[1] The earliest reference to Xiao Han's military career was in 922, when Zhang Wenli, then in control of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), was under the attack by the army of Khitan's southern neighbor Jin and sought Khitan aid.
In 945 (by which time Emperor Taizong had changed the name of his Khitan state to Liao, and by which time central China was ruled by Later Jin), when Emperor Taizong's army was battling that of the Later Jin general Du Wei and initially prevailed, Xiao advocated having the Liao cavalry get off their horses and shooting at Du's army with bows.
[4] Xiao wanted to seize some 50 remaining Later Jin ladies in waiting from Zide Palace (滋德宮), but the eunuch in charge, Zhang Huan (張環), refused.
He decided to claim that Emperor Taizong had ordered that he turn over central China over to Li Congyi, a prince of Later Jin's predecessor state Later Tang.
)[5] As Xiao withdrew toward Liao proper, when he reached Heng Prefecture (恆州, Chengde's capital), he and another Liao general, Yelü Mada (耶律麻荅), had soldiers surround the mansion of an ethnically Han chancellor, Zhang Li, as Yelü Mada and he both bore grudges against Zhang.
As the two armies met, Empress Dowager Shulü inquired of Xiao, "What resentment do you have that you rebelled against me?"
"[1] Later, after Empress Dowager Shulü decided to capitulate based on the advice of Yelü Wuzhi (耶律屋質), Emperor Shizong was able to take the throne.