Tian Xu (764 – May 20, 796),[1] formally the Prince of Yanmen, was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Tang dynasty who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) semi-independently from the imperial government.
At that time, his father Tian Chengsi was serving as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Weibo Circuit and ruling it semi-independently from the imperial government.
His staff members Zeng Mu (曾穆) and Lu Nanshi (盧南史) persuaded him to remain faithful to the imperial camp, pointing out that the army of Zhu's Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) had already laid waste to Weibo to the people's detriment.
[4] In 790, there were rumors that Li Na, who governed Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), whom Tian Xu's older brother Tian Chao (田朝) served under as prefect of Qi Prefecture (齊州, in modern Jinan, Shandong), was planning to escort Tian Chao back to Weibo to vie for control of Weibo Circuit.
Tian Xu feared this, and, under suggestion by his staff member Sun Guangzuo (孫光佐), he sent gifts to Li Na to please him and persuade him to send Tian Chao to Chang'an — and further suggested Li Na to accept the surrender of the prefect of Di Prefecture (棣州, in modern Binzhou, Shandong), Zhao Gao (趙鎬), who had previously submitted to Wang's Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) but who later refused to follow Wang's orders.
Tian further cemented the relationship with Li Na by sending Sun to Pinglu's headquarters at Yun Prefecture (鄆州), announcing an imperial edict (which Tian Xu had forged) declaring Di Prefecture to be part of Pinglu Circuit.
In winter 790, Emperor Dezong, wanting to put an end to the campaigns between these circuits, ordered Li Na to return Di Prefecture to Chengde; Li Na demanded that Wang return the four counties of Bei Prefecture to Weibo first.
[11] In 794, after Li Baozhen's death, his Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) fell into internal warfare between Emperor Dezong's appointed successor for Li Baozhen, Wang Qianxiu (王虔休), and Yuan Yi (元誼), the prefect of Ming Prefecture (洺州, in modern Handan).
The battles waged on for more than a year, but by spring 796, Yuan had run out of strength, and he took 5,000 soldiers, as well as their families, and fled to Wei Prefecture.
Initially, his staff members kept the death secret, and they supported Tian Ji'an, then age 14, to succeed him.