Complex sentence: In 696, forces of Khitan occupied an important city of Hubei, in order to set up a stable political environment, Empress Wu appointed him as mayor of Weizhou (Daming).
Split into simpler sentences: In 696, forces of Khitan occupied an important city of Hubei. In order to set up a stable political environment, Empress Wu appointed him as mayor of Weizhou (Daming).