Five Dynasties · Official and Rebel

Li Jitao 繼韜

First attested AD 900; died AD 923

Passages: 17
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Li Jitao was an official and Rebel.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Childhood name	Liude	留得

Life and dates

Death

AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南
Beheaded · At south of Tianjin Bridge 天津橋南
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 125

Attested activity

AD 922 嗣昭既卒
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 92, 96-97
AD 900 to AD 922 少驕獪
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 91
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 100, 111, 121, 125

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Li Jichou (繼儔)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 94
Child of Lady Yang (楊氏)
mother 母
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 89
Sibling of Li Jida (繼達)
second elder brother 仲兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 131
Child of Li Sizhao (嗣昭)
son 子 · paternal line
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 89
Sibling of Li Jiyuan (繼遠)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 105

Kinship Role favorite sons sent as hostages · Count 2
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 112

Career and standing

acting military governor of the Anyi army 安義軍兵馬留後
AD 922 嗣昭既卒 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 97
Fellow of the Secretariat 同平章事
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 111
Sent two sons to Bian
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Hostage sender
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 112
pardon 赦
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Received
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 114, 121
execution 斬
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Suffered
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 125

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Liang 後梁 · Relation Allied with
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 111

Events and relationships

Had the army proclaim him acting governor and imprisoned Jichou
AD 922 嗣昭既卒 · Political · Usurper · With Li Jichou (繼儔)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 96
Plotted rebellion after Wei Zhuo and Shen Meng said Henan would swallow them
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Political · Rebel plotter · With Wei Zhuo (魏琢), Shen Meng (申蒙)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 100-101
Secretly wrote Jiyuan to stir a mutiny so he would be sent back; plot discovered
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Political · Conspirator · With Li Jiyuan (繼遠)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 124
Sent Jiyuan to Bian; allied with Liang; made Fellow of the Secretariat; Zhaoyi renamed Kuangyi
AD 923 莊宗將即位／平河南 · Diplomatic · Defector · With Li Jiyuan (繼遠), Liang ruler (梁主)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passages 110-111

Assessments and attributes

Assessment arrogant, cunning, and unruly from youth · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 52, passage 91

References in the histories

Search passages

History

17 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 52Volume 52 Book of Later Tang 28: Biographies 4: Li Sizhao, Pei Yue, Li Siben, Li Si'en · 17 passages

次繼韜、繼忠、繼能、繼襲、繼遠，皆夫人楊氏所生。 followed by Jitao, Jizhong, Jineng, Jixi, and Jiyuan, all sons of Lady Yang.

繼韜，小字留得，少驕獪無賴。 Jitao, known in youth as Liude, was arrogant, cunning, and unruly from an early age.

繼韜兄繼儔，嗣昭長嫡也。 Jitao's elder brother Jichou was Sizhao's eldest legitimate son.

方在苫廬，繼韜詐令三軍劫己為留後，囚繼儔於別室，以事奏聞。 While still in mourning, Jitao had the army forcibly proclaim him acting military governor, imprisoned Jichou in a side room, and reported the matter to court.

繼韜辭以經費不足，請轉三萬。 Jitao pleaded insufficient funds and offered only thirty thousand.

有幕客魏琢、牙將申蒙者，因入奏公事，每摭陰事報繼韜云：「朝廷無人，終為河南吞噬，止遲速間耳。」 A staff adviser named Wei Zhuo and a guard officer named Shen Meng, whenever they went to court on official business, would gather private intelligence and report to Jitao, "The court has no real leadership. In the end Henan will swallow us—it is only a question of time."

魏琢、申蒙謂繼韜曰：「國家急召此二人，情可知矣。」 Wei Zhuo and Shen Meng told Jitao, "The court has urgently summoned these two men. You can guess what that means."

弟繼遠，年十五六，謂繼韜曰：「兄有家財百萬，倉儲十年，宜自為謀，莫受人所製。」 His younger brother Jiyuan, only fifteen or sixteen, said to him, "Brother, you have a fortune of a million and stores enough for ten years. Plan for yourself. Do not let others dictate your fate."

繼韜曰：「定哥以為何如？」 Jitao asked, "What do you think, Dingge?"

梁主見之喜，因令董璋將兵應接，營於潞州之南，加繼韜同平章事，改昭義軍為匡義軍。 The Liang ruler received him gladly and sent Dong Zhang with troops to support him, encamping south of Luzhou. Jitao was made Fellow of the Secretariat, and the Zhaoyi army was renamed the Kuangyi army.

繼韜令其愛子二人入質於汴。 Jitao sent his two favorite sons to Bian as hostages.

及莊宗平河南，繼韜惶恐，計無所出，將脫身於契丹； When Zhuangzong pacified Henan, Jitao was terrified and at his wits' end. He was about to flee to the Khitan;

及繼韜至，厚賂宦官、伶人，言事者翕然稱：「留後本無惡意，奸人惑之故也。 When Jitao arrived, he lavished gifts on eunuchs and actors. Court gossips soon agreed: "The acting governor never meant harm. Wicked advisers misled him.

楊夫人亦於宮中哀祈劉皇后，後每於莊宗前泣言先人之功，以動聖情，由是原之。 Lady Yang also pleaded tearfully to Empress Liu in the palace. The empress wept before Zhuangzong of her family's old service until he was moved to mercy, and Jitao was pardoned.

李存渥深訶詆之，繼韜心不自安，復賂伶閹，求歸本鎮，莊宗不聽。 Li Cunwo bitterly denounced him. Uneasy in his heart, Jitao bribed actors and eunuchs again to plead for return to his circuit, but Zhuangzong refused.

繼韜潛令紀綱書諭繼遠，欲軍城更變，望天子遣己安撫。 Jitao secretly sent word through his guard officers to Jiyuan, hoping to stir mutiny in the garrison so the emperor would send him back to restore order.

時繼儔以繼韜所畜婢仆玩好之類悉為己有，每日料選算校，不時上路。 Jichou seized for himself all the servants, curios, and valuables Jitao had accumulated, inventorying them day after day and delaying his departure.