campaign over their opposition, putting Zhang in overall command of the operations, which ended in utter failure in 891, at great losses to the imperial government, which was forced to pardon Li Keyong. In 892, with Yang Fugong, who had a falling out with Emperor Zhaozong, having started a rebellion against the imperial government at Shannan West with his adoptive nephew Yang Shouliang (Yang Fuguang's adoptive son), Li Maozhen, Wang Xingyu, Han Jian the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), Wang Xingyu's brother Wang Xingyue (王行約) the military governor of Kuangguo Circuit (匡國, headquartered in modern Weinan as well), and Li Maozhen's brother Li Maozhuang (李茂莊) the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Tianshui, Gansu) all petitioned Emperor Xizong to declare a general campaign against the Yangs and put Li Maozhen in charge of the overall operations. Emperor Xizong initially was apprehensive that if Li Maozhen defeated the Yangs, he would seize Shannan West and be even harder to control, and so ordered peace negotiations, but Li Maozhen and Wang Xingyu, ignoring the orders, started attacking Yang Shouliang on their own. Li Maozhen further wrote arrogant letters to Du and Ximen Junsui (西門君遂) the new commander of the Shence Armies. Emperor Zhaozong was forced to relent and agree to put Li Maozhen in charge of the operations. By the end of the year, Li Maozhen had defeated the Yangs, who were arrested in flight by Han and delivered to Chang'an to be executed. Death at Li Maozhen's insistence In the aftermaths of LI Maozhen's victory over the Yangs, however, as Emperor Zhaozong feared, he became even more arrogant in his communications with the imperial government. In spring 893, after he sent a petition stating that he wanted to be the military governor of Shannan West—i.e., intending to control both Fengxiang and Shannan West—Emperor Zhaozong issued an edict transferring Li Maozhen to Shannan West while naming the chancellor Xu Yanruo the new military governor of Fengxiang, while trying to placate Li Maozhen by also giving him Wuding Circuit (武定, headquartered in modern Hanzhong as well). Li Maozhen, disappointed, refused, and further submitted disrespectful and threatening petitions to Emperor Zhaozong, while also writing threatening letters to Du. In anger, Emperor Zhaozong wanted to declare a general campaign against Li Maozhen. Du, pointing out that the imperial armies were no longer, at this point, of