Yang Zhicheng

Yang Zhicheng (Chinese: 楊志誠; died 835?) was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, ruling Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) as its military governor (Jiedushi) in de facto independence from the imperial government from 831 to 834.

Virtually nothing is known about Yang Zhicheng's background, including when he was born or where his family was from. It is known that as of 831, Yang Zhicheng served as the deputy commander of the headquarters guards at Lulong Circuit, serving under the military governor Li Zaiyi.

On a day in spring 831, when Li Zaiyi was feasting with an imperial messenger, Yang Zhicheng and a group of soldiers he gathered started a disturbance. Li Zaiyi and his son fled to Yi Prefecture (易州, in modern Baoding, Hebei), in neighboring Yiwu Circuit (義武). As part of his takeover, Yang also killed the prefect of Mo Prefecture (莫州, in modern Cangzhou, Hebei), Zhang Qingchu (張慶初). Then-reigning Emperor Wenzong was initially concerned and considered his options, but at the urging of the chancellor Niu Sengru, who pointed out that for decades, Lulong had, in effect, not been under the control of the imperial government, and that Li Zaiyi himself had taken control of the circuit without imperial input. Emperor Wenzong thus allowed Yang to remain in control of the circuit and made him acting military governor (留後, Liuhou). Later in the year, Emperor Wenzong made Yang military governor.

As of 833, in addition to being military governor, Yang Zhicheng also carried the honorary title of acting minister of public works (工部尚書, Gongbu Shangshu). In 833, apparently, he demanded greater honor from the imperial government; in response, the imperial government bestowed the honorary title of acting minister of civil service affairs (吏部尚書, Libu Shangshu) on him. His representative at the capital Chang'an, the officer Xu Di (徐迪), arrogantly informed the chancellors, "The soldiers do not understand the system of offices at the imperial government. They only know that it is a promotion to go from being a minister to being Pushe [(僕射, the head of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng)], and they do not know that it is also a promotion to go from the ministry of public works to the ministry of civil service affairs. I fear that when the imperial messenger goes, he will not be able to leave." However, the chancellors took no heed of Xu's threat. Subsequently, when the imperial messengers Wei Baoyi (魏寶義), Jiao Fengluan (焦奉鸞), and Yin Shigong (尹士恭) arrived at Lulong, to announce Yang's new commission, to deliver the spring uniforms to the soldiers, and to conduct an embassy to the Xi and Khitan tribes, Yang detained them. Yang then sent the officer Wang Wenying (王文穎) to Chang'an, formally to thank for the honors and declining them; when the imperial government responded by giving Wang the commission certificate for the minister of civil service affairs, as well as a reply refusing to allow Yang to decline, Wang refused to accept them and left Chang'an without taking them. Eventually, the imperial government placated him later that year by naming him Pushe.

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Wikipedia