During Later Tang Yang Guangyuan

1 during later tang

1.1 during li cunxu s reign emperor
1.2 during li siyuan s reign
1.3 after li siyuan s reign

during later tang
during li cunxu s reign emperor

in 923, li cunxu declared himself emperor of new later tang, , later year, destroyed archrival later liang , took territory under control. remembered yang tan s past contributions, , brought him active service, commander of lulong cavalry , infantry, stationed @ waqiao pass (瓦橋關, in modern baoding, hebei).

during li siyuan s reign

in 926, li cunxu killed in mutiny @ then-capital luoyang. adoptive brother li siyuan became emperor. during li siyuan s reign, yang tan served successively prefect of 4 prefectures—gui (媯州, in modern zhangjiakou), ying (瀛州, in modern cangzhou, hebei), yi (易州, in modern baoding), , ji (冀州, in modern hengshui, hebei). said while yang illiterate, capable in speaking , administration, such developed reputation in governance , earned li siyuan s respect. @ 1 point, while serving @ ji, there controversy issue of whether later tang should, part of attempt of negotiating peace khitan, return number of captured khitan officers khitan (as khitan repeatedly requested). yang argued these officers important in khitan army, , that, having lived in later tang territory number of years, knew strengths , weaknesses of later tang defense. further argued returning these officers allow khitan exploit weaknesses in attacking later tang. li siyuan agreed, , did not return them khitan.

after li siyuan s reign

as of 934—when li siyuan s adoptive son li congke emperor—yang tan serving military governor of zhenwu circuit (振武, headquartered in modern shuozhou, shanxi). year, there khitan incursion later tang s yun prefecture (雲州, in modern datong, shanxi). yang launched troops , repelled khitan incursion.

in 935, li congke bestowed new name of guangyuan on yang. (this name changed prompted fact tan character in yang s name included character of dan, li siyuan had taken on name after became emperor, , therefore of violation of naming taboo.)

yang later transferred military governor of yiwu circuit (義武, headquartered in modern baoding), , serving there of 936. year, li congke s brother-in-law (li siyuan s son-in-law) shi jingtang military governor of hedong circuit (河東, headquartered in modern taiyuan, shanxi) rebelled against li congke , sought aid khitan. li congke put zhang jingda in command of army against shi, , made yang deputy. zhang s army put hedong s capital taiyuan municipality under siege, when khitan relief army arrived under command of khitan emperor taizong, later tang army routed. joint khitan/hedong army subsequently put zhang s army under siege @ jin base (晉安寨, near taiyuan). after several months under siege , no way fight out of siege, both yang , shenqi (安審琦) tried persuade zhang surrender. zhang, citing did not want turn against li congke, refused. yang thereafter assassinated him , surrendered, submitting command of emperor taizong , shi—whom emperor taizong had declared emperor of new later jin. (shi subsequently headed toward luoyang. li congke, believing resistance futile, committed suicide family, ending later tang , allowing later jin take on territory.)