Wu Yuanji - Campaign Against The Imperial Government - Initial Stages

Initial Stages

Emperor Xianzong put the general Yan Shou (嚴綬) in command of the overall operations against Zhangyi and mobilized the armies of 16 circuits. In spring 815, after some small victories against Zhangyi, Yan became careless, and the Zhangyi forces fought back, defeating him at Ciqiu (磁丘, in modern Zhumadian), forcing him to flee back to Tang Prefecture (唐州, in modern Zhumadian). The Zhangyi forces also defeated the troops from Shou Prefecture (壽州, in modern Lu'an, Anhui), forcing the prefect of Shou Prefecture, Linghu Tong (令狐通), to flee back to Shou's main city, while the Zhangyi forces slaughtered the Shou troops remaining on the border.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuanji sought help from Wang Chengzong (the imperial campaign against whom ended in 810 with Emperor Xianzong agreeing to formally make Wang military governor and Wang agreeing to formally submit to imperial authority) and Li Shidao the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong). Both Wang and Li pled with Emperor Xianzong on Wu's behalf, seeking his exoneration. Emperor Xianzong refused. In response, Li sent his soldiers to conduct guerilla warfare in the regions of the eastern capital Luoyang. Later, believing that assassinating the pro-campaign chancellor Wu Yuanheng and the official Pei Du would cause the other officials to advocate peace, Li also sent assassins to kill Wu Yuanheng and Pei; Wu Yuanheng died in the attack, but Pei was only wounded. Emperor Xianzong subsequently made Pei a chancellor and became further resolved to continue the campaign. Further, not yet learning of Li's involvement and believing that Wang was behind the assassinations, he ordered another campaign against Wang.

With Yan not making much headway against Zhangyi forces, in late 815, Emperor Xianzong put Han Hong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) in charge of the operations against Zhangyi instead, but it was said that Han did not fully embrace the campaign and did not work hard toward Zhangyi's destruction. With the imperial troops converging, both sides had victories — although it was noted by historians that the imperial generals often exaggerated their victories against Zhangyi forces and hid their defeats from the emperor. The imperial generals Li Guangyan the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang) and Wu Chongyin the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Pingdingshan) were having success against Zhangyi forces, but in spring 816, Zhangyi forces dealt Gao Xiayu (高霞寓) the military governor of Tangsuideng Circuit (唐隨鄧, headquartered at Tang Prefecture) a major defeat, such that Gao barely escaped with his life. Emperor Xianzong demoted Gao and Li Xun (李遜) the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei) and replaced Gao with Yuan Zi. When Yuan subsequently took a passive stance against Zhangyi, however, Emperor Xianzong replaced him with Li Su.

Decades later, after Du Mu interviewed Dong Chongzhi with regard to his memories about these years of the Zhangyi campaign, Du recounted what Dong told him:

I had inquired of the former Huaixi general Dong Chongzhi about why the imperial government's intense attacks on armies of just the three prefectures lasted four years and were unable to succeed. Dong told me: "The central government mobilized too many mixed kinds of troops. Because the soldiers from distant circuits, who were guests on other circuits' territories, could not themselves function as units due to their small numbers, they had to rely on the host circuits for everything. They were weak and of low morale, and often after defeats they would simply desert. The first two years, Huaixi forces were continually victorious, and the soldiers they killed were largely these guest soldiers. However, after the first two years, there were fewer guest soldiers, and Huaixi forces had to directly engage the regular troops of Zhongwu and Heyang Circuits. Therefore, even if Li Su did not make a surprise attack on Cai Prefecture, Huaixi could not stand indefinitely. If the central government had ordered E, Shou, and Tang Prefectures to just protect their boundaries and not attack, and sent the Zhongwu and Zhenghua forces, along with specialized archers from Xuan and Run Prefectures to blockade Huaixi's borders, within a year, Cai Prefecture would have fallen.