 While Jin'an was still under siege, Emperor Taizong declared Shi the emperor of a new state of Later Jin.Most officials advocated that Li Congke himself lead an army against Shi.Li Congke felt compelled to do so, but as he feared engaging Shi himself — as he was apparently both apprehensive of Shi's abilities and suffering from an illness at the time, and often resorted to drinking as a coping mechanism — stopped after reaching Heyang (河陽, slightly north of Luoyang).