Li Jue (Han dynasty)

Li Jue (pronunciation^ⓘ) (died May or June 198^[2]), courtesy name Zhiran, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord serving under the autocratic warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later succeeded Dong Zhuo as the leader of the Liang Province faction after Dong Zhuo was murdered in a coup d'état, and was able to take over the Han imperial capital Chang'an, keeping Emperor Xian as a hostage. Despite being adept in military affairs, he was inept at politics, quarrelling with his fellow generals and making the bad decision to let Emperor Xian escape, greatly decreasing his power and precipitating his downfall.

Li Jue
李傕
After Dong Zhuo's death, Guo Si and Li Jue sacked the Han capital at Chang'an. This is a Qing dynasty illustration depicting the attack.
Grand Marshal (大司馬)
In office 195–198
Monarch	Emperor Xian of Han
General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍)
In office 192–195
Monarch	Emperor Xian of Han
Colonel-Director of Retainers (司隸校尉)
In office 192–195
Monarch	Emperor Xian of Han
Personal details
Born	Unknown Fuping County, Shaanxi
Died	198[1]
Children	Li Shi one unnamed daughter
Occupation	Military general, politician, warlord
Courtesy name	Zhiran (稚然)
Peerage	Marquis of Chiyang (池陽侯)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Service under Dong Zhuo

Originating from Beidi Commandery of Liang Province, Li Jue entered Dong Zhuo's Liang Province army as one of the earliest recruits. In helping Dong Zhuo in his many campaigns, including the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Liang Province Rebellion, and the war with the coalition against Dong Zhuo, Li Jue had earned himself a military reputation.^{[citation needed]}

After Dong Zhuo relocated the capital from Luoyang to Chang'an, Li Jue, along Guo Si and Zhang Ji, were sent to the frontline against the eastern warlords. At the time the alliance had been having internal conflicts, and would not unite in fighting Dong Zhuo; as a result, a senior imperial officer, Zhu Jun, could only ask his old friend, Tao Qian, to give him a hand in a futile effort to fight the pillaging forces under Li Jue.^[3] Tao Qian, despite having a general alliance with Dong Zhuo, indeed sent 3,000 elite Danyang troops to Zhu Jun to battle Guo Si and Li Jue at Zhongmu County, where Zhu Jun's force was totally crushed. Li Jue and his comrades then performed raids around Chenliu and Yingchuan commanderies, wherein the defenders, Cao Cao and Xiahou Yuan (Administrator of Chenliu) were also unable to stop them. Many residents there were hijacked and enslaved by Li Jue's forces.^[4]

Battle of Chang'an

Main article: Battle of Chang'an

Before Li Jue could return to the capital, Dong Zhuo was assassinated by Lü Bu in a plot orchestrated by Wang Yun, and the Liang Province faction inside Chang'an yielded to Lü Bu and Wang Yun. Li Jue and his comrades Fan Chou, Guo Si and Zhang Ji implored Wang Yun to show mercy, but the latter only granted amnesty to Dong Zhuo's other subordinates because Li Jue and his comrades were the closest aides to Dong Zhuo. Therefore, the four planned to relinquish their positions and go into hiding. However, Li Jue's chief adviser Jia Xu suggested that they should take this opportunity to launch a strike at Chang'an since the regime was unstable after the coup. The four then roused several thousand hardcore followers to attack Chang'an. Wang Yun had sent Xu Rong and Hu Zhen (former members of the Liang Province faction) to fight the Liang Province forces en route, but Xu Rong was killed in the first encounter while Hu Zhen led his troops to join the rebels, inflating the size of the rebel force. Along the way, Liang Province residents joined the rebels' course, and the expedition force burgeoned to over 100,000 when they surrounded the capital. Lü Bu attempted to break the siege, but was forced back inside the city gate despite him seriously wounding Guo Si in a duel.^[5] After eight days of sieging, Shu troops within Lü Bu's army rebelled and opened the gates for Li Jue's faction. After entering Chang'an, the rebel troops looted the city, killing more than 10,000 people in the process. While Lü Bu managed to escape, Wang Yun remained; Wang was eventually forced to surrender himself to the rebels and was killed a few days later.^[6]

Controlling the emperor

Li Jue's forces usurped imperial power by taking Emperor Xian hostage. The four demanded high ranks and even thought about assassinating the emperor to take the throne, but Jia Xu dissuaded them from doing so. With Li Jue as the leader of the Liang Province army, the four took the mace for the court, demoting and promoting anyone they saw fit. People who allied themselves with them, like Liu Biao, Yuan Shu and Li Ru, were all promoted by them. Li Ru also forced the emperor to appoint him as General of Chariots and Cavalry and Colonel-Director of Retainers, give him the ceremonial axe of military authority, and enfeoff him as the Marquis of Chiyang. When Li Jue's power was at its height, even Cao Cao sent emissaries to pay tribute as a token of goodwill.^{[citation needed]}

In April 194,^[7] a nominal vassal and local warlord, Ma Teng,^[8] requested some private provisions from the Han imperial court but was refused. He then initiated a rebellion in Mei County. An imperial emissary from Emperor Xian was sent to broker peace, but to no avail. Then, Ma Teng's close friend and comrade, Han Sui, was sent to dissuade Ma Teng with an armed force. Once Han Sui arrived at Mei County, however, he joined forces with Ma Teng, and secretly contacted Liu Yan's spies implanted in the court.^[9] Liu Yan's cohorts were discovered before they could make a move, but they succeeded in escaping the city and entering Ma Teng's camp. Li Jue sent his nephew Li Li, Guo Si and Fan Chou to counter the allied force. They dealt a major defeat to the allied force about 13 miles west to Chang'an, inflicting casualties of over 10,000. Knowing the allied force was low on grain, Li Li asked Fan Chou to pursue and wipe the enemy out, but Fan Chou refused because of his friendship with Han Sui. Li Li reported this incident to Li Jue upon the army's return.^[10] On 2 March 195,^[11] Li Jue threw his officers a banquet, and had Fan Chou openly executed during the revelry.^[12]

Quarrel with Guo Si

After the murder of Fan Chou, the Liang Province generals became quite suspicious of Li Jue, but the regime under Li Jue remained unchallenged for some time, wherein Emperor Xian was anxiously waiting for someone capable to get rid of his regents. Eventually, Guo Si's jealous wife became suspicious that her husband was having an affair with one of Li Jue's concubines so she decided to prevent her husband from attending Li Jue's banquets. She poisoned the gifts of food that Li Jue had given to them and convinced her husband that he should not be so trusting of Li Jue. Later, Guo Si became very drunk at another one of Li Jue's banquets and suddenly convinced himself that he was poisoned. He ingested liquid feces to force himself to vomit, which greatly offended Li Jue and drove the two leaders to battle.^[13] Battles inside the imperial city of Chang'an were fought every day. Finally, on 22 April 195,^[14] Li Jue kidnapped the emperor while Guo Si kidnapped court officials.^[15]

The situation deteriorated with each passing day, and had descended into full-blown civil war. There were several tens of battles fought per day in the alleys or market at its peak, on one occasion the emperor's own tent being caught in the crossfire.^[16] The frequent battles had rendered Chang'an untenable for its inhabitants. But at the same time, the turmoil provided Emperor Xian with an excuse to ask Li Jue and Guo Si to let him go back to Luoyang, under the provisions that Li Jue could have Chang'an while Guo Si and other generals could follow the emperor to the dilapidated Luoyang. Jia Xu brought the two an imperial edict, and requested a truce between Li Jue and Guo Si, and the duo temporarily ceased fire upon Jia Xu's persuasion.^{[citation needed]}

Downfall

After Jia Xu and Zhang Ji pleaded Li Jue and Guo Si to stop fighting, Guo Si started to move eastward with the emperor. However, on the journey to Luoyang, there were internal disputes, providing general Yang Feng with an opportunity to rescue the emperor. Aided by Dong Cheng and Xu Huang, Yang Feng defeated Guo Si and seized Emperor Xian. Guo Si returned to Li Jue and convinced the latter to make a last-ditch effort to recapture the emperor. When they caught up with the imperial train, Li Jue and Guo Si were defeated by Yang Feng, who had gained support from the White Wave Bandits. However, Yang Feng and the imperial retinue were running out of food, to the point that some court officials had to dig tree roots out from the earth as food. Thus, Emperor Xian sent emissaries to the various warlords, still nominal vassals of his, asking for help; however only a few of them replied with actual assistance. Zhang Yang, one of the warlords who received the edict, quickly sent his staff to support the emperor with supplies, and the forces of Li Jue and Guo Si were defeated in a decisive battle.^{[citation needed]}

Guo Si retreated to Mei County thereafter, and was later murdered by one of his commanders, who brought his remaining troops to Li Jue in Chang'an. In April 198, the warlord who now controlled the emperor, Cao Cao, sent envoys to incite the western warlords to attack Chang'an, Li Jue's home base. One of Li Jue's subordinates, Duan Wei (段煨), mutinied and killed Li Jue along with his family in the summer of 198. Duan Wei sent Li Jue's head to Xu city (as a sign of his submission to Cao Cao).^[17]

See also

• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

References

1. de Crespigny (2007), p. 289.
2. According to Liu Xie's biography in Book of the Later Han, Li Jue was killed in the 4th month of the 3rd year of the Jian‘an era of his reign. This corresponds to 24 May to 21 June 198 on the Julian calendar. [(建安三年)夏四月，遣谒者裴茂率中郎将段煨讨李傕，夷三族] Houhanshu, vol.09
3. Fan Ye. Book of the Later Han. Biography of Zhu Jun.
4. Sanguozhi vol. 6.
5. (《英雄记》曰：郭汜在城北。布开城门，将兵就汜，言“且却兵，但身决胜负”。汜、布乃独共对战，布以矛刺中汜，汜后骑遂前救汜，汜、布遂各两罢。) Yingxiong Ji annotation in Sanguozhi vol.07
6. (傕等恐，乃先遣使诣长安，求乞赦免。王允以为一岁不可再赦，不许之。傕等益怀忧惧，不知所为。武威人贾诩时在傕军，说之〈《魏志》曰：“卓之入洛阳，诩以太尉掾为平津尉，迁讨虏校尉。”牛辅屯陕，诩在辅军。辅既死，故诩在傕军。〉曰：“闻长安中议欲尽诛凉州人，诸君若弃军单行，则一亭长能束君矣。不如相率而西，以攻长安，为董公报仇。事济，奉国家以正天下；若其不合，走未后也。”傕等然之，各相谓曰：“京师不赦我，我当以死决之。若攻长安克，则得天下矣；不克，则钞三辅妇女财物，西归乡里，尚可延命。”众以为然，于是共结盟，率军数千，晨夜西行。王允闻之，乃遣卓故将胡轸﹑徐荣击之于新丰。〈《九州春秋》曰：“胡文才、杨整脩皆凉州人，王允素所不善也。及李傕之叛，乃召文才、整脩，使东晓喻之。不假借以温颜，谓曰：‘关东鼠子欲何为乎？卿往晓之。’于是二人往，实召兵而还。”〉荣战死，轸以众降。傕随道收兵，比至长安，已十馀万，与卓故部曲樊稠﹑李蒙等合，〈袁宏《纪》曰：“蒙后为傕所杀。”〉围长安。城峻不可攻，守之八日，吕布军有叟兵内反，〈叟兵即蜀兵也。汉代谓蜀为叟。〉引傕众得入。城溃，放兵虏掠，死者万馀人。杀卫尉种拂等。吕布战败出奔。王允奉天子保宣平城门楼上。〈《三辅黄图》曰：“长安城东面北头门号宣平门。”〉于是大赦天下。李傕﹑郭汜﹑樊稠等皆为将军。〈袁山松书曰“允谓傕等曰：‘臣无作威作福，将军乃放纵，欲何为乎？’傕等不应。自拜署傕为扬武将军，汜为扬烈将军，樊稠等皆为中郎将”也。〉遂围门楼，共表请司徒王允出，问“太师何罪”？允穷蹙乃下，后数日见杀。) Houhanshu, vol.72
7. Liu Xie's biography in Book of the Later Han dated the battle between Han Sui, Ma Teng and Guo Si, Fan Chou to the 3rd month of the 1st year of the Xingping era. This corresponds to 9 April to 7 May 194 in the Julian calendar.([兴平元年春]三月，韩遂、马腾与郭汜、樊稠战于长平观，遂、腾败绩，左中郎将刘范、前益州刺史种劭战殁。) Houhanshu vol.09
8. (是岁，韩遂、马腾等降，率众诣长安。以遂为镇西将军，遣还凉州，腾征西将军，屯郿) According to volume 06 of Sanguozhi, Ma Teng and Han Sui were both subordinates of Li Jue at the time.
9. (侍中马宇与谏议大夫种邵、左中郎将刘范等谋，欲使腾袭长安，己为内应) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.61. Several high-ranked officials including the eldest and second sons of Liu Yan worked as secret agents inside Chang'an.
10. (兴平元年，马腾从陇右来朝，进屯霸桥。时腾私有求于傕，不获而怒，遂与侍中马宇﹑右中郎将刘范﹑〈焉之子。〉前凉州刺史种劭﹑中郎将杜禀〈《献帝纪》曰：“禀与贾诩有隙，胁扶风吏人为腾守槐里，欲共攻傕。傕令樊稠及兄子利数万人攻围槐里，夜梯城，城陷，斩禀枭首。”〉合兵攻傕，连日不决。韩遂闻之，乃率众来欲和腾﹑傕，既而复与腾合。傕使兄子利共郭汜﹑樊稠与腾等战于长平观下。〈前书音义曰：“长平，阪名也，在池阳南。有长平观，去长安五十里。”〉遂﹑腾败，斩首万馀级，种劭﹑刘范等皆死。遂﹑腾走还凉州，稠等又追之。韩遂使人语稠曰：“天下反复未可知，相与州里，今虽小违，要当大同，欲共一言。”乃骈马交臂相加，〈骈，并也。〉笑语良久。军还，利告傕曰：“樊﹑韩骈马笑语，不知其辞，而意爱甚密。”) Houhanshu, vol.72
11. According to Liu Xie's biography in Book of the Later Han, Fan Chou was killed by Li Jue on the yihai day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of the Xingping era. This corresponds to 2 Mar 195 on the Julian calendar. ([兴平]二年春二月乙亥，李傕杀樊稠而与郭汜相攻。) Houhanshu, vol.09
12. (傕因会刺杀樊稠于坐) Houhanshu, vol.72
13. (袁宏《纪》曰“李傕数设酒请汜，或留汜止宿。汜妻惧与傕婢妾私而夺己爱，思有以离闲之。会傕送馈，汜妻乃以豉为药。汜将食，妻曰：‘食从外来，傥或有故？’遂摘药示之，曰：‘一栖不两雄，我固疑将军之信李公也。’他日傕请汜，大醉，汜疑傕药之，绞粪汁饮之乃解，于是遂相猜疑”也。) Ji (by Yuan Hong) annotation in Houhanshu, vol.72
14. Volume 61 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Li Jue and Guo Si took their respective hostages on the bingyin day of the 3rd month of the 2nd year of the Xingping era of Liu Xie's reign. This corresponds to 22 Apr 195 on the Julian calendar.
15. (傕知其计，即使兄子暹〈音纤。〉将数千人围宫。以车三乘迎天子﹑皇后。太尉杨彪谓暹曰：“古今帝王，无在人臣家者。诸君举事，当上顺天心，柰何如是！”暹曰：“将军计决矣。”帝于是遂幸傕营，彪等皆徒从。乱兵入殿，掠宫人什物，傕又徙御府金帛乘舆器服，而放火烧宫殿官府居人悉尽。帝使杨彪与司空张喜等十馀人和傕﹑汜，汜不从，遂质留公卿。彪谓汜曰：“将军达人闲事，柰何君臣分争，一人劫天子，一人质公卿，此可行邪？”汜怒，欲手刃彪。彪曰：“卿尚不奉国家，吾岂求生邪！”左右多谏，汜乃止。) Houhanshu, vol.72
16. (丙申，汜將兵夜攻傕門，矢及帝簾帷中。) Sima Guang. Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 61.
17. de Crespigny, Rafe (2007), p. 418.

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• de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms 23-220 AD. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9789004156050.
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