[8] When the Liao general Yelü Mada (耶律麻荅) tried to attack Shi Chonggui himself directly during the campaign, Li Shouzhen intercepted and defeated him.
After the end of that campaign, Shi, while retaining him as discipline officer, also made him the military governor of Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong).
Li also drew resentment from his own soldiers by awarding them for the victory with items that they did not appreciate—such as fermented tea, dyed wood, ginger, and herbs.
[8] After his return from this campaign, Li's military governorship was moved to Guide Circuit (歸德, headquartered in modern Shangqiu, Henan).
[3] In late 945, Shi stationed Li Shouzhen and his army at Chan Prefecture (澶州, in modern Puyang, Henan), to defend against another potential Liao attack.
Sang was removed from his dual roles as chancellor and chief of staff (Shumishi) and replaced by Zhao Ying and Li Song.
Shi Chonggui sent Li to the frontier to command an army against the potential invasion, with Huangfu Yu (皇甫遇) serving as his deputy.
However, with the report apparently being a false alarm, Li, after minor border skirmishes, was returned to his position at Chan.
Zhao Yanshou wrote back (to try to lead Later Jin forces into a trap), stating, "I have long been in a foreign land, and I want to return to China.
Subsequently, under Emperor Taizong's orders, Liao's prefect of Ying Prefecture (瀛州, in modern Cangzhou), Liu Yanzuo (劉延祚), also offered to defect to Later Jin.
When Du and Li Shouzhen advanced, though, they were met by a large army that Emperor Taizong personally commanded.
As part of a countermeasure, he began to send some former-Later Jin military governors, who had gathered at Kaifeng to show allegiance to him and whom he then kept at Kaifeng (thus causing their circuits' rebellions to go unchecked) back to their circuits—including Li Shouzhen and Du Chongwei (i.e., Du Wei, whose name had been changed as part of naming taboo for Shi Chonggui, but who now changed back to Chongwei with Later Jin's having fallen).
)[3] Later in the year, the formerly Later Jin-commissioned military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), claimed imperial title, establishing a new state of Later Han.
Liu thereafter moved him to be the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and gave him the honorary chancellor title Zhongshu Ling (中書令).
Pursuant to instructions that Liu Zhiyuan left, a group of high-level officials and generals (Su Fengji, Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao, and Guo Wei) were entrusted with the responsibilities of the imperial government.
Concerned about how the campaign was turning out, the regents decided to have Guo Wei lead the imperial guards against Li and coordinate the overall operations.
Guo's subordinates, seeing this, advocated a quick siege, but Guo pointed out that Li had great battlefield credentials and that a quick attack could lead to massive casualties because of the strength of Hezhong's defenses; rather, he resolved to put Hezhong under long-term siege to drain Li's food supplies and morale.
(Li Yiyin the military governor of Dingnan Circuit did consider aiding him, but upon hearing that Hezhong was completely surrounded, withdrew.)
)[1] In spring 949, trying to take advantage of a Later Shu incursion intended to aid Wang Jingchong (who was then under siege by the Later Han general Zhao Hui (趙暉)) (as Guo had to leave Huzhong to try to aid Zhao), Li Shouzhen prepared to have his officer Wang Jixun (王繼勳) lead an attack to fight out of the siege.
Guo then entered the inner city and captured several surviving sons of Li Shouzhen's, as well as his chancellors, chief of staff, and Zonglun; they were delivered to Kaifeng and executed.