Yang Shihou
In 912, when Li Cunxu sent Zhou to attack Liu Rengong's son and successor Liu Shouguang — who had declared himself the emperor of a new state of Yan — Later Liang's Emperor Taizu decided to try to come to Liu Shouguang's rescue by attacking Jin and Zhao from the south. Li Cunshen, whose forces were far outnumbered by Later Liang forces under Emperor Taizu himself and his general Yang Shihou, tricked the Later Liang forces by dividing his troops into multiple groups, commanded by himself, Shi Jiantang (), and Li Sigong (李嗣肱, another adoptive son of Li Keyong's), eventually misleading Emperor Taizu into believing Li Cunxu and the main Jin forces were at the front and that he was nearing defeat, causing him to withdraw in a panic and ending his attempt to save Yan. As a result of this victory, Li Cunshen was made the military prefect (團練使, "Tuanlianshi") of Xin (邢州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), Ming (洺州, in modern Handan, Hebei), and Ci (磁州, also in modern Handan) Prefectures (which were not yet under Jin control at that time). Later, at Li Cunxu's direction, Li Cunshen took his ethnic Tuyuhun and Qibi () cavalry soldiers to reinforce Zhou's troops. (Without Later Liang aid, Yan eventually fell in 913.)