Li Bingchang

Biography

Family Background and Early Years

Li Bingchang was born in 1060, the fourth year of the Shedu era, as the eldest son of Li Liangzuo, Emperor Yizong of Western Xia. Li Liangzuo was the second emperor of Western Xia and promoted reforms based on Han ritual practices while strengthening central authority. Li Bingchang's mother, Lady Liang, came from a powerful Tangut family. In the fourth month of 1061, the chief minister Mozang Epang and his son plotted to kill Li Liangzuo. Their plot failed and they were executed; the Mozang empress was deposed and Lady Liang was made empress, making Li Bingchang the principal legitimate heir.

In the twelfth month of 1067, the twenty-one-year-old Li Liangzuo suddenly died. Seven-year-old Li Bingchang succeeded him, with Empress Dowager Liang acting as regent. She entrusted all governmental authority to her younger brother Liang Yimai, whom she promoted to chief minister. Liang Yimai placed relatives and trusted associates in important positions. Together with Duluo Mawei and the empress dowager's guard Wang Menge, these men formed the core of a new maternal-clan political group that tightly controlled the highest authority. They excluded opponents. For example, Weiming Langyu, a younger brother of Li Yuanhao who had participated in government under Li Liangzuo and served as chief military commander, was experienced in warfare and frontier affairs but was dismissed and exiled because he would not align with the Liang siblings.

To gain the support of traditional Tangut aristocrats, the Liang maternal clan reversed Li Liangzuo's adoption of Han ritual practice and restored Tangut ceremonial forms. In the seventh month of 1069, the second year of Qiandao, Empress Dowager Liang memorialized the Song court in Li Bingchang's name asking to restore Western Xia's Tangut ceremonial protocol, and Song approved the request.

Puppet Ruler, 1068–1076

Li Bingchang succeeded while still a child and is described in the Chinese entity as weak in temperament, becoming a puppet manipulated by Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimai. During the period in which the siblings dominated government, they repeatedly waged war against Song, seeking to enhance their prestige through warfare and obtain larger rewards from Song.

In the eighth month of 1070, the first year of Tianci Lisheng Guoqing, Empress Dowager Liang mobilized three hundred thousand troops with provisions for one hundred days and launched a major attack along five Song frontier routes, striking Dashuncheng. The Western Xia rear force encamped at Yulin, more than forty li from Qingzhou, present-day Qingyang in Gansu, while mobile cavalry reached the vicinity of Qingzhou, causing what Song sources described as great alarm throughout the Shaanxi frontier. The offensive was interrupted when the Tibetan leader Dong Zhan took advantage of the situation to attack Western Xia's western territory, forcing Liang Yimai to withdraw. In the following year, after the struggle between Song and Western Xia over Luowucheng, Western Xia prevailed only after seeking Liao military intervention. At the time Western Xia was experiencing fiscal strain, military exhaustion, and political instability, and therefore reached a peace with Song.

Personal Rule and the Dispute over Han and Tangut Rituals, 1076–1081

In the first month of 1076, the second year of Da'an, sixteen-year-old Li Bingchang began personally handling government, although actual authority remained with Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimai. Li Bingchang was strongly interested in Han Chinese Confucian culture. Western Xia had captured a number of Han literati in wars with Song, and he consulted them on ritual and institutions, intending to restore Han ceremonial practices in Western Xia and abolish Tangut forms. In the first month of 1080, the sixth year of Da'an, he formally ordered the policy to be implemented. Empress Dowager Liang, Liang Yimai, and the maternal-clan faction strongly opposed him, but Li Bingchang refused to withdraw the order.

In 1081, the seventh year of Da'an, Li Bingchang sought friendly relations with Song in order to use Song power against the Liang maternal clan. He accepted a proposal from the Han general Li Qing to cede territory south of the Yellow River to Song in return for an alliance that would weaken the Liang clan. Before Li Qing could depart as envoy, Empress Dowager Liang learned of the plan. She conspired with her favorite Wang Menge and others, lured Li Qing to a drinking gathering, arrested and killed him, and immediately confined Li Bingchang in a wooden stockade five li from the palace at Xingqing Prefecture. She then ordered Liang Yimai, Wang Menge, and others to assemble troops, control key river crossings, and cut the capital off from the outside.

News of Li Bingchang's imprisonment shocked the court and the country. Members of the imperial clan, close followers, and tribal leaders fortified their own cities and strongholds and resisted the Liang maternal clan. Liang Yimai repeatedly sent trusted men with silver tablets to summon them and explain the political stakes, but they refused to obey. Western Xia fell into disorder.

Imprisonment and the Song–Western Xia War, 1081–1083

Yuzang Huama, a Tibetan commander of the Baotai military supervision office of Western Xia, had long resented the Liang family's monopolization of power. After learning that Li Bingchang had been imprisoned, in the fifth month of 1081 he notified Song's Xizhou authorities that the ruler of Western Xia had been displaced and the country was in turmoil. He stated that the emperor and empress dowager were at odds, that the empress dowager had killed a leading minister, and that if Song attacked, the whole state would respond.

Emperor Shenzong of Song ordered the governor of Xizhou, Miao Shou, to verify the information and report to court. In the sixth month, the Song Bao'an Army, acting on orders of its circuit office, sent a formal communication to Youzhou demanding an explanation for the ruler's imprisonment. Empress Dowager Liang was unable to provide an answer.

Song officials divided into pro-war and anti-war camps over the Western Xia crisis. The pro-war faction was represented by Zhong E, commander of the Fuyan circuit, who argued that Western Xia's internal disorder created a rare opportunity to punish it militarily. Opponents such as Sun Gu, head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the remonstrance official Teng Yuanfa maintained that starting a war would be easy but resolving the consequences difficult, and instead favored political division of Western Xia territory. Emperor Shenzong rejected the anti-war position. Song eventually mobilized nearly five hundred thousand troops in five columns, with the eunuch Li Xian, administrator of the Xihe circuit, in overall command, launching a comprehensive offensive from the east, south, and southwest.

Song's five-pronged invasion initially won repeated victories, with Western Xia forces retreating. Empress Dowager Liang, at a loss, asked officials for a plan. An elderly general proposed drawing the enemy deep into Western Xia territory and then concentrating forces to destroy it. Western Xia eventually repelled the larger Song force and defeated it beneath the walls of Lingzhou.

In the seventh month of 1082, the eighth year of Da'an, Song built Yongle Fortress on the borderlands of Xia, Yin, and You prefectures, creating a threat to Western Xia. In the ninth month, Empress Dowager Liang ordered the Western Xia commanders Ye Beima and Mie Emai to lead three hundred thousand troops from the six military supervision offices against Yongle Fortress. The Song commander Xu Xi led seventy thousand troops into battle below the fortress. After losing the initial engagement, Song forces retreated into the fortress, where Western Xia troops cut off water and provisions. The fortress fell. Several hundred Song officers, including Xu Xi, were killed, together with tens of thousands of soldiers and laborers. The Chinese entity records that Emperor Shenzong of Song openly wept at court after hearing of the disastrous defeat. Song and Western Xia resumed peace negotiations afterward.

Restoration and Later Years, 1083–1086

Since Empress Dowager Liang had imprisoned Li Bingchang, continuing war with Song had cut off annual Song payments and interstate markets. Western Xia's finances deteriorated, prices rose sharply, officials and commoners became resentful, and living conditions worsened. Opposition to the Liang maternal clan grew within the court, and demands that Li Bingchang be restored became increasingly difficult to suppress.

In the intercalary sixth month of 1083, the ninth year of Da'an, Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimai restored Li Bingchang to the throne in response to mounting criticism, seeking to ease political tensions. Even after his restoration, however, real power remained firmly in their hands. In Li Bingchang's name they sent envoys to Song to submit memorials, acknowledge vassal status, and request restoration of the annual payments. At the same time, claiming the return of former Western Xia territory, they continued raids and attacks along the Song frontier.

In the first month of 1084, the tenth year of Da'an, Western Xia deployed eight hundred thousand troops to besiege Lanzhou. In the fourth month, chief commander Ye Beima and deputy commander Mie Emai attacked Anyuan stockade. In the tenth month, military commissioner Renduo Dingding led one hundred thousand troops against Jingyuan. All of these operations failed, after which Western Xia sent an envoy with tribute to Song.

In the second month of 1085, the eleventh year of Da'an, the chief minister Liang Yimai died. Under Empress Dowager Liang's direction, his son Liang Yibu succeeded him, and aunt and nephew continued to dominate the government. Li Bingchang remained unable to escape the empress dowager's control. In the tenth month Empress Dowager Liang died. Liang Yibu lost his principal support, and his position began to weaken. At this time Renduo Baozhong, an imperial-clan commander in charge of one of the two military wings, openly opposed him, intensifying the conflict between the imperial clan and maternal clan. The Chinese entity describes Li Bingchang as unable to act effectively amid this fierce struggle for power and increasingly consumed by grief and frustration.

On the tenth day of the seventh month of 1086, the first year of Tian'an Liding, Li Bingchang died aged twenty-six. He received the posthumous name Emperor Kangjing and the temple name Huizong. He was buried at Xianling, 2.3 kilometers north of Tailing. The Chinese entity gives the tomb area as about 100,000 square meters and notes that it has been heavily damaged. The enclosure was square, each side about 183 meters. Much of the rammed-earth tomb platform was later removed for other use. Three stele pavilions were present: one on the west and two on the east, the southern one smaller and the northern one larger. Sixty-three fragments of Western Xia-script stelae were excavated from the western pavilion and twenty-six fragments of Chinese-script stelae from the eastern pavilion.

Major Activities

Dispute over Han and Tangut Rituals

Li Bingchang was a Western Xia ruler with a strong interest in Han Chinese Confucian culture. In wars with Song, Western Xia captured Han literati, from whom he learned about Song ritual and institutions. He sought to restore Han ceremonial practice in Western Xia and eliminate Tangut ceremonial forms. In the first month of 1080, the sixth year of Da'an, he formally ordered the change. Empress Dowager Liang, Liang Yimai, and the maternal-clan faction strongly resisted, while Li Bingchang refused to yield. Because the maternal-clan faction remained powerful, however, the reform could not be carried through. The Chinese entity presents the episode as reflecting a deep conflict within Western Xia between the imperial clan, associated with Sinicizing policies, and the maternal clan, associated with traditional Tangut ritual.

Attempt to Ally with Song against the Liang Clan

In 1081, the seventh year of Da'an, Li Bingchang accepted the proposal of the general Li Qing to cede territory south of the Yellow River to Song and seek an alliance, hoping to rely on Song power to weaken the Liang maternal clan. Before Li Qing could depart, Empress Dowager Liang learned of the plan, had him killed, and imprisoned Li Bingchang. The episode directly contributed to Song's subsequent five-pronged invasion of Western Xia.

A Critical Period in the Song–Western Xia Wars

Li Bingchang's imprisonment and the internal Western Xia crisis gave Song what its pro-war officials regarded as a rare opportunity for invasion. Emperor Shenzong rejected anti-war advice and mobilized nearly five hundred thousand troops in five columns. Empress Dowager Liang, however, adopted a strategy of drawing the enemy deep and then concentrating forces, defeating Song beneath Lingzhou. In 1082 Western Xia again inflicted a major defeat on Song at Yongle Fortress, where several hundred Song officers and tens of thousands of soldiers and laborers died. The Chinese entity treats these engagements as major episodes in Song–Western Xia warfare and as strengthening Western Xia's position in relations with Song.

Alliance with Liao

The Chinese entity states that when Li Bingchang began personal rule in 1075, the second year of the Western Xia Da'an era, he pursued an alliance with Liao to counter Song. It also states that during warfare with Song in 1070, Western Xia relied on seeking Liao military support to obtain victory. Alliance with Liao against Song is presented as a consistent feature of Western Xia diplomacy.

Foreign Warfare and Peace Negotiations

After Li Bingchang was restored, Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Yimai continued to use his name to send envoys to Song, submit memorials, acknowledge vassal status, and request resumption of annual payments, while simultaneously attacking the Song frontier under the pretext of recovering former Western Xia territory. In 1084 Western Xia besieged Lanzhou with eight hundred thousand troops and attacked Anyuan stockade and Jingyuan. These operations failed, and Western Xia then sent tribute to Song.

Personal Relations

• Grandfather: Li Yuanhao, Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia.
• Grandmother: Lady Yeli, Empress Xuanmu Huiwen.
• Father: Li Liangzuo, Emperor Yizong of Western Xia.
• Mother: Lady Liang, Empress Gongsu Zhangxian.
• Wife: Empress Liang, Empress Zhaojian Wenmu.
• Sons: Li Qianshun, Emperor Chongzong of Western Xia; Li Chage, Prince of Jin.
• Empress Dowager Liang: his mother and regent, who monopolized power.
• Liang Yimai: maternal uncle and chief minister, in control for many years.
• Liang Yibu: cousin and son of Liang Yimai, who succeeded as chief minister.
• Wang Menge: guard of Empress Dowager Liang and a core member of the maternal-clan faction.
• Duluo Mawei: trusted associate of Liang Yimai who held military authority.
• Weiming Langyu: younger brother of Li Yuanhao, dismissed and exiled for refusing to support the Liang clan.
• Li Qing: Han Chinese general who proposed allying with Song against the Liang clan and was killed by Empress Dowager Liang.
• Renduo Baozhong: imperial-clan commander who openly opposed Liang Yibu.
• Yuzang Huama: Tibetan commander who informed Song of the internal Western Xia crisis.
• Emperor Shenzong of Song: Song emperor who launched the five-pronged invasion during Western Xia's internal crisis.
• Zhong E: Song commander of the Fuyan circuit and a leading advocate of war.
• Xu Xi: Song commander killed in the Battle of Yongle Fortress.

Historical Assessment

Song Period / Contemporaries

• The History of Song, juan 486, biography 245, “Foreign States II: Xia,” records that Bingchang was the eldest son of Yizong, born to Empress Gongsu Zhangxian of the Liang clan, and that he succeeded in the winter of the fourth year of Zhiping at age seven, with Empress Dowager Liang acting as regent. Song writers thus presented him as a weak child ruler whose government was controlled by the maternal clan.
• An edict of Emperor Shenzong of Song stated that the Western Xia ruler held a Song-granted title, that frontier officials had reported Bingchang was imprisoned and humiliated by the maternal clan, and that subsequent attacks on the Song frontier justified punitive action.
• The Song commander Zhong E memorialized that Western Xia lacked capable leadership and that Bingchang was only a child whom he could personally bring in, expressing contempt for his youth and weakness.

Yuan and Ming Periods

• The History of Liao, juan 115, placed his polity among the important neighboring states of Liao and Song. The Chinese entity notes that although Western Xia experienced repeated internal disorder under Li Bingchang, it could still resist a large-scale Song invasion.
• Ming-period historical compilations treated Li Bingchang's reign as a transition from Western Xia's strength toward decline and attributed the Liang clan's dominance in part to his weak character.

Qing Period

• Qing historian Wu Guangcheng, in Accounts of Western Xia, was described in the Chinese entity as relatively sympathetic to Li Bingchang, portraying him as a ruler who wished to promote Han ritual but was constrained by his mother's clan and ultimately died in grief after being unable to realize his aims.

Modern Period

• The Cambridge History of China: Alien Regimes and Border States, 907–1368, edited by Denis Twitchett and Herbert Franke, is cited in the Chinese entity as characterizing Emperor Huizong's reign—more precisely, the period dominated by his mother Empress Dowager Liang—as one marked by repeated turmoil.
• Modern scholars of Western Xia are described as viewing Li Bingchang's attempts to restore Han ritual and ally with Song against the Liang clan as reflecting a political struggle between a more Sinicized imperial clan and a maternal clan attached to Tangut traditions; his failure is presented as having delayed further Sinicization.