Zhao Kuangming Zhao Kuangming ( 趙匡明 ) , courtesy name Zanyao ( 讚堯 ) , was a warlord late in the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who controlled Jingnan Circuit ( 荊南 , headquartered in modern Jingzhou , Hubei ) from 903 to 905 as its military governor ( " Jiedushi " ) and formed a power bloc with his brother Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit ( 忠義 , headquartered in modern Xiangyang , Hubei ) , until both he and his brother were defeated by the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit ( 宣武 , headquartered in modern Kaifeng , Henan ) . They both fled , allowing Zhu to absorb their territory . Background and service under Zhao Kuangning . It is not known when Zhao Kuangming was born . His father Zhao Deyin had been a general under Qin Zongquan , who was a Tang military governor of Fengguo Circuit ( 奉國 , headquartered in modern Zhumadian , Henan ) but who later submitted to the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao and Huang ' s state of Qi , and , after Huang ' s defeat , had declared himself emperor of a new state . As part of Zhao Deyin ' s service under Qin , he captured Shannan East Circuit ( 山南東道 , the later Zhongyi Circuit ) . Later , knowing that Qin was on the verge of defeat , he submitted to Tang and allied himself with Zhu Quanzhong the Tang military governor of Xuanwu Circuit . At Zhu ' s recommendation , Zhao Deyin was allowed to remain as military governor of the circuit , which was then renamed Zhongyi . He later participated in the campaigns that led to Qin ' s destruction . Zhao Kuangming , as a son of Zhao Deyin ' s , was given the title of literary officer at Jiangling Municipality ( 江陵 , Jingnan ' s capital ) even in his youth . After he reached adulthood , he had military accomplishments and served successively as the prefect of Xiu ( 繡州 , in modern Guigang , Guangxi ) and Xia ( 峽州 , in modern Yichang , Hubei ) Prefectures . In 892 , Zhao Deyin died . Zhao Kuangming ' s older brother Zhao Kuangning claimed the title of acting military governor of Zhongyi , and was later confirmed by then - ruling Emperor Zhaozong as full military governor . At one point , the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong , who had designs on seizing the Tang throne , was rebuffed by Zhao Kuangning when he inquired of Zhao Kuangning ' s thoughts on the matter . He was angered and sent an army to attack Zhongyi Circuit , but his army was defeated by Zhao Kuangming at Deng Prefecture ( 鄧州 , in modern Nanyang , Henan ) . Thereafter , under the advice of Zhao Kuangming , Zhao Kuangning entered into an alliance with Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit ( 西川 , headquartered in modern Chengdu , Sichuan ) . As ruler of Jingnan . In 903 , Zhu Quanzhong ' s ally Cheng Rui the military governor of Jingnan , attempting to save another ally of Zhu ' s , Du Hong the military governor of Wuchang Circuit ( 武昌 , headquartered in modern Wuhan , Hubei ) , was defeated in battle by Li Shenfu , a general under Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit ( 淮南 , headquartered in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) . After Cheng ' s death , Jiangling was temporarily taken over by the army of Wuzhen Circuit ( 武貞 , headquartered in modern Changde , Hunan ) , but Zhao Kuangning sent an army to expel the Wuzhen army , and then commissioned Zhao Kuangming as its acting military governor . Emperor Zhaozong ( who was by this point under Zhu ' s physical control ) initially commissioned Zhao Kuangming only as the commander of the Jingnan army ( 行軍司馬 , " Xingjun Sima " ) but gave him the honorary title of acting " Situ " ( 司徒 , one of the Three Excellencies ) as well . It was said that at that time , very few warlords were willing to offer tributes to the emperor , but the Zhao brothers regularly did so . By 905 , Zhao Kuangming was referred to as full military governor of Jingnan . That year , Zhu , angry that Zhao Kuangning was in alliance with both Wang Jian and Yang , attacked Zhongyi along with his general Yang Shihou . They defeated the Zhongyi army , and Zhao Kuangning abandoned Zhongyi and fled to Huainan territory . Believing that he could not stand by himself , Zhao Kuangming also planned to flee to Huainan . His son Zhao Chenggui ( 趙承規 ) pointed out that if he fled to Huainan as well , Yang might suspect him and Zhao Kuangning given the cumulative strengths of the two brothers in Huainan territory . Zhao Kuangming agreed , and fled to Xichuan instead . Wang Jian treated him as an honored guest and commissioned him as the military governor of Wuxin Circuit ( 武信 , headquartered in modern Suining , Sichuan ) . Later , after Wang Jian founded Former Shu as its emperor , he made Zhao Kuangming the chief judge of the supreme court ( 大理卿 , " Dali Qing " ) and the minister of public works ( 工部尚書 , " Gongbu Shangshu " ) . Zhao Kuangming eventually died at the Former Shu capital Chengdu , but the year is not known .