Chen Jingxuan (陳敬瑄) (d. April 26, 893[1][2]) was a general of the Tang dynasty of China, who came to control Xichuan Circuit (西川), headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan by virtue of his being an older brother of the eunuch Tian Lingzi, who controlled the court of Emperor Xizong during most of Emperor Xizong's reign.
He was eventually defeated and killed by Wang Jian, who took over his territory and later founded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Former Shu.
Tian, therefore, had Chen come to the imperial capital Chang'an and made him an officer in the eunuch-commanded Left Shence Army (左神策軍), promoting him all the way to being a major general within a span of a few years.
Tian Lingzi was beginning to fear the possibility that Huang or another agrarian rebel may attack Chang'an, and therefore made a contingency plan to flee to the Shu (蜀, i.e., modern Sichuan and Chongqing) region.
He recommended Chen and three other Left Shence Army generals that he trusted, Yang Shili, Niu Xu (牛勗), and Luo Yuangao (羅元杲) as potential military governors (Jiedushi) for the three circuits covering the region—Xichuan, Dongchuan (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan), and Shannan West (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi).
A sorcerer from Qingcheng (青城, in modern Chengdu) thus falsely claimed that he was Chen; he arrived at government offices and began making orders.
[4] Around the new year 881, Huang captured Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xizong to flee to Shannan West's capital Xingyuan (興元), to be protected by Niu.
Meanwhile, in summer 882, Emperor Xizong bestowed the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on him,[7] and also created him the Duke of Liang and made his brother Chen Jingxun a prefectural prefect.
Meanwhile, another rebellion led by Han Xiusheng (韓秀升) and Qu Xingcong (屈行從) rose in the Three Gorges region and cut off the supply route for Xichuan from the east.
[8] In winter 882, as the Qian rebellion had by that point grown and entered Shu Prefecture (蜀州, in modern Chengdu), Chen replaced Yang with Gao Renhou.
[8] In spring 883, with Zhuang repeatedly defeated by Han and Qu, cutting off all supplies from the east, Chen sent Gao to the Three Gorges region to attack them.
After Zheng's resignation, Chen was given the honorary chancellor title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令) and created the Prince of Yingchuan.
In spring 884, Tian, knowing Yang's displeasure and worried that he would act militarily, ordered that he be recalled to the imperial government to serve as You Pushe (右僕射)—a highly honored position that carried few actual responsibilities.
Gao defeated Yang's officer Zheng Junxiong (鄭君雄) and put Dongchuan's capital Zi Prefecture (梓州) under siege.
[9] After Emperor Xizong returned to Chang'an, Tian Lingzi continued to be in control of the imperial government, and he had Chen Jingxuan be officially made the overall overseer of not only Xichuan, but of also Dongchuan, Shannan West, and the Three Gorges region.
In a subsequent military confrontation between the forces of Wang and Wang's ally Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) and the forces of Tian (i.e., the Shence Armies) and his allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Changyan's brother and successor Li Changfu, Tian and his allies were decisively defeated, causing Tian to again take Emperor Xizong and abandon Chang'an, fleeing to Xingyuan.
[9] By winter 887, Chen had become concerned that Gu and the former Shence Army officer Wang Jian—who had previously become an adopted son of Tian's but who had by this point seized Lang Prefecture (閬州, in modern Nanchong, Sichuan) without imperial approval—would ally with each other (as they had become friendly during their service together in the Shence Armies) and attack him.
Emperor Zhaozong therefore made the chancellor Wei Zhaodu the new military governor of Xichuan and issued an order recalling Chen to serve as a major general of the Shence Armies.
)[5] Emperor Zhaozong commissioned Wei as the overall commander against Chen, with Yang Shouliang the military governor of Shannan West, Gu Yanlang, and Wang assisting, and carved out four prefectures of Xichuan to establish a new Yongping Circuit (永平, headquartered at Qiong Prefecture), making Wang the military governor of Yongping.
Wang left his assistant Zhang Lin (張琳) in control at Qiong and returned to Chengdu, resuming the siege there.
It was said that, in light of the resistance war that he was waging against the imperial government, Chen increased the tax burden greatly and imposed cruel punishments for those who hid assets, causing the people much grief.
By this point, though, Chengdu, under siege, was suffering from a serious famine that caused people of the city to resort to cannibalism, and Wang was unwilling to give up the campaign.