簡歷

黃巢攻陷長安，唐僖宗逃到四川，黃巢稱大齊皇帝。忠武軍節度使周岌降齊。但中和元年（881年），黃巢將朱溫正率眾攻打襄州、鄧州時，忠武軍監軍宦官楊複光說服周岌反正歸唐，並說服忠武軍治下蔡州刺史秦宗權也出兵勤王。秦宗權派兵三千從楊複光，其中就有牙將鹿晏弘及王建、韓建等。楊複光以忠武軍八千人分為八都，每都一千人，鹿晏弘、晉暉、王建、韓建、張造、李師泰、龐從等八人都被任為都將。忠武八都敗朱溫，克鄧州，追殺到藍橋才回師。忠武八都屯河中。李簡當時也在忠武軍中，隨鹿晏弘出征有功，被遷為列校。

中和三年（883年）七月，楊復光卒於河中，忠武八都解體。鹿晏弘率八都南下掠奪襄、鄧、金、洋諸州，所過屠滅，聲稱西迎僖宗於蜀，年末至興元（陝西漢中），驅逐山南西道節度使牛勗，自稱留後。僖宗旋任其為山南西道留後、節度使。

鹿晏弘以王建等為巡內刺史，卻不派他們赴任。鹿晏弘為人猜忌，人心不附。他尤其忌憚素來交好的王建、韓建，數次帶他們進臥室，對他們很好。但王建、韓建知道僕射（即鹿晏弘）其實是懷疑他們。當權宦官田令孜也秘密遣人以厚利相誘，四年（884年）十一月，王建、韓建與張造、晉暉、李師泰率眾數千逃奔行在。田令孜派禁軍討鹿晏弘，鹿晏弘率眾棄興元而走。

鹿晏弘轉而東出襄州，當時任奉國軍節度使的秦宗權已叛唐，遣其將秦誥、趙德諲與他合兵，破之，迫山南東道節度使劉巨容奔成都，趙德諲遂取山南東道。鹿晏弘引兵轉掠襄、鄧、均、房、廬、壽各州，複還許州，陷之，殺周岌，自稱留後，朝廷不能討，便任他為忠武軍節度使。秦宗權後稱帝，並于光啟二年（886年）七月攻許州，鹿晏弘求救于宣武軍節度使朱全忠（即朱溫，已降唐），朱全忠派葛從周等相救，未及發兵，許州已破，鹿晏弘被殺。部下王重師出逃投奔朱全忠。

Background and service under Yang Fuguang

Little is known about Lu Yanhong's background, including when he was born, as he did not have a biography in either of the official histories of Tang Dynasty (the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang). It is known that he was from Zhongwu Circuit's capital Xu Prefecture (許州) and initially served as an officer in the Zhongwu army.

As of 881, Tang was facing the crisis of the agrarian rebel Huang Chao's having captured the imperial capital Chang'an (forcing then-reigning Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu) and declared himself the emperor of a new state of Qi. At that time, one of the Tang generals who had been battling Huang's forces, the eunuch Yang Fuguang, was stuck at Zhongwu Circuit, and the military governor (Jiedushi) Zhou Ji had submitted to Qi as a subject. In summer 881, though, Yang was able to persuade Zhou to renounce his allegiance to Qi and redeclare for the Tang cause. Further, Zhou contributed 8,000 men from the Zhongwu army to serve under Yang in the campaign against Huang. The 8,000 men were organized into eight corps, with Lu, Jin Hui (晉暉), Wang Jian, Han Jian, Zhang Zao, Li Shitai (李師泰), and Pang Cong commanding the eight corps. They subsequently followed Yang in the region, fighting against Qi forces, eventually becoming stationed at Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi).

As independent warlord

In fall 883, Yang Fuguang died at Hezhong. The soldiers of the eight Zhongwu corps abandoned their post in response and scattered. Lu Yanhong gathered those who were willing to follow him — including Wang Jian, Han Jian, Zhang Zao, Jin Hui, and Li Shitai — and headed south, raiding Xiang (襄州, in modern Xiangyang, Hubei), Deng (鄧州, in modern Nanyang, Henan), Jin (金州, in modern Ankang, Shaanxi), and Yang (洋州, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) Prefectures, pillaging them and killing many, while claiming that he was heading west to Chengdu to join the imperial cause. He reached Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong) around new year 884 and expelled Niu Xu (牛勗) the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (which was headquartered at Xingyuan), claiming the title of acting military governor. Emperor Xizong thereafter named him acting military governor.

After taking over Shannan West Circuit, Lu named Wang, Han, Zhang, Jin, and Li the prefects of the prefectures in the circuit, but did not allow them to go to their posts. He also grew suspicious of people, and lost the heart of his followers. He was particularly suspicious of Wang and Han due to their close friendship with each other, but tried to endear them by treating them well. Wang and Han, however, could tell that he was suspecting them, and therefore they, after enticement by the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi, fled to Chengdu in fall 884, along with Zhang, Jin, and Li, to join Tian's troops. Tian thereafter sent forces to attack Lu and defeated him. Lu then abandoned Xingyuan and fled east.

Lu next attacked Xiang Prefecture, in conjunction with Qin Gao (秦誥) and Zhao Deyin, who were officers of the warlord Qin Zongquan the military governor of Fengguo Circuit (奉國, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan). They captured Xiang, forcing Liu Jurong the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered at Xiang Prefecture) to flee to Chengdu and allowing Zhao to take over Shannan East Circuit. Lu then pillaged Xiang, Deng, Jun (均州, in modern Shiyan, Hubei), Fang (房州, in modern Shiyan), Lu (廬州, in modern Hefei, Anhui), and Shou (壽州, in modern Lu'an, Anhui) Prefectures, before heading for Xu Prefecture. Zhou Ji, upon hearing that Lu was approaching Xu, abandoned Xu and fled. Lu then took Xu and claimed the title of acting military governor of Zhongwu. The imperial government, unable to attack him, named him military governor. He remained in control until fall 886, when Qin Zongquan, who had by that point claimed imperial title, attacked him and killed him, taking over Zhongwu Circuit.

Notes and references