Li You

Li You (died June 22, 829), courtesy name Qingzhi, was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He started his career serving under the warlord Wu Yuanji but, after his capture by the imperial general Li Su in Li Su's campaign against Wu, became instrumental in Li Su's victory over Wu. He subsequently served the imperial government until his death immediately following his campaign against the warlord Li Tongjie. Background and service under Wu Yuanji Little is known about Li You's background, including when he was born or where his family was from. It is known that he came to serve as an officer under Wu Yuanji, who controlled Zhangyi Circuit (彰義, headquartered in modern Zhumadian, Henan), and fought in Wu's campaign of resistance against the imperial government after the imperial government refused to sanction Wu Yuanji's takeover of the circuit after the death of his father Wu Shaoyang in 814. It was said that Li You was fierce in battle, and that the imperial forces feared him. He was also said to have inflicted many casualties on the imperial forces during the campaign. Participation in Wu Yuanji's defeat By 817, one of the imperially-controlled circuits that was near Zhangyi and which thus continuously battled Zhangyi forces in the campaign, Tangsuideng Circuit (唐隨鄧, headquartered in modern Zhumadian as well), had seen two military governors (Jiedushi) — Gao Xiayu and Yuan Zi — defeated by Zhangyi forces in rapid succession; in response, then-reigning Emperor Xianzong commissioned the less-known general Li Su as Tangsuideng's military governor. One of Li Su's tactics, while battling Zhangyi forces, was to capture Zhangyi officers that he considered capable, endearing them, and retaining them on his staff so that he could learn intelligence about Zhangyi. After he first captured Ding Shiliang, Ding suggested that if he targeted and captured Chen Guangqia, the strategist for the key Zhangyi officer Wu Xiulin, Wu would surrender — and after Ding captured Chen, Wu indeed surrendered. Li Su endeared himself to Wu and asked for Wu's input on how to capture Zhangyi's capital Cai Prefecture. Wu responded, "If you, Lord, want to capture Cai Prefecture, you need Li You. I, Wu Xiulin, am not sufficiently capable." Li Su thereafter targeted Li You and, after setting a trap for Li You with 300 cavalry soldiers while engaging him, Li Su's officer Shi Yongcheng was in fact able to capture Li You.