Li Xilie
It was also said, however, that Guan lacked judgment in the characters of others, and he endeared himself to a number of junior officials who bragged about their own abilities, including Li Yuanping (), Tao Gongda (), Zhang Sun (), and Liu Chengjie (). With Li Xilie the military governor of Huaixi Circuit (淮西, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan) then posturing against the imperial government, Guan repeatedly recommended Li Yuanping, who had particularly bragged about his military strategies and impressed Guan. Emperor Dezong thus made Li Yuanping the acting prefect of Ru Prefecture (汝州, in modern Pingdingshan, Henan), as Ru Prefecture was close to Huaixi Circuit. When Li Yuanping arrived there, he immediately began reinforcing the defenses — but not realizing that of the laborers that he hired, many were agents that Li Xilie had sent. When Li Xilie attacked, those laborers turned against Li Yuanping, causing Ru Prefecture to fall to Li Xilie. Li Xilie's soldiers seized Li Yuanping and took him to Li Xilie. Li Yuanping, when meeting Li Xilie in fear, could not control his own body, and he defecated and urinated involuntarily. Li Xilie responded, "How does that blind chancellor think lightly of me, that he sent you to try to defend against me!" When Guan heard that Li Yuanping was captured, he still believed that Li Yuanping would find some way to overthrow Li Xilie, even though none of his subordinates believed it. As a result of what happened to Li Yuanping, none of Guan's other associates were given important offices by Emperor Dezong.