Background

It is not known when Le Xingda was born, but it is known that he was from Weibo Circuit's capital Wei Prefecture (魏州). His father Le Shaoji (樂少寂) was also a Weibo officer, and had successively served as prefect of three of Weibo's prefectures — Chan (澶州, in modern Anyang, Henan), Bo (博州, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), and Bei (貝州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei). Le Xingda became a Weibo officer in his youth. After Han Jian became military governor, Le Xingda was promoted, and later became the prefect of Bo Prefecture. After Han briefly captured Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) in 882 and forced Heyang's military governor Zhuge Shuang to flee, as Le contributed to the victory, Han made him the prefect of Chan Prefecture.

In 883, while Han was attacking Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), Zhuge took the opportunity to retake Heyang by surprise. Han, hearing of this, made peace with Tianping's acting military governor Zhu Xuan and attacked Heyang again, but was defeated by Zhuge's general Li Hanzhi. After Han's defeat, Le surprised Han by heading for Wei Prefecture in advance of Han and occupying it. The Weibo soldiers supported him to replace Han, who was subsequently killed by his own soldiers. Then-reigning Emperor Xizong thereafter confirmed Le as the acting military governor, and later in the year full military governor.

As military governor

In 884, Emperor Xizong gave Le Xingda a new name of Yanzhen. Emperor Xizong also granted him the honorary title of Zuo Pushe (左僕射) and the honorary chancellor designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.

It was said that Le Yanzhen was arrogant and unrestrained in his behavior. Once he was firm in his position as military governor of Weibo, he conscripted the people to build an inner city wall in Wei Prefecture and to rebuild the Yellow River levee, requiring both projects to be done within a month and drawing resentment from the people. Further, his son Le Congxun was said to be violent and greedy. Late in 884, when the former chancellor Wang Duo was set to report to Yichang Circuit (義昌, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) to serve as its military governor, Wang went through Weibo Circuit. Le Congxun, enticed by the large group of women accompanying Wang and the display of wealth, gathered several hundred men and laid an ambush for Wang, killing him and some 300 staff members, seizing Wang's wealth and women. Le Yanzhen reported to the imperial government that Wang had been killed by bandits, and the imperial government, having been recently severely weakened by the rebellion of the agrarian rebel Huang Chao, was unable to investigate further. It was said that the people of Weibo had long heard of Wang's good reputation and regretted his death, and thereafter viewed Le Congxun poorly. Still, despite Wang's death, the imperial government thereafter granted the honorary titles of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and Situ (司徒, one of the Three Excellencies) on Le Yanzhen.

In 885, Ma Shuang, an officer at neighboring Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, then-headquartered in modern Xingtai), rose in rebellion against Zhaoyi's military governor Meng Fangli, trying to force Meng to kill fellow officer Xi Zhongxin (奚忠信), with whom Ma had a dispute. However, Ma was soon defeated and forced to flee to Weibo. Xi thereafter bribed Le Yanzhen to have Ma killed.

Retirement and death

By 888, the people of Weibo had become disgruntled about Le Yanzhen's rule, and the veteran Weibo soldiers were apprehensive that Le Congxun had gathered a group of several hundred soldiers to serve as his personal guards, calling them "the Son's officers" (子將). Le Congxun detected the Weibo soldiers' apprehensions about him, and became so insecure that he fled out of Wei Prefecture. Le Yanzhen thereafter made him the prefect of Xiang Prefecture (相州, in modern Handan). Le Congxun thereafter frequently sent messengers to Wei Prefecture to take armors and treasures from Wei to Xiang, drawing further apprehension from the Weibo veterans. Le Yanzhen, fearing that the veterans would mutiny, offered to resign and become a Buddhist monk at Longxing Temple (龍興寺). (In this disturbance, Lei Ye (雷鄴), an emissary from Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of neighboring Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), who was at Weibo to negotiate a purchase of food supplies from Le Yanzhen, was killed.)

The soldiers thereafter supported the officer Zhao Wenbian (趙文㺹) to serve as acting military governor. Le Congxun, meanwhile, hearing about his father's forced retirement, took some 30,000 soldiers and advanced to Wei Prefecture. Zhao refused to engage Le Congxun. The Weibo soldiers, uncertain of what Zhao's intentions were, killed him and supported another officer, Luo Hongxin. Luo engaged Le Congxun and defeated him, forcing him to retreat to Neihuang (內黃, in modern Anyang). The Weibo forces put Neihuang under siege. Because the Weibo soldiers had killed Lei, Le Congxun decided to seek aid from Zhu. Zhu sent his officer Zhu Zhen (朱珍) north, capturing three Weibo cities and advancing to Neihuang, where he initially defeated Weibo forces. However, when Le Congxun subsequently tried to fight out of the siege, Luo's officer Cheng Gongxin (程公信) attacked and killed him. Subsequently, Le Yanzhen was also executed, and both his head and his son's were publicly displayed on the gate to the Weibo camp. Luo subsequently sent messengers to apologize to Zhu Quanzhong and offer him gifts, so Zhu Quanzhong withdrew his forces, allowing Luo to take over Weibo without further opposition.

Notes and references

• Old Book of Tang, vol. 181.

• New Book of Tang, vol. 210.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 255, 256, 257.

背景

樂行達是魏博軍部魏州人，生年不詳。父親樂少寂是魏博的軍官，歷任魏博下屬的澶州、博州、貝州三州刺史，贈工部尚書。樂行達年輕時也當上了魏博的軍校。韓簡任魏博節度使後，樂行達被提升為馬步軍都虞候，後轉任博州刺史。中和二年（882年），韓簡一度攻占河陽，迫使節度使諸葛爽逃走，樂行達因在此戰中有功，遷任澶州刺史。

三年（883年）二月，韓簡攻打天平時，諸葛爽趁機突襲並收複了河陽。韓簡聞訊，和天平留後朱瑄講和，再次攻打河陽，被諸葛爽部將李罕之所敗。樂行達趁韓簡戰敗，眾心動搖，以言辭激牙軍，搶先回師占領了魏州。魏博士兵支持他為留後取代韓簡，韓簡也被部下所殺。唐僖宗認可樂行達為留後，授檢校工部尚書，七月又加戶部尚書，充節度觀察處置等使。

任節度使

四年（884年）正月，僖宗為樂行達賜名為樂彥禎，授檢校尚書左僕射和同中書門下平章事的宰相榮銜。

樂彥禎好儒，聘公乘億、李山甫入幕。其子樂從訓生性暴厲貪婪。十二月，前宰相王鐸被任為義昌軍節度使，途徑魏博。時任義昌軍節度使楊全玫聞王鐸來代自己，告訴樂彥禎。樂彥禎迎謁王鐸，宴勞很周到。樂從訓看上了王鐸攜帶的大量侍妾和財物，糾集甘陵州卒數百人在漳南縣高雞泊伏殺王鐸及家屬吏佐三百餘人，奪取了他的侍妾和財物。樂彥禎報告朝廷稱王鐸被盜匪所殺，朝廷因深陷黃巢內亂，無力深究。魏博百姓素知王鐸名望，為他的死而惋惜，因此痛恨樂從訓。儘管如此，朝廷仍然授予樂彥禎開府儀同三司和司徒的榮銜。

光啟元年（885年）七月，鄰鎮昭義洺州刺史馬爽反叛節度使孟方立，想迫使後者殺死與自己不合的行軍司馬奚忠信，不久兵敗，逃往魏博。奚忠信向樂彥禎行賄，馬爽被殺。

三年（887年）正月，宗室李煴稱帝，樂彥禎為魏博節度使、開府儀同三司、檢校司空、同中書門下平章事，派使李山甫往見成德軍節度使王鎔，想合幽州、邢州、滄州諸鎮同盟拒敵之，王鎔以厚禮致謝，此事卻沒成功。彥禎見皇室衰微，有驕縱之心，他徵召百姓修建魏州內城、重建黃河舊堤，限月內完工，引發民怨。

隱退和去世

文德元年（888年）二月，魏博百姓不滿樂彥禎的統治；樂從訓聚集五百士兵作為心腹，稱之為「子將」，也引起魏博的老兵的怨恨。樂從訓察覺後，感到不安，逃離魏州。樂彥禎便任他為六州指揮使、相州刺史。樂從訓又時常來信索取武器、銀錢、布疋等，越發激怒了魏博的老兵。樂彥禎曾夢見脫去朝服、帶子、鞋子走路，醒後覺得是神告訴他將有下變。二月，老兵果然兵變，囚禁了樂彥禎，逼他在龍興寺出家為僧，不久又殺之。混亂中，鄰鎮的宣武節度使朱全忠派來魏博和樂彥禎商議糧食供給問題的使者押牙雷鄴被殺。

魏博士兵支持都將趙文㺹為留後。樂從訓得知父親被迫隱退，率軍三萬進軍魏州。趙文㺹拒絕和樂從訓交戰。魏博士兵因為不知趙文㺹意欲何為而殺了他，另推小校馬牧監羅弘信為帥。羅弘信擊敗樂從訓，迫使他撤往內黃。魏博軍包圍內黃。樂從訓希望藉魏博軍殺死雷鄴一事向朱全忠求援。三月，朱全忠得訊，派都指揮使朱珍等分兵北上，占領魏博黎陽、臨河、李固三鎮，進軍內黃，起初擊敗了魏博軍，分遣聶金、范居實等掠澶州，在臨黃殺魏博豹子軍二千人。但四月當樂從訓試圖突圍時，被羅弘信部將程公信（一作程公佐）襲殺。樂彥禎父子都被梟首魏博轅門示眾。羅弘信遣使向朱全忠道歉並送了禮物，朱全忠撤軍，使羅弘信得以順利接管了魏博。

樂彥禎生前封爵南陽郡王。

注釋