return to Jingnan. Emperor Zhuangzong, however, was considering detaining Gao at Luoyang. The emperor's chief of staff Guo Chongtao urged against it, pointing out that the other military governors, at most, had only sent sons, brothers, or staff members to pay homage, and that only Gao had come himself; Guo believed that detaining Gao would send the wrong message. Emperor Zhuangzong therefore allowed him to leave. When Gao reached Xu Prefecture (許州, in modern Xuchang, Henan), he commented, "This trip contained two mistake: The first mistake was that I came; the second mistake was that he let me leave." When he went through Xiang Prefecture, Kong Qing held a feast for him, but at night, Gao cut open the lock on the city gate and escaped. When he reached Jiangling, he held Liang Zhen's hands and said, "I did not accept your suggestion, and I was almost caught in a tiger's mouth." He further spoke with his staff members and criticized Emperor Zhuangzong: Gao then further built up the city's defenses and food storage, and he welcomed old Later Liang soldiers into his army, preparing for an eventual defensive war. In 924, Emperor Zhuangzong bestowed the even greater honorary chancellor title of Shangshu Ling () on Gao and created him the Prince of Nanping. In fall 925, Emperor Zhuangzong launched a major attack on Former Shu, intending to destroy it. He made his son Li Jiji the Prince of Wei the titular commander of the operations, with Guo as Li Jiji's deputy and the one in actual charge of the military operations. As part of the division of responsibilities among Later Tang vassals, Emperor Zhuangzong gave Gao the title of commander of southeastern operations and ordered him to attack and take Kui, Zhong, and Wan Prefectures to add to his own territory. Gao left his son Gao Conghui in charge of Jiangling and headed west on the Yangtze. He thereafter was hampered by a large iron chain that the Former Shu general Zhang Wu () set up to defend the Three Gorges. He tried to send soldiers to destroy the chain, but Zhang attacked and defeated him, forcing him to retreat back to Jiangling. However, soon thereafter, Zhang heard news that Li Jiji and Guo had crushed the main Former Shu resistance force, and so send messengers to submit to Li Jiji. When, soon thereafter, Gao heard news that Wang