[4] In 901, the powerful eunuchs led by Han Quanhui, fearing that Emperor Zhaozong and the chancellor Cui Yin were about to slaughter them, forcibly seized Emperor Zhaozong and took him to Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), then ruled by the eunuchs' ally Li Maozhen.
Cui summoned his ally, the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) to attack Fengxiang.
However, most of the officers he sent failed in their surprise risings and were captured, except Liu, who was able to first send his soldiers disguised as oil merchants into Yan Prefecture (兗州, in modern Jining, Shandong), the capital of Taining Circuit (泰寧), to survey the situation, and then made a night time attack, seizing the city.
At that time, Taining's military governor Ge Congzhou, a major general under Zhu, was stationed at Xing Prefecture (邢州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei).
It was said that during the siege, Liu shared his clothes and food with the men under him and adhered to strict discipline, such that the remaining people were able to continue their livelihoods, untroubled by the soldiers.
However, Liu, believing that he needed to show humility before Zhu Quanzhong, opted to wear clothes fit for those waiting for punishment and to ride a donkey.
Soon thereafter, Zhu made him the acting military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi).
[8] Liu later became Baoda's military governor, but in 904, as part of Zhu's defensive realignment against a potential joint attack by Li Maozhen, Li Maozhen's adoptive son Li Jihui the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), and Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), Zhu ordered him to abandon Baoda's capital Fu Prefecture (鄜州) and withdraw with his army to Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi).
[9] In 905, Liu was made a general of the imperial guards and the commander of the police of then-capital Luoyang (as Zhu had forced Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital from Chang'an there).
[10] In 908, when the major general Liu Zhijun, then stationed at Tong Prefecture, rebelled against Emperor Taizu and aligned himself with Qi (i.e., Li Maozhen's state) and Jin (then ruled by Li Cunxu), Liu Zhijun induced Qi forces to seize Chang'an while he himself quickly seized Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan) and Tong Pass.
Emperor Taizu made Liu Xun the acting military governor of Youguo Circuit (佑國, headquartered at Chang'an).
[11] Soon thereafter, Emperor Taizu renamed the circuit to Yong'an Circuit (永安) and made Liu Xun its military governor, as well as the mayor of Da'an Municipality (大安, i.e., Chang'an) and the governor (觀察使, Guanchashi) of Jin Prefecture (金州, in modern Ankang, Shaanxi); he also bestowed the title of acting Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies) on Liu Xun.
In 910, Emperor Taizong bestowed the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事) and the title of acting Taibao (太保) on him.
In 914, he recalled Liu from Yongping and made him the mayor of Kaifeng (which Zhu Zhen made the capital), while still maintaining a military governorship — albeit an honorary one, as the military governor of Zhennan Circuit (鎮南, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi) as Zhennan then was ruled by Later Liang's rival Wu.
At the time of Yang's death, he was the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), which had a powerful army and which had thus allowed it to be largely de facto independent of the Tang imperial government for about two centuries.
Zhu Zhen's brother-in-law Zhao Yan and secretary Shao Zan (邵贊) thus suggested to him that he divide Tianxiong's six prefectures into two circuits to weaken it, to prevent it slipping out of imperial control again in the future.
)[13] Believing that he could not defeat Li Cunxu quickly and wanting to catch Jin by surprise, Liu decided to pretend that his army was still in its camp — by putting flags on the backs of donkeys and having the donkeys walk around in the camp — while he took his army and headed straight into the Taihang Mountains, intending to attack Jin's capital Taiyuan.
(During this, Liu also sent chefs to pretend to surrender to the Jin army, planning to have them poison Li Cunxu to death.
Zhu Zhen, fearing that he would defect to Jin,[14] made him the military governor of Xuanyi Circuit (宣義, headquartered at Hua Prefecture), stationing him at Liyang (黎陽, in modern Anyang).
Zhu Zhen thus stripped him of the honorary Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title and demoted him to be the military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi) of Bo Prefecture (亳州, in modern Bozhou, Anhui).
[15] Liu put Taining's capital Yan Prefecture under siege for more than a year, and Jin was unable to send an army to save Zhang.
Zhu Zhen made Liu the military governor of Taining and restored him to the honorary Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi title.
[2] In 920, Later Liang's military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Zhu Youzhen, defected and submitted to Jin.