He Hongjing () (806?/807?-865?/866?), né He Chongshun (), formally the Duke of Chu (), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who ruled Weibo Circuit (魏博, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei) as its military governor (Jiedushi) in de facto independence from the imperial government. Background It is not completely clear when He Chongshun was born, but it appeared that he was born in either 806 or 807. His father He Jintao was an officer of Weibo Circuit, and had served under the military governors Tian Hongzheng and Shi Xiancheng. In 829, when, at Shi's request, Emperor Wenzong transferred Shi to Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and divided Weibo into two circuits — Weibo, with the imperial general Li Ting () as military governor, and carving out three prefectures to have Shi's son Shi Xiaozhang () as military governor — the Weibo soldiers mutinied under He Jintao's leadership and killed Shi Xiancheng. Eventually, after He Jintao defeated Li Ting in battle, the imperial government capitulated, reversed the division of Weibo, and made He Jintao military governor. In 840, He Jintao died, and the soldiers supported He Chongshun to serve as acting military governor. Initially, the imperial government had Li Zhifang () the military governor of Hezhong and Liu Yue () the military governor of Yichang Circuit (義昌, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) write He Chongshun, encouraging him to submit control of Weibo to the imperial government and go to the capital Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Wenzong's brother and successor Emperor Wuzong, but after He Chongshun refused to follow their suggestions, relented, as Emperor Wuzong, new to the throne, did not want to fight a campaign against Weibo. Emperor Wuzong thereafter made his granduncle Li Wan () the Prince of Fu the nominal military governor of Weibo while commissioning He Chongshun the deputy military governor. In 841, Emperor Wuzong made He Chongshun the military governor. As military governor Before and during the Zhaoyi campaign In 843, Emperor Wuzong gave He Chongshun the new name of Hongjing. Also in 843, Liu Congjian the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered in modern Changzhi, Shanxi) died, and his adopted son (and biological nephew) Liu Zhen took control of Zhaoyi without imperial sanction. The lead chancellor Li Deyu, believing that He Hongjing and fellow de facto independent military governor Wang Yuankui, of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang,