Li Jingye (Chinese: 李敬業; 636 – December 29, 684), also known as Xu Jingye (徐敬業), was a Chinese general and politician who was a grandson of the Tang dynasty general Li Shiji who, after Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian) had seized personally all power after Emperor Gaozong's death, rose in rebellion against her, but who was quickly defeated and killed in flight.
Contents
Background
It is not known when Li Jingye was born. He was probably the oldest son of Li Shiji's oldest son Li Zhen (李震), who had predeceased Li Shiji (who then had changed his name to Li Ji to observe naming taboo for Emperor Taizong). After Li Ji's death in 669 during the reign of Emperor Taizong's son Emperor Gaozong, Li Jingye, as Li Ji's oldest grandson, inherited Li Ji's title as the Duke of Ying.
Rebellion against Empress Dowager Wu
Preparation
Emperor Gaozong died in 683 and was succeeded by his son Li Zhe (as Emperor Zhongzong), but actual and superior power was in the hands of Emperor Gaozong's powerful wife Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), as empress dowager. In spring 684, after Emperor Zhongzong showed signs of independence, she deposed him and reduced him to the title of Prince of Luling, replacing him with his brother Li Dan the Prince of Yu (as Emperor Ruizong). Thereafter, she wielded power even more tightly, and she, not Emperor Ruizong, was the one that officials reported to, with Emperor Ruizong not even nominally approving official actions.
Meanwhile, it was said that members of the Li imperial clan were all fearful of the developments, and the people were distressed at Emperor Zhongzong's removal. Around this time, Li Jingye and a number of people who he had known happened to be demoted based on various accusations not recorded in historical accounts:
Li Jingye was demoted from being the prefect of Mei Prefecture (眉州, roughly modern Meishan, Sichuan) to be the military advisor to the prefect of Liu Prefecture (柳州, roughly modern Liuzhou, Guangxi).
Li Jingye's brother Li Jingyou (李敬猷) was removed from his post as magistrate of Zhouzhi County (盩厔, in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi).
Tang Zhiqi (唐之奇) was demoted from being supervising imperial attendant (給事中, Jishizhong) to be the magistrate of Guacang County (栝蒼, in modern Lishui, Zhejiang)
Luo Binwang was demoted from being a secretary at the county government of Chang'an County (one of the two counties making up the capital Chang'an) to be the secretary general of Linhai County
Du Qiuren (杜求仁), a nephew of the deceased chancellor Du Zhenglun, was demoted from being an auditor under the head of the household at the palace of the crown prince to be the magistrate of Yi County (黟縣, in modern Huangshan, Anhui)
Wei Siwen (魏思溫), a one-time assistant imperial censor, had been demoted to be the sheriff of Zhouzhi County, and now was again demoted (although historical accounts do not state where he was demoted again)
Launch
Li Jingye mobilized the troops from Yang Prefecture and declared the restoration of Emperor Zhongzong's Sisheng era name, to show that he intended to restore Emperor Zhongzong. He declared himself the Great General for Restoration (匡復府上將, Kuangfu Fu Shangjiang). He quickly gathered over 100,000 men within 10 days. He also had Luo Binwang draft a declaration against Empress Dowager Wu that was distributed to other prefecture, that stated:
The wrongfully ruling Lady Wu has a disagreeable temper and a dishonorable ancestry. When she was serving as one of the ladies in Emperor Taizong's palace, she had once taken the opportunity, while Emperor Taizong was changing, to consummate a relationship with him. Later, her lack of virtue polluted the spring palace [(i.e., the palace of then-crown prince Emperor Gaozong)]. She secretly hid the fact that she had sexual relations with Emperor Taizong to treacherously receive the emperor's love. Once she got in the palace, she would not yield even in her brows; she falsely implicated others, and she used her fox-like charms to delude the emperor. She finally was able to put on an empress' clothes and put our emperor in position of committing incest. She has a heart similar to a snake and a lizard, and a disposition similar to a wolf. She is close to insidious individuals and murders the faithful and the good. She killed her sister, slaughtered her brothers, murdered her emperor, and poisoned her mother. Both gods and men hate her, and heaven and earth cannot allow her to exist. She continues to harbor a treasonous heart, seeking to steal the symbols of sovereignty. She put the emperor's beloved son under house arrest in another palace, while giving the relatives of thieves important responsibilities. Alas! There is no Huo Guang present, and the Marquess of Zhuxu has already been wiped out. When a swallow poked at an imperial prince, Han's rule was known to be at an end; when the dragons mated before the emperor, Xia's court was known to be failing.
Jingye is an old subject of imperial Tang, and a progeny of duke and marquess. He had seen the accomplishment of past emperors, and received great grace from this dynasty. The sadness of Count Wei of Song was not without cause; were Yuan Junshan's tears to be for nought? Therefore, he gathered his anger and resolved to secure the empire. As the people of the realm are disappointed, and the state hopes for changes, he raises his flag of righteousness to clear away the evil.
We will connect with the Yue peoples to the south and conscript from the Yellow River region to the north. The iron-like horses will be gathered, and the jade-like wagon axles will connect with each other. The red rice from Hailing [(海陵, in modern Taizhou, Jiangsu)] will fill the storage, and as the yellow flag rises from the banks of the Yangtze, how distant can the Restoration be? As the sounds of the horses start, so does the north wind; and as the swords are drawn, the fighting sounds to the south cease. Even if we drone quietly the mountains will crumble, and if we yell out, the winds and clouds will change. As we use these to attack the enemy, what enemy will not be destroyed? As we seek to accomplish great things with these, what accomplishment is out of reach?
Defeat and death
Meanwhile, once Li Jingye heard that Li Xiaoyi was set to arrive, he returned from Run Prefecture to Yang Prefecture, and set his camp at Xia'a (下阿, at modern Tianchang), Gaoyou to prepare to defend against Li Xiaoyi's attack, while sending Li Jingyou to attack Huaiyin (淮陰, in modern Huai'an, Jiangsu) and Wei Chao and Yuchi Zhao (尉遲昭) to defend Mount Duliang (都梁山, in modern Huai'an as well). As Li Xiaoyi arrived, his officer Lei Renzhi (雷仁智) attacked but initially failed against the resistance forces, and this caused Li Xiaoyi to hesitate and stop his advance. He continued his advance only after his subordinate Wei Yuanzhong warned him that continuing to halt will cause the perception that the rebellion was a more serious threat than it was—and pointed out that Empress Dowager Wu might send another general to replace him. Soon, Ma Jingchen was able to kill Yuchi in battle. (Empress Dowager Wu, indeed, commissioned another general, Heichi Changzhi, against Li Jingye, although Li Jingye would be defeated before Heichi could arrive.)
Meanwhile, Li Xiaoyi, under the suggestions of Wei Yuanzhong and Xue Kegou (薛克構), decided to attack both Wei Chao and Li Jingyou first, to shake the confidence of the resistance forces. He was successful, and both Wei Chao and Li Jingyou fled. He then attacked Li Jingye's main forces and was initially unsuccessful—with his subordinate Su Xiaoxiang (蘇孝祥) dying in battle in the initial attack. Several subsequent attacks by Li Xiaoyi were also unsuccessful. However, after the resistance forces had been worn out, Li Xiaoyi, at the suggestion of Liu Zhirou (劉知柔), used favorable wind conditions set fire to the surrounding grass toward Li Jingye's forces and then attacked along with the fire. Li Jingye's forces were defeated; 7,000 were killed in battle, while many died by drowning while fleeing. Li Jingye and his close associates fled back to Jiangdu (江都, Yang Prefecture's capital) and took their families south to Run Prefecture, planning to head out to sea and then to the Korean Peninsula. Li Xiaoyi quickly took Jiangdu and sent forces to chase after Li Jingye. As Li Jingye's party fled to Hailing and met headwind, his subordinate Wang Naxiang (王那相) changed his mind about fleeing and instead killed Li Jingye, Li Jingyou, and Luo Binwang, surrendering to governmental forces with their heads. Tang Zhiqi and Wei Siwen were captured and beheaded.
Notes and references
Old Book of Tang, vol. 67.[1]
New Book of Tang, vol. 93.[2]
Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 201, 203.