Sui and Tang · General and Warlord

Li Keyong 李克用

Lǐ Kèyòng

Attested AD 890 - AD 894

Passages: 14
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Li Keyong was a general and Warlord.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 894 乾宁元年三月
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 87
AD 891 二年二月
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 74
AD 890 大顺元年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 62
AD 892 景福元年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 82

Career and standing

honorary Grand Preceptor and chief councilor 检校太师兼中书令
AD 891 二年二月 · Appointed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 74
military governor of Hedong 河东节度使
AD 891 二年二月 · Restored
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 74
Prince of Longxi 陇西郡王
AD 891 二年二月 · Restored
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 74

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 74

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Quote If our line is fated to hold Taiyuan, you will not whinny. · Mode quotation Speaker Li Keyong (李克用)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 78

Events and relationships

Attacked Wang Rong at Zhenzhou
AD 891 八月 · Military · Commander · With Wang Rong (王镕)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 76
Besieged Helian Duo at Yunzhou
AD 891 四月 · Military · Commander · With Helian Duo (赫连铎)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 75
Defeated Meng Qian and sent An Jinjun against Duo
AD 890 大顺元年 · Military · Commander · With Meng Qian (孟迁)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 62
Defeated Zhang Jun at Yindi
AD 890 十一月 · Military · Commander · With Zhang Jun (张浚)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 71
Executed Li Cunxiao
AD 894 乾宁元年三月 · Military · Commander · With Li Cunxiao (李存孝)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 87
Took Youzhou and installed Liu Rengong
AD 894 乾宁元年 · Military · Commander · With Liu Rengong (刘仁恭)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 4, passage 88

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 4Volume 4 Later Tang Annals 1: Zhuangzong 1 · 14 passages

大顺元年，克用击破孟迁，取邢、洺、磁三州，乃遣安金俊攻赫连铎于云州。 In Dashun 1 (890) Keyong overthrew Meng Qian and seized Xing, Ming, and Ci, then sent An Jinjun against Helian Duo at Yunzhou.

于是匡威、铎及朱全忠皆请因其败伐之。 Kuangwei, Duo, and Quanzhong alike petitioned the court to strike Keyong while he was down.

昭宗以克用破黄巢功高，不可伐，下其事台、省四品官议，议者多言不可。 Zhaozong, mindful of Keyong’s service against Huang Chao, was reluctant to move against him. He put the question to senior Secretariat and Chancellery officials; most advised against war.

军容使杨复恭，克用所善也，亦极谏以为不可，昭宗然之，诏谕全忠等。 Army Commissioner Yang Fugong, Keyong’s ally, argued just as hard against the campaign. Zhaozong sided with him and sent edicts calming Quanzhong and his allies.

唐以京兆尹孙揆为昭义军节度使，克用遣李存孝执揆于长子，又遣康君立取潞州。 The court named Capital Magistrate Sun Kui military governor of Zhaoyi. Keyong had Li Cunxiao capture Kui at Changzi and Kang Junli recover Lu.

十一月，浚及克用战于阴地，浚军三战三败，浚、建遁归。 In the eleventh month Jun met Keyong at Yindi, lost three engagements in a row, and fled with Han Jian.

克用兵大掠晋、绛，至于河中，赤地千里。 Keyong’s soldiers ravaged Jin and Jiang all the way to Hezhong until the countryside was stripped bare for a thousand li.

克用上表自诉，其辞慢侮，天子为之引咎，优诏答之。 Keyong memorialized in his own defense with words both insolent and contemptuous. The emperor accepted blame and replied with a conciliatory edict.

二年二月，复拜克用河东节度使、陇西郡王，加检校太师兼中书令。 In the second month of the second year he was restored as military governor of Hedong and Prince of Longxi and promoted to honorary Grand Preceptor and chief councilor.

克用栅常山西，以十餘骑渡滹沱觇敌，遇大雨，平地水深数尺。 He camped west of Mount Chang and rode out with barely a dozen men to scout across the Hutuo. A downpour flooded the plain several feet deep.

镇人袭之，克用匿林中，祷其马曰：「吾世有太原者马不嘶。」 Zhenzhou troops closed in. Keyong took cover in a grove and whispered to his horse, “If our line is fated to hold Taiyuan, you will not whinny.”

李匡威救镕，克用还军邢州。 Li Kuangwei marched to relieve Rong, and Keyong pulled back to Xingzhou.

八月，李匡威攻云州，以牵克用之兵，克用潜入于云州，返出击匡威，匡威败走。 In the eighth month Li Kuangwei hit Yunzhou to pin Keyong down. Keyong stole into the city, wheeled out, and routed Kuangwei.

二年，存孝求援于王镕，克用出兵井陉击镕，且以书招镕，而急攻其平山，镕惧，遂与克用通和，献帛五十万匹，出兵助攻邢州。 The next year Cunxiao called on Wang Rong for help. Keyong drove through Jingxing against Rong, sent letters inviting him to yield, and hammered Pingshan until Rong, terrified, made peace, sent five hundred thousand bolts of silk, and joined the siege of Xingzhou.