Luo Shaowei (Chinese: 羅紹威; 877[1] – July 4, 910[2][3]), courtesy name Duanji (端己), formally Prince Zhenzhuang of Ye (鄴貞莊王), was a warlord who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), also known as Tianxiong Circuit (天雄), as its military governor (Jiedushi), late in the Chinese Tang dynasty and early in Tang's successor state Later Liang.
His rule over Weibo was originally largely independent, but toward the end of his life increasingly integrated with the Later Liang state, in large part due to his massacre of his unruly headquarters guard corps, which lessened the danger of an overthrow but also decreased the strength of the Weibo army and forced its reliance on the Later Liang state.
[4] In 899, Liu Rengong the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), who had ambitions of taking over the entire region north of the Yellow River, attacked Weibo with his son Liu Shouwen the military governor of Yichang Circuit (義昌, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei).
Late in the year, Emperor Zhaozong gave Luo the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事).
[9] In 905, Li Gongquan (李公佺), an officer of the Tianxiong headquarters guard corps (牙軍, Ya Jun), was plotting a mutiny.
When Luo discovered this, Li Gongquan burned some of the headquarters buildings and pillaged the city, and then fled to Yichang Circuit.
[10] Li Gongquan's mutiny caused Luo to become increasingly apprehensive of the headquarters guard corps, which had a 200-year history and had long been key players in the overthrows of past military governors.
Zhu sent his officer Ma Sixun (馬嗣勳) into the city with an apparently small contingent, claiming to be preparing for Zhu's daughter's funeral — but was in fact a much larger contingent, with soldiers hidden in the containers supposedly containing funereal supplies.
[10] The slaughter of the headquarters guard corps shocked and angered the other Tianxiong troops, despite Luo's attempt to explain to them the reasons.
A group of soldiers supported the officer Shi Renyu (史仁遇), who took over Gaotang (高唐, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong) and claimed the title of acting military governor.
However, he was quickly defeated and killed by Zhu's officers Li Zhouyi (李周彝) and Fu Daozhao (符道昭), before those circuits could aid him.
It was aid that the destruction of the headquarters guard corps ended much of the threat against Luo's rule, but the fighting abilities of the Tianxiong army was thereafter permanently damaged.
After Zhu was forced to abandon the campaign due to a rebellion by Ding Hui the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi),[10] he returned to Wei Prefecture in spring 907 and stayed there for some time to recover from an illness.
[12] In 909, Luo suffered a paralysis in his limb(s), and wrote to Emperor Taizong, in an explicit offer to surrender physical control of the circuit:[2] Wei Prefecture is an important post, surrounded by enemies.