Liang Chongyi - Death

Death

As of 781, however, things came to a head when two of the generals that Liang was allied with, Li Baochen and Li Zhengji, died, and Emperor Dezong refused to allow their sons (Li Weiyue and Li Na), respectively, to succeed as military governors of their circuits (Chengde (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) and Pinglu (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong)). Li Weiyue and Li Na, along with Tian Chengsi's successor Tian Yue, therefore prepared for war against the imperial government, as did Liang Chongyi, particularly since Li Xilie, the military governor of Huaixi, had repeatedly requested imperial approval to attack Liang. When a certain Guo Xi (郭昔) accused Liang of treason, however, Emperor Dezong, in order to placate Liang, had Guo caned and exiled, and then sent the official Li Zhou (李舟) to Xiang Prefecture to try to comfort Liang. Li Zhou's mission, however, had the opposite effect, as Li Zhou's prior mission to another rebellious general, Liu Wenxi (劉文喜), was followed by Liu's soldiers rising against him and killing him, and it was rumored that Li Zhou had an ability to turn rebellious generals' subordinates against them. Therefore, as Li Zhou reached the borders of Shannan East, Liang refused him entry and requested another imperial messenger. Because Emperor Dezong was then preparing for war against Chengde and Pinglu, he did not want another war with Shannan East at the moment. He therefore sent another official, Zhang Zhuo (張著), to Shannan East, honoring Liang with the honorary title as chancellor, creating his wife as a lady, bestowing on him an iron certificate (guaranteeing that he would not be put to death), and summoning him to Chang'an. He also accepted Liang's prior recommendation that one of the officers he favored, Lin Gao (藺杲), be made the prefect of Deng Prefecture (鄧州, in modern Nanyang). After Zhang arrived at Xiang Prefecture, Liang hesitated about what to do, as did Lin, who did not dare to accept the post without Liang's approval. Liang, after some thought, wept in Zhang's presence but still refused to visit Chang'an.

In reaction, Emperor Dezong created Li Xilie the Prince of Nanping and put in him charge of the operations against Liang. Meanwhile, Liang launched a preemptive attack against Jiangling, hoping to capture it and gain access to the south. However, he was defeated at Siwang (四望, in modern Xiangfan) and retreated back to Xiang Prefecture. He gathered his troops and concentrated them in Xiang and Deng Prefectures, while Li Xilie gathered the forces and headed northwest on the Han River toward Xiang Prefecture. Liang attacked some of Li Xilie's troops stationed at Linhan (臨漢, near Xiang Prefecture), slaughtering them, but subsequently, when Li Xilie's main troops arrived, Liang's generals Zhai Hui (翟暉) and Du Shaocheng (杜少誠) was defeated by Li Xilie at Man River (蠻水, flowing through modern Xiangfan) and then Shukou (疎口, also in modern Xiangfan). Zhai and Du surrendered to Li Xilie, and Li Xilie ordered them to take their troops to enter Xiangyang (the capital of Xiang Prefecture) first. Liang ordered resistance, but his troops opened the gates and fled outside. Liang, seeing no escape, committed suicide with his wife and children by jumping into a well. Li Xilie took his body out from the well, cut off the head, and sent it to Chang'an. Li Xilie also slaughtered Liang's relatives and friends, as well as 3,000 soldiers who had participated in the Battle of Linhan.