It is known that as of 881, when Zheng Tian was serving as the military governor of Fengxiang and the overall commander against the major agrarian rebel Huang Chao — after Huang had captured the imperial capital Chang'an earlier that year and forced then-reigning Emperor Xizong to flee to Chengdu — Li Changyan was serving as the commander of the Fengxiang forces (行軍司馬, Xingjun Sima) and stationed at Xingping (興平, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi).