Sun Ru
In 887, a mutiny by the Huainan officer Bi Shiduo against Gao Pian and Gao's favorite sorcerer Lü Yongzhi triggered an internecine war that had Bi, Lü, Yang Xingmi, and Qin Yan contending for the control of Huainan, which eventually was taken by Sun Ru. Yang, in turn, advanced south and took Ningguo Circuit (寧國, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui) and became its military governor.