The jiedushi (), or jiedu, was a regional military governor in China; the title was established in the Tang dynasty and abolished in the Yuan dynasty. The post of jiedushi has been translated as "military commissioner", "legate", or "regional commander". Originally introduced in 711 to counter external threats, the jiedushi were posts authorized with the supervision of a defense command often encompassing several prefectures, the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes and promote and appoint subordinates. Powerful jiedushi eventually became fanzhen rulers (de facto warlords) and overrode the power of the central government of Tang. An early example of this was An Lushan, who was appointed jiedushi of three regions, which he used to start the An Lushan Rebellion that abruptly ended the golden age of the Tang dynasty. Even after the difficult suppression of that rebellion, some jiedushi such as the Three Fanzhen of Hebei were allowed to retain their powers due to the weakened state of the court. The jiedushi were one of the primary factors which contributed to the political division of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a period marked by continuous infighting among rival kingdoms, dynasties, and regional regimes established by jiedushi. History 710s Hexi Jiedushi was created in 711 and headquartered in Liang Prefecture. It was lost to the Tibetan Empire in 766. Wang Junchuo (王君㚟), Xiao Song, Niu Xianke, Geshu Han, and Cui Xiyi (崔希逸) were jiedushi of Hexi. Longyou Jiedushi was created in 713 and headquartered in Shan Prefecture (Ledu, Qinghai). In 747, Geshu Han was appointed jiedushi of Longyou. Shuofang Jiedushi was created in 713 and headquartered in Ling Prefecture (southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia). It controlled Ordos, Ningxia, and north Shanxi. In 756 the jiedushi of Shuofang, Guo Ziyi, defeated the rebel Shi Siming in Hebei and recovered Chang'an and Luoyang from the rebels in 757. He was made Commandery Prince of Fenyang in 762 and retook Chang'an from the Tibetan Empire in 763. Shuofang was taken over by the warlord Han Zun (韓遵) in 887. Youzhou Jiedushi, also known as Fanyang Jiedushi, was created in 713. It assumed control of Lulong in 762 and controlled You, Ji, Ping, Tan, Gui, and Yan prefectures. Its territory lay primarily in Tianjin north of the Hai River and parts of Beijing. It was headquartered in Ji county (southwest of Beijing). An Lushan was promoted to jiedushi of Pinglu, Fanyang (in