[2][3]), courtesy name Yingzhi (瑩之), known early in his army career as Du Yanqiu (杜晏球), known from 923 to 926 as Li Shaoqian (李紹虔), was a general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period states Later Liang and Later Tang.
[1] In his youth, much of the Luoyang region was overrun by agrarian rebellions, and he was taken captive by the army of one of the rebels, Qin Zongquan.
[2] In 909, by which time Zhu Quanzhong had seized the Tang throne and established his own Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu, Du Yanqiu was given a general title.
Emperor Zhuangzong took this opportunity to slide past Duan's army, defeat the weaker prong of the Later Liang attack commanded by Wang Yanzhang and Zhang Hanjie (張漢傑, brother of Zhu Zhen's deceased wife Consort Zhang), and head directly for Later Liang's undefended capital Daliang (i.e., Bian Prefecture).
However, prior to his suicide, he had sent messengers to Duan, ordering him to immediately return to Daliang to defend against the Later Tang attack.
Upon hearing of Zhu Zhen's death, Du surrendered to the Later Tang officer Li Congke at Fengqiu (封丘, in modern Xinxiang, Henan).
He subsequently bestowed the imperial clan surname of Li on Du Yanqiu and also gave him a new name of Shaoqian.
[2] By 926, the Later Tang realm was overrun with mutinies after he had killed the major generals Guo Chongtao and Zhu Youqian, angering the troops.
One of the main mutinies was led by another major general, Emperor Zhuangzong's adoptive brother Li Siyuan.
[8] For his contributions to Emperor Mingzong's rebellion, he was made the military governor of Guide Circuit (歸德, headquartered in modern Shangqiu, Henan).
[2] In 927, Emperor Mingzong made Wang the deputy commander of the army in the north, defending against the Khitan,[9] stationed at Mancheng (滿城, in modern Baoding).
Wang Du also feared the fact that Later Tang imperial troops were repeatedly passing through his circuit due to Khitan incursions, believing that he might himself be attacked one day.
For this accomplishment, Wang Yanqiu was made the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong) and given the honorary chancellor designation of Shizhong (侍中).
[9] Shortly after, Wang Yanqiu was moved to Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shandong) and given the honorary chancellor designation of Zhongshu Ling (中書令).