Li Qi (李锜) | 24 Histories

Overview

Li Qi was a Tang Military Governor and Rebel.

PeriodSui and Tang

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

AD 807 锜诛
Executed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 68

Attested activity

c. AD 806 to c. AD 810 元和初
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 172, passage 140
AD 807 元和李锜
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passages 59, 68
AD 805 to AD 807 其後鹽鐵使李錡
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 54, passage 39
AD 807 劉闢、李錡既平
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 52, passage 190
AD 805 to AD 807 方是時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 54, passage 40
AD 807 會李锜反
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 153, passage 245

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AD 807 會李锜反
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 272
AD 807 李錡反
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 138, passage 232
AD 805 to AD 807 永貞至元和初
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 53, passages 98-99
AD 785 to AD 805 鎮海節度使王緯李錡
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 52, passage 165

Family

Descendant of Li Shentong (李神通)
fifth-generation ancestor 五代祖 · paternal line · 5 generations
grandfather 祖父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 153, passages 245, 247; Old Book of Tang 157, passages 273-274

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Salt and Iron Commissioner 鹽鐵使
AD 805 to AD 807 其後鹽鐵使李錡 · Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 39
military governor of Zhenhai 鎮海節度使
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 165
Pacified
Defeated
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 190

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Rebelled against
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 53, passage 98
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Revolted against
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 138, passage 232
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 153, passage 245; New Book of Tang 54, passage 39; New Book of Tang 181, passage 59
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 272

Works and attributed material

Action · Agent · Paraphrased
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 40
Memorial · Author · Paraphrased
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 39
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Li Shen (李紳)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 64

Events and relationships

Angled for favor with surplus tribute
Administrative · Presenter
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 165
Forced envoy petition to remain
Political · Coercer
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 62
Had dismembered and eaten
AD 807 元和中李锜之乱 · Military · Perpetrator · With Wang Dan (王淡)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 62
Imposed additional transport taxes before rebelling against the court
Administrative · Official
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 53, passages 98-99
Lavished tribute and bribed ministers diverting salt profits
AD 805 to AD 807 方是時 · Political · Commissioner
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 40
Rebelled and was pacified; wealth taken into inner treasury
Military · Rebel
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 52, passage 190

Show 5 more source-backed claims

Rebelled
AD 807 會李锜反 · Rebellion · Rebel
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 272
Rebelled
AD 807 李錡反 · Military · Rebel leader
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 138, passage 232
Rebelled
Military · Rebel
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 153, passage 245
Temporarily reduced then restored jiang huai salt price
AD 805 to AD 807 其後鹽鐵使李錡 · Fiscal · Commissioner
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 39
Relation Patron of · Person Li Shen (李紳)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 59

Assessments and attributes

Assessment ruined-monopoly-salt-law-with-false-valuations-and-private-hoarding · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 54, passage 40

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 153, passage 245; New Book of Tang 172, passage 140
Value historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 272

References in the histories

Search passages

History

18 passages

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 157Volume 153 Biographies 103: Yao Nanzhong, Liu Nai, Yuan Gao, Duan Pingzhong, Xue Cuncheng, Lu Tan · 3 passages

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會李锜反，有司請毀锜祖父廟墓。 When Li Qi rebelled, the responsible offices requested destruction of Qi's grandfather's temple and tomb.

坦常為锜從事，乃上言曰：「淮安王神通有功於草昧。 Tan had once served under Li Qi and submitted a statement: "Prince Huai'an Li Shentong earned merit in the founding struggle.

且古之父子兄弟，罪不相及，況以锜故累五代祖乎？」 In antiquity fathers and sons, brothers and brothers did not suffer for one another's crimes. How much less should a fifth-generation ancestor be punished because of Qi?"

New Book of Tang, Chapter 52Volume 52 Treatises 48: Finance and Economics 2 · 2 passages

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劍南西川節度使韋皋有「日進」，江西觀察使李兼有「月進」，淮南節度使杜亞、宣歙觀察使劉贊、鎮海節度使王緯李錡皆徼射恩澤，以常賦入貢，名為「羨餘」。 Wei Gao in Jiannan sent "daily tribute," Li Jian in Jiangxi "monthly tribute"; Du Ya, Liu Zan, Wang Wei, and Li Qi converted regular taxes into "surplus" gifts for favor.

及劉闢、李錡既平，訾藏皆入內庫。 After suppressing Liu Pi and Li Qi, seized wealth filled the inner treasury.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 53Volume 53 Treatises 43: Finance and Economics 3 · 2 passages

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及浙西觀察使李錡領使，江淮堰埭隸浙西者，增私路小堰之稅，以副使潘孟陽主上都留後。 When Zhexi commissioner Li Qi took charge, he taxed private roads and small weirs on Jiang-Huai works under Zhexi; deputy Pan Mengyang ran the capital liaison office.

李巽為諸道轉運、鹽鐵使，以堰埭歸鹽鐵使，罷其增置者。 Li Xun as circuit transport and salt-and-iron commissioner returned the dams to salt-and-iron control and abolished Li Qi's extra taxes.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 54Volume 54 Treatises 50: Finance and Economics 3 · 2 passages

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其後鹽鐵使李錡奏江淮鹽斗減錢十以便民，未幾復舊。 Later Salt Commissioner Li Qi petitioned to cut Jiang-Huai salt by ten cash a dou to ease the burden on the people, but the reduction was soon reversed.

方是時，錡盛貢獻以固寵，朝廷大臣，皆餌以厚貨，鹽鐵之利，積于私室，而國用耗屈，榷鹽法大壞，多為虛估，率千錢不滿百三十而已。 Li Qi lavished tribute to secure favor and bribed senior ministers with rich gifts, hoarding salt profits privately while the treasury emptied. The monopoly system collapsed into sham valuations—of every thousand cash collected, barely one hundred thirty was real revenue.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 138Volume 138 Biographies 63: · 1 passage

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李錡反，應發鄉兵救湖、常二州，以故錡不能拔。 When Li Qi rebelled, Ying sent local militia to relieve Hu and Chang prefectures, preventing Qi from capturing them.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 172Volume 172 Biographies 97: Yu, Wang, Two Du's, Fan · 1 passage

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比行，上書言李锜必反，留為吏部郎中。 Just before leaving for his post he memorialized that Li Qi would rebel; the throne kept him in the capital as a director in the Ministry of Personnel.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 181Volume 181 Biographies 106: Chen, Three Li's, Cao, Liu · 7 passages

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客金陵，李锜愛其才，辟掌書記。 While staying in Jinling he was recruited by Li Qi, who admired his talent, as chief secretary.

锜浸不法，賓客莫敢言，紳數諫，不入； Qi grew lawless; none of his staff dared speak up, though Shen admonished him again and again to no effect;

會使者召锜，稱疾，留後王淡為具行，锜怒，陰教士臠食之，即脅使者為眾奏天子，幸得留。 When an imperial envoy summoned Qi to court, Qi feigned illness and had the acting commissioner Wang Dan prepare to go in his place; enraged, Qi secretly had soldiers dismember and eat Dan, then forced the envoy to petition the throne in the troops' name and was allowed to stay.

锜召紳作疏，坐锜前，紳陽怖栗，至不能為字，下筆輒塗去，盡數紙。 Qi ordered Shen to draft the memorial and sat him before him; Shen pretended to tremble with fear until he could not write a word, smearing out every stroke until several sheets were ruined.

锜怒罵曰：「何敢爾，不憚死邪？」 Qi raged and shouted, "How dare you—are you not afraid to die?"

即註以刃，令易紙，復然。 Qi pressed a blade to him and ordered fresh paper; Shen did the same again.

召縱至，操書如所欲，即囚紳獄中，锜誅，乃免。 Zong was summoned, wrote as required, and Shen was thrown into prison; he was freed only when Qi was executed.