[2] As of 880, he was serving as the military governor of Taining Circuit, when then-reigning Emperor Xizong ordered the troops of several eastern circuits to be stationed at Yin River (溵水, a major branch of the Shaying River), and Qi Kerang's Taining troops to be stationed at Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Pingdingshan, Henan), to block off the northwestward advance by the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao.
[3] In fall 880, Huang arrived in the region and, due to sheer numerical advantages (150,000 to 6,000), defeated Qi Kerang's colleague Cao Quanzhen (曹全晸) the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong).
Further, around the same time, Xue Neng (薛能) the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan) was killed in a mutiny led by Zhou Ji.
[4] After his failure against Huang Chao, Qi Kerang appeared to have returned to Taining, for he was still referred to as the military governor of Taining in 885 (by which time Huang Chao had been defeated and Emperor Xizong had returned to Chang'an) when, as the result of a major dispute between the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi and Wang Chongrong the military governor of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Tian tried to transfer Wang to Taining, Qi to Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), and Wang Chucun the military governor of Yiwu to Hezhong.
Wang Chucun defended Wang Chongrong in a petition, while Wang Chongrong gathered his troops and, along with his ally Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), defeated those of Tian and Tian's allies Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi).