It is not known when Kong Qian was born, but it is known that he was from Wei Prefecture (魏州, in modern Handan, Hebei).
[3] At some point prior to the surrender of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered at Wei Prefecture) to Jin in 915 — i.e., at a time when Tianxiong belonged to Jin's archrival Later Liang — Kong became the accounting officer at Wei Prefecture.
Apparently impressed with Kong Qian's abilities, Li made him the officer in charge of the treasury.
For the next eight years (until 923, when Later Liang fell), as the Jin and Later Liang forces battled on the Yellow River border, it was said that despite Tianxiong's war-ravaged status, Kong made sure that the Jin army never lacked money or food, but as a result of his high taxations and other means of wresting wealth from the people, the people of Tianxiong came to bear a heavy resentment for the prince.
[5] In 924, Kong argued to Guo that because Doulu's position as chancellor already required him to carry out many duties, his work as the director of material pricing was getting backlogged.
When Emperor Zhuangzong asked Guo for an alternative recommendation, Guo again recommended Zhang, and Emperor Zhuangzong thus initially issued an order summoning Zhang from Xingtang to serve as director of material pricing.
[3] Kong thus went to Doulu with an alternative idea:[6] The tedious matters involving money and grains can be simply handled by a hardworking administrator.
[6] By fall 924, Kong was displeased that he was still just deputy director of material pricing, and therefore often criticized Wang before Guo.
By spring 926, particularly after Emperor Zhuangzong executed Guo and another major general, Zhu Youqian, without good cause, the Later Tang realm became overrun with mutinies.
[7] In summer 926, Emperor Zhuangzong was killed in battle at Luoyang in one of those mutinies, and one of the rebel leaders, Emperor Zhuangzong's adoptive brother Li Siyuan, quickly arrived at Luoyang and assumed (for that time) the title of regent.