仁罕是陈留人。年轻时在宣武军为小校，容貌瑰伟。朱全忠为四镇节度使，署李仁罕为衙内。唐昭宗被宦官劫持到凤翔时，朱全忠派李仁罕去行在纳贡修礼。朱全忠代唐建立后梁后，补李仁罕为宫苑仪鸾等使，历任为许州、蔡州、华州马步军都指挥使。

后梁灭亡后，李仁罕效力后唐。同光三年（925年）后唐灭前蜀一战，李仁罕参战，后唐庄宗李存勖命他监先锋军。次年正月，后唐灭蜀大军统帅皇子魏王李继岌准备离开原前蜀都城成都班师京城洛阳，留下一支由时任马步都指挥使的李仁罕、马军都指挥使潘仁嗣、左厢都指挥使赵廷隐、右厢都指挥使张知业（李仁罕外甥）、牙内指挥使武漳、骁锐指挥使李廷厚统领的军队留守成都，等候新任西川节度使孟知祥到任。显然后来孟知祥到任后，李仁罕等人归其统领。孟知祥奏授李仁罕马步军都指挥使。二月，蕃汉马步军都排陈斩斫使兼马步军都指挥使李绍琛作乱，孟知祥命李仁罕率四万人参与平乱、李廷厚率兵二千会合李仁罕，李仁罕会合工部尚书任圜、东川节度使董璋等击破康延孝，遂得勇战之名。

效力孟知祥

李仁罕积功授左厢马步都指挥使，进光禄大夫、检校太保、守彭州刺史、上柱国，充诸军马步军都指挥使，天成三年（928年）正月官居金紫光禄大夫，后迁蜀州刺史。同光四年（926年）李存勖在洛阳的一起兵变中被杀，养兄李嗣源为帝，即后唐明宗。孟知祥训练兵甲，秘密有在蜀地称王之志，增置义胜、定远、骁锐、义宁、飞棹等军七万馀人，命李仁罕、赵廷隐、张知业等分别统领。长兴元年（930年）时，孟知祥和董璋两镇与朝廷的关系很紧张，必有一战。在此关键时刻，二月，李仁罕、张知业邀孟知祥赴宴。有尼姑告诉孟知祥，他们是要在宴会上害死他；孟知祥诘问之下，发现此事并无证据，最终查出谣言来源为军校都延昌、王行本，将此二人腰斩。随后孟知祥不带左右，单身直接去李仁罕府上赴宴，李仁罕感其信任，叩头哭道：「老兵只能尽死以报德。」诸将因此都亲附服从孟知祥。

九月，孟知祥、董璋正式起兵对抗朝廷。先前，武信军节度使夏鲁奇奉朝廷令，修兵甲以图蜀。孟知祥与董璋合计，先讨夏鲁奇。孟知祥以李仁罕为行营都部署，时任汉州刺史的赵廷隐为副，时任简州刺史的张知业为先锋指挥使，率兵三万（《九国志·赵廷隐传》作步骑十万）会合董璋攻武信军军部遂州。十月，李仁罕即围遂州，夏鲁奇守城，派马军都指挥使康文通出战。康文通得知原为朝廷治下的保宁军已被两川联军攻陷，就率众投降了李仁罕。孟知祥都押牙高敬柔率资州义军二万人筑长城环围遂州。次年正月，李仁罕克遂州，夏鲁奇自杀。

孟知祥以李仁罕为武信军留后，二月又以为峡路行营招讨使，率水军东进从朝廷手中攻取三峡地区。当月即攻陷忠州，三月攻陷万州、云安监，兵临宁江军军部夔州。宁江军节度使安崇阮弃镇内逃，李仁罕夺取宁江军。十一月，李仁罕引兵回成都。

当时李嗣源已撤回由其女婿东川行营都招讨使石敬瑭率领的讨伐两川的主力大军，且已诛杀主倡此战的枢密使安重诲，朝廷实际已经屈服。李嗣源寻求和两川和解，孟知祥也想和朝廷和解，但董璋不肯，三年（932年）五月反而攻打西川。因赵廷隐出大力，孟知祥反攻败董璋，董璋部将杀董璋，以东川投降孟知祥。明宗下诏褒奖李仁罕等，称可正授节度使。李仁罕与赵廷隐在东川军部梓州相会，赵廷隐亲自欢迎李仁罕到来。但李仁罕不言赵廷隐的大功，反而侮辱他，赵廷隐大怒。孟知祥随后亲临梓州，召见李仁罕、赵廷隐，问谁可为东川节度使，以为他们中有一人会推让，这样即可任命另一人。但李仁罕却说：「如果令公再次让我当蜀州刺史，我也会接受。」而赵廷隐则沉默不语。因二人陷入僵局，孟知祥认为赵廷隐功劳多，怒李仁罕贪愎，最终决定亲自领东川。六月，任赵廷隐为保宁军节度使，八月令李昊为武泰留后赵季良、李仁罕、赵廷隐、宁江留后张知业、昭武留后李肇等草表，请以自己为蜀王，行墨制，及为自己求旌节，但在李昊劝说下改为请求行墨制自行补授两川刺史以下官职及表请以赵季良等五留后为节度使。次年三月以墨制署李仁罕为检校太傅、武信军节度使，李嗣源也都照准。

次年，孟知祥称帝，建立后蜀。二月，以李仁罕为卫圣诸军马步军指挥使，仍领武信军。当时后蜀众多高级将领骄纵，剽掠百姓，常违法夺取百姓的良田，甚至毁坏坟墓，李仁罕和张业（即张知业，因避孟知祥讳而改名）是最严重的。李仁罕因此而奢富，还曾想娶有国色的前蜀宫嫔花蕊夫人，害怕被孟知祥所责，没敢实施。

身亡

七月，孟知祥崩，遗命儿子孟仁赞继位，改名孟昶，托孤于司空同平章事赵季良、李仁罕、赵廷隐、枢密使王处回、捧圣控鹤都指挥使张公铎、奉銮肃卫指挥副使侯弘实。孟知祥驾崩时，王处回告知赵季良，赵季良让他回去见李仁罕，但李仁罕严整军备以待，于是王处回没有以孟知祥死讯相告，直到孟昶继位。

孟昶继位后，九月，李仁罕坚请判六军。孟昶起初不情愿地答应了，加仁罕兼中书令，判六军事，以赵廷隐为副。孟昶自置殿直四番，选将门之子及死王事者的孤儿充当，以李仁罕子李继宏、赵季良子赵元振、张业子张继昭、侯弘实子侯令钦、赵廷隐子赵崇韬分为都知领之。委政事于赵季良、张业、李仁罕等。李仁罕遇事必谏。但张公铎和医官使韩继勋、丰德库使韩保贞、茶酒库使安思谦等孟昶近臣随后弹劾李仁罕有异志。十月，孟昶与赵季良、赵廷隐合谋，趁李仁罕入朝，执而击杀之，下诏声言其罪，杀李继宏及李仁罕亲信进奏吏宋从会等数人，灭李仁罕族。奉銮肃卫都指挥使、昭武节度使兼侍中李肇本来见孟昶时拄著拐杖不下拜，闻讯震惊，改变态度，变得十分恭顺。孟昶左右请求也诛杀李肇，但孟昶虽也为李肇而心不平，却没有这么做，而是以李肇为太子少傅致仕，徙邛州。安思谦因参与谋杀李仁罕，稍得进用。

李仁罕被诛时，张业正掌禁兵，孟昶惧其反叛，于是用张业为相，兼判度支。广政十一年（948年），孟昶与时任匡圣指挥使安思谦合谋擒杀张业。此后赵廷隐也致仕废于家。

评价

• 《十国春秋》论曰：（李）仁罕伏辜，（张）业不良死，（李）肇老临邛，功高志满，召祸取尤，盖无不自己作之者也。

注释及参考文献

Background

It is not known when Li Renhan was born, but it is known that he was from Chenliu (陈留, in modern Kaifeng, Henan). His early career was not well-documented in history, but it is known that he was an officer in Later Tang's army that conquered Former Shu in 925. When, in 926, after the conquest, the Later Tang commander of that invasion army, Li Jiji the Prince of Wei (the son of then-Later Tang emperor Li Cunxu) was prepared to depart Chengdu (the capital of the destroyed Former Shu state) and return to Later Tang's capital Luoyang, he left a detachment, commanded by several officers — Li Renhan, Pan Rensi (潘仁嗣), Zhao Tingyin, Zhang Ye (Li Renhan's nephew), Wu Zhang (武漳), and Li Tinghou (李廷厚) — at Chengdu, to await the arrival of the new Later Tang-commissioned military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered at Chengdu), Meng Zhixiang, to arrive. (Apparently, then, when Meng subsequently arrived to take office, Li and those other officers came under his command.)

Service under Meng Zhixiang

By 930, the relationships that Meng Zhixiang and Dong Zhang the military governor of neighboring Dongchuan Circuit (东川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) with the imperial government, with Li Cunxu's adoptive brother Li Siyuan as emperor (Li Cunxu's having been killed in a mutiny at Luoyang in 926), had become very strained, and it appeared that war between the imperial government and these two circuits would erupt at any time. At that juncture, there was a time when Li Renhan and Zhang Ye invited Meng to a feast. This led to a rumor, which a Buddhist nun informed Meng, that the two of them were intending to assassinate Meng at the feast. Meng investigated, found no proof of the assassination plot, and eventually discovered that the rumors were being spread by the officers Du Yanchang (都延昌) and Wang Xingben (王行本). He put Du and Wang to death by cutting them in halves at the waist. He then proceeded to attend the feast at Li's house without any guards accompanying him. Li, in gratitude for this show of trust, knelt down to him and cried, stating, "This old soldier can only die to repay your grace." It was said that this incident led the generals to have greater attachment to Meng.

In fall 930, Meng and Dong formally rose against the imperial government. Meng sent Li to command the army against the imperially-held Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), with Zhao Tingyin serving as his deputy and Zhang serving as his forward commander. Li shortly after put Wuxin's capital Sui Prefecture (遂州) under siege, with the imperial general Xia Luqi (夏鲁奇) the military governor of Wuxin defending. When Xia sent his officer Kang Wentong (康文通) out of the city to battle Li, Kang, hearing that the previously imperially held Baoning Circuit (保宁, headquartered in modern Nanchong, Sichuan) had already fallen to the joint Dongchuan/Xichuan army, surrendered to Li. In spring 931, Sui Prefecture fell to Li; Xia committed suicide.

Meng then commissioned Li as the acting military governor of Wuxin, and sent him with a fleet east to try to capture the Three Gorges region from defending imperial generals. Li quickly captured Zhong (忠州) and Wan (万州) Prefectures (both in modern Chongqing), and then approached Kui Prefecture (夔州, also in modern Chongqing). The imperially-commissioned military governor of Ningjiang Circuit (宁江, headquartered at Kui), An Chongruan (安崇阮) abandoned Kui and fled back to secure imperial territory, allowing Li to take control of Ningjiang. He remained in the region for some time, and in winter 931, he returned to Chengdu.

By this point, the imperial government had effectively capitulated, as Li Siyuan had withdrawn the main imperial army against the two circuits, commanded by his son-in-law Shi Jingtang, and had executed his chief of staff An Chonghui, the main proponent for the campaign against the two circuits. Li Siyuan sought rapprochement with the two circuits, and Meng wanted reconciliation with the imperial government, but Dong did not, and instead attacked Xichuan. Meng's counterattack defeated Dong (with Zhao Tingyin playing a large part in the Xichuan victory), and Dong's officers subsequently killed him and surrendered Dongchuan to Meng. Li subsequently rendezvoused with Zhao at Dongchuan's capital Zi Prefecture (梓州), and Zhao personally went to welcome Li's arrival. Instead of acknowledging Zhao's accomplishments in defeating Dong, however, Li insulted Zhao, causing Zhao to become resentful of him. When Meng himself subsequently arrived at Zi as well, he summoned Li and Zhao, asking them which of the two of them would be suitable to be the military governor of Dongchuan, believing that one of them would support the other, he was surprised that Li only made the comment of, "Even if you, Lord, want to give me Shu Prefecture in modern Chengdu — which Li might have one point served as the prefect of) again, I will accept it" and that Zhao was completely silent. Subsequently, with the two of them at a standoff, Meng decided to assume the military governorship of Dongchuan himself to avoid having Li and Zhao continue to struggle over it. He subsequently commissioned Li as the full military governor of Wuxin, and Zhao the military governor of Baoning.

In 934, Meng claimed imperial title as emperor of a new state of Later Shu. He made Li Renhan one of the generals commanding his imperial guards, but continued to let Li also serve as the military governor of Wuxin. It was said that many senior Later Shu generals at that time were arrogant and pillaging the people, often abusing the law to seize people's good fields and even destroying tombs, with Li and Zhang Ye being among the worst offenders. Li had used these tactics to become very wealthy. He had also wanted to marry a concubine of a Former Shu emperor who was very beautiful, but was concerned that Meng would rebuke him for doing so, and therefore did not do so.

Death

Meng Zhixiang died later in 934, leaving a will for his son Meng Renzan (who then changed his name to Meng Chang) to succeed to the throne, and entrusting Meng Chang to the chancellor Zhao Jiliang, Li Renhan, Zhao Tingyin, the chief of staff Wang Chuhui, and the imperial guard generals Zhang Gongduo and Hou Hongshi (侯洪实). (Upon Meng Zhixiang's death, Wang, who served inside the palace, immediately informed Zhao Jiliang, but when Zhao then sent him to inform Li, Wang was intimidated by the fact that Li only agreed to see him after surrounding himself with guards, and therefore did not immediately inform Li at that time, until Meng Chang had taken the throne.)

Immediately after Meng Chang's assumption of the throne, Li Renhan insisted on being put in command of the imperial guards. Meng Chang initially reluctantly agreed and put him in command, making Zhao Tingyin his deputy. Meng Chang also gave him the honorary chancellor designation Zhongshu Ling (中书令). However, Zhang Gongduo and several of Meng Chang's close associates thereafter accused Li Renhan of plotting treason. After consulting with Zhao Jiliang and Zhao Tingyin, Meng decided to arrest him while he was attending an imperial meeting, and then put him to death, along with his son Li Jihong (李继宏) and several associates. (Shocked by the development, the senior general Li Zhao (李肇), who had previously refused to bow to the young emperor, changed his attitude and became very submissive. Meng's associates advocated putting Li Zhao to death, too, but Meng did not do so, instead forcing Li Zhao into retirement.)

Notes and references

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms, vol. 51.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 274, 277, 278, 279.