Wang Du
Emperor Mingzong was said to respect Gao's abilities, and in 928, when Wang Du the military governor of Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), whose domain had been semi-independent from the Later Tang imperial government, openly broke with the Later Tang, Gao served under the general Wang Yanqiu in quelling Wang Du's rebellion and had much accomplishment during the campaign. After the campaign against Wang Du, he was made the military prefect (團練使, "Tuanlianshi") of Ying Prefecture (潁州, in modern Fuyang, Anhui). Early in Emperor Mingzong's "Changxing" era (930–933), as at that time Later Tang's northern borders were often attacked by the Khitan Empire, Gao was made the military governor of Zhenwu (振武, headquartered in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi) to help defend the border. The next year, as Emperor Mingzong was preparing for an operation against the "de facto" independent Dingnan Circuit's military governor Li Yichao (), Gao was made the military governor of Zhangwu Circuit (彰武, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi) to prepare for the operation.