Tian Lingzi
In 885, during the reign of Emperor Xizong, the powerful eunuch Tian Lingzi came under dispute with the military governor ("Jiedushi") of Hezhong Circuit (河中, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Wang Chongrong, over Tian's attempts to take back control of the salt ponds in Hezhong Circuit for the imperial government, as well as the rudeness that Tian's adoptive son Tian Kuangyou (田匡祐) displayed when being sent as an emissary to Hezhong. Tian Lingzi had Emperor Xizong issue an edict transferring Wang to Taining Circuit (泰寧, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong). In anger, Wang refused, and allied himself with the ethnic Shatuo military governor Li Keyong of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). Tian reacted by aligning himself with Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and Li Changfu the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi). The imperial forces under Tian's control joined Zhu's and Li Changfu's troops in attacking Wang; Wang and Li Keyong fought back and, in a battle around the new year 886, defeated the Tian/Zhu/Li Changfu coalition forces. With Li Keyong's and Wang's forces approaching the capital Chang'an, Emperor Xizong and Tian initially fled to Li Changfu's headquarters Fengxiang, and then to Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi). Meanwhile, Zhu and Li Changfu, fearing Li Keyong and Wang, also turned against Tian and Emperor Xizong, sending forces to try to seize Emperor Xizong, but were unable to.