[5] He was described as "from Boye" (博野, in modern Baoding, Hebei) — but was clearly not born there, as his family had, for generations, belonged to the Boye Army, which originally belonged to Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) that had its origins from Boye, but which had been stationed near the Tang imperial capital Chang'an ever since its commander Li Huan (李寰) refused to submit to Wang Tingcou, who had seized Chengde Circuit and rebelled against the imperial government, as Li Huan eventually fought his way out of attacks by Wang and took his army to the Chang'an region.
[5][6] Song Wentong apparently became an officer in the Boye Army, which was then stationed at Fengtian (奉天, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), in his youth.
When the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao captured Chang'an around the new year 881 and forced then-reigning Emperor Xizong (Emperor Xuānzong's grandson) to flee to Chengdu, the Boye Army moved to Fengxiang Circuit and followed the orders of Fengxiang's military governor (Jiedushi), the former chancellor Zheng Tian.
[8] In 886, Emperor Xizong, who had returned to Chang'an after Huang's defeat, was again forced to flee Chang'an, to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) after his trusted eunuch advisor Tian Lingzi got into a confrontation with the warlords Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) and was subsequently defeated by Wang Chongrong and Li Keyong.
Two other warlords, Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang) and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang, who had previously been allied with Tian, turned against Emperor Xizong as well and supported his distant relative Li Yun the Prince of Xiang as a rival emperor at Chang'an.
In response, Emperor Xizong sent Song, Li Chan (李鋋), and Chen Pei (陳佩) to station themselves at Mount Datang (大唐峰, in modern Hanzhong) to defend against Wang Xingyu.
Wang Xingyu was unable to advance and later, after enticement by Tian's successor and the leading eunuch Yang Fugong, turned against Zhu and killed him.
Subsequently, Emperor Xizong made Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang and gave him the honorary chancellor title of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
Emperor Zhaozong bestowed a number of honors on military governors, including the greater honorary chancellor title of Shizhong (侍中) on Li Maozhen.
[11] In spring 892, Li Maozhen reacted by submitting a joint petition with his older brother Li Maozhuang (李茂莊) the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui, Gansu) and allies Wang Xingyu (who had been made the military governor of Jingnan), Han Jian the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), and Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue (王行約) the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan as well), requesting that a campaign be launched against the Yangs and that Li Maozhen be made the commander of the operations.
Emperor Zhaozong, concerned that if Li Maozhen defeated the Yangs, he would be even more difficult to control, initially ordered that the sides negotiate.
Meanwhile, seeing an opening to further expand his influence when Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) and Gu Yanhui the acting military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang), who were previously allies, had a break (over Wang's apparent attempt to take over Dongchuan), Li Maozhen also recommended to Emperor Zhaozong that Gu be made full military governor; Emperor Zhaozong followed that recommendation.
[12] In fall 893, Emperor Zhaozong launched his campaign, putting Li Sizhou (李嗣周) the Prince of Qin in command of a 30,000-men army to escort Xu to Fengxiang.
Emperor Zhaozong also formally made Li Maozhen the military governor of both Fengxiang and Shannan West, as well as acting Zhongshu Ling (中書令).
In spring 894, he went to Chang'an, ostensibly to pay tribute to Emperor Zhaozong, but used the chance to put on a demonstration of the grandeur of his guard troops.
Eventually, in their attempt to flee to Li Keyong's Hedong Circuit, they were intercepted by Han Jian's troops and delivered to Chang'an to be executed.
By winter 895, Wang Xingyu abandoned his capital Bin Prefecture and fled; he was killed in flight by his own officers; his head was delivered to Chang'an and presented to Emperor Zhaozong.
At Li Keyong's recommendations, Emperor Zhaozong commissioned the imperial guard general Su Wenjian (蘇文建) to be the new military governor of Jingnan.
However, as Han gained great influence over the affairs of the court by virtue of his own army's presence at Hua and had long been an ally of Li Maozhen's, he dissuaded Emperor Zhaozong from launching such a campaign.
)[14] Meanwhile, though, at this point, with Wang Jian continuing to pressure Gu Yanhui and Li Maozhen's being unable to face Wang on one side and the imperial government on the other, and with Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) repairing the palace at Luoyang and repeatedly requesting Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital there, he and Han Jian decided to have their soldiers jointly repair the palace and the imperial offices at Chang'an to beg Emperor Zhaozong for forgiveness.
The eunuch commanders of the imperial Shence Army, Liu Jishu and Wang Zhongxian (王仲先), as well as the eunuch directors of palace communications Wang Yanfan (王彥範) and Xue Qiwo (薛齊偓), jointly deposed him and declared his son Li Yu, Prince of De the Crown Prince the new emperor.
However, in 901, the Shence Army officers Sun Dezhao (孫德昭), Zhou Chenghui (周承誨), and Dong Yanbi (董彥弼) carried out a countercoup, killing the four top eunuchs and restoring Emperor Zhaozong to the throne.
In summer 902, Li Maozhen tried to take back the initiative by gathering his own troops and exiting the city, to engage Zhu at Guo County (虢縣, in modern Baoji), but was defeated at the loss of thousands of his men.
[15] In fall 902, Zhu, with his army troubled by rains and illnesses, considered withdrawing, but was dissuaded by his officers Liu Zhijun and Gao Jichang.
Li Maozhen, Li Keyong, Yang Wo the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) the Prince of Hongnong, and Wang Jian refused to acknowledge the Later Liang emperor, but after Wang judged it impossible for Tang to be rebuilt, he declared himself the emperor of a new state of Former Shu.
)[3] Later in 908, Qi and Former Shu forces jointly tried to capture Chang'an, and Jin also sent an army commanded by the eunuch general Zhang Chengye.
He therefore surrendered to Qi and made a surprise attack on Chang'an, capturing it and delivering Liu Han to Fengxiang to be executed.
Upon hearing the news, Li Maozhen sent emissaries to congratulate Emperor Zhuangzong, but in the letter used an arrogant tone, considering himself an uncle.
Li Maozhen, in fear, submitted another petition in which he requested that he be allowed to be a simple subject — in other words, that Emperor Zhuangzong no longer omit his name in edicts.
He subsequently created Li Maozhen the Prince of Qin, still not referring to him by name and still not requiring him to bow to the imperial emissaries sent to declare this new creation.