In 923, Li Cunxu, whose Jin state was then locked into a long-term military campaign against its archrival Later Liang with the Yellow River as their border, declared himself the emperor of a new Later Tang.
By 926, Li Cunxu and his wife Empress Liu had come to suspect his chief of staff Guo Chongtao and Guo's ally, the major general Li Jilin, although Li Cunxu was initially not willing to act against Guo.