For most of Emperor Mingzong's reign, An was the most powerful figure at court, making key military and political decisions that, in his eyes, sought to strengthen the authority of the Later Tang imperial state.
It is not known when An Chonghui was born, but it is known that his family was from Ying Prefecture (應州, in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi)[4] and that his ancestors were tribal chiefs in the region.
[5] His father An Fuqian (安福遷) was known for ferocity in battle and became an officer under the late-Tang dynasty major warlord Li Keyong (founder of Jin) the military governor (jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).
[9] However, by 926, the Later Tang realm was overrun by mutinies after Emperor Zhuangzong had, without good cause, executed two of the major generals, Guo Chongtao and Zhu Youqian.
Meng was also acting fairly independently as the military governor of Xichuan Circuit, as he refused to yield tax revenues to the imperial administration.
Meng subsequently had Li executed, and another officer, Zhu Hongzhao, whom An sent to Dongchuan to serve as Dong's deputy military governor for a similar reason, fled back to Luoyang.
Emperor Mingzong subsequently gave An the additional title of mayor of Henan Municipality (河南, i.e., the Luoyang region).
In 929, there was an incident where Emperor Mingzong sent his attendants Wu Zhaoyu (烏昭遇) and Han Mei (韓玫) as emissaries to Wuyue.
[12] An, around the same time, was continuing to prepare for the possibility of confrontation with Meng and Dong, by carving out territories from their circuits—with Li Renju (李仁矩) serving as the military governor of Baoning Circuit (保寧, headquartered in modern Nanchong, Sichuan), Xia Luqi (夏魯奇) serving as the military governor of Wuxin Circuit (武信, headquartered in modern Suining, Sichuan), and An's brother-in-law Wu Qianyu (武虔裕) serving as the prefect of Mian Prefecture (綿州, in modern Mianyang), each reinforced with soldiers from the imperial army.
Despite their prior rivalry, Meng and Dong entered into an alliance and prepared to jointly fight the Later Tang imperial government.
[1] Meanwhile, An Chonghui continuously accused Li Congke, who was then the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), but Emperor Mingzong took no heed.
[1] Around this time, the officers Li Xingde (李行德) and Zhang Jian (張儉) induced one Bian Yanwen (邊彥溫) to falsely accuse An of planning a rebellion and doing so by requesting the command of an army to attack Wu.
The generals An Congjin and Yao, however, vouched for An Chonghui, so Emperor Mingzong executed Bian (and later, after discovering Li's and Zhang's parts in this false report, them as well).
)[14] When An thereafter, in fall 930, sent the officer Xun Xian'ai (荀咸乂) to reinforce Baoning's capital Lang Prefecture (閬州), Dong publicly declared his rebellion, and he and Meng joined their forces to prepare to attack Baoning, Wuxin, and Zhaowu (昭武, headquartered in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan) Circuits, which were loyal to the imperial government.
[1] By this point, however, due to An's lengthy hold on power, he had created many political enemies, and both Consort Wang and the eunuch Meng Hanqiong were repeatedly accusing An of faults.
Still, he considered replacing An with Fan Yanguang, who, however, persuaded Emperor Mingzong that An needed to remain, as did Zhao, despite Feng's view that An could only protect himself by resigning.
[1] Before An could actually reach the frontline, in spring 931, he stopped at Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), whose military governor, Zhu Hongzhao, had received the post due to his relationship with An.
However, before he could reach there, Emperor Mingzong issued an edict making him the military governor of Huguo, thus preventing his return to Luoyang, despite Zhao's attempt at interceding for him.
Emperor Mingzong also restored Qian Liu's offices, blaming the tension between the Later Tang imperial government and the Wuyue king on An.
On the same day, An's sons An Chongzan (安重贊) and An Chongxu (安重緒), fearing of what might happen next, fled their imperial government posts and headed to Hezhong.
Emperor Mingzong, apparently fearing that An might resist, commissioned his nephew Li Congzhang (李從璋) as the new military governor of Huguo, while sending Yao Yanchou with an army heading for Hezhong.
[1] Emperor Mingzong also sent the official Zhai Guangye (翟光鄴), who had long resented An, to Hezhong, to monitor the situation, stating to him, "If An Chonghui has wrongful intentions, then kill him."
Shortly after, Emperor Mingzong issued an edict, accusing An of the crimes of alienating Meng Zhixiang, Dong Zhang, and Qian from the imperial government, as well as planning to take command of an army in attacking Wu and summoning his two sons back to Huguo.