Tian Xu
Meanwhile, Tian Xu was said to be cruel and extravagant as military governor, as he was wasteful and spent much time in drinking and sexual relations — activities that, while Tian Yue was alive, Tian Yue had curbed him from. In 790, there were rumors that Li Na, who governed Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), whom Tian Xu's older brother Tian Chao () served under as prefect of Qi Prefecture (齊州, in modern Jinan, Shandong), was planning to escort Tian Chao back to Weibo to vie for control of Weibo Circuit. Tian Xu feared this, and, under suggestion by his staff member Sun Guangzuo (), he sent gifts to Li Na to please him and persuade him to send Tian Chao to Chang'an — and further suggested Li Na to accept the surrender of the prefect of Di Prefecture (棣州, in modern Binzhou, Shandong), Zhao Gao (), who had previously submitted to Wang's Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) but who later refused to follow Wang's orders. Li Na therefore accepted Zhao's surrender and took Di Prefecture, despite Wang's attacks. Tian further cemented the relationship with Li Na by sending Sun to Pinglu's headquarters at Yun Prefecture (), announcing an imperial edict (which Tian Xu had forged) declaring Di Prefecture to be part of Pinglu Circuit. In anger, Wang sent his son Wang Shiqing () to attack Weibo's Bei Prefecture (貝州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), occupying four counties of Bei Prefecture. In winter 790, Emperor Dezong, wanting to put an end to the campaigns between these circuits, ordered Li Na to return Di Prefecture to Chengde; Li Na demanded that Wang return the four counties of Bei Prefecture to Weibo first. Wang did so, and subsequently, Li Na returned Di Prefecture to Chengde.