headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) (whose territory became Wu), and Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) (whose territory became Former Shu), refused to recognize the Later Liang emperor, and thereafter was effectively the ruler of his own state of Jin (as he had been previously created the Prince of Jin by Emperor Zhaozong). Shortly thereafter, the Later Liang emperor sent the general Kang Huaizhen () to put Lu Prefecture under siege. After a conventional siege failed to capture the city after half a month, Kang built a centipede-like encampment around the city to try to starve it while also using it defensively against any Hedong relief troops. Li Keyong subsequently sent Zhou to command a relief army to try to lift the siege, but while both Li Sizhao and Zhou were able to disrupt the siege operations, Kang's encampment held, and Zhou was unable to lift the siege. By spring 908, with Li Keyong having fallen gravely ill, Zhou withdrew to Luanliu (亂柳, in modern Changzhi). Li Keyong entrusted his oldest biological son, Li Cunxu, whom he designated as his heir, to his brother Li Kening, the eunuch monitor of the army Zhang Chengye, the officers Li Cunzhang and Wu Gong (), and the secretary Lu Zhi (). Before dying, he stated to Li Cunxu: Li Keyong, knowing that there was a rivalry between Li Sizhao and Zhou, also told Li Cunxu: Li Keyong then died, and Li Cunxu succeeded him as the Prince of Jin. Service under Li Cunxu It was said that, because of the siege, Lu Prefecture was in a precarious position, with its supplies nearly exhausted. During the siege, on an occasion when Li Sizhao held a feast on the city walls for his officers, a stray arrow hit Li Sizhao's foot, but Li Sizhao, without expressing any commotions, quietly removed the arrow, such that no one realized that he was injured. Several times, Later Liang's Emperor Taizu, who had himself joined the siege, sent messengers with his edicts to try to persuade Li Sizhao to surrender; each time, Li Sizhao executed the messenger and burned Emperor Taizu's edict. Eventually, Emperor Taizu, believing that Lu Prefecture would fall anyway soon without aid (as Zhou Dewei had by that point withdrawn back to Taiyuan, to pay tribute to the new prince), left the siege, and further had his general