Duan Ning

Duan Ning (段凝) (died November 8, 928?), né Duan Mingyuan (段明遠), known as Li Shaoqin (李紹欽) during the reign of Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (Li Cunxu), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Liang and Later Tang. He became an official under Later Liang's founder Zhu Wen (Zhu Quanzhong) based on his sister's being a concubine to Emperor Taizu, and later became a major general during the reign of Later Liang's last emperor Zhu Zhen. The failure in his ambitious plan to counterattack against Later Liang's northern rival Later Tang enabled Later Tang to defeat and conquer Later Liang, but despite such failure, he became a trusted general under Later Tang's founder Emperor Zhuangzong as well. After Emperor Zhuangzong's own fall and death, and succession by his adoptive brother Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang (Li Siyuan), Emperor Mingzong exiled Duan and later forced him to commit suicide.

It is not known when Duan Mingyuan was born, but it is known that his family was from Kaifeng. It was said that he was intelligent and capable of strategies when he was young. At some point, he became a chief secretary at the county government of Mianchi (澠池, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), but abandoned his post to serve Zhu Quanzhong, then a powerful warlord and military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng) — notwithstanding the fact that his father had previously served Zhu but had been exiled after being accused of faults.

Because Duan Mingyuan was intelligent and because his younger sister was a concubine of Zhu Quanzhong's, after Zhu Quanzhong established Later Liang (as its Emperor Taizu), he began to value Duan's advice more. In 909, when he was serving as one of Zhu's attendants, he was made a general of the imperial guards and one of the monitors of the army against Later Liang's archenemy to the north, Jin. In 910, he was made the prefect of Huai Prefecture (懷州, in modern Jiaozuo, Henan).

...
Wikipedia