Tian Chengsi
It was said that Tian Chengsi emphasized greatly on military strength, that as soon as he had full control of Weibo Circuit, he imposed heavy taxes and conscripted the men for the army and logistics service—and that within a year, his army was some 100,000 strong. Among this he selected an elite group, known as the "Yabing" (), to protect himself. The four former Yan generals formed alliances among themselves, as well as with two other military governors, Li Zhengji and Liang Chongyi, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent from the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. As part of this alliance, Li Baochen's brother Li Baozheng () married Tian's daughter.