Wei Gao (韋皋) (745 – September 13, 805[1]), courtesy name Chengwu (城武), formally Prince Zhongwu of Nankang (南康忠武王), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician of the Tang dynasty.
He was a long-time (from 785 to 805) military governor (Jiedushi) of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) who was most known for his campaigns against Tibetan empire and his reopening of relationship between Tang and Nanzhao.
[3] In 782, during the reign of Emperor Daizong's son Emperor Dezong, when the chancellor Zhang Yi was made the military governor (Jiedushi) of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi),[4] he invited Wei to serve on his staff as an assistant overseeing military farming, and also put Wei in charge of the army stationed at Long Prefecture (隴州, in modern Baoji).
The Jingyuan soldiers supported Zhang Yi's predecessor as military governor of Fengxiang Circuit, Zhu Ci as their leader.
[3] Under the suggestion of the chancellor Xiao Fu, he also considered Wei as a possible replacement for Chen Shaoyou (陳少遊) as the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), but did not actually do so.
He also seek to aid the effort persuading Ju Nashi (苴那時), the chieftain of Nanzhao's neighbor Wudeng Tribe (勿鄧), to serve as a go-between.
[10] In 789, Wei sent his officer Cao Youdao (曹有道), in conjunction with forces of Dongman and Lianglinman (兩林蠻, located in modern Liangshan), attacked Tufan's Qinghai (青海) and Lacheng (臘城) Circuits (both located southeast of Qinghai Lake), and the forces battled at Xi Prefecture (雟州, in modern Liangshan).
Wei had the Yimouxun's emissaries escorted to Chang'an and then back to Nanzhao, sending with them his officer Cui Zuoshi (崔佐時) with an imperial edict and his own letter.
To reward Wei, Emperor Dezong gave him honorary titles of acting Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies) as well as Zhongshu Ling (中書令), and created him the Prince of Nankang.
Meanwhile, Emperor Shunzong's close associate Wang Shuwen became powerful, and Wei sent his deputy military governor, Liu Pi, to Chang'an, to meet with Wang, requesting that Wei be put in charge of not only Xichuan, but also two neighboring circuits — Dongchuan (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang, Sichuan) and Shannan West (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi).
If you give him the Three Chuans [(i.e., Xichuan, Dongchuan, and Shannan West)], he will support you to his death, and if you do not, he will repay you in other ways.Wang, in anger, wanted to kill Liu, but was stopped by the chancellor Wei Zhiyi.
[3] Wei's petition was followed by those from two other senior military governors, Pei Jun (裴均) and Yan Shou (嚴綬), which much shocked Wang's partisans.
Even today [(i.e., during Sima's time)], the people treated him as a Tudi [(i.e., local god)], and the households all have his pictures on the wall to offer sacrifices to.