Eventually, Li, unable to stand up to Zhu's military pressure, surrendered the emperor to him and slaughtered Han and the other eunuchs.
[3][4][5] Earlier (in late 900), Emperor Zhaozong had been briefly deposed and imprisoned by the eunuch commanders of the Shence Armies, Liu Jishu and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先) and the directors of palace communications Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓), but was restored in early 901 in a countercoup led by the Shence Army officers Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Dong Yanbi (董彥弼), and Zhou Chenghui (周承誨).
Li Maozhen did not want to give up the Fengxiang army's hold on the yeast monopoly, and went to Chang'an to try to dissuade Emperor Zhaozong from implementing Cui's proposal.
Emperor Zhaozong had to remove Cui from his secondary post as the director of salt and iron monopolies to placate the soldiers.
The imperial officials, led by Cui, remained at Chang'an, protected by Li Jizhao (who refused to side with the eunuchs).
In addition, Zhu attacked Li Maozhen's other holdings in the Guanzhong region, gradually forcing them to surrender to him.
Later in 901, Han sent eunuchs with edicts in Emperor Zhaozong's name, ordering the southeastern circuits to attack Zhu; those eunuchs were intercepted and killed by Feng Xingxi the military governor of Rongzhao Circuit (戎昭, headquartered in modern Ankang, Shaanxi) and never reached their destination.
Li Maozhen sought aid from Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan); Wang reacted by outwardly claiming to rebuke Zhu, but instead sending secret messengers to Zhu to encourage him to continue the campaign, while he himself attacked Li Maozhen's possessions south of the Qinling Mountains, taking them one by one.