Wang Du
In or shortly before 928, as the relationship between the imperial government and the semi-independent warlord Wang Du the military governor of neighboring Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) was deteriorating, Wang sought an alliance with Zhao by requesting a marriage between their children, although there was no indication that Zhao agreed to either a marriage or an alliance. Indeed, when Li Siyuan subsequently declared a general campaign against Wang Du (over Wang Du's failed assassination attempt against the imperial general Wang Yanqiu, who refused his overtures) and Khitan forces entered Later Tang territory to try to aid Wang Du but were crushed by Wang Yanqiu, Zhao intercepted the fleeing Khitan forces and slaughtered most of them while capturing others. He presented the captives to Li Siyuan, who pardoned the officers but slaughtered the soldiers, believing that it would help restore the relationship with Khitan. After Wang Du was eventually defeated, Li Siyuan rewarded both Zhao and Wang Yanqiu by granting them the honorary chancellor designation of "Shizhong" (). Later, when Khitan repeatedly requested that the officers be returned, it was at the urging of Zhao and Yang Tan (under the rationale that the pardoned Khitan officers would give intelligence information back to their own government if returned to Khitan) that Li Siyuan did not do so.