Li Jiang (李絳; 764 – March 8, 830[1]), courtesy name Shenzhi (深之), formally Duke Zhen of Zhao Commandery (趙郡貞公), was a Chinese politician during the Tang dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.
[4] After Li Jiang passed the imperial examinations, including a special examination in grand speech, he was made Xiaoshu Lang (校書郎), a copyeditor at the archival bureau, and later served as the sheriff of Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi).
In 809, during a drought, Li Jiang and fellow imperial scholar Bai Juyi made several recommendations—decreasing taxes, decreasing the number of ladies in waiting, disallowing regional governors from submitting tributes (so that they would not extract wealth from the people), and the banning of slave-capture in the southern regions of the realm.
Li Jiang and the other imperial scholars opposed, pointing out that Chengde would be more difficult of a target than Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan), then ruled by Wu Shaoyang.
However, when Li Jiang continued to criticize Tutu for interfering in political matters, Emperor Xianzong became angry on one occasion.
[6] In winter 811, Emperor Xianzong made Li Jiang Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau, and de facto chancellor with the title Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), because he had heard that Li Jifu, as chancellor, often based his decisions on his personal likes and dislikes.
[6] Also in 812, Tian Ji'an the military governor of Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had also had de facto independence from the imperial government, died.
Also at Li Jiang's suggestion, Emperor Xianzong commissioned a project to put fields in the border Zhenwu (振武, headquartered in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) and Tiande (天德, headquartered in modern Bayan Nur, Inner Mongolia) Circuits to use.
It was said that after some four years, a large amount of fields were created, greatly reducing the expenses of shipping food to the border defense troops.
Emperor Xianzong initially agreed with Li Jiang, but due to the eunuchs' opposition did not actually carry out the plan.
Meanwhile, in fall 813, when Li Guangjin (李光進) the military governor of Zhenwu requested permission to reconstruct the walls of the Eastern Surrender Fort (東受降城, in modern Hohhot), which had been destroyed by a Yellow River flood in 812, Emperor Xianzong, at Li Jifu's suggestion, instead sent the soldiers originally stationed at the Eastern Surrender Fort to Tiande Circuit, despite the objections of Li Jiang and Lu Tan (盧坦) that the Eastern Surrender Fort was a strategically important spot that the Tang armies should continue to station.
(However, it was also said that Emperor Xianzong, in doing so, was keenly aware of the long-running feud between Li Jiang and Tutu Chengcui.
It was said that Li Jiang despised wicked individuals without compromise, and there was an incident in which, on the street, the deputy chief imperial censor Wang Bo (王播), despite being less senior in rank, refused to yield to him, leading to Li Jiang initiating a debate on whether the deputy chief imperial censor needed to yield to a Pushe.
In 828, he was made the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and the mayor of its capital Xingyuan Municipality (興元),[2] and he was created the Duke of Zhao Commandery.
When the soldiers went to bid farewell to the eunuch monitor of the army, Yang Shuyuan (楊叔元), Yang, who had long resented Li Jiang for not respecting him, wanted to incite a mutiny against Li Jiang, and therefore aroused their anger by pointing out how little they received.
Li Jiang, who did not expect this to happen, could not defend against the attack, but when his staff members suggested that he flee the city, he refused, pointing out that as the commander of the region, he could not abandon it.
[13] Yang submitted a false report accusing Li Jiang of having caused the mutiny by embezzling the salary of the soldiers.
The imperial officials defended Li Jiang, and Kong Minxing (孔敏行) submitted a report on how Yang incited the mutiny.
When the new military governor, Wen Zao (溫造), arrived at Shannan West, he led these mutineers into a trap by holding a feast for them, and then slaughtering them, offering their heads to Li Jiang and the staff members as sacrifices.