Tang Dynasty Jiedushi View RSS

Wang Zhongsi 9 Sep 2008 12:33 AM (17 years ago)

Wang Zhongsi , né Wang Xun , was a general of the dynasty Tang Dynasty. Because of how his father Wang Haibin had died in army service, took him and raised him in the palace, and subsequently entrusted him with army commands. Eventually, though, he was accused of intentionally hindering an attack on Tufan, and was demoted. He died the following year.

Background

Wang Xun was possibly born in 704, He became a friend of Emperor Xuanzong's son the Prince of Zhong and often spent time at Li Sisheng's mansion. After Wang Zhongsi had grown up, he was said to be handsome, silent, and serious, with military talent. As he was the son of a general, Emperor Xuanzong often discussed military matters with him, and Emperor Xuanzong was impressed with his responses, stating, "He will surely be a good general later." In 730, Emperor Xuanzong bestowed additional posthumous honors on Wang Haibin.

Service in army

Wang Zhongsi later served under the generals Xiao Song and Li Hui the Prince of Xin'an . By 733, Wang was a general, serving at Hexi Circuit and carrying the title of Baron of Qingyuan. On one occasion, however, he offended Wang Yu , the sworn brother of the official Huangfu Weiming , and as a result, Huangfu made accusations against him, and he was demoted to be a recruiting officer . In 738, when the general Du Xiwang was set to attack Tufan, his subordinates recommended Wang, and Du retained Wang to serve under him. Wang subsequently contributed much to a victory over Tufan, and was promoted back to general status, and was soon made the deputy military governor of Hedong Circuit . In 740, he was made the military governor of Hedong. In 741, he was made the military governor of Shuofang Circuit , but continued to oversee Hedong as well until Tian Renwan was given Hedong.

In 742, three subordinate tribes to Eastern Tujue, Baximi , Huige, and Geluolu , rebelled against Eastern Tujue's khan Ashina Guduo and killed him. Eastern Tujue subsequently broke into halves, with the chieftain of Baximi, who took the title of Jiadeyishi Khan, and the son of the Eastern Tujue duke Ashina Panjue , who took the title of Wusumishi Khan, each claiming to be khan. Emperor Xuanzong sent emissaries to Wusumishi Khan, advising him to submit to Tang, but Wusumishi Khan refused. Wang then launched his troops to pressure Wusumishi Khan, who became fearful and indicated that he was willing to submit, but took no actual action to do so. Wang then persuaded Baximi, Huige, and Geluolu to attack him. He fled, and Wang captured part of his people and returned to Tang territory. For his contributions, Wang was given a greater general title.

In 744, Baximi attacked Wusumishi Khan and killed him. Wusumishi Khan's people supported his brother Ashina Gulongfu as Baimei Khan. Under Emperor Xuanzong's orders, Wang launched his troops to attack Ashina Gulongfu, defeating him. Subsequently, Huige and Geluolu forces killed both Ashina Gulongfu and Jiadeyishi Khan, and Huige's chieftain Yaoluoge Gulipeiluo established a new khanate as its khan. Emperor Xuanzong created Yaoluoge Gulipeiluo as Huairen Khan. In 745, Wang was created the greater title of Duke of Qingyuan.

In 745, Wang was given the military governorship of Hedong as well as Shuofang. It was said that he considered himself brave, but took comforting the border region as his priority, often stating:



Wang's philosophy was so strict on this that it was said that his soldiers were often itching for a fight. He, however, was accustomed to send intelligence officers to spy on the enemy, to see when attacks could be launched successfully, before doing so. Once he took the commands of both Shuofang and Hedong, he built many forts on the border for defensive purposes, and many considered him a superior commander of that region than everyone since Zhang Rendan. Further, it was said that he intentionally paid an overly high price for horses, and as a result, non- tribes would often sell their horses to him, thus increasing the Tang army's horse supply while reducing potential enemies'.

In 746, Wang was given the military governorships of Hexi and Longyou , but continued to oversee Hedong and Shuofang as well. Under his request, 9,000 horses were delivered from Hedong and Shuofang to Hexi and Longyou, to strengthen the armies of Hexi and Longyou. It was said that he was successful in battles against Tufan and Tuyuhun remnants. It was also said that, however, he was far more familiar with the people of Hedong and Shuofang than with Hexi and Longyou, and was not as good in governance of those circuits, and that he had gotten arrogant and wasteful in light of his successes, causing his reputation to suffer.

Removal and death

Meanwhile, the powerful Li Linfu had become apprehensive that Wang might be made chancellor, and was looking for ways to attack him. In 747, An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang Circuit , was beginning to consider hoarding power, and he asked Wang to participate in the project of building Xiongwu Castle by sending a group of soldiers -- wanting to then hold on to the soldiers and not return them to Wang. Wang, instead, led the troops himself to Xiongwu in advance of the rendezvous date and, after participating in the building project, returned with the soldiers, and submitted reports to Emperor Xuanzong that he believed An was planning treason. Li Linfu, who was then aligned with An, therefore disliked Wang even more. In summer 747, Wang resigned the commands of Hedong and Shuofang and retained only Hexi and Longyou.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong considered ordering Wang to attack Tufan's Shibao Castle . Wang opposed, stating that he believed that Shibao was in a good defensive position and that it would take several tens of thousands of casualties to capture it. Emperor Xuanzong was displeased, and when the imperial guard general Dong Yanguang volunteered to attack Shibao himself, Emperor Xuanzong agreed and ordered Wang to supply Dong with soldiers. Wang agreed, but was secretly hindering Dong's efforts to recruit soldiers by not promising any rewards to soldiers who volunteered for Dong's campaign, persisting in doing so despite advice from his subordinate general Li Guangbi that continuing to do so was unwise. After Dong was unable to capture Shibao, he accused Wang of hindering him. Li Linfu used this opportunity to accuse Wang of planning a rebellion to put Li Sisheng, who was by this point crown prince and who had changed his name to Li Heng, on the throne, hoping to hurt both Wang and Li Heng at the same time. Emperor Xuanzong ordered Wang back to the capital Chang'an and had him interrogated. Subsequently, Emperor Xuanzong ordered the allegations that Wang planned to support Li Heng as emperor be dropped, but that Wang be sentenced for hindering Dong's campaign.

Wang's subordinate Geshu Han, whose achievements impressed Emperor Xuanzong, was made the military governor of Longyou, in his absence. When Geshu was subsequently summoned to Chang'an to meet with Emperor Xuanzong, his subordinates suggested that he bring much treasure to bribe the central government officials to try to save Wang. Geshu responded:



Geshu subsequently met with Emperor Xuanzong and begged for forgiveness for Wang, offering to give up his own offices and titles to save Wang from death. Emperor Xuanzong initially became irritated and refused to talk with him further, but Geshu kneeled, hit the ground with his head, and cried bitterly. Emperor Xuanzong relented and spared Wang, but demoted him to be the governor of Hanyang Commandery . Subsequently, he was made the governor of Handong Commandery . He died while serving there, probably in 748.

Wang Yu (chancellor) 9 Sep 2008 12:33 AM (17 years ago)

Wang Yu was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, who became trusted by due to his studies in witchcraft and the employment of such witchcraft on Emperor Suzong's behalf, such that Emperor Suzong eventually made him .

Background

It is not known when Wang Yu was born. He was a fifth-generation descendant of Wang Fangqing, who served as a during the reign of Wu Zetian. His intervening ancestors' names were recorded as Wang Jiao , Wang Chong , Wang Zhonglian , and Wang Shao , none of whom was recorded to have carried any official titles except for Wang Zhonglian, who served as a secretarial officer at Yang Prefecture . Wang Yu himself was said to be well-studied in the worshipping of gods and spirits and particularly paid attention to the proper times to offer sacrifices.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

Toward the end of the ''Kaiyuan'' era of Wu Zetian's grandson , Emperor Xuanzong was paying great attention to Taoist doctrines and ceremonies. Wang Yu made a submission to Emperor Xuanzong requesting that an altar, to be called the Spring Altar , be built to the east of the capital Chang'an and dedicated to the Blue Emperor . Emperor Xuanzong agreed, and he made Wang an official-scholar at the ministry of worship and an imperial censor , as well as a special emissary of worship . It was said that Wang drew favors from the emperor due to his dedication to worshipping gods on Emperor Xuanzong's behalf. It was further said that while previously, the common populace already had a custom of sacrificing joss paper to the spirits, it was Wang who brought this custom into official ceremonies.

During Emperor Suzong's and Emperor Daizong's reigns

After Emperor Xuanzong's son became emperor in 756, Wang Yu was promoted to be the minister of worship . Because his worship of the gods pleased Emperor Suzong, Emperor Suzong often gave him rewards. In 758, when Emperor Suzong removed the chancellors and from their posts, he made Wang ''Zhongshu Shilang'' -- the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government and gave him the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''. It was said that even before this, Wang did not have a good reputation among the people, and after he was made chancellor, his reputation grew worse due to his incompetence.

At Wang's suggestion, Emperor Suzong built an altar dedicated to the god ''Taiyi'' to the south of Chang'an. Around this time, Emperor Suzong was ill, and the fortunetellers told him that he was being cursed by a god of a mountain or a river. Wang thus suggested that a group of witches and eunuchs be commissioned to go to various mountains and rivers of the empire to pray for Emperor Suzong. The witches that Wang selected used this opportunity to extort bribes from the local officials. One of them, who was sent to Huang Prefecture , took an entourage of several tens of young hoodlums with her and stayed at the station for imperial messengers with them. When the prefect of Huang Prefecture, Zuo Zhen , visited in the morning, he found the station door locked. He became angry, and he ordered that his police officers break into the station and that the witch be dragged out to be decapitated. He also killed the hoodlums that she was with, and then confiscated the bribes that they were carrying. He submitted the funds to Emperor Suzong and requested that the funds be used to pay the taxes that the people of Huang Prefecture would otherwise be responsible for. Emperor Suzong accepted the funds but did not punish Wang. In 759, indeed, pursuant to Wang's suggestions, he personally offered sacrifices to the gods of the nine palaces . Later that year, however, he made Wang the minister of justice and removed him from the chancellor position.

In 760, Wang was made the prefect of Pu Prefecture , as well as the military governor of the surrounding prefectures. In 761, Wang was made the secretary general at Yang Prefecture as well as the military governor of Huainan Circuit . After an occasion after Emperor Suzong offered sacrifices, he made Wang the governor of Yue Prefecture as well as the military governor of Zhedong Circuit . Sometime thereafter, he was recalled to serve as ''Taizi Shaobao'' and then ''Taizi Shaoshi'' -- both positions advisorial positions to the crown prince. Wang died in 768, during the reign of Emperor Suzong's son . He was buried with honors and given the posthumous name ''Jianhuai'' . His great-grandson Wang Tuan later served as a chancellor near the end of Tang Dynasty, under .

Xiao Song 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Xiao Song , formally the Duke of Xu , was an official and general of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reign of .

Background

It is not known when Xiao Song was born. His family was descended from the imperial family of Liang Dynasty. Hiis great-great-grandfather was Emperor Ming of Western Liang, and his great-granduncle Xiao Yu was a famed during the reigns of Tang Dynasty's first two emperors, and . Xiao Song's grandfather Xiao Jun was well-known as a deputy head of the legislative bureau of government and Xiao Song's father Xiao Guan served as a prefectural secretary general.

Xiao Song himself was described as handsome and tall, with a lengthy and beautiful beard. His wife was a daughter of one He Hui , another daughter of whom married Lu Xiangxian. At that time, Lu, who was the son of the chancellor Lu Yuanfang, was already well-known for his abilities while serving as the sheriff of Luoyang County -- one of the two counties making up the then-capital Luoyang, while Xiao was not yet serving as an official. The guests were all rushing to greet Lu, while not paying much attention to Xiao. However, a fortuneteller, Xia Rong , stated to Lu, "You, Master Lu, will reach the apex of officialdom in 10 years. However, Master Xiao's household will be thoroughly honored, and he will reach high positions and have a long life."

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign and Emperor Ruizong's second reign

In 705, during the second reign of , Xiao Song was made a military officer at Ming Prefecture . When the chancellor Huan Yanfan was demoted to be the prefect of Ming Prefecture, Huan was impressed with him and treated him with respect. In 710, when Emperor Zhongzong's brother was emperor, Xiao was serving as the sheriff of Liquan County when Lu Xiangxian, then serving as the deputy head of the legislative bureau, recommended him to be ''Jiancha Yushi'' , an imperial censor. When Lu became chancellor in 711, Xiao was promoted within the censor ranks.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

Early in the ''Kaiyuan'' era of Emperor Ruizong's son , Xiao Song became ''Zhongshu Sheren'' , a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, serving alongside Cui Lin , Wang Qiu , and Qi Huan . It was said that among these officials, Xiao was considered to be unknowledgeable and therefore not considered seriously. However, their superior Yao Chong felt that Xiao had good foresight and respected him. He later successively served as the prefect of Song Prefecture ; ''Shangshu Zuo Cheng'' , one of the secretaries in general of the executive bureau ; and deputy minister of defense . He participated in government reactions to a Yellow River levee break at Bo Prefecture .

In 726, Xiao was given the title of minister of defense and made the military governor of Shuofang Circuit . In 727, having been aggravated by constant attacks by the Tang general Wang Junchuo the military governor of Hexi Circuit , the Tufan generals Xinuoluogonglu and Zhulongmangbu launched a major attack on Gua Prefecture and captured its prefect Tian Yuanxian and Wang Junchuo's father Wang Shou . In the aftermaths, Wang Junchuo falsely accused the tribal chieftains of Huige, Hun , Qibi , and Sijie of treason and had them exiled. In anger, Yaoluoge Hushu , the nephew of the Huige chieftain Yaoluoge Chengzong , launched a surprise raid against Wang, killing him. Emperor Xuanzong moved Xiao from Shuofang to Hexi. Xiao retained a number of officials that were considered capable -- Pei Kuan , Guo Xuji , and Niu Xianke, and recommended the general Zhang Shougui to serve as the prefect of Gua Prefecture. Zhang rebuilt Gua Prefecture's defenses and comforted the people. Emperor Xuanzong, hearing this, gave him the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' . Meanwhile, Xiao had spies create rumors in Tufan that Xinuoluogonglu was conspiring with Tang -- which Tufan's king Mes-ag-tshoms believed, and the Mes-ag-tshoms summoned Xinuoluogonglu and killed him.

In 728, another Tufan general, Ximolang , attacked Gua Prefecture. Xiao and the military governor of Longyou Circuit then counterattacked, and defeated Tufan forces at Kepo Canyon , west of Qinghai Lake. Later that year, he sent the general Du Binke to defend against another Tufan attack, and Du defeated Tufan forces at Qilian . When the unsealed reports of the victory arrived at the capital Chang'an, Emperor Xuanzong was pleased, and he recalled Xiao to Chang'an to serve as minister of defense; he also gave Xiao the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''.

In 729, when Emperor Xuanzong became displeased at the conflict between Xiao's fellow chancellors and Du Xian, as well as the senior chancellor Yuan Qianyao's inability to moderate them, Emperor Xuanzong removed all three from their chancellor positions and replaced them with Yuwen Rong and Pei Guangting. He also made Xiao ''Zhongshu Ling'' , the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor -- a post that had not been held since Zhang Shuo was removed in 726. Xiao was also given the military governorship of Hexi again, but remained at Chang'an and did not report to Hexi. Xiao was made an imperial scholar at Jixian Institute and put in charge of editing the imperial history; he was also given the honorific title of ''Jinzi Guanglu Daifu'' . Emperor Xuanzong gave his daughter Princess Xinchang to Xiao's son Xiao Heng in marriage. Sometime thereafter, Xiao Song was created the Duke of Xu. He, believing Niu, serving as acting military governor in his absence, to be capable, repeatedly recommended Niu, and eventually, his military governorship was given to Niu.

Emperor Xuanzong had put Zhang Shuo in charge of revising the rite regulations. After Zhang died in 731, Xiao was put in charge, and in 732, the revisions were complete and became known as the ''Kaiyuan Rites'' .

In 733, Pei died. Emperor Xuanzong asked Xiao for his recommendation for someone to succeed Pei. Xiao wanted to recommend his friend and old colleague Wang Qiu, who was then serving as a senior advisor at the examination bureau . Wang declined and recommended Han Xiu instead, and so Xiao recommended Han. Han was thus made chancellor to replace Pei. Han had a reputation for being peaceful, so Xiao believed that he could easily be controlled, but once Han became chancellor, Han did not bow to Xiao's wishes, often arguing with Xiao before Emperor Xuanzong and pointing out Xiao's shortcomings. This caused Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure, and Xiao offered to resign. Emperor Xuanzong asked Xiao, "I am not tired of you. Why do you want to leave?" Xiao responded:



Xiao then began to cry, and Emperor Xuanzong was touched, responding, "Leave my presence for the time being. I will think of a solution." Emperor Xuanzong then removed both Xiao and Han as chancellors, making Xiao ''Zuo Chengxiang'' , one of the heads of the executive bureau, instead. He replaced Xiao and Han with Pei Yaoqing and Zhang Jiuling. Soon thereafter, he made Xiao's son Xiao Hua an imperial attendant. In 734, when a major earthquake occurred at Qin Prefecture , causing more than 4,000 deaths, Emperor Xuanzong had Xiao head the disaster relief efforts.

In 736, Xiao was made a senior advisor to the Crown Prince. Soon thereafter, however, Zhang Shougui was discovered to have bribed the eunuch Niu Xiantong and demoted. Then-chancellor Li Linfu, apprehensive that Xiao might return to the chancellorship at some point, accused Xiao of bribing Niu Xiantong as well and had him demoted to be the prefect of Qing Prefecture . Xiao was, however, soon recalled to again be senior advisor to Li Yu, although he soon retired.

Xiao had long been taking herbal medicines, and once he left the chancellorship, he began to grow his own herbs for his own use. At that time, Xiao Hua served as a deputy minister, and Xiao Heng was an imperial son-in-law. Xiao Song thus spent more than a decade in retirement in great honor and wealth. He died in 749 and was given posthumous honors, although no posthumous name was recorded for him. Among his descendants, Xiao Hua, Xiao Hua's grandsons Xiao Mian and Xiao Fang, and Xiao Heng's son Xiao Fu all later served as chancellors.

Zhang Gao 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Zhang Gao , courtesy name Congzhou , formally the Duke of Pingyuan , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reign of . He was known for his blunt suggestions, which eventually led to his removal as chancellor.

Background

It is not known when Zhang Gao was born, but it is known that his family was from Bo Prefecture . His great-grandfather Zhang Shanjian , grandfather Zhang Wuding , and father Zhang Zhigu all served as prefectural-level officials. Zhang Gao himself was said to be handsome and ambitious, and he often conversed about the affairs of the military and statecraft. He was also said to have studied the Confucian classics, but was also devoted to fishing and hunting. In his youth, he studied under the Tang Dynasty scholar and official Wu Jing , and Wu respected him. Later, when Zhang Gao travelled to the Tang capital Chang'an, he lived in a solitary room and did not associate much with others. However, he liked to drink and played the Guqin. If honored men at court invited him to feasts, he would go for the sole purpose of getting drunk.

Toward the end of ''Tianbao'' era of , the Yang Guozhong wanted to retain talented men on his staff. He summoned Zhang and, after meeting him, recommended Zhang to be ''Zuo Shiyi'' , a low-level official at the examination bureau of government . After the general An Lushan rebelled in 755 and established his own state of , Yang often consulted Zhang on military matters, and it was at the recommendation of Zhang and another consultant, Xiao Xin , that Yang made another official, Lai Tian , a general, and Lai enjoyed some successes against Yan forces. In summer 756, Yan forces approached Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to flee toward Chengdu. Zhang followed Emperor Xuanzong on foot to Chengdu.

During Emperor Suzong's reign

Emperor Xuanzong's son and crown prince , however, did not follow him to Chengdu but fled to Lingwu instead, where he was declared emperor . When the news reached Emperor Xuanzong, he recognized Emperor Suzong as emperor and took the title of ''Taishang Huang'' . He sent a number of officials, including Zhang Gao, to attend to Emperor Suzong, and in 757, Zhang reached Emperor Suzong's makeshift court at Fengxiang . As Emperor Suzong was impressed by Zhang's suggestions, he made Zhang ''Jianyi Daifu'' , a consultant at the examination bureau. He soon further promoted Zhang to be ''Zhongshu Shilang'' , the deputy head of the legislative bureau and gave him the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''. At that time, Emperor Suzong retained several hundred Buddhist monks to recite sutras day and night, hoping to draw divine favor, and their voices carried within and without the makeshift palace. Zhang, wanting to end the practice, spoke to Emperor Suzong:



Emperor Suzong was said to agree with his words, but historical accounts did not indicate whether the practice stopped. Meanwhile, as Emperor Suzong believed Zhang to be capable in both civilian and military matters, he soon made Zhang the military governor of Henan Circuit and commander of the forces in the region, replacing Helan Jinming . Zhang knew that, at that time, the general and the city that he was defending, , were under heavy siege, and he therefore tried to march his troops at twice the speed to try to save Suiyang. He also ordered the generals in the region to report to Suiyang to try to save it, but by the time that he arrived in the locale, Suiyang had already fallen, and Zhang Xun was killed by the Yan general Yin Ziqi . In anger, Zhang Gao summoned one of the generals who had disobeyed his order and who had refused to try to save Suiyang, Luqiu Xiao and executed Luqiu by caning. Subsequently, after a joint Tang and Huige force recaptured the Tang eastern capital Luoyang , Zhang and five military governors under his command, Lu Jiong , Lai Tian, Li Zhi the Prince of Wu, Li Siye, and Li Huan , recaptured the commanderies throughout the Henan and Hedong region, except for two commanderies where the Yan generals Neng Yuanhao and Gao Xiuyan held out. He was created the Duke of Nanyang.

Meanwhile, Tang forces were putting An Lushan's son and successor An Qingxu under siege at , and with the siege proceeding and the last major remaining Yan general, Shi Siming, submitting his post of Fanyang to Tang, it appeared that the realm would be soon peaceful. However, Zhang distrusted Shi, believing that Shi was merely buying time and would soon rebel himself; he thus advised Emperor Suzong to use extreme caution with regard to Shi. He also distrusted another Tang general, Xu Shuji and suggested that Emperor Suzong recall Xu to the capital. However, Emperor Suzong trusted the reports of eunuchs he sent to meet with Shi and Xu, which stated that both Shi and Xu were trustworthy. In spring 758, Emperor Suzong thus removed Zhang from his posts as chancellor and military governor, instead sending him to Jing Prefecture to serve as its defender. Zhang was soon recalled to serve on the staff of Emperor Suzong's crown prince and ''Zuo Sanqi Changshi'' , a high-level advisor at the examination bureau. In 761, however, after a plot to make Emperor Suzong's cousin Li Zhen the Prince of Qi was discovered, as Zhang had previously purchased a mansion from Li Zhen, he was considered Li Zhen's associate. Emperor Suzong thus exiled him to Chen Prefecture to serve as the census officer.

During Emperor Daizong's reign

Emperor Suzong died in 762, and Li Yu succeeded him . Emperor Daizong pardoned many officials who had been punished during Emperor Suzong's reign, and he made Zhang Gao the prefect of Fu Prefecture . He soon made Zhang the prefect of Hong Prefecture as well as the commander of the forces in the seven prefectures around Hong Prefecture. He also created Zhang the Duke of Pingyuan. Subsequently, when forces under the agrarian rebel Yuan Chao were disturbing the region, Zhang led his own forces at Shangrao and defeated Yuan's forces, killing several thousand. He also killed two other significant agrarian rebels, Yang Zhao and Shen Qianzai . Zhang was thereafter made the examiner of Jiangnan West Circuit . He died in 764.

It was said that, despite Zhang's meteoric rise -- becoming chancellor within three years of being a civilian -- he was respected for his honesty and humility, as well as his willingness to open himself to his subordinates and good insight. Therefore, despite his lack of seniority, he was respected as any other senior official.

Wang Jian (Former Shu) 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Gaozu of Former Shu is the posthumous name of the founding emperor of the Former Shu kingdom which was created from the ashes of the Later Tang Dynasty in 907. He was known as Wang Jian at birth and held the courtesy name of Guangtu .

Founding of the Former Shu

Wang Jian was named the military governor of western Sichuan in 891 by the court. Over the next decade and a half, he expanded his holdings to not only include the remainder of Sichuan, but parts of neighboring provinces as well. As the Tang Dynasty collapsed in 907, Wang declared himself as the emperor of the Kingdom.

Extant of Territory

Under Wang Jian, the controlled most of present-day Sichuan along with southern portions of Gansu and Shaanxi, western Hebei and all of present-day Chongqing.

Succession

Wang Jian died in 918 and was succeeded by his son, known as Wang Yan . However, he was an incompetent ruler who saw the kingdom absorbed into the Later Tang Dynasty in 924.

Xue Song 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Xue Song , formally the Prince of Pingyang , was a general of the rebel state , who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Xue was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure.

Background

It is not known when Xue Song was born, but he was said to be born in the modern Beijing region. His grandfather Xue Rengui was a well-known general during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, and his father Xue Chuyu served as a general as well. Despite Xue Song's coming from a distinguished lineage, it was said that he paid no attention to property management and fell into poverty. It was also said that he was strong and capable in riding and archery, but paid no attention to studies.

During the Anshi Rebellion

When the general An Lushan rose against the rule of Emperor Gaozong's grandson in 755, Xue Song served An's rebel . The first solid historical reference to him was in 758, when An Lushan's son and successor An Qingxu was besieged by Tang forces in and forced to send Xue to seek out aid from his father's old subordinate Shi Siming. Shi eventually did defeat Tang forces and lift the siege at Yecheng, but then killed An Qingxu himself and took over as the emperor of Yan, and it appeared that Xue continued to serve under Shi Siming at that point.

After the Anshi Rebellion

By 763, the Anshi Rebellion had been put down by Tang forces, with Shi Siming's son and successor Shi Chaoyi committing suicide. At that time, Xue was defending Yecheng for Shi Siming, and he, along with several other key Yan generals -- Tian Chengsi, , and Li Huaixian -- submitted to Tang. The Tang imperial regime, then under the rule of Emperor Xuanzong's son , was hesitant to displace them in fear that they would start another rebellion, so at the urging of the general Pugu Huai'en, they were allowed to remain at their current posts, and Xue was made the military governor of Zhaoyi Circuit , controlling the six prefectures around Yecheng.

It was said that Xue governed Zhaoyi Circuit effectively, and that the people were comforted after the lengthy warfare. It was said, however, that he grew increasingly independent of the Tang imperial government, along with Zhang , Tian, , Li Huaixian, and Liang Chongyi, each in control of several prefectures. Xue was created the Prince of Gaoping, and later the Prince of Pingyang. He died in 773, and was initially succeeded by his son Xue Ping , who, however, almost immediately gave up the post to Xue Song's brother Xue E . Tian, who controlled the neighboring Weibo Circuit , who wanted to expand his territory, then attacked Zhaoyi and forced Xue E to flee. Tian took control of four of the six Zhaoyi prefectures, and the Tang imperial government retained control of the other two, eventually merging it with nearby Zelu Circuit and maintaining the Zhaoyi name for the merged circuit.

Xiao Hua 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Xiao Hua , formally the Duke of Xu , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reign of .

Background

It is not known when Xiao Hua was born. He was from one of the most prominent families of Tang Dynasty officialdom, having descended from the imperial clan of the Liang Dynasty, and his father Xiao Song was a prominent and general during the reign of . Xiao Hua's brother Xiao Heng married Emperor Xuanzong's daughter Princess Xinchang.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 733, when Xiao Song was removed as chancellor in the midst of his conflict with fellow chancellor Han Xiu , Xiao Hua was made an imperial attendant , and was soon promoted to be the deputy minister of public works . After Xiao Song died in 749, Xiao Hua inherited the title of Duke of Xu. Toward the end of Emperor Xuanzong's ''Tianbao'' era , Xiao Hua was made the deputy minister of defense .

In 755, the general An Lushan rebelled at Fanyang Circuit , and soon established a state of with him as emperor. In 756, with Yan forces approaching the Tang capital Chang'an, Emperor Xuanzong fled toward Chengdu. Most officials, including Xiao Hua, were unable to follow him, and Xiao Hua was captured by Yan forces. An made him the prefect of Wei Prefecture .

During Emperor Suzong's reign

In 758, with Emperor Xuanzong's son then the emperor of Tang and An Lushan's son An Qingxu then the emperor of Yan, Tang forces recaptured Chang'an and Yan's capital Luoyang, forcing An Qingxu to flee to , near Wei Prefecture. Nine Tang military governors , led by Guo Ziyi, put Yecheng under siege. Xiao Hua sent secret correspondences to the Tang army agreeing to rise against Yan forces. His correspondences, however, were intercepted, and he was imprisoned. When the Tang general Cui Guangyuan captured Wei Prefecture, he freed Xiao. It was said that the people of Wei Prefecture favored Xiao's governance and petitioned Emperor Suzong to let Xiao remain at Wei Prefecture, and Emperor Suzong agreed. However, when the Yan general Shi Siming -- who briefly submitted to Tang but then turned against Tang again -- advanced south toward Yecheng from Fanyang, Guo was uncertain about Xiao's loyalty and so summoned him to the Tang army camps, replacing him with Cui. Soon, in a confrontation with Shi's forces, Tang forces collapsed, and in the aftermaths, Xiao went back to Chang'an. He was still considered tainted by his service as a Yan official, and he was demoted to be the acting ''Mishu Shaojian'' -- the deputy director of the archival bureau . He was soon promoted to be ''Shangshu You Cheng'' , one of the secretary generals of the executive bureau of government . In 759, he was made the mayor of Hezhong Municipality as well as the military governor of Hezhong Circuit .

Around the new year 761, Xiao was recalled to Chang'an to serve as ''Zhongshu Shilang'' -- the deputy head of the legislative bureau . He was also given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''. He was also made an imperial scholar at Chongwen Pavilion and put in charge of editing the imperial history. In 761, when the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo wanted to be chancellor, and Emperor Suzong, who by this point was fearful of Li Fuguo, refused on the basis that he did not have the support of the officials, Li Fuguo tried to persuade the senior official Pei Mian to recommend him. Emperor Suzong told Xiao that if an important official recommended Li Fuguo, he would no longer have the excuse to refuse Li Fuguo's request. When Xiao subsequently discussed this with Pei, Pei's response was:



Subsequently, Li Fuguo was not able to be chancellor while Emperor Suzong was alive, much to Li Fuguo's resentment, and Li Fuguo believed Xiao to be responsible. In 762, Li Fuguo accused Xiao of being power hungry, and repeatedly requested Emperor Suzong to remove Xiao. Emperor Suzong, apprehensive of Li Fuguo, removed Xiao from his chancellor position and made him the minister of rites , replacing him with Yuan Zai, at Li Fuguo's recommendation.

During Emperor Daizong's reign

Emperor Suzong died shortly after, and he was succeeded by his son -- who took the throne after Li Fuguo prevailed in a bloody conflict with Emperor Suzong's wife in which Empress Zhang and Emperor Daizong's brother Li Xi the Prince of Yue were killed. Li Fuguo was completely in control, and Yuan Zai, in order to flatter him, accused Xiao of crimes. Xiao was demoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Xia Prefecture . He died while still at Xia Prefecture. His grandson Xiao Mian later served as a chancellor as well, during the reign of .

Yang Xingmi 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Yang Xingmi was a military commander and the founder of the State in Southern China in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, leading to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period of Chinese history.

Founder of Wu

Yang Xingmi was regional inspector of Lanzhou prior to being named the military governor in 892. He was named Prince of Wu by the faltering Tang Dynasty in 902.

Reign

Guangling, now known as Yangzhou, was the capital of the State. It occupied parts of present-day Jiangsu and Anhui. Upon being declared the Prince of Wu by the Tang court, he set to work on repairing a faltering economy. However, his reign was very brief as he died in 905, three years into his rule. He would posthumously be given the title of Wu Taizu ,founding emperor of Wu, after the Tang Dynasty finally collapsed in 907.

Yang Guozhong 9 Sep 2008 12:32 AM (17 years ago)

Yang Guozhong , né Yang Zhao , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a late in the reign of . His second cousin Consort Yang Yuhuan was Emperor Xuanzong's favorite concubine, and he gained Emperor Xuanzong's favor through her. He was considered a gambler and a wastrel, but keen with the political scene, although not competent to be a chancellor. His conflict with An Lushan, also a favorite official of Emperor Xuanzong's, eventually drove An into rebellion . His gross military miscalculation then permitted the latter to capture the imperial capital Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong was forced to flee, and while in flight, Yang Guozhong, Consort Yang, and many of the Yang family were killed by the angry soldiers escorting Emperor Xuanzong because the army attributed the chaos to them.

Background

It is not know when Yang Zhao was born. His family was from Pu Prefecture and traced its ancestry to the great Han Dynasty official Yang Zhen , as well as officials of Later Yan, Northern Wei, and Tang Dynasty's predecessor Sui Dynasty. Yang Zhao's great-great-grandfather Yang Wang was an important official during Sui. His grandfather Yang Youliang served as a county magistrate for Tang, and his father Yang Xun served as a military officer. His mother Lady Zhang was a sister of Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong.

Yang Zhao himself was said to lack knowledge and virtues. He was a heavy drinker and gambler, and was looked down by his own clan members. He, motivated by the slight, decided to join the army, and served in the army stationed at Yi Prefecture . For his military service, he was set to be promoted, but the secretary general of Yi Prefecture, Zhang Kuan , disliking him, initially refused to do so and in fact whipped him, but eventually he was made the magistrate of County. After his three-year term of service was over, he did not save sufficient funds to return home, and relied on assistance from a rich man of the region, Xianyu Zhongtong . He also spent much time with the household of his father's cousin Yang Xuanyan , and eventually carried on an affair with one of Yang Xuanyan's daughters . When Yang Yuanyan, who was sonless, died, Yang Zhao was temporarily in charge of the household, until Yang Yuanyan's daughters went to Henan Municipality to stay with their uncle Yang Xuanjiao . Yang Zhao later served as the sheriff of Fufeng County , but was unable to progress further, and returned to the Yi Prefecture region. While he was in the region, he also married his wife Pei Rou , who had been a prostitute.

Rise to power

As of 744, Yang Xuanyan's daughter had become 's favorite concubine. Meanwhile, at this time, Xianyu Zhongtong had become an associate of Zhangqiu Jianqiong , the military governor of JIannan Circuit , and Zhangqiu happened to be fearful that the powerful Li Linfu, with whom he was not on good relations, would find some way to hurt him. He thus wanted someone to go to the capital Chang'an to help him maintain good relations with powerful individuals on his behalf. Xianyu recommended Yang Zhao. Zhangqiu gave Yang a gift and also gave him many impressive items from the region and had him take them to Chang'an. Once Yang Zhao arrived at Chang'an, he gave the bribe from Zhangqiu to Consort Yang's sisters and two of her powerful cousins, Yang Xian and Yang Qi , and further resumed his affair with one of her sisters. The sisters and cousins of Consort Yang thus repeatedly praised and recommended both Zhangqiu and Yang Zhao, and further pointed out to Emperor Xuanzong Yang Zhao's abilities to entertain by gambling. Yang Zhao was thus allowed in the palace, and subsequently was made an officer of the imperial guards.

As of 747, Yang Zhao was serving as ''Shi Yushi'' , an imperial censor, when Li Linfu, wanted to accuse the official, Yang Shenjin , of crimes. He thus engaged Yang Zhao to have Yang Zhao inform Yang Shenjin's cousin's son Wang Hong , who resented Yang Shenjin for still viewing him as a junior member of the family, of Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure with Yang Shenjin over Yang Shenjin's involvement with a sorcerer named Shi Jingzhong . Li Linfu then induced Wang to make accusations against Yang Shenjin, who was a descendant of Sui emperors, of plotting to overthrow Tang and restore Sui. As a result, Yang Shenjin and his brothers Yang Shenyu and Yang Shenming were forced to commit suicide, and many of their friends and family members were exiled. Meanwhile, Li Linfu, having unsuccessfully supported Emperor Xuanzong's son Li Mao the Prince of Shou to be crown prince , was trying to find ways to undermine Li Heng, and therefore engaged Yang Zhao, Luo Xishi , and Ji Wen to falsely accuse people with connections to Li Heng, hoping to find a way to implicate Li Heng in improprieties. Yang Zhao was therefore able to use this opportunity to destroy several hundreds of households, although, with the powerful eunuch Gao Lishi and Emperor Xuanzong's son-in-law Zhang Ji protecting him, Li Heng was not implicated.

As of 748, Yang Zhao carried some 15 office titles, the chief among which were imperial censor and director of accounting in the ministry of treasury . In 748, Emperor Xuanzong further made him ''Geishizhong'' , an imperial attendant, as well as deputy chief imperial censor , but continued to be in charge of accounting as well at the ministry of treasury. As of 749, with the prefectural treasuries food storages overflowing, Yang suggested that the prefectures, instead of storing food, buy silk with the food and transport the silk to the imperial treasury in Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong, with Yang reporting record surpluses, took a tour of the imperial treasury with the officials and awarded him with a purple robe and a golden fish.

Meanwhile, by 750, Yang and Ji were allied with each other, and Ji was plotting for Yang how to replace Li LInfu as chancellor -- and he found crimes of Li Linfu's close associates Xiao Jiong and Song Hun , and then had Yang indict them and have them demoted, to try to undermine Li LInfu's hold on power. He also sought posthumous rehabilitation of his uncles Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong, and at his request, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously restored the Zhangs' titles . Also, because there were references in prophecies to "golden sword" , he requested a name change as well. Emperor Xuanzong gave him the new name of Guozhong . Grateful for what Xianyu had done for him at the start of his career, he had Xianyu made the military governor of Jiannan, despite the fact that Xianyu was harsh and thus offended the non- vassals. Indeed, in 751, after Xianyu had attacked Nanzhao and suffered a major defeat , Yang hid the truth for him and claimed to Emperor Xuanzong that Xianyu had scored a major victory. Nevertheless, with the Nanzhao campaign continuing, Yang ordered that men be forcibly conscripted, even if they had previously had contributions to the state . He also had Xianyu offer to resign and recommend him instead; thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong made him the military governor of Jiannan, but he remained at Chang'an and did not report to Jiannan, although he continued to wage the campaign against Nanzhao, eventually with the Tang death toll running up to 200,000.

In 752, Yang received an opportunity to have Li Linfu removed. That year, Wang Hong's brother Wang Han had been implicated in a coup attempt at Chang'an, and although Emperor Xuanzong, at the plea of Li LInfu, initially took no action against Wang Hong and Wang Han, he expected Wang Hong to offer to be punished, but Wang Hong did not, drawing Emperor Xuanzong's anger. Li Linfu's fellow chancellor Chen Xilie and Yang then both accused Wang Hong of treason, and Wang Hong was forced to commit suicide, depriving Li Linfu of a major ally. Wang's post as mayor of Jingzhao Municipality went to Yang. Yang then had the captives from Wang Han's failed coup implicate Li Linfu, and also had Chen and Geshu Han implicate Li Linfu in the rebellion of the ethnically Tujue general Li Xianzhong . Li Linfu tried to defuse the threat by requesting that Yang be sent to Jiannan to personally oversee the Nanzhao campaign, and Emperor Xuanzong sent Yang to Jiannan, despite Yang's pleas and Consort Yang's pleas on his behalf. Emperor Xuanzong, however, promised to make him chancellor, and recalled him as soon as he reached Jiannan. When he returned to Chang'an, Li Linfu was gravely ill, and tried to ingratiate Yang by pointing out that Yang would be chancellor and entrusting his household to Yang. Upon Li Linfu's death, however, Yang induced Li Linfu's son-in-law Yang Qixuan into corroborating that Li LInfu was involved with Li Xianzhong. As a result, Li Linfu was posthumously stripped of honors, and his family members were exiled.

As chancellor

Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong made Yang Guozhong ''You Xiang'' -- the head of the legislative bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor; he also made Yang the minister of civil service affairs , and further allowed him to keep his command of Jiannan. It was said that Yang was capable in rhetoric but lacked abilities and presence. While he tried to be a responsible official and was decisive, he was frivolous and insolent to other officials. He personally assumed over 40 posts, and expelled those officials who had good reputations but were not willing to follow his orders. It was further said that he tried to show off his talent by having important matters decided at his home without discussion with other officials, and then simply announce his decisions once he arrived at the government halls. Meanwhile, for his and Chen's contributions in "discovering" Li LInfu's involvement with Li Xianzhong, Emperor Xuanzong created both of them dukes in 753 -- in Yang's case, the Duke of Wei , although he declined on account that the title was overly honorable for him, and so Emperor Xuanzong made him the Duke of Wei -- a slightly lesser title.

Meanwhile, though, Yang began to have discord with another favorite official of Emperor Xuanzong's -- An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang , Hedong , and Pinglu Circuits, as An did not respect Yang. Yang repeatedly accused An of plotting rebellion, but Emperor Xuanzong ignored the reports. Yang, instead, entered into an alliance with Geshu, who also disliked An and who was then the military governor of Longyou Circuit at that time, by recommending that Geshu take over the command of Hexi Circuit .

At this time, Yang and his relatives were living in extreme luxury, and he and the Lady of Guo had connected mansions and were openly displaying their closeness. Meanwhile, whenever Consort Yang's sisters -- the Ladies of Guo, Han, and Qin -- and Yang Xian and Yang Qi were to attend Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang on tours to Huaqing Palace , their trains would gather at Yang Guozhong's mansion, with each of the five households distinguished by a different color, causing a glamorous display of colors. Yang Guozhong would lead the train ahead with his own guards and the banners as the military governor of Jiannan.

In spring 754, Yang suggested to Emperor Xuanzong that An was set on rebelling, and that if Emperor Xuanzong summoned him to Chang'an, he would surely not come -- but when Emperor Xuanzong then did summon An, An immediately arrived at Chang'an and accused Yang of false accusations. Thereafter, Emperor Xuanzong would no longer believe any suggestions that An was plotting rebellion, despite Li Heng agreeing with Yang's assessment on this issue. Meanwhile, he considered promoting An to be chancellor, but Yang opposed, and this did not occur, and An subsequently returned to Fanyang. Meanwhile, Yang was having conflicts with Chen as well, and he forced Chen to resign and then recommended Wei Jiansu to replace Chen. During a subsequent flood that caused much damage, Yang, not wanting any reports of damage, insisted that there was no damage -- and when the officials and Fang Guan nevertheless submitted damage reports, he had them demoted. He also viewed the official Wei Zhi as a threat and had Wei accused of corruption -- and when Wei subsequently bribed Ji, who was by then allied with An, for help, Yang also discovered this and reported it. As a result, Wei and Ji were demoted, and An subsequently submitted a petition on their behalf, claiming that the accusations from Yang were false, but Emperor Xuanzong took no actions against either An or Yang.

In spring 755, however, the matters were beginning to come to a head. When An submitted a petition to have 32 non-Han generals under him replace Han generals, Emperor Xuanzong immediately agreed, despite stern arguments from Yang and Wei Jiansu that this was a sign of impending rebellion. Yang and Wei then suggested that An be promoted to be chancellor, and that his three commands be divided between his three deputies; Emperor Xuanzong initially agreed, but after the edict was drafted, Emperor Xuanzong tabled it and instead sent the eunuch Fu Qiulin to send fresh fruits to An and to observe him -- upon which An bribed Fu into submitting a favorable report. Yang, however, persisted in his reports against Yang, including having the mayor of Jingzhao arrest An's friend Li Chao and others and executing them secretly. An's son An Qingzong , who was then at Chang'an, reported this to An Lushan, causing An Lushan to be even more apprehensive. Subsequent events -- including An's refusal to attend the funeral of an imperial prince in summer 755 and his offer to send a large number of horses to Chang'an in fall 755, began to cause Emperor Xuanzong to start suspecting An. He also discovered that Fu had received An's bribes, and therefore had Fu killed, instead sending another eunuch, Feng Shenwei to Fanyang to again summon An. An refused.

In winter 755, An, finally feeling he had no choice but to rebel, did so. The imperial officials were all apprehensive, because An had the strongest troops of the realm at the time, except for Yang, who believed that An could be suppressed easily. However, An's forces roved through the region north of the Yellow River easily, reaching Luoyang around the new year 756 and capturing easily despite the efforts of Feng Changqing to defend it. In response, Emperor Xuanzong considered passing the throne to Li Heng and personally lead the troops against An -- a proposal that Yang feared, believing that Li Heng would then take actions against the Yangs. He had Consort Yang dissuade Emperor Xuanzong from both actions. Meanwhile, Geshu was summoned to Chang'an to command the forces against An -- and Geshu was then able to manufacture evidence that An's stepfather's nephew An Sishun, whom Geshu also disliked, was complicit in An Lushan's rebellion, and An Sishun was executed. Yang, after this incident, began to be apprehensive of Geshu as well. When Geshu subsequently took defensive position at Tong Pass and refused to engage An's forces, reasoning that as long as he kept Chang'an secure, the other generals Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi would soon be able to capture An's power base at Fanyang and render An harmless. Yang, however, feared that Geshu was instead plotting against him. Yang therefore sent his associate Du Qianhui with a separate army command to the front as well to watch Geshu, and Geshu, in turn apprehensive that Yang was going to act against him, found an excuse to execute Du, further causing Yang's suspicions. Yang therefore had Emperor Xuanzong order Geshu to engage An's forward commander Cui Qianyou , despite Geshu's repeated protestations that a battle was inadvisable. Once the armies engaged, Tang forces were crushed by Cui's forces; Geshu was captured, and Tong Pass fell on July 10.

Yang then began to plan for an evacuation to Jiannan. Emperor Xuanzong agreed. On July 13, the imperial train, without announcing to the people of Chang'an, left Chang'an, with Emperor Xuanzong attended to by the imperial clan members, Yang, Wei Jiansu, the official Wei Fangjin , the general Chen Xuanli , and eunuchs and close to the emperor.

On July 15, Emperor Xuanzong's train reached Mawei Station . The imperial guards were not fed and were angry at Yang Guozhong. Chen also believed that Yang Guozhong provoked this disaster and planned to carry him -- and reported his plans to Li Heng through Li Heng's eunuch Li Fuguo, but Li Heng was hesitated and gave no approval. Meanwhile, though, Tufan emissaries, who followed Emperor Xuanzong south, were meeting with Yang Guozhong and complaining that they were also not fed. The imperial guard soldiers took this opportunity to proclaim that Yang Guozhong was planning treason along with the Tufan emissaries, and they killed him, along with his son Yang Xuan , the Ladies of Han and Qin, and Wei Fangjin. Wei Jiansu was also nearly killed, but was spared at the last moment with severe injuries. The soldiers then surrounded Emperor Xuanzong's pavilion, and refused to scatter even after Emperor Xuanzong came out to comfort them and order them to scatter. Chen publicly urged him to put Consort Yang to death -- which Emperor Xuanzong initially declined. After Wei Jiansu's son Wei E and Gao Lishi spoke further, Emperor Xuanzong finally resolved to do so. He therefore had Gao take Consort Yang to a Buddhist shrine and strangle her there. After he showed the body to Chen and the other imperial guard generals, the guard soldiers finally scattered and prepared for further movement. Meanwhile, Yang Guozhong's wife Pei Rou, son Yang Xi , the Lady of Guo, and the Lady of Guo's son Pei Hui tried to flee, but were killed in flight.

Yang's biography in the ''Book of Tang'' commented, with regard to Yang's misjudgment of the situation at Tong Pass:

Du Xian 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Du Xian , formally Marquess Zhenxiao of Wei County , was an official and general of the dynasty, serving as during the reign of .

Background

It is not known when Du Xian was born. His family was from Pu Prefecture and claimed its ancestry from the Qin Dynasty general Du He , and traced itself to a line of officials during Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty. It was said that the clan's members were on such good terms that it did not divide for five generations down to Du Xian. Both Du Xian's grandfather Du Yikuan and father Du Chengzhi were low level officials.

Du Zhicheng died early in the reign of Wu Zetian. Du Xian, in his youth at that time, was said to be respectful and careful, and was particularly filially pious toward his stepmother and caring toward his half-brother Du Yu . After he passed the imperial examinations, he became a military officer at Wu Prefecture . When his term of office was complete, his subordinates, as a farewell gift, gave him 10,000 sheets of paper -- then a highly valuable commodity. He only accepted 100 and returned the rest. The witnesses commented, "In the past, there had been honest officials who only received gifts of a single large coin. This is similar." He later served as the sheriff of Zheng County , and was again known for his honesty. At that time, the official Yang Fu was serving as the military advisor to the prefect of Hua Prefecture , which Zheng County belonged to, and was impressed with Du. Later, while Yang was serving as a judge at the supreme court , Du was accused of an offense. Yang commented, "If even this sheriff could be accused of a crime, how can we encourage officials to be clean and honest?" He informed this to his superiors and had Du made a ''Dali Pingshi'' -- a judicial clerk.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 716, during the reign of , Du Xian was made ''Jiancha Yushi'' , an imperial censor. On one occasion, there was a dispute between the deputy Protectorate General to Pacify the West Guo Qian'guan , the general Liu Xiaqing , and the Tang vassal Western Tujue's khan Ashina Xian. Emperor Xuanzong sent Du to the region to investigate the dispute. As part of his investigation, he visited the Tuqishi tribe. A Tuqishi chieftain gave him gold as a gift. Du initially declined, but his subordinates pointed out that rejecting the gift might be viewed as an insult, so Du accepted it -- and then buried it below the tent. After he left Tuqishi, he then sent messengers to the chieftain to inform him where the gold was buried. This impressed the Tuqishi chieftain.

Du later served as imperial attendant , but later left civil service to observe a mourning period when his stepmother died. In 724, then-Protectorate General to Pacify the West, Zhang Xiaosong , was made the mayor of Taiyuan Municipality, and he recommended Du to replace him. Emperor Xuanzong recalled Du, while he was still in the mourning period, to serve as the deputy protectorate general, acting as the protectorate general. In 725, when the vassal king of , Yuchi Tiao , was plotting with the local tribes to rebel against Tang. When Du found out, he attacked Yuchi Tiao, killed him, and placed a new king of Yutian on the throne. He was given the honorific title of ''Guanglu Daifu'' . It was said that during Du's service as protectorate general, he cared greatly for the soldiers under him and worked hard, earning the love of both the Han Chinese and the non-Han.

In fall 726, for his accomplishments, Du was recalled to the capital Chang'an, and, while he continued to be titularly protectorate general, remained at Chang'an to serve as with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' . However, he was also responsible for an incident that damaged the relationship with Tuqishi -- as the khan of Tuqishi, Sulu , had married the daughter of a prior Western Tujue khan, Ashina Huaidao, and Emperor Xuanzong created her the Princess Jiaohe. When Princess Jiaohe sent messengers and 1,000 horses to Du's headquarters to sell horses, the messengers read of an order from her, as princess -- and Du responded by angrily stating, "How dare an Ashina woman issue me an order?" He caned the messengers and detained the horses, which largely died in a few subsequent snowstorms. In late 726, after Du left his office, Sulu attacked, causing much damage, and Sulu withdrew only after he heard that Du had been made chancellor.

By 729, Du was having repeated disagreements with fellow chancellor , and the senior chancellor Yuan Qianyao was unable to moderate them. This drew Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure with them, and he removed all three of them, replacing them with Yuwen Rong and Pei Guangting, while retaining fellow chancellor Xiao Song. Du was demoted to be the secretary general at Jing Prefecture . He later successively served as prefect of Wei Prefecture and mayor of Taiyuan Municipality.

In 732, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Taiyuan, he made Du the minister of census , and had Du accompany him back to Chang'an. Subsequently, when Emperor Xuanzong visited Luoyang, Du was left in charge of Chang'an. In Emperor Xuanzong's absence, Du conscripted soldiers to repair the three main palaces and the city walls, personally attending to the projects without rest. Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict thanking him for his diligence. Later, Du was made the minister of rites and created the Marquess of Wei County.

It was said that Du was honest but without sufficient knowledge, and often spoke in vulgar terms. Ever since his youth, he made a vow not to accept gifts, and when Du died in 740, he was given posthumous honors, but while his son Du Xiaoyou accepted the imperial bestowments, he declined all gifts from Du's colleagues and subordinates. There was a dispute over his posthumous name, as the ministry of worship initially suggested Zhensu , while the officials Liu Tongsheng and Wei Lian believed that Du was both faithful to the state and filially pious and should be given a greater posthumous name signifying both virtues. The imperial scholar Pei Zong believed that that was inappropriate, pointing out that Du came out of the period of mourning to take an office and thus, in Pei's opinion, could not be considered sufficiently filially pious. After Du Xiaoyou submitted a petition to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong had the matter reexamined, and eventually, Du Xian was given the posthumous name of Zhenxiao .

Lu Yin 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Lü Yin , formally Count Su of Xuchang , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reign of . Historians often regarded him as being more capable as a regional governor, later in his career, than as a chancellor.

Before serving as chancellor

Lü Yin was born in 712, around the time when became emperor. His family was from Pu Prefecture and traced its ancestry to the ruling Jiang clan of during the Spring and Autumn Period. Lü himself was said to be ambitious and studious in his youth, but was poor and could not support himself. A wealthy man from his locale, Cheng Chubin was impressed with Lü's talent and believed that he would one day be successful, and Cheng decided to give his daughter to Lü in marriage. After the marriage, both Cheng Chubin and his son Cheng Zhen supported Lü financially, allowing Lü to visit the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an.

Early in Emperor Xuanzong's ''Tianbao'' era , Lü passed the imperial examinations and was made the sheriff of Ningling County. The surveyor of the circuit, Wei Zhi , was impressed with Lü's talent and recommended him to serve as deputy surveyor. Later, Geshu Han, the military governor of Longyou and Hexi Circuits invited him to serve on staff as treasurer. While serving under Geshu, it was said that Lü was careful and hardworking, and at times, when his colleagues would be spending time out of the office, Lü would be in his office to review the files. This diligence caused Geshu to favor him more.

In 755, the general An Lushan rebelled at Fanyang Circuit and quickly attacked south, capturing the Tang eastern capital Luoyang and establishing a new state of . Geshu was commissioned to try to block Yan advances at Tong Pass, but was defeated there in 756, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to flee Chang'an to Chengdu. Emperor Xuanzong's son and crown prince , however, did not follow him to Chengdu, but instead fled to Lingwu, where he was proclaimed emperor , an action that Emperor Xuanzong later recognized. Lü, who had been still serving under Geshu at the time Geshu was defeated, fled to Lingwu as well. After the eunuchs Zhu Guanghui and Li Zunzou recommended him, Emperor Suzong met him and was impressed with him, and thus made him deputy chief imperial censor , often listening to his advice. After Emperor Suzong moved his headquarters to Fengxiang in 757, he made Lü the deputy minister of defense and further allowed Lü to wear a gold and purple robe, generally reserved for higher-ranking officials. After Emperor Suzong recaptured Chang'an and Luoyang later in 757, Lü was one of the officials, along with and Cui Qi , who adjudicated the cases of former Tang officials who had submitted to Yan as subjects. It was said that both Lü and Cui were harsh while Li Xian was more merciful, and that Lü's harshness brought much disdain for him.

As chancellor

In spring 759, Lü Yin, then still deputy minister of defense, was given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto'', and he was also made in charge of the examination bureau of government even though he carried no official responsibility at the examination bureau. In summer 759, after his mother died, he left public service briefly, but was recalled to the same posts three months later, and was additionally given the office of special taxation emissary . He was also created the Count of Xuchang and made ''Huangmen Shilang'' , the deputy head of the examination bureau. In early 760, Emperor Suzong gave him the greater chancellor ''de facto'' designation of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' and awarded him a ceremonial ji . Lü, believing it to be inappropriate to receive such honors in mourning clothes, took off his mourning clothes -- and this drew much criticism from others.

During the time that Lü served as chancellor, he drew further criticism by making his father-in-law Cheng Chubin a deputy minister and brother-in-law Cheng Zhen a junior official. Further, he had a close association with the eunuch Ma Shangyan . When Ma received the bribe from a reserve official who sought to be the sheriff of Lantian County , he requested Lü to make that person the sheriff of Lantian County. Lü did so. When this was discovered in summer 760, Emperor Suzong, in anger, battered Ma to death and had Ma's subordinates consume his flesh. Lü was not killed, but was removed from his chancellor position, to serve on the staff of Emperor Suzong's crown prince instead.

After serving as chancellor

Two months later, Lü Yin was made the secretary general at Jing Prefecture , as well as the military governor of the five surrounding prefectures. Once he was at Jing Prefecture, he requested that Emperor Suzong designate the prefectural capital as a special municipality and the southern capital. Emperor Suzong agreed and converted Jing Prefecture into Jiangling Municipality, making Lü its mayor. Further, at Lü's request, he also ordered 3,000 soldiers to be stationed at Jiangling to block off any potential rebellions in the region. Further, he also added seven prefectures to Lü's area of responsibility.

Prior to Lü's arrival, his office was occupied by the general Zhang Weiyi . Zhang, however, was often intimidated by his subordinate Chen Xi'ang -- who controlled his own private army at his home prefecture of Heng Prefecture and ruled it as a private fief. On one occasion, Chen, who had an enmity with his colleague Mou Suijin , took his own soldiers into Zhang's mansion, demanding that Zhang order Mou beheaded. Zhang, in fear, ordered Mou's execution, and thereafter, Chen dominated the affairs at headquarters. When Lü arrived at his post, he initially ingratiated Chen by recommending him for promotion, and then killed him by a surprise attack. Lü was thereafter able to control headquarters.

On another occasion, there had been a sorcerer Shen Taizhi , who ingratiated the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo by using sorcery on Li Fuguo's behalf. Through Li Fuguo's influence, Shen was made a commanding army officer at Dao Prefecture . Shen was corrupt and extorted much wealth from the local non- population. Pang Chengding , the prefect of nearby Tan Prefecture , had long been angry about Shen's corruption, and on one occasion, when Shen was in Tan Prefecture, Pang apprehended him and seized the ill-gotten gains, and then submitted an accusation against Shen. Both Shen and Pang were taken to Chang'an, and because of Shen's association with Li Fuguo, Li Fuguo cleared him and accused Pang of false accusations. He ordered Lü to investigate. Lü had his subordinate Yan Ying investigate and submit a report clearing Pang and confirming Shen's guilt. Emperor Suzong, influenced greatly by Li Fuguo, however, ordered Pang executed and Yan exiled. Lü strenuously objected, despite the dangers in doing so, but was unable to save Pang or Yan at that point; this, however, made people much more respectful of Lü, and ultimately, Shen's guilt was shown, and he was executed while Pang was posthumously restored.

While Lü was chancellor, he had a poor relationship with his colleague Li Kui. As Lü gained a good reputation while at Jing Prefecture, Li Kui was displeased. Li Kui therefore proposed that armies under Lü's command be disbanded, arguing that the region did not need soldiers, and also often sent examiners to Lü's region of responsibility, seeking to find Lü's faults. Lü reported this to Emperor Suzong and defended himself. As a result, Li Kui was removed from his chancellor position and demoted to be a prefect. Lü died in 762 and was given posthumous honors.

The ''New Book of Tang'' had this commentary about Lü:



While serving at Jing Prefecture, Lü also heard about the talents of the officials Du Hongjian and Yuan Zai and recommended them. Both later became chancellors.

Zhang Shuo 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Zhang Shuo , courtesy name Daoji or Shuozhi , formally Duke Wenzhen of Yan , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a three separate stints during the reigns of and . He is known for having suggested the transition of Tang central government armed forces from being conscription-based to recruitment-based.

Background

Zhang Shuo was born in 663, during the reign of . His family was from the Tang Dynasty eastern capital Luoyang, and traced its ancestry to the great Han Dynasty strategist Zhang Liang, as well as a line of officials that served Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty , Northern Wei, and Northern Zhou.

In his youth, Zhang Shuo passed the imperial examinations and received the highest score among the group of people who took the exam at the same time. He was made an attendant in the crown prince's studies.

During Wu Zetian's reign

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife Wu Zetian , Zhang Shuo was gradually promoted to ''You Bujue'' , a low-level official at the legislative bureau of government . While serving there, he participated in a project, headed by Li Jiao to create a work known as the ''Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions'' -- a compilation of various poetry about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, in which Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong also participated, to give them a legitimate reason to enter the palace. In 700, when Wu Zetian spent summer and fall at Sanyang Palace , away from Luoyang , Zhang Shuo submitted an earnest petition urging her to return to Luoyang, which she did not accept. Early in her ''Chang'an'' era , the ''Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions'' was completed, and the participants were rewarded -- with Zhang Shuo becoming ''You Shi'' , an imperial chronicler, as well as an imperial attendant; he was also put in charge of grading the entries of imperial examination takers. Sometime thereafter, he was promoted to be ''Fengge Sheren'' , a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.

In 703, Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong were apprehensive that if Wu Zetian, who was ill at the time, died, they would be killed by the senior Wei Yuanzhong. They therefore falsely accused Wei and the official Gao Jian of having said that Wu Zetian was too old and that it was better to support her son and crown prince, . Wu Zetian, in anger, arrested Wei and Gao, who proclaimed their innocence. Zhang Changzong promised Zhang Shuo a promotion if he would corroborate the accusations against Wei, who was Zhang Shuo's superior. Zhang Shuo initially agreed, but as he entered the palace, several fellow junior officials, Song Jing, Zhang Tinggui , and Liu Zhiji, pointed out to him that it was important for him to leave a clean name in history. After he entered Wu Zetian's presence, instead of corroborating Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong's accusations against Wei, he proclaimed Wei's innocence and accused Zhang Changzong of suborning perjury. Wu Zetian, while angry at Zhang Shuo, spared Wei and Gao as a result, exiling them and Zhang Shuo instead to the Lingnan region -- in Zhang Shuo's case, to Qin Prefecture . Zhang Shuo would remain there for the rest of Wu Zetian's reign.

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign

In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown, and Li Xian, a former emperor, returned to the throne . He recalled Zhang Shuo from exile to serve as an official at the ministry of defense . Subsequently, Zhang was made the deputy minister of public works . During Emperor Zhongzong's ''Jinglong'' era , his mother died, and he left public service to observe a period of mourning -- traditionally three years under Confucian principles, but which were often shortened for officials. After he had mourned for the typical shortened period, Emperor Zhongzong was set to recall him to serve as ''Huangmen Shilang'' , the deputy head of the examination bureau , but he declined, asking to mourn for the entire three-year period. He was allowed to do so, and this drew popular approval. After the three-year period was complete, he was recalled to serve again as the deputy minister of public works, and then the deputy minister of defense . He was also made an imperial scholar at Hongwen Pavilion . Sometime during Emperor Zhongzong's reign, Zhang submitted a petition asking him to end his habit, which started in Wu Zetian's reign, of going up a tower to watch non- splash cold water on themselves to celebrate the arrival of winter, on account that such a ceremony was disrespectful. Emperor Zhongzong agreed, and stopped watching such ceremonies.

During Emperor Ruizong's second reign

In 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly -- a death that traditional historians believed to be a poisoning carried out by his powerful wife and daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle, so that Empress Wei could be "emperor" like Wu Zetian and Li Guo'er could be crown princess. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhongzong's son by a concubine, the Prince of Wen, was named emperor , but Empress Wei retained power as empress dowager and regent. Less than a month later, Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping and nephew the Prince of Linzi rose in rebellion, killing Empress Dowager Wei and Li Guo'er. Li Longji's father the Prince of Xiang, himself a former emperor, returned to the throne , displacing Emperor Shang. After Emperor Ruizong's return to the throne, Zhang Shuo was made ''Zhongshu Shilang'' , the deputy head of the legislative bureau , as well as the secretary general for the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture . Later that year, Emperor Zhongzong's son Li Chongfu the Prince of Qiao tried to rise against Emperor Ruizong at Luoyang, but was quickly defeated, and he committed suicide. Several hundred of people, accused of being complicit with Li Chongfu's plot, were arrested, but it was difficult to adjudicate their guilt or innocence. Emperor Ruizong sent Zhang to Luoyang to judge them. Zhang, after interrogating Li Chongfu's main co-conspirators Zhang Lingjun and Zheng Yin, quickly figured out that most of the accused were not part of the plot, and released them. Once he returned to Chang'an, Emperor Ruizong thanked him:



At that time, Li Longji was crown prince, and both Zhang Shuo and Chu Wuliang served as attending officials in his studies, and he became close to them.

In 711, Zhang was given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''. At that time, there was much struggle at court between the factions of Princess Taiping and Li Longji. At one point, there was a prediction by a sorcerer that there would be an incursion into a palace -- a prediction that much troubled Emperor Ruizong. Zhang stated that this rumor must have been spread by someone who was intent to harm Li Longji, and that the best way to dissipate the rumors would be for Emperor Ruizong to transfer some of the authority to Li Longji -- an assessment that fellow chancellor Yao Chong concurred in. Emperor Ruizong agreed and did so. (However, when Yao and Song Jing then proposed sending Princess Taiping and two princes with arguably better claims on the crown prince title than Li Longji -- his older brother Li Chengqi the Prince of Song and cousin Li Shouli the Prince of Bin -- out of the capital, Princess Taiping found out and got Yao and Song demoted out of the capital, although Zhang was not demoted at that time. Later that year, however, as a part of a government reorganization, Zhang, along with the other chancellors, were removed from their chancellor positions. Zhang was made ''Shangshu Zuo Cheng'' , one of the secretary generals of the executive bureau , and given an office in Luoyang, away from Chang'an.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. However, Emperor Ruizong retained most of the imperial authority as ''Taishang Huang'' , and Princess Taiping, through him, continued to exert great influence on governance. As of 713, it was said that five of the seven chancellors at the time -- Dou Huaizhen, Cen Xi, Xiao Zhizhong, Cui Shi, and Lu Xiangxian -- were recommended by her . With Emperor Xuanzong and Princess Taiping locked into a power struggle, Zhang Shuo, from his post at Luoyang, had a messenger present Emperor Xuanzong with his sword -- meaning to tell him that it was time to take decisive action. Meanwhile, it was said that Princess Taiping, Dou, Cen, Xiao, and Cui; along with other officials Xue Ji, Li Jin the Prince of Xinxing , Li You , Jia Yingfu , Tang Jun ; the generals Chang Yuankai , Li Ci , and Li Qin ; and the monk Huifan , were plotting to overthrow Emperor Xuanzong. It was further said that they discussed, with the lady in waiting Lady Yuan to poison an aphrodisiac that Emperor Xuanzong took regularly known as ''chijian'' ). When this alleged plot was reported to Emperor Xuanzong by Wei Zhigu, Emperor Xuanzong, who had already received advice from Wang Ju and Cui Riyong, in addition to Zhang, to act first, did so. He convened a meeting with his brothers Li Fan the Prince of Qi, Li Ye the Prince of Xue, Guo, along with a number of his associates — the general Wang Maozhong , the officials Jiang Jiao and Li Lingwen , his brother-in-law Wang Shouyi , the eunuch Gao Lishi, and the military officer Li Shoude — and decided to act first. On July 29, Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Maozhong take 300 soldiers to the imperial guard camp to behead Chang and Li Ci. Then, Jia, Li You, Xiao, and Cen were arrested and executed as well. Dou and Princess Taiping committed suicide. Emperor Ruizong turned over imperial authority to Emperor Xuanzong and thereafter was no longer involved in important decisions. Emperor Xuanzong subsequently recalled Zhang from Luoyang to serve as ''Zhongshu Ling'' , the head of the legislative bureau and a post considered one for a chancellor. Later in the year, when Emperor Xuanzong changed the names of many official titles, the legislative bureau's name was changed to ''Ziwei Sheng'' , and its head's title changed to ''Ziwei Ling'' ; Zhang's title changed accordingly. When it was discovered that the former chancellor Li Jiao, during Empress Dowager Wei's regency, had suggested that Emperor Ruizong's sons be sent out of Chang'an to serve as local officials, there was suggestions that Li Jiao should be executed, but Zhang pointed out that while Li Jiao might be viewed as having suggested inappropriate, he was being faithful to Empress Dowager Wei. Emperor Xuanzong agreed, and only sent Li Jiao's son Li Chang out of Chang'an to serve as a prefectural prefect, and had Li Jiao go with his son.

Emperor Xuanzong, meanwhile, was prepared to recall Yao Chong to serve as chancellor as well. It was said that Zhang disliked Yao, and tried to prevent Yao's promotion by having the chief imperial censor Zhao Yanzhao file an indictment against Yao, and then had Emperor Xuanzong's associate Jiang Jiao recommend Yao to serve as the commandant at Bing Prefecture -- both of which Emperor Xuanzong rebuffed, and Emperor Xuanzong recalled Yao to serve as minister of defense and chancellor ''de facto''. Yao, later in the year, accused Zhang of meeting Emperor Xuanzong's brother Li Fan secretly. Around the new year 713, Emperor Xuanzong demoted Zhang to serve as the prefect of Xiang Prefecture , and as the examiner of the Hebei Circuit . For reasons lost to history, he was later demoted to be the prefect of Yue Prefecture , and the benefits he was to draw from his fief were suspended. Zhang became fearful of what would come next. At that time, one of the chancellors was Su Ting, whose father Su Gui Zhang had been a friend of. Zhang thus wrote a poem praising five great officials, including Su Gui, and presented it to Su Ting. Su Ting was greatly touched by the poem, and submitted a petition to Emperor Xuanzong pointing out of Zhang's great contributions. Thereafter, Zhang was made the secretary general of the more important Jing Prefecture . He was later further given a general title and made the acting commandant at You Prefecture . On one occasion when he went to Chang'an to meet Emperor Xuanzong, he did so in military uniform, impressing Emperor Xuanzong with his preparedness. Emperor Xuanzong then made him the acting secretary general at Bing Prefecture; the commander of the Tianbing Base ; and chief imperial censor, with directions that he be responsible for editing imperial histories, despite his departure from Chang'an -- i.e., to have the historical archives delivered to him so that he can edit them while in the army.

In 720, , the commander of the army at Shuofang , accused the Pugu and Jiadie tribal chieftains of plotting to betray Tang territory to Eastern Tujue, and slaughtered them. When tis was heard by people of Bayegu and Tongluo tribes, who were settled in Zhang's territory, became terrified. Zhang, taking only 20 cavalry soldiers with him, toured the tribal areas to comfort them, spending nights with them in the tents. Zhang's deputy Li Xian believed that it was not wise to trust the tribes in this manner and sent a letter to Zhang trying to dissuade him. Zhang responded famously:



As a result of Zhang's tour, the Bayegu and Tongluo tribes were calmed and did not create any problems. Subsequently, in 721, when Kang Daibin rose in rebellion in the Shuofang region, Emperor Xuanzong commissioned Zhang, along with Wang Jun and Wang Maozhong, to attack Kang. Wang Jun was soon able to capture Kang and deliver him to Emperor Xuanzong. Meanwhile, Zhang's subordinate, the general Ashina Xian , suggested that the Dangxiang tribes, which did not rebel with Kang but was in contact with Kang's forces, be slaughtered, but Zhang refused, pointing out that Kang had already been defeated and that the killing should not be excessive. Later that year, Zhang was recalled to Chang'an to serve as minister of defense and chancellor ''de facto'' with the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' , and he continued to be responsible for editing the imperial histories.

In 722, Zhang was also given the title as military governor of Shuofang base, and he toured Shuofang. When Kang Daibin's former associate Kang Yuanzi rebelled and claimed title, Zhang captured him and moved his people to the modern Henan region. Meanwhile, at Zhang's suggestion, the Tang northern border defense forces, which had about 600,000 men at that time, was reduced by 200,000 men to allow the soldiers to return home. Further, seeing that the Tang conscription system, due to abuses against the soldiers at the time, was near a collapse, as the soldiers were forced into long tours of duty but their families were not exempt from taxes, thus causing great numbers of desertions, Zhang suggested a switch to a recruitment-based system where soldiers were paid salaries. This allowed, for a time, Tang's soldier supply to be replenished. Soon thereafter, Pei Zhouxian the commandant at Guang Prefecture was accused of corruption, and the chancellor Zhang Jiazhen advocated caning him. However, Zhang Shuo argued that public caning is inappropriate for high level officials, and Emperor Xuanzong agreed. After the meeting with Emperor Xuanzong was over, Zhang Jiazhen, displeased, asked Zhang Shuo, "Why did you have to go into such deep talk?" Zhang Shuo responded:



As of 723, Zhang Shuo and Zhang Jiazhen were not on good terms. When Zhang Jiazhen's brother Zhang Jiayou was accused of corruption, Zhang Shuo suggested to Zhang Jiazhen that he wear plain clothes and wait for punishment outside the palace, and Zhang Jiazhen agreed. Zhang Jiazhen was subsequently demoted to be the prefect of You Prefecture. Later that year, Zhang Shuo was again made ''Zhongshu Ling''. Meanwhile, Emperor Xuanzong, an ardent student of literature, had commissioned the creation of a literary institute known as Lizheng Institute , headed by Zhang Shuo, for literary studies, with such officials as Xu Jian , He Zhizhang , and Zhao Dongxi serving as scholars, to accompany him in his literary studies. The official Lu Jian , believing that the expenses for maintaining Lizheng Institute were unjustified, planned to petition to disband it. Zhang Shuo pointed out that the study of literature had relatively low expenses and had great cultural value to dissuade Lu from submitting the petition, and when Emperor Xuanzong heard this, he had even greater respect for Zhang. Around the same time, Zhang also proposed a reorganization of the office of the chancellors -- renaming it from ''Zhengshi Tang'' to ''Zhongshu Menxia'' , and further creating five subordinate offices therein to be responsible for five separate areas of governance.

In 724, at Zhang's suggestion, Emperor Xuanzong began to prepare a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai -- despite opposition from fellow chancellor Yuan Qianyao, which began discord between Zhang and Yuan. Emperor Xuanzong carried out the ceremony at 725 -- and the ceremony caused much resentment toward Zhang, as, at Zhang's recommendations, a number of officials at the legislative and examination bureaus participated in the ceremony and were promoted after the ceremony, but other officials were not awarded, and neither were the soldiers who attended to Emperor Xuanzong during the ceremony. Zhang himself was given the additional title of ''You Chengxiang'' , one of the heads of the executive bureau.

In 726, at Zhang's suggestion, regulations on ceremonies, which had twice been codified during the reigns of and Emperor Gaozong, were reorganized to harmonize the different regulations written during those reigns.

Later in the year, though, Zhang's hold on power would crumble. Emperor Xuanzong had recalled Cui Yinfu the mayor of Luoyang to Chang'an, planning to promote him. Zhang, who viewed Cui lightly because Cui's lack of literary talent, suggested that Cui be made a general. Meanwhile, Zhang had recommended another official, Cui Rizhi , to be chief imperial censor. Emperor Xuanzong rejected both recommendations, and made Cui Rizhi a general and Cui Yinfu the chief imperial censor. Cui Yinfu, knowing that Zhang had opposed his promotion, subsequently submitted an indictment for corruption against Zhang, along with fellow censors Yuwen Rong, whom Zhang also disliked, and Li Linfu. Emperor Xuanzong had Yuan, Cui Yinfu, Wei Kang the minister of justice, and Hu Gui the assistant chief judge of the supreme court, interrogate Zhang. Evidence of Zhang's corruption were found. However, when Emperor Xuanzong sent Gao Lishi to visit Zhang, Gao reported back that Zhang had shown great humility -- by sleeping on a straw mat and eating with clay pots -- in his distress, and Gao further pointed out to Emperor Xuanzong of Zhang's contributions. Emperor Xuanzong, in response, removed Zhang from his chancellor post but allowed him to remain as head of the executive bureau and head of Jixian Institute. Subsequently, Cui Yinfu and Yuwen, fearful that Zhang would again become chancellor, continued to accuse him of offenses, while Zhang's allies made counteraccusations against Cui and Yuwen. Emperor Xuanzong, tired of these accusations, in 727, ordered Zhang to retire, Cui to be removed from his post to return home to support his mother, and Yuwen to be demoted to be the prefect of Wei Prefecture .

In 728, Emperor Xuanzong again made Zhang a scholar at Jixian Institute. Even though Zhang was largely retired by this point, it was said that Emperor Xuanzong often sent eunuchs to ask for his suggestions when important matters were to be decided.

In 729, Zhang was made ''Zuo Chengxiang'' , the other head of the executive bureau. The day that Zhang was to take office, Song and Yuan were to be take new offices as well, Emperor Xuanzong set up a grand ceremony for their inauguration, including an elaborate tent, music, and food from the imperial kitchen. Emperor Xuanzong personally wrote a poem commemorating the contributions of the three. He also gave Zhang the honorific title ''Kaifu Yitong Sansi'' . By this time, Zhang Shuo's oldest son Zhang Jun was serving as a mid-level official at the legislative bureau, and the second son Zhang Ji had been given Emperor Xuanzong's daughter Princess Ningqing in marriage. Zhang Shuo's brother Zhang Guang carried the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' . It was said that there was no official whose household was more honored than Zhang Shuo's.

In 730, Zhang Shuo fell ill, and he died around new year 731. Emperor Xuanzong had him buried with great honors.

Niu Xianke 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Niu Xianke , formally Duke Zhenjian of Bin , was a general and official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reign of . He took an unconventional rise to the chancellor position -- by starting as a low-level bureaucrat and gradually getting promoted, rather than going through the imperial examinations -- and was known for being careful and obedient to fellow chancellor Li Linfu.

Background

Niu Xianke was born in 675, during the reign of . He was from Jing Prefecture . His family traced its ancestry to the Han Dynasty military official Niu Han , whose descendants later settled in the region that became Jing Prefecture, and clearly was not prominent in political circles, as, unlike most other chancellors of the time, there were no records of any other ancestors of his serving as officials. All that were recorded about his great-grandfather Niu Tong , grandfather Niu Hui , and father Niu Yi were their names.

Niu Xianke himself initially served as a minor bureaucrat at his home county of Chungu , and he was respected by the county magistrate Fu Wenjing . Fu later became in charge of farming/military outposts in the Longyou region, and he engaged Niu to be part of the endeavor. For Niu's contributions in military matters, he was eventually promoted to be the military advisor to the prefect of Tao Prefecture .

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

Early in the ''Kaiyuan'' era of Emperor Gaozong's grandson , the general Wang Junchuo served as the military governor of Hexi Circuit . Niu Xianke and Song Zhen served as his assistants and were his close associates. In 727, when Wang and Song were killed in an ambush by the Huige tribal leader Yaoluoge Hushu , Niu escaped death. Subsequently, when Emperor Xuanzong made the general Xiao Song the military governor of Hexi to replace Wang, Niu and Pei Kuan served under Xiao. Xiao entrusted much responsibility to Niu, and Niu was said to be honest and hard-working, and he began to impress the prominent people of the region despite his humble origins. After Xiao became in 728, at Xiao's recommendation, Niu was made the secretary general of Liang Prefecture and acting military governor of Hexi. Xiao continued to recommend him, and eventually, Niu was made the military governor. While serving as military govenror, Niu was frugal and saved a large amount of surplus for the governmental treasury, and also had good armor and weapons made.

In 736, Niu replaced Emperor Xuanzong's second cousin Li Hui the Prince of Xin'an as the military govenror of Shuofang Circuit , and the official Cui Xiyi replaced Niu as the military governor of Hexi. Once Cui arrived at Hexi, he was impressed with the amount of treasury surplus as well as the supply of armor and weapons, and he reported this to Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong sent the official Zhang Lizhen to verify this, and once the claim was verified, was exceedingly pleased. He wanted to promote Niu to be the minister of defense and wanted to create him a title -- both actions opposed by the chancellor Zhang Jiuling, on the basis that Niu, not learned, was unsuitable to be a minister of a major ministry, and that being honest and frugal were part of his responsibility, not something that should be awarded with a title. This drew Emperor Xuanzong's displeasure, and another chancellor, Li Linfu, seeing this, advocated for Niu's creation as a duke. Emperor Xuanzong agreed and created Niu the Duke of Longxi. Later that year, when Zhang offended Emperor Xuanzong further, Emperor Xuanzong removed him and his friend and fellow chancellor Pei Yaoqing. He made Niu the minister of public works and gave him the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto'', to serve alongside Li Linfu, while still letting him keep the military governorship of Shuofang. As chancellor, it was said that Niu was careful and frugal, and did not dare to make any key decisions, deferring all of them to Li Linfu.

In 737, the imperial censor Zhou Ziliang submitted an indictment against Niu, arguing that he did not have qualifications to be chancellor, and further cited a prophecy that indicated that a person named Niu would harm the empire. Emperor Xuanzong, in anger, had Zhou caned and then exiled, and Zhou died on the way. Later that year, the deputy chief judge of the supreme court, Xu Jiao submitted a flattering report to Emperor Xuanzong, pointing out that capital punishment had become almost unnecessary due to the peacefulness of his reign. Emperor Xuanzong was pleased, and credited the chancellors. He thus created Li LInfu the Duke of Jin and Niu the Duke of Bin. It was also around this time that a revision of the laws, led by Li Linfu, Niu, and the officials in charge of the justice system, was completed.

In 738, Niu was made ''Shizhong'' -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor; he was also made the deputy military governor of Hedong Circuit , but remained at the capital Chang'an to serve as chancellor. He was further given the additional post as the minister of defense in 739 and was responsible for selecting military officers, just as Li Linfu was made the minister of civil service affairs and was responsible for selecting officials. In 740, he was stripped of his commands of Shuofang and Hedong, but remained chancellor.

In 742, Niu was gravely ill. His former assistant while at Shuofang, Yao Hong , a grandson of the deceased chancellor Yao Chong, had been favored by him due to Yao Hong's dabbling in supernatural matters and claim to know how to avoid misfortune, and he had recommended Yao to serve as imperial censor. Now that he was ill, he asked Yao to pray for him -- and Yao did so but forced Niu to recommend Yao's uncle Yao Yi and the official Lu Huan to replace Niu himself as chancellor. Yao Hong went as far as writing out the petition and forcing Niu to sign, but Niu was so ill that he was unable to sign properly. Niu died in fall 742, and after his death, his wife, when imperial messengers came to mourn him, showed the imperial messengers the petition to accuse Yao Hong of extortion. In anger, Emperor Xuanzong forced Yao Hong to commit suicide and demoted Yao Yi and Lu. He awarded Niu posthumous honors.

Pei Mian 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Pei Mian , courtesy name Zhangfu , formally the Duke of Ji , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a during the reigns of and . He was known for his faithfulness to Tang during the difficult times of Anshi Rebellion, but was also looked down upon by historians for his material greed.

Background

It is not known when Pei Mian was born. He was from a prominent clan of Hedong , which traced its ancestry to officials of Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Jin Dynasty , Former Yan, Later Qin, Northern Wei, and Tang Dynasty. His grandfather Wei Zhi served as a military advisor to a prefectural prefect, and his father Wei Ji served as the secretary general for Chang'an County, one of the two counties making up the Tang capital Chang'an.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

Early in 's ''Tianbao'' era , because of his ancestors' status as imperial officials, Pei Mian was made the sheriff of Weinan County , and he became known for his administrative abilities. When Wang Hong the chief imperial censor took on the additional post as the surveyor of the Chang'an region, he made Pei his assistant. Pei later served as an imperial censor, initially with the low rank of ''Jiancha Yushi'' , then the higher rank of ''Dianzhong Shi Yushi'' . It was said that while Pei was not well-learned, he was diligent, responsible, and decisive, and Wang much depended on him. In 752, when Wang Hong was implicated in a coup plot of his brother Wang Han and was forced to commit suicide, his several hundred subordinates did not dare to even approach Wang Hong's door, except for Pei, who personally took Wang Hong's body and buried it properly. He became renowned for this, and in 753, Geshu Han, the military governor of Hexi Circuit invited him to serve as an officer below Geshu.

During Emperor Suzong's reign

In 755, the military governor An Lushan rebelled, and by 756 had established a new state of . Further, Yan forces were approaching Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to flee toward Shu Commandery . Emperor Xuanzong's son, the Crown Prince, however, did not follow Emperor Xuanzong and instead headed toward the important military outpost Lingwu. Meanwhile, Pei, who had received a recall to serve as deputy chief imperial censor , encountered Li Heng at Pingliang and accompanied Li Heng to Lingwu. Subsequently, at the urging of Pei and Du Hongjian, Li Heng declared himself emperor there -- an act that Emperor Xuanzong would recognize when the news reached him later. Emperor Suzong made Pei ''Zhongshu Shilang'' , the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government , and gave him the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , making him a ''de facto''.

It was said that Pei was faithful and diligent as chancellor, and received the support of the people. However, it was also said that he was not wise, and, believing that it was necessary to gather money for government use, advocated selling government offices for money, and also letting people become Buddhist and Taoist monks and use them to gather more money. As a result, political honors became worthless. After Emperor Suzong, gradually advancing back toward Chang'an, moved to Fengxiang in spring 757, Pei was made ''You Pushe'' , one of the heads of the executive bureau , and no longer chancellor. In fall 757, when Tang and Huige forces recaptured Chang'an, it was Pei that Emperor Suzong sent to Chang'an to comfort the people and to offer sacrifices to the imperial ancestral temple. Emperor Suzong created him the Duke of Ji. In 758, when Emperor Xuanzong gave his daughter Princess Ningguo in marriage to Huige's Bayanchur Khan, Pei was sent to escort Princess Ningguo to the border, although not to Huige headquarters. Pei was subsequently made the mayor of Chengdu Municipality and the military governor of Xichuan Circuit , although he was later recalled to again be ''You Pushe''. In 761, when the powerful eunuch Li Fuguo wanted to be chancellor, and Emperor Suzong, who by this point was fearful of Li Fuguo, refused on the basis that he did not have the support of the officials, Li Fuguo tried to persuade Pei to recommend him. Emperor Suzong told the chancellor Xiao Hua that if an important official recommended Li Fuguo, he would no longer have the excuse to refuse Li Fuguo's request. When Xiao subsequently discussed this with Pei, Pei's response was:



Subsequently, Li Fuguo was not able to be chancellor while Emperor Suzong was alive, much to Li Fuguo's resentment.

During Emperor Daizong's reign

In 762, Emperor Suzong died. After a power struggle between Emperor Suzong's wife and Li Fuguo, Li Fuguo prevailed and killed Empress Zhang, and subsequently supported Emperor Suzong's crown prince as emperor . Meanwhile, Pei Mian was put in charge of building an imperial tomb for Emperor Suzong, and, in order to ingratiate Li Fuguo, made Li Fuguo's close associate Liu Xuan his assistant. After Li Fuguo was removed in 762, Pei had disagreements with the newly powerful eunuch Cheng Yuanzhen, and thus was demoted to be the prefect of Shi Prefecture . Several months later, he was moved to be the prefect of Li Prefecture , and eventually was recalled to be ''Zuo Pushe'' , the other head of the executive bureau.

By 769, the chancellor Yuan Zai was the most powerful figure at court. Yuan was grateful to Pei for having recommended him in the past, and therefore, when Du Hongjian, who was then chancellor, died that year, Yuan recommended Pei to again be chancellor both to repay Yuan and to further control the government in light of Pei's old age and illness. When Pei was receiving his commission as chancellor, pursuant to customs, he was dancing to show gratefulness to the emperor, but as he danced, he fell to the ground, and Yuan had to help him up and to give thanks on his behalf. Pei died around the new year 770 and was posthumously honored. Emperor Daizong further had an award of silk and grain sent to his family. However, no posthumous name was recorded for him.

It was said that Pei, despite his faithfulness, was also known for wastefulness, spending much resources on his wagons, his clothes, his food, and his horses. He invented a form of headdress that was imitated by others and which became known as ''Pushe Form'' . When he succeeded Du as chancellor, his subordinate reported to him the amount of additional salary he would be earning, and he was pleased with the earning, drawing scorn from those who saw him.

Pei Du 9 Sep 2008 12:31 AM (17 years ago)

Brief Biography
Pei Du , courtesy name Zhongli , formally the Duke of Jin , was an important official of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Tang Dezong, Tang Shunzong, Tang Xianzong, Tang Muzong, Tang Jingzong and Tang Wenzong. He was famous for his military success over the warlords in Huaixi, as well as good relationship with poets and writers of his age.

The highest government rank held by Pei Du was "Chancellor in Chief and Deputy of the Emperor" after the mysterious death of Emperor Tang Jingzong. As a highy respected stateman, Pei Du was often called
as "Pei the Duke of Jin" . His posthumous name is "Wen Zhong" , which means "Civil and Loyal".

= References and Suggested Reading =


Tang Dynasty History from Zizhi Tongjian

Taizu of Later Liang 9 Sep 2008 12:30 AM (17 years ago)

Zhu Quanzhong 朱全忠, originally named Zhu Wen 朱温 , was a jiedushi at the end of the Tang dynasty. He served as a general under Huang Chao and overthrew the Tang dynasty in 907 to established the Later Liang Dynasty and ushered in the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Early career

Zhu Wen was the most powerful warlord at the time in North China. Originally a member of Huang Chao's rebel army, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was crucial in suppressing the rebellion. For this he was given the title of Xuanwu Jiedushi and was promoted to Liang Wang in 901.

Founding of the Later Liang Dynasty

Within a few years he had consolidated his power by destroying his neighbours, and was able to force a move of the imperial capital to Luoyang , within his power base. In 904 he had Emperor Zhaozong, along with most of his family, killed and installed Zhaozong's 13-year-old son on the throne as a puppet ruler. Three years later, in 907, he executed the remaining few ministers still loyal to the imperial Li family and induced the boy emperor to abdicate in his favour. He then proclaimed the founding of the Later Liang Dynasty, with himself as emperor. The last Tang Emperor was ordered murdered by Zhu in 908.

Extant of Conquests

Zhu was able to conquer much of central China, but most of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei remained outside his reach, controlled by the Qi State, Shatuo Turks, and Yan State respectively. Most of his later campaigns were directed at the Jin state based in Shaanxi, but they mostly ended in failure due to the resourcefulness of the Jin leaders, first under Li Keyong and then later under his son, Li Cunxu.

Due to his emphasis on unifying the north Taizu was not able to make any inroads into the south, which came to be controlled by about a dozen different states over the next few decades during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period.

Death

Zhu Wen's reign lasted till 912 when he was murdered by his son Zhu Yougui. He was subsequently defeated by his brother,Zhu Youzhen 朱友貞,the next year. His dynasty would last until 923.

Pugu Huaien 9 Sep 2008 12:30 AM (17 years ago)

Pugu Huai'en , formally the Prince of Da'ning , was a general of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, of Tiele ancestry. He was instrumental in the final suppression of the Anshi Rebellion, but rebelled against in fear that he was being accused of treason. After an initial defeat by other Tang generals, he led his own forces, allied with Huige and Tufan forces, to attack the Tang capital Chang'an, but died on the way.

Background

It is not known when Pugu Huai'en was born. His grandfather Pugu Gelanbayan was a chieftain of the Pugu tribe, one of the nine major constituent tribes of the Tiele Confederation who submitted to Tang Dynasty rule in 646, during the reign of . Emperor Taizong gave the nine chieftains titles as nine commandants, and Pugu Gelanbayan was made the commandant of Jinwei . Pugu Huai'en's father Pugu Yilichuoba inherited the title as commandant of Jinwei, a post that Pugu Huai'en later inherited from him. During the ''Tianbao'' era of Emperor Taizong's great-grandson , Pugu Huai'en was made a general and given the honorific title of ''Tejin'' . He successively served under two military governors of Shuofang Circuit , Wang Zhongsi and An Sishun, and both were impressed by his ferocity in battle and knowledge about the other non- tribes, as well as command skills, and so gave him great responsibility.

During Anshi Rebellion

In 755, An Sishun's cousin An Lushan rebelled. An Sishun was recalled to the capital Chang'an and was succeeded by Guo Ziyi. Pugu Huai'en continued to serve under Guo, and when An Lushan sent his generals Gao Xiuyan and Xue Zhongyi to attack Shuofang, Pugu contributed in the victories against them. During the subsequent campaign that Guo and Li Guangbi conducted against territory held by An Lushan north of the Yellow River, Pugu contributed to a number of victories. However, subsequently, by summer 756, An Lushan had proclaimed himself the emperor of a new state of , and his forces were approaching Chang'an after capturing Tong Pass, forcing Emperor Xuanzong and his crown prince to flee. Emperor Xuanzong fled to Chengdu, but Li Heng fled to Lingwu and was proclaimed emperor there . Guo subsequently returned to Lingwu to rendezvous with Emperor Suzong. At that time, there was a rebellion by the Tongluo tribe of in the region, and Pugu was sent to battle the Tongluo forces. When his son Pugu Fen was captured by Tongluo forces but subsequently escaped, Pugu Huai'en nevertheless executed him to make him an example to the army, and the army fought hard against the Tongluo subsequently and defeated them. Meanwhile, Emperor Suzong needed aid from Huige, so he sent his second cousin Li Chengcai the Prince of Dunhuang and Pugu Huai'en to Huige as emissaries to Huige. Huige's Bayanchur Khan gave a daughter to Li Chengcai in marriage, and returned him and Pugu with the proposal that he be allowed to marry a Tang princess. Emperor Suzong agreed, and gave Bayanchur Khan his daughter Princess Ningguo. Bayanchur Khan then sought to have his younger son Yaoluoge Yidijian marry a Tang princess as well, and Emperor Suzong, rather than marrying another daughter to Yaoluoge Yidijian, decided to create Pugu's daughter a princess and marry her to Yaoluoge Yidijian, giving her the title Lesser Princess Ningguo.

Pugu subsequently returned to Guo's army and continued to serve under him. In early 757, Guo made an attempt to recapture Chang'an from the east, but was defeated at Tong Pass. Pugu was able to gather his forces and return east of the Yellow River. Subsequently, when Huige aid forces arrived in fall 757, joint Tang and Huige forces made an assault against Chang'an, and Pugu and Li Siye had particularly great contributions in recapturing the capital. For his contributions, he was created the Duke of Feng.

With An Lushan having been assassinated by his own son An Qingxu early in 757, An Qingxu was the new emperor of Yan, and after Tang and Huige forces recaptured Chang'an, they recaptured Luoyang as well, forcing An Qingxu to flee to . Nine Tang military governors put Yecheng under siege, and during the siege, Pugu continued to serve under Guo. When Shi Siming came to Yecheng's aid in summer 759, however, Tang forces collapsed, which the powerful eunuch Yu Chao'en blamed on Guo. Guo was thus recalled to the capital, and the command of his Shuofang army was transferred to Li Guangbi. The Shuofang soldiers, accustomed to Guo's lenience, were apprehensive of the strict Li Guangbi. The general Zhang Yongji thus planned to expel Li Guangbi and demand Guo's return, but was persuaded not to act by Pugu. When Li Guangbi later found out, he executed Zhang. Pugu was made Li Guangbi's deputy and created the Prince of Da'ning. Meanwhile, by that point, Bayanchur Khan had died and had been succeeded by Yaoluoge Yidijian, as Denli Khan, and so Pugu was honored by Huige as well, as the queen's father. Subsequently, Shi killed An Qingxu and assumed the Yan throne, and then advanced south. Li Guangbi evacuated Luoyang and took up defense position at Heyang , subsequently holding off Shi's planned advances toward Chang'an against multiple Yan attacks. In the Heyang campaign, both Pugu and his son Pugu Yang had much personal contributions. With Tang forces checking him at Heyang, Shi was not able to advance toward Chang'an for over a year. Pugu Huai'en was subsequently given the military governorship of Shuofang and given the command of the Shuofang troops.

It was said, however, that Pugu Huai'en was brave but overly aggressive, and that at times his command style was overly tolerant. Li Guangbi often curbed him in and punished his subordinates for wrongful behavior. Pugu thus feared and disliked Li Guangbi. In spring 761, this eventually turned into a disagreement where Pugu disagreed with Li Guangbi's strategy of holding at Heyang but rather advocated, along with Yu, that an effort should be made to recapture Luoyang. Emperor Suzong agreed, and ordered Li Guangbi to advance toward Luoyang with Pugu, Yu, and Wei Boyu . Li Guangbi and Pugu, however, disagreed with to camp formation, with Li Guangbi wanting to put the camp in the hills and Pugu wanting to do so in the plains. Yan forces thus took advantage and launched a major attack on them, thoroughly routing Tang forces. All of the Tang generals, including Li Guangbi, Pugu, Yu, and Wei all fled. Li Baoyu , whom Li Guangbi had left at Heyang, also abandoned Heyang, and Heyang fell into Yan hands.

In 762, Emperor Suzong died and was succeeded by his son . Emperor Daizong, upon his ascension, sent the eunuch Liu Qingtan to Huige to seek aid against Yan -- and yet, by this time, Shi Chaoyi had himself sent emissaries to Huige and persuaded Yaoluoge Yidijian to attack Tang with him instead. By the point that Liu arrived at the Huige headquarters, Huige forces had already advanced into Tang territory and were ready to attack. However, at this point, Yaoluoge Yidijian requested a meeting with Pugu Huai'en, and Emperor Daizong sent Pugu to meet with his daughter and brother-in-law. Pugu changed Yaoluoge Yidijian's mind, and he instead agreed to attack Yan with Tang forces. Pugu subsequently served as the deputy to the nominal commander, Emperor Daizong's oldest son the Prince of Yong, and led Tang forces in alliance with Huige forces, advancing toward Luoyang. Their forces, along with Tang forces commanded by Li Guangbi, Guo Ying'ai , Yu, and Li Baoyu, converged on Luoyang, defeating Shi Chaoyi and forcing him to flee.

Shi Chaoyi eventually committed suicide early in 763, ending the Anshi Rebellion. Several major Yan military governors, including Xue Song, , Tian Chengsi, and Li Huaixian, surrendered to Tang with their forces. Instead of stripping their commands, however, Pugu had them resume command and stay at their current posts. As a result of Pugu's contributions, Guo, who at that time carried the nominal title of deputy supreme commander over forces north of the Yellow River , offered to transfer the title to him, and Emperor Daizong did so, also giving Pugu the additional nominal titles as ''Pushe'' and chancellor .

After Anshi Rebellion

Although Pugu Huai'en was the military governor of Shuofang, after the end of the Anshi Rebellion, he was stationed at Fen Prefecture , with his son Pugu Yang and several other Shuofang generals under him, Li Guangyi , Li Huaiguang, and Zhang Weiyue stationed nearby. Meanwhile, after the end of the campaign, Emperor Daizong had Pugu Huai'en escort Yaoluoge Yidijian through Hedong Circuit back to Huige; as they went through Hedong Circuit, Xin Yunjing again refused to meet them and refused to entertain them as host. Pugu, in anger, submitted an accusation to Emperor Daizong, but Emperor Daizong took no action on it.

The matter came to a head in summer 763. The eunuch Luo Fengxian , serving as Emperor Daizong's messenger, was visiting Taiyuan, the headquarters of Hedong Circuit. Xin bribed him and accused Pugu of planning to rebel, in association with Huige. As Luo was returning to Chang'an from Taiyuan, he went through Fen Prefecture. Pugu's mother threw a feast for him -- during which she and Pugu both tried to endear Luo to them, but during which Pugu's mother also repeatedly complained how Luo was associating with Xin. During the feast, Pugu performed a dance to entertain Luo, and Luo gave him a gift. Pugu, in gratitude, asked Luo to stay an extra day to celebrate Duanwu Festival together. Luo declined and planned to leave, and Pugu, in order to show his sincerity, hid Luo's horse -- but this caused Luo to be terrified, believing that Pugu was going to kill him, and so he escaped in the night. Pugu, shocked, had his guards chase Luo down and return his horse to him. Once Luo returned to Chang'an, he accused Pugu of planning to rebel, and Pugu submitted an accusation asking Emperor Daizong to execute Xin and Luo. Emperor Daizong took no actions on either accusation, but sent mildly-worded edicts to both sides.

Pugu, dissatisfied with Emperor Daizong's response, submitted a lengthy accusatory statement, complaining of a number of things:

# That he had six great accomplishments that were being ignored -- and, in doing so, he sarcastically referred to his contributions as "my crimes":
## Defeating the Tongluo;
## Killing his own son Pugu Fen in order to encourage the army;
## Marrying his daughters to Yaoluoge Yidijian;
## Fighting the rebels, along with his son Pugu Yang;
## Comforting the former rebel generals so that they would not rebel again; and
## Persuading Huige to quell the rebellion for Tang and escorting Huige troops out of Tang territory afterwards.
# That the general Lai Tian had been wrongly executed earlier in 763 without a proper declaration of his crimes;
# That the eunuchs, headed by Cheng Yuanzhen, were being overly powerful;
# That the soldiers were not being adequately rewarded for their contributions.

He requested that Emperor Daizong send a special emissary to see him, and offered to go to Chang'an with that emissary to pay homage to Emperor Daizong. Emperor Daizong sent the chancellor Pei Zunqing to Fen Prefecture to meet with Pugu. When Pugu met with Pei, Pugu wept bitterly to complain of how he had been wrongly treated. Pei tried to persuade Pugu to go to Chang'an with him, and Pugu initially agreed, but changed his mind after his general Fan Zhicheng pointed out that he might suffer the same fate as Lai. Pei had to return to Chang'an without Pugu.

As of spring 764, Pugu was in a standoff with the imperial troops, but without open hostilities yet. At the suggestion of Yan Zhenqing and Lai Baoyu's cousin Li Baozhen , Emperor Daizong publicly commissioned Guo Ziyi as the commander of Shuofang forces, hoping that the commission would cause Pugu's army to peel away from Pugu on its own. Meanwhile, Pugu, despite his mother's opposition, finally sent Pugu Yang to launch an attack on Taiyuan, but Pugu Yang was repelled by Xin. Subsequently, when Pugu Yang mishandled a dispute between Han and non-Han soldiers, the Han soldiers rose and killed him. When Pugu Huai'en reported Pugu Yang's death to his mother, his mother, angry that he had rebelled against the imperial government, tried to kill him, but Pugu escaped his mother's attack and fled with a small detachment to LIngwu, taking up position there. The remaining Shuofang forces in the Fen Prefecture region all submitted to Guo.

Pugu regathered his strength once he took up position at Lingwu. Emperor Daizong, still hoping that Pugu would change his mind, treated Pugu's family members with respect, and further issued an edict praising Pugu for his contributions and maintaining his title as Prince of Da'ning, and further offering to promote him to be ''Taibao'' ), but summoning him to Chang'an. Pugu refused. Meanwhile, news came that Pugu had entered into an alliance with Tufan and Huige and were planning to attack Chang'an. Emperor Daizong had Guo take up position at Fengtian to defend against such potential attack. When Pugu, allied with Huige and Tufan, did attack in winter 764, Guo was able to repel it.

In fall 765, Pugu, Huige, and Tufan launched another attack on Chang'an, but Pugu died on September 27, blunting the attack. Guo subsequently persuaded the Huige forces to withdraw, and Tufan forces, fearing a joint attack by Huige and Tang, also withdrew. Pugu's generals, including Pugu's nephew Pugu Mingchen , largely submitted to Guo, ending the threat. Despite Pugu's rebellion, Emperor Daizong still remembered his contributions and mourned his death. Subsequently, after Pugu's older daughter died, Emperor Daizong created Pugu's younger daughter Princess Chonghui and married her to Yaoluoge Yidijian as well.

Shi Siming 9 Sep 2008 12:30 AM (17 years ago)

Shi Siming , né Shi Sugan , was a general of the dynasty Tang Dynasty who followed his childhood friend An Lushan in rebelling against Tang, and who later succeeded An Lushan's son An Qingxu as emperor of the state that An Lushan established.

Background

It is not known when Shi Sugan was born, other than that he was born one day before his friend An Lushan and that they grew up together. He was of Tujue extraction, and was said to be thin with smooth skin, with an impatient disposition. After both he and An grew up, they were both known for their bravery. However, he was poor and of low social station, and was looked down by the people of his locale. However, a , a daughter of local gentry, insisted on marrying him despite her family's opposition, and she was eventually successful in doing so.

Under Emperor Xuanzong's rule

Shi Sugan first served under the Tang Dynasty general Wu Zhiyi , and it was said that whenever Wu ordered him to attack, he would be able to capture enemy soldiers and return with them. As both he and An Lushan understood six non- languages, both of them served in the military market as interpreters. He later served under the general Zhang Shougui , along with An. Early in 's ''Tianbao'' era , because of Shi's repeated military accomplishments, he was made a general at Pinglu Army . Once, when he was in the capital Chang'an to make reports to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong was impressed with him and patted his back, stating, "You, Lord, will one day be honored. Keep this in mind." He had Shi change his name to Siming . Shi later served as the governor of Beiping Commandery . In 751, after a major defeat that An, who was then the military governor of Pinglu as well as Fanyang and Hedong Circuits, suffered at the hands of the Xi , Shi reorganized the collapsed troops to prevent further disaster, drawing accolades from An -- although Shi commented that if he had met An just slightly earlier after the defeat, he would have been executed, as Ge Jie and Yu Chengxian , two other generals that An blamed for the defeat, were. In 752, at An's recommendation, Shi was made ''Bingma Shi'' , a commanding officer of Pinglu soldiers.

During Anshi Rebellion

Under An Lushan's rule

In 755, An Lushan rose against Emperor Xuanzong's rule, and Shi Siming served under him. Initially, the Tang commanderies north of the Yellow River nearly all submitted to An, allowing An to quickly advance south and capture the Tang eastern capital Luoyang, but around the new year 756, the official Yan Gaoqing , who had earlier submitted to An, rose against An at Changshan Commandery , which he was governor of, leading to a flurry of other commanderies turning against An as well. An, who was then at Luoyang, sent Shi and Li Lijie to attack Changshan and Boling Commanderies. Just eight days after Yan's defection, Shi and Cai Xide both arrived at Changshan and captured Yan, who was delivered to Luoyang and executed. Shi, Li, and Cai then attacked the other commanderies that rose along with Yan, and they resubmitted to An, who declared himself the emperor of a new state of . Lu Quancheng , the governor of Raoyang Commandery , however, refused to submit, and Shi put Raoyang under siege but could not quickly capture it, and was forced to lift the siege when the Tang general Li Guangbi arrived with relief troops from Hedong Circuit. Subsequently, he and Li Guangbi and another Tang general, Guo Ziyi, engaged in a number of battles, largely to Shi's detriment, eventually causing many commanderies to rise against An again. This brought An much concern, and at one point, An considered abandoning Luoyang and heading back north. Eventually, however, the situation changed when the Tang general Geshu Han was defeated at Tong Pass by another Yan general, Cui Qianyou , and Yan troops were able to capture Chang'an and force both Emperor Xuanzong and his crown prince to flee -- with Li Heng fleeing to Lingwu and declaring himself emperor there . Guo and Li Guangbi abandoned their campaign against Shi and went to Lingwu as well, thus allowing Shi to largely repacify the region north of the Yellow River for Yan. When Liu Zhengchen , who had risen against An at Pinglu, made a surprise attack on Fanyang, Shi defeated Liu, forcing him to flee back to Pinglu.

Under An Qingxu's rule

In spring 757, An Lushan was killed by his son An Qingxu, who succeeded to the Yan throne. Meanwhile, though, Shi Siming, who had not received the news of An Lushan's death, attacked Taiyuan, where Li Guangbi was at that point, along with Cai Xide, Gao Xiuyan , and Niu Tingjie , with 100,000 troops total. They sieged Taiyuan for more than a month, but could not capture it. The news of An Lushan's death then arrived, and An Qingxu further ordered Shi to return to Fanyang to guard it, leaving Cai at Taiyuan to watch Li Guangbi. An Qingxu also made Shi the military governor of Fanyang and created him the Guichuan. Shi, however, hoarding the supplies that An Lushan had previously shipped to Fanyang, began to disobey An Qingxu's orders, and An Qingxu could not keep him in check. In winter 757, after An Qingxu was forced to abandon Luoyang after a joint Tang/Huige counterattack, various non-Han tribal troops abandoned An Qingxu and fled north. Shi induced the elite Yeluohe troops, as well as various other tribes, to submit to him, but the Tongluo forces refused, and he then defeated them.

Meanwhile, An Qingxu sent the generals Ashina Chengqing and An Shouzhong to Fanyang to requisition troops from Shi, and also see if they could take advantage and seize Fanyang. Shi, under the advice of his assistant Geng Renzhi , turned against An Qingxu, detaining Ashina and An Shouzhong, and offering to submit to Tang instead, along with Gao. Emperor Suzong was pleased. He commissioned Shi as the military governor of Fanyang and created him the Prince of Guiyi. He also sent the eunuch Li Sijing and Wu Zhiyi's son Wu Cheng'en to comfort Shi.

Brief submission to Emperor Suzong and re-rebellion

After Shi Siming's submission to Tang, the other nearby prefectures also largely submitted to Tang, leaving An Qingxu isolated in , holding only Yecheng and its surrounding region. However, a number of Tang generals, including Li Guangbi and Zhang Gao, doubted Shi's sincerity. In summer 759, under Li Guangbi's advice, Emperor Suzong had Wu Cheng'en try to persuade Ashina Chengqing into killing Shi together and seizing Fanyang. Shi discovered this and put Wu to death. He did not initially formally turn against Tang, but made an ultimatum demanding Li Guangbi's death. Meanwhile, though, with An Qingxu seeking aid from him, he launched his troops and headed south toward Yecheng. Shi quickly captured Wei Prefecture from the Tang general Cui Guangyuan , and then declared himself "the Great Holy Prince of Yan" in spring 760.

Meanwhile, the Tang generals Guo Ziyi, Lu Jiong , Li Huan , Xu Shuji , Li Siye, Ji Guangchen , Cui Guangyuan , Dong Qin , Li Guangbi, and Wang Sili , were gathering at Yecheng and putting it under siege. An Qingxu tried to fight out of the siege, but was defeated by Tang forces, and his brother An Qinghe was killed. Meanwhile, An sent the general Xue Song to Fanyang to seek aid from Shi, offering the throne to him. Shi thus advanced south toward Yecheng. Meanwhile, Tang forces, under the command of nine generals , were uncoordinated. On April 7, 759, Shi engaged Tang forces -- and, when a storm suddenly arrived, both armies panicked; Shi's forces fled north, and Tang forces fled south, lifting the siege on Yecheng. An Qingxu's forces gathered the food and supplies abandoned by Tang forces, and An thereafter considered, with Sun Xiaozhe and Cui the possibility of refusing Shi, who gathered his troops and again approached Yecheng, admittance. Shi himself was not communicating with An, but was feasting his soldiers and watching Yecheng. Zhang and Gao Shang requested permission to meet Shi, and An agreed; Shi gave them gifts and let them return to Yecheng. An, unsure what to do, again offered the throne to Shi, which Shi declined. Shi, instead, suggested to him that perhaps they could both be emperors of independent, allied states. An, pleased, exited Yecheng and met with Shi to swear to the alliance.

When An met Shi, he kneeled down to thank Shi for his help, stating:



Shi suddenly changed his expression and rebuked An:



Shi then executed An Qingxu, his four brothers, Gao, Sun, and Cui. He took over An's territory and troops, but returned to Fanyang and left his oldest son Shi Chaoyi in charge of Yecheng. He soon claimed for himself the title of emperor of Yan. He created his wife Lady Xin empress, Shi Chaoyi the Prince of Huai, and made Zhou Zhi his chancellor and Li Guiren , the main chieftain who of the non-Han forces that had submitted to him in 757, his chief general.

As emperor

Shi Siming soon left Empress Xin's son Shi Chaoqing in charge of Fanyang and headed south. He quickly captured Bian Prefecture and Luoyang, but his further attempts to advance was rebuffed by Tang forces at Heyang and Shan Prefecture , and the sides stalemated.

Meanwhile, by this point, Shi was described to be cruel and prone to kill, terrorizing his army. He favored Shi Chaoqing over Shi Chaoyi and considered creating Shi Chaoqing crown prince and killing Shi Chaoyi. In spring 761, Shi Siming began another attempt to attack Shan Prefecture, wanting to attack Chang'an. He had Shi Chaoyi serve as his forward commander, but Shi Chaoyi was repeatedly repelled by the Tang general Wei Boyu . Shi Siming was angry at Shi Chaoyi's failures and considered punishing him and the generals below him. On April 18, Shi Siming had ordered Shi Chaoyi to build a triangular fort with a hill as its side, to store food supplies, and ordered that it be completed in one day. Near the end of the day, Shi Chaoyi had completed it, but had not plastered the walls with mud, when Shi Siming arrived and rebuked him for not applying mud. He ordered his own servants to stay and watch the plastering. He then angrily stated, "After I capture Shan Prefecture I will kill you, thief!" That night, Shi Chaoyi's subordinates Luo Yue and Cai Wenjing warned him that he was in dire straits -- and that if he refused to take action to depose Shi Siming, they would defect to Tang. Shi Chaoyi agreed to take action, and Luo persuaded Shi Siming's guard commander General Cao to agree with the plot. That night, Luo led 300 soldiers and ambushed Shi Siming, binding him and then beginning a return to Luoyang with the troops. On the way back to Luoyang, Luo feared that someone might try to rescue Shi Siming, and so strangled him.

Era name

* ''Shuntian'' 759-761
* ''Yingtian'' 761

Personal information

* Wife
** Empress Xin , mother of Crown Prince Chaoqing
* Children
** Shi Chaoyi , the Prince of Huai , later emperor
** Shi Chaoqing , the Crown Prince
** At least five more sons

Tian Chengsi 9 Sep 2008 12:30 AM (17 years ago)

Tian Chengsi , formally the Prince of Yanmen , was a general of the rebel state , who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Tian was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure, and among these generals, he was particularly defiant of the Tang imperial government.

Background

Tian Chengsi was born in 705, during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang. His family was from Ping Prefecture , and his ancestors, for several generations, had served in the military. His grandfather Tian Jing and father Tian Shouyi both had reputations for upholding justice in the region. Late in the reign of Emperor Zhongzong's nephew , Tian Chengsi served as a forward commanding officer under the general An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang Circuit , and particularly impressed An with his ability to maintain strict military discipline. For his contributions in campaigns against the Khitan and the Xi tribes, he was promoted several times, eventually to be a general under An.

During Anshi Rebellion

An Lushan rebelled against Emperor Xuanzong's rule in late 755 and, on his campaign south to attack the Tang eastern capital Luoyang, had Tian, along with and Zhang Xiaozhong, serve as his forward commanders. An's forces quickly captured Luoyang, and he declared himself the emperor of a new state of there. In 757, after An Lushan had been assassinated and succeeded by his son An Qingxu, Tian continued to serve under An Qingxu and commanded a campaign to capture the key Tang city of Nanyang and then to attack south further, but while he trapped the Tang commander Lu Jiong in Nanyang, he was not able to capture the city quickly, and after Lu eventually fought his way out of the siege and fled to Xiangyang, Tian abandoned the campaign as well and returned to Luoyang.

In fall 757, a joint Tang and Huige army commanded by the Prince of Chu (the son of Emperor Xuanzong's son and successor recaptured Chang'an, forcing An Qingxu to flee north of the Yellow River. At that time, Tian was attacking the Tang general Lai Tian at Yingchuan , and upon hearing the news, he initially offered to surrender to the Tang general Guo Ziyi, but after Guo did not react immediately, Tian changed his mind and fled north as well with another Yan general, Wu Lingxun to join An Qingxu at .

In fall 758, Tang forces closed in on Yecheng. An Qingxu had himself, Tian, and Cui Qianyou command the Yan army to fight against the converging Tang forces, but Tang forces defeated them, forcing them to withdraw within the city to defend against the siege. It was only in 759, when Shi Siming, fought an inconclusive battle near Yecheng that forced Tang forces to withdraw that the siege on Yecheng was lifted. Shi then killed An Qingxu and took over the Yan throne himself, and Tian continued to serve under Shi. Shi soon advanced south with Tian as a forward commander and recaptured Luoyang. In winter 760, as part of a campaign to capture Tang territory, Shi sent Tian to the Huaixi region , but little is known about how successful the campaign was.

Shi Siming was himself assassinated by his son Shi Chaoyi in 761, and Shi Chaoyi took the throne. After a Tang and Huige joint force again recaptured Luoyang in fall 762, Tian withdrew his force and joined Shi Chaoyi at Wei Prefecture to fight against the Tang forces commanded by Pugu Huai'en, but Pugu defeated them, forcing them to further flee north. Yan generals began to desert Shi Chaoyi en masse, but for some time, Tian did not, and by the time around new year 762, he was under siege in Mo Prefecture with Shi Chaoyi. He proposed to Shi Chaoyi that Shi Chaoyi head to You Prefecture to seek reinforcements, and that he would stay and defend Mo Prefecture. Shi Chaoyi agreed, but as soon as Shi Chaoyi left Mo Prefecture, Tian turned against him and surrendered Mo Prefecture to Tang, presenting Shi Chaoyi's empress dowager, empress, and children to Tang. Shi Chaoyi, finding the situation hopeless, committed suicide in flight.

The Tang imperial government was unsure as to what to do with the main Yan generals who surrendered and feared that removing them would lead to another rebellion. At Pugu's suggestion, Li Chu, who had by this point succeeded Emperor Suzong as emperor , made four key Yan generals — Tian, Xue Song, Li Huaixian, and An Zhongzhi — military governors and allowed them to keep their armies and posts. In Tian's case, he was given five prefectures, which were made into Weibo Circuit .

After Anshi Rebellion

It was said that Tian Chengsi emphasized greatly on military strength, that as soon as he had full control of Weibo Circuit, he imposed heavy taxes and conscripted the men for the army and logistics service — and that within a year, his army was some 100,000 strong. Among this he selected an elite group, known as the ''Yabing'' , to protect himself. The four former Yan generals formed alliances among themselves, as well as with two other military governors, Li Zhengji and Liang Chongyi, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. As part of this alliance, Li Baochen's brother Li Baozheng married Tian's daughter.

By 773, Tian was demanding to be given an honorary chancellor title, and he had also built a temple dedicated to the four Yan emperors . Emperor Daizong sent an eunuch messenger, Sun Zhigu , to Weibo to persuade Tian to destroy the temple. When Tian did, Emperor Daizong rewarded him with the honorary chancellor title of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' , and also created him the Prince of Yanmen. In 774, Emperor Daizong also promised to give his daughter Princess Yongle to Tian's son Tian Hua in marriage, hoping that this will improve the relationship with Tian, but Tian became increasingly arrogant thereafter.

Meanwhile, Tian's alliance with the other generals was disrupted by his actions. Xue Song, who controlled Zhaoyi Circuit had died in 773 and was initially succeeded by his son Xue Ping , who however yielded then to Xue Song's brother Xue E . In spring 775, however, Tian induced the Zhaoyi officer Pei Zhiqing to expel Xue E and submit to him. Tian thus captured Zhaoyi's capital prefecture Xiang Prefecture easily. He was then able to seize three more of Zhaoyi's six prefectures, while the imperial government retained the two other prefectures and merged it with the nearby Zelu Prefecture , maintaining the name of Zhaoyi for the merged circuit. Meanwhile, he also looked down at both Li Baochen and Li Zhengji. In or shortly before 775, there was an incident where Li Baozheng and Tian's son Tian Wei were playing polo at Weibo, when an accidental collision between Li Baozheng's and Tian Wei's horses killed Tian Wei. Tian Chengsi, in anger, imprisoned Li Baozheng and sent a messenger to Li Baochen in protest. Li Baochen, wanting to be conciliatory, sent a cane back with Tian's messenger and allowed Tian to discipline Li Baozheng — but Tian, in anger over his son's death, caned Li Baozheng to death, causing Li Baochen to break off the alliance with Tian. He and Li Zhengji, who also felt slighted by Tian, submitted petitions to the imperial government asking to attack Tian, and Emperor Daizong agreed, launching troops from a number of circuits loyal to the imperial government, in addition to Li Baochen's and Li Zhengji's forces, to attack Tian. Li Baochen, Zhu Tao , and Xue Jianxun the military governor of Taiyuan Circuit attacked Tian from the north, while Li Zhengji and Li Zhongchen the military governor of Huaixi Circuit attacked Tian from the south. Initially, these joint forces were successful in their attacks against Tian, seizing Ci Prefecture from Tian, but Tian was subsequently able to persuade Li Zhengji to break off his attack, substantially weakening the joint forces. Meanwhile, Li Baochen was offended when an imperial eunuch, Ma Chengqian , who had visited Li Baochen's army, was so dissatisfied with Li Baochen's gift to him that he threw it on the ground, and Tian was also able to use hoaxes to persuade Li Baochen that if he joined forces with Tian to attack Lulong, he would be successful. Li Baochen thus turned against Zhu Tao, launching a surprise attack on him, but was unable to kill Zhu Tao, effectively ending any hopes of the campaign against Tian and subsequently creating an enmity between the Chengde and Lulong Circuits. Tian subsequent ceded Cang Prefecture to LI Baochen, cementing the reformed alliance and increasing Li Baochen's holdings to seven prefectures. Meanwhile, though, Tian submitted humble letters of submission to Emperor Daizong, offering to visit the Tang capital Chang'an to pay respect to Emperor Daizong. Emperor Daizong agreed, but as soon as Emperor Daizong pardoned Tian, Tian refused to visit Chang'an, and Emperor Daizong did not press the issue. During the campaign, however, Tian also lost Ying Prefecture to Zhu Tao.

In 776, when Tian Shenyu the military governor of Biansong Circuit died, the Biansong officer Li Lingyao seized control of Biansong and wanted to become semi-independent as well. When the imperial government subsequently mobilized the circuits around Biansong to attack Li Lingyao, of all of the nearby circuits, Tian Chengsi not only did not attack Li Lingyao, but also allied with Li Lingyao, sending an army commanded by his nephew Tian Yue to aid Li Lingyao. Tian, however, was defeated by two generals loyal to the imperial government, Li Zhongchen and Ma Sui, and Li Lingyao was himself soon captured by another general loyal to the imperial government, Li Mian and executed. Tian Chengsi subsequently submitted another apology to Emperor Daizong, and Emperor Daizong, feeling that he had no strength to attack Tian again, pardoned him again and did not require him to visit Chang'an.

Meanwhile, while Tian Chengsi had 11 sons, he considered Tian Yue to be more capable than his sons, and therefore designated Tian Yue as his heir and had his sons serve as Tian Yue's assistants. When he died in 779, at his request and the urging of Li Baochen's, Emperor Daizong allowed Tian Yue to inherit his post, as the military governor of Weibo.

Wang Jun (Tang Dynasty) 9 Sep 2008 12:30 AM (17 years ago)

Wang Jun , formally Duke Zhonglie of Zhongshan , was an official of the dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, largely known for his service as a general during the reign of , when he also briefly served as .

Background

It is not known which year Wang Jun was born, although the timeframe suggests that he was born in the reign of . His family was from Cang Prefecture , and traced itself to the Northern Wei official Wang Rui , whose descendants served as officials for Northern Wei, Sui Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty. Wang Jun's grandfather Wang Youfang served as a prefectural prefect, and Wang Jun's father Wang Xingguo was a well-known sheriff of the capital county Chang'an County. Wang Xingguo died when Wang Jun was still young, and Wang Jun, despite his father's death, was studious. Wang Youfang was impressed and stated, "This child will glorify this household." After he grew up, he was known for openness in his character and dislike for details. He passed the imperial examinations in his youth and thereafter served as the sheriff of Qingwan County .

During Wu Zetian's reign

As of the reign of Emperor Gaozong's wife Wu Zetian , Wang Jun served as ''Dianzhong Shi Yushi'' , a low-level imperial censor and also carried the honorific title of ''Chaosan Daifu'' . On an occasion when the Wei Yuanzhong was commissioned to defend against an Eastern Tujue incursion, Wei was unable to defeat Eastern Tujue forces and blamed the lack of success on his deputy Han Sizhong , requesting that Han be executed. Wang, before Wu Zetian, argued that Wei, as the commander, should not divert all of the responsibility on his deputy. He also pointed out that Han was not in command and was brave and intelligent. Han was able to escape death, but as a result, Wang was sent out of the capital to serve as the magistrate of Weinan County . When Wei was falsely accused by Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong of plotting treason in 703, however, Wang submitted a petition arguing that Wei was innocent, impressing his former colleague Song Jing for his fortitude.

During Emperor Zhongzong's second reign, Emperor Shang's reign, and Emperor Ruizong's second reign

Near the end of the ''Jinglong'' era of Wu Zetian's son and successor , Wang Jun became the commandant at Gui Prefecture . Prior to Wang's term of service, the soldiers stationed at Gui Prefecture often depended on food supplies from Heng and Yong Prefectures. Wang built forts and levees and encouraged farming, ending the need for food supply shipments. At one point, he requested to leave his office and return home, and the people of the prefecture petitioned the emperor to keep him at Gui Prefecture, and the emperor agreed.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to his son the Crown Prince, and Li Longji took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. However, Emperor Ruizong continued to exercise most of the imperial powers as ''Taishang Huang'' , and his sister Princess Taiping continued to have great influence on the administration, causing the court to effectively divide into Princess Taiping's faction and Emperor Xuanzong's faction. Later in 712, Emperor Xuanzong's associates, the chancellor Liu Youqiu and the general Zhang Wei , believing that Princess Taiping's faction was going to act against Emperor Xuanzong, planned to kill key members of her faction, but the news leaked. Emperor Ruizong exiled Liu and Zhang -- in Liu's case, to Feng Prefecture . Princess Taiping's associate, the chancellor Cui Shi, subsequently gave instructions to Zhou Lizhen the commandant at Guang Prefecture , under whose area of responsibility Feng Prefecture was, to have Liu killed. Wang Jun, who was a friend of Liu's heard of this secret instruction, and therefore, when Liu went through Gui Prefecture, detained him and refused to let him go on to Feng Prefecture. Zhou submitted accusations that Wang was disobeying an imperial edict, and Cui repeatedly tried to pressure Wang to release Liu to Feng Prefecture. Liu himself pointed out to Wang that he did not want to put Wang in danger as well, but Wang refused to let Liu go on, and Liu was spared from death. After Emperor Xuanzong suppressed Princess Taiping's faction in 713, he recalled Liu to again serve as chancellor. Soon thereafter, Wang was recalled and made the deputy commander of the armies in the Shuofang region, in actual command. Sometime thereafter, he was made the deputy minister of husbandry , responsible for the herds of the Longyou region.

In 714, there was a major incursion by the Tufan general Ben Dayan . Wang led the 2,000 troops under his command to resist. He put 700 of his soldiers in Tufan uniform and made a surprise attack, causing much panic in the Tufan army. Subsequently, when troops under the command of the general Xue Na arrived, he counterattacked along with Xue, dealing Tufan forces a serious defeat. Wang was created the Baron of Qingyuan and given the honorific title ''Yinqing Guanglu Daifu'' . He was also made the commandant at Yuan Prefecture , and his son Wang Ting was given the honorific title of ''Chaosan Daifu''. He was soon made the secretary general at Bing Prefecture .

In 716, the Eastern Tujue khan Ashina Mochuo was killed in battle, and in the confusion that ensued, a large group of Eastern Tujue people surrendered to Tang. Soon, however, his nephew Ashina Mojilian settled down the situation as the new khan. Wang, believing that the Eastern Tujue people who surrendered would try to flee back to Eastern Tujue, suggested that they be forcibly moved into the heart of the empire to prevent them from doing so. Before Wang's suggestion could be acted upon, however, there was an uprising by the Eastern Tujue people who surrendered, under the leadership of Xiedie Sitai and Axilan . Xue and Wang tried to intercept them and dealt them defeats, but they were able to flee back to Eastern Tujue anyway.

In 720, Wang believed that the Pugu and Xiedie tribes of the region were planning to defect to Eastern Tujue and attack with Eastern Tujue troops. He thus held a feast and invited the chieftains, and, at the feast, massacred them. He then attacked the Pugu and Xiedie tribes in the area, nearly wiping them out. He then proposed a plan to attack Ashina Mojilian along with the Baximi , Xi , and Khitan. The plan was not approved, and when the Baximi launched the attack by itself, they were crushed by Eastern Tujue forces.

In 721, the non-Han Chinese in the region rebelled under the leadership of Kang Daibin and attacked Xia Prefecture . Emperor Xuanzong ordered Wang and Guo Zhiyun , the military governor of Longyou Circuit to attack Kang. Wang quickly defeated and captured Kang, who was sent to Chang'an and executed there. He accepted many tribes' surrender. He was created the Duke of Qingyuan. However, when Guo arrived, Guo attacked those tribes, which thus believed that Wang was treacherous to them and rebelled again. Emperor Xuanzong blamed this on Wang and demoted him to be the prefect of Zi Prefecture .

In 722, Emperor Xuanzong recalled Wang to serve on as the head of the household for his crown prince , and created him the Duke of Zhongshan. Subsequently, when Emperor Xuanzong went on a tour of the northern regions, he made Wang Jun the mayor of Taiyuan Municipality .

In summer 723, Wang was made the minister of defense and given the designation ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin'' , making him a chancellor ''de facto''. He was subsequently also made the military governor of Shuofang and took a tour of the northern regions. In winter of that year, Emperor Xuanzong was set to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and he ordered Wang to return to the capital to attend. Wang, believing that with the water of the Yellow River freezing at the time that it would be a good time for an Eastern Tujue attack, declined, believing that he needed to defend against such an attack. Emperor Xuanzong initially approved of this and sent him a robe as an award. However, at that time, the servants of Wang Qiao the prefect of Xu Prefecture accused Wang Qiao and Wang Jun of plotting treason together. Emperor Xuanzong had Wang Jun's fellow chancellors Yuan Qianyao and Zhang Shuo investigate, but found no evidence against Wang Jun. Still, Wang Jun was demoted to be the prefect of Qi Prefecture on the charge of disobeying the imperial edict.

In 726, Wang Jun was again made the military governor of Shuofang. He died in 732 and was buried with honor. After his death, there was a campaign in which Emperor Xuanzong's second cousin Li Hui the Prince of Xin'an defeated Xi forces, and purportedly, Li Hui's soldiers saw the spirits of Wang and another general, Gao Zhao , attacking the Xi with them. The official Yang Bocheng proposed that Wang and Gao be posthumously honored and their tombs be enlarged. Emperor Xuanzong agreed, and further granted offices to Wang's sons.

Li Guangbi 9 Sep 2008 12:29 AM (17 years ago)

Li Guangbi , formally Prince Wumu of Linhuai , was a general of the dynasty Tang Dynasty, of ethnic Khitan ancestry, who was instrumental in Tang's suppression of the Anshi Rebellion.

Background

Li Guangbi was born in 708, during the second reign of . HIs father, Li Kailuo , was a general of Khitan ancestry, whose achievements during the ''Kaiyuan'' era of Emperor Zhongzong's nephew eventually led to his creation as the Duke of Ji Commandery. Li Guangbi's mother was Lady Li.

Li Guangbi was said to be careful in his behavior when young. He was capable in horsemanship and archery, and also studied the ''Book of Han''. He started his army service when young, and was said to be decisive, strict, and full of strategies. After his father died, he inherited the title of the Duke of Ji, and was praised for not entering his wife's room during the observation of the mourning period.

At the start of Emperor Xuanzong's ''Tianbao'' era , Li Guangbi became the discipline officer at Shuofang Circuit . In 746, the military governor of Shuofang and Hexi Circuits, Wang Zhongsi, made him a commanding general for Hexi Circuit, as well as the commander of Chishui Base . Li and Geshu Han became the two key generals under Wang, while he was in command of Shuofang and Hexi. Wang often commented, "One day, Li Guangbi will have my command," and Li gained a reputation for being a good general. In 747, Li unsuccessfully tried to stop Wang from interfering with a campaign against Tufan commanded by the general Dong Yanguang , and when Dong failed, Wang was removed from his post. In 749, he was made the deputy military governor of Hexi, serving under Geshu, and was created the title of Duke of Su Commandery in his own right. In 752, was made the deputy protectorate general at Chanyu . In 755, An Sishun, then the military governor of Shuofang, requested him as deputy. An was impressed by him and wanted to give a daughter to him in marriage, but Li declined and feigned an illness in order to resign and return to the capital Chang'an under Geshu's assistance.

During Anshi Rebellion

In winter 755, An Lushan, the military governor of Fanyang Circuit , rebelled, and quickly proceeded south toward the Tang eastern capital Luoyang. Emperor Xuanzong recalled An Sishun, who was An Lushan's cousin, to Chang'an, and gave the military governorship of Shuofang to Guo Ziyi. He also asked Guo's recommendation on whom to entrust Hedong Circuit , and Guo recommended Li Guangbi. In spring 756, Emperor Xuanzong made Li the military governor of Hedong and had him and Guo advance from Shuofang east, intending to capture An Lushan's territory north of the Yellow River. Li quickly advanced and captured most of Changshan Commandery . When An's general Shi Siming counterattacked, Guo rendezvoused with him and together, they fought Shi off, and subsequently, they cut off the communications between Luoyang and Fanyang. An, fearing that his army's morale would be destroyed, considered leaving Luoyang and returning north to battle Li and Guo himself.

Meanwhile, though, another Yan army, commanded by his general Cui Qianyou , approached Tong Pass, defended by Geshu Han, and was pretending to be weak in order to draw an attack from Geshu. Geshu, Li, and Guo all recommended to Emperor Xuanzong that the forces under him continue to hold at Tong Pass and not attack Cui, while waiting for Li and Guo to capture Fanyang first to destroy Yan forces' morale. However, the Yang Guozhong, fearing that Geshu's intentions were actually to start a coup and overthrow him, recommended that Emperor Xuanzong order Geshu to attack Cui. Emperor Xuanzong did so over Geshu's objections, and Geshu was defeated by Cui, who captured Geshu and then Tong Pass. He then approached Chang'an, forcing Emperor Xuanzong to abandon it and flee to Chengdu and Emperor Xuanzong's crown prince to flee to Lingwu , where he was declared emperor .

Meanwhile, Li and Guo heard only of the news that Tong Pass had fallen, but did not know what had happened afterwards, and they decided to withdraw back west of the Taihang Mountains. Later, when Emperor Suzong sent emissaries to call them to Lingwu, they went to Lingwu. Emperor Suzong gave him the additional honorary chancellor title of ''Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi'' and had him return to Taiyuan with 5,000 soldiers, leaving the rest of his soldiers at Lingwu in anticipation of a campaign to recapture Chang'an. When Li arrived at Taiyuan, he, who was angry that the official Cui Zhong had disrespected the prior military governor Wang Chengye when relieving Wang, found an excuse to kill Cui, and this shocked the army, causing the entire army to be fearful of him.

In spring 757, Shi, knowing that Li had left most of his troops at Lingwu and believing that Taiyuan's defenses were weak, took 100,000 men to Taiyuan and put it under siege. Li, however, defended the city capably and repeatedly repelled assaults on the city's defenses. Around the same time, An Lushan was assassinated and succeeded by his son An Qingxu, who ordered Shi to return to Fanyang and leave Cai Xide to continue to siege Taiyuan, although Li was then able to defeat Cai, forcing Cai to lift the siege and retreat. After this victory, Emperor Suzong created him the Duke of Wei, and later changed the title to Duke of Zheng. Around the new year 758, after Emperor Suzong recaptured Chang'an from Yan forces, he gave Li the title of ''Sikong'' , one of the Three Excellencies.

Meanwhile, Tang and Huige forces had also captured Luoyang, forcing An Qingxu to flee to , but most of his generals submitted to Tang, leaving him only with control of the region around Yecheng. Shi, in control of Fanyang and surrounding regions, also submitted to Tang, and was made a Tang general. However, Li believed that Shi would eventually rebel again anyway, and persuaded Emperor Suzong to have Shi's associate Wu Cheng'en assassinate him and take over the region himself. When Shi realized this, he killed Wu and submitted a petition demanding that Emperor Suzong kill Li. Emperor Suzong disavowed any knowledge on his part or Li's and tried to placate Shi, but Shi then rebelled again. In fall 758, Li went to Chang'an to visit Emperor Suzong and was given the additional title of ''Shizhong'' as honorary chancellor. Soon thereafter, he and several other key commanders, including Guo, Lu Jiong , Li Huan , Xu Shuji , Li Siye, Ji Guangchen , Cui Guangyuan , , and Wang Sili , rendezvoused at Yecheng to put An Qingxu under siege. Because both Li Guangbi and Guo had great contributions, Emperor Suzong did not make either of them the overall commander of the forces, but commissioned the eunuch Yu Chao'en to serve as the surveyor of the troops. During the siege, Li Guangbi suggested launching an all-out assault on Yecheng's defenses, but Yu opposed, and such an assault was not carried out.

Faced with a siege that he could not fight out of, An Qingxu sought aid from Shi Siming, who led an army south from Fanyang and engaged Tang forces in spring 759, and during the middle of the battle, both Tang forces and Shi's forces panicked and scattered -- with most of Tang forces completely scattering and pillaging the surrounding areas before fleeing back to their own circuits, with the exception of Li Guangbi and Wang, who were able to gather their forces and withdraw. In fall 759, with Yu blaming Guo for the collapse, Emperor Suzong transferred the command of the Shuofang troops that Guo commanded to Li Guangbi. With Guo's command style being far more relaxed than Li Guangbi's strict style, the Shuofang army was initially displeased, and the general Zhang Yongji considered forcibly ejecting Li Guangbi and demanding Guo's restoration; when Li Guangbi found out, he arrested and executed Zhang. Li Guangbi was also made the deputy supreme commander of the armed forces and in effect in command of the entire Tang army command structure, as the supreme commander was Emperor Suzong's son Li Xi the Prince of Zhao, whose title was honorary.

Soon thereafter, Shi, who had killed An Qingxu and declared himself the new emperor of Yan, advanced south. Li Guangbi, judging that Luoyang was not defendable, ordered that Luoyang be evacuated, instead taking position in the Heyang area, near Luoyang. Shi entered Luoyang, but subsequently with Li Guangbi defending Heyang, was unable to advance for some time toward Chang'an, as Li Guangbi repeatedly defeated his attacking forces, and was continuing to bog Li Guangbi's forces down in the Heyang region. In spring 760, Emperor Suzong gave Li Guangbi the honorary chancellor title of ''Zhongshu Ling'' and the title of ''Taiwei'' , also one of the Three Excellencies.

By spring 761, however, Yu and Pugu Huai'en, now in command of the Shuofang forces, were advocating that a campaign be launched to recapture Luoyang, and despite Li Guangbi's opposition, Emperor Suzong ordered Li Guangbi to attack Luoyang. Li Guangbi, despite his reluctance, thus advanced toward Chang'an with Pugu, Yu, and Wei Boyu . He and Pugu, however, disagreed in regards to camp formation, with him wanting to put the camp in the hills and Pugu wanting to do so in the plains. Yan forces thus took advantage and launched a major attack on them, thoroughly routing Tang forces. All of the Tang generals, including Li Guangbi, Pugu, Yu, and Wei all fled. Li Baoyu , whom Li Guangbi had left at Heyang, also abandoned Heyang, and Heyang fell into Yan hands. Li Guangbi requested a demotion, and he was demoted to the honorary title of ''Kaifu Yitong Sansi'' and the honorary chancellor of title of ''Shizhong'', and was made the military governor of Hezhong Circuit , but almost immediately again made ''Taiwei'' again and made the deputy supreme commander, but only of the Henan region . Emperor Suzong also had him take over the commands of the expeditionary forces from the Huai River and Yangtze River region, taking up position at Linhuai , with Shi Chaoyi seeking to expand toward the southeast. Once he arrived at his post, Li Guangbi was able to lift the siege that Yan forces were putting on Song Prefecture , stopping Yan advances in the region. Moreover, several Tang generals who had been staying in the region and not reporting to their proper posts -- Tian Shengong , Shang Heng , and Yin Zhongqing , fearing LI Guangbi, soon reported to their posts. Emperor Suzong created Li Guangbi the Prince of Linhuai. Li Guangbi himself took up position at Xu Prefecture and made it his headquarters. He also sent an army to defeat the rebellion of Yuan Chao , who had captured Tai Prefecture and surrounding prefectures.

In winter 762, by which time Emperor Suzong had died and had been succeeded by his son , with Tang forces converging on Luoyang to try to recapture it from Shi Chaoyi, Li Guangbi headed toward Luoyang, with Pugu and Huige forces heading east as well, joined by the generals Guo Ying'ai and Li Baoyu. The joint Tang and Huige forces defeated Shi Chaoyi, forcing him to abandon Luoyang and flee north. Shi Chaoyi committed suicide in flight in spring 763, ending the Anshi Rebellion.

After Anshi Rebellion

Meanwhile, though, because Li Guangbi feared false accusations from Yu Chao'en and another eunuch, Cheng Yuanzhen, he was refusing to visit Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Daizong. His fears grew after another general, Lai Tian , was ordered to commit suicide due to Cheng's accusations. Even when Tufan forces attacked Chang'an in fall 763, causing Emperor Daizong to briefly abandon Chang'an, Li Guangbi refused to come to the aid of the emperor. In order to try to please Li Guangbi, Emperor Daizong had Li Guangbi's stepmother, to whom he was very devoted, brought to Chang'an and treated with great respect, while giving Li Guangbi's brother Li Guangjin partial command of the imperial guards and creating Li Guangjin the Duke of Liang, but these actions did not affect Li Guangbi. When Emperor Daizong put him in charge of Luoyang in summer 764, he declined to go to Luoyang, but continued to stay in Xu Prefecture.

Li Guangbi had been well-known for his military discipline, but after he repeatedly declined to follow imperial directives, his reputation fell, and many subordinate generals in the region began to disobey Li Guangbi as well, causing him to be embarrassed. He grew ill and died in fall 764. His casket was returned to Chang'an and buried with great honors.

The Song Dynasty historian Ouyang Xiu, in his ''New Book of Tang'', commented about Li Guangbi:

Li Baochen 9 Sep 2008 12:29 AM (17 years ago)

Li Baochen , originally named Zhang Zhongzhi , courtesy name Weifu , known as An Zhongzhi during the Anshi Rebellion and Zhang Baochen 778–779, formally the Prince of Longxi , was a general of the rebel state , who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Li was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure.

Background

Zhang Zhongzhi was born in 718, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He was ethnically Xi and from Fanyang Circuit , but his original lineage was not otherwise known in history. He was adopted by Zhang Suogao , and therefore took Zhang Suogao's surname of Zhang. He was capable in horsemanship and archery in his youth and served in the military at Fanyang as well, eventually serving under the military governor An Lushan. On an occasion when An visited the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an to pay homage to Emperor Xuanzong, Zhang Zhongzhi followed him to Chang'an and was kept there to be an archer in the imperial guards and given access to the palace.

During the Anshi Rebellion

An Lushan rose against Emperor Xuanzong's rule in late 755, and Zhang Zhongzhi, hearing the news, escaped from Chang'an and joined An in Fanyang. An was impressed and adopted him as a son, giving him the surname of An. Subsequently, when the rebels made a surprise raid against Taiyuan, it was An Zhongzhi who led the attack, and he was able to seize the Tang mayor of Taiyuan, Yang Guanghui . An Lushan subsequently put him in charge of defending the key pass of Tumen . After An Lushan's subsequent death and replacement as the emperor of a new state by his son An Qingxu, An Zhongzhi continued to serve under An Qingxu, who made him the prefect of Heng Prefecture . His service of An Qingxu lasted until 757, when Tang forces put An Qingxu under siege in Yecheng. At that time, the major Yan general Shi Siming submitted to Tang, and An Zhongzhi submitted to Tang as well, subsequently serving under Shi. Emperor Xuanzong's son and successor created An Zhongzhi the Duke of Miyun and let him remain at his post.

However, Shi did not himself remain under submission to Tang for long, and when he himself rose against Tang and claimed the Yan throne, he made An Zhongzhi a minister and had him defend the region along with Xin Wanbao . After Shi was assassinated and succeeded by his son Shi Chaoyi in 761, An Zhongzhi refused to serve Shi Chaoyi. He had his officer Wang Wujun kill Xin and then submitted to Tang, allowing Tang forces access to the region through Tumen. Emperor Suzong's son and successor accepted his submission, gave him the imperial surname of Li, and further gave him the new personal name of Baochen . He, along with fellow Yan generals Xue Song, Tian Chengsi, and Li Huaixian, were allowed to keep their territory, and he was made the military governor of Chengde Circuit , consisting of six prefectures that he controlled. Emperor Daizong also created him the Duke of Zhao.

After the Anshi Rebellion

The four former Yan generals formed alliances among themselves, as well as with two other military governors, Li Zhengji and Liang Chongyi, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. As part of this alliance, Li Baochen's brother Li Baozheng married Tian's daughter, and Li Baochen gave a daughter in marriage to Li Zhengji's son and took a daughter of Li Zhengji's to be the wife of his son Li Weicheng . Li Baochen, however, would for a while be more submissive to the imperial government than others in the alliance, and when Zhu Xicai assassinated Li Huaixian in 768 and took over Lulong Circuit , Li Baochen attacked Zhu Xicai under the name of the Tang imperial regime, but he was repelled by Zhu, and Emperor Daizong subsequently allowed Zhu to retain Lulong Circuit.

Li Baochen's alliance with Tian Chengsi, who controlled Weibo Circuit , would be severely tested in 775, as Tian, despite the alliance, looked down at his allies and had seized most of Xue Song's Zhaoyi Circuit after Xue's death in 773 rather than allowing Xue's family to retain the territory. In or shortly before 775, there was an incident where Li Baozheng and Tian's son Tian Wei were playing polo at Weibo, when an accidental collision between Li Baozheng's and Tian Wei's horses killed Tian Wei. Tian Chengsi, in anger, imprisoned Li Baozheng and sent a messenger to Li Baochen in protest. Li Baochen, wanting to be conciliatory, sent a cane back with Tian's messenger and allowed Tian to discipline Li Baozheng — but Tian, in anger over his son's death, caned Li Baozheng to death, causing Li Baochen to break off the alliance with Tian. He and Li Zhengji, who also felt slighted by Tian, submitted petitions to the imperial government asking to attack Tian, and Emperor Daizong agreed, launching troops from a number of circuits loyal to the imperial government, in addition to Li Baochen's and Li Zhengji's forces, to attack Tian. Li Baochen, Zhu Tao , and Xue Jianxun the military governor of Taiyuan Circuit attacked Tian from the north, while Li Zhengji and Li Zhongchen the military governor of Huaixi Circuit attacked Tian from the south. Initially, these joint forces were successful in their attacks against Tian, seizing Ci Prefecture from Tian, but Tian was subsequently able to persuade Li Zhengji to break off his attack, substantially weakening the joint forces. Meanwhile, Li Baochen was offended when an imperial eunuch, Ma Chengqian , who had visited Li Baochen's army, was so dissatisfied with Li Baochen's gift to him that he threw it on the ground, and Tian was also able to use hoaxes to persuade Li Baochen that if he joined forces with Tian to attack Lulong, he would be successful. Li Baochen thus turned against Zhu Tao, launching a surprise attack on him, but was unable to kill Zhu Tao, effectively ending any hopes of the campaign against Tian and subsequently creating an enmity between the Chengde and Lulong Circuits. Tian subsequent ceded Cang Prefecture to LI Baochen, cementing the reformed alliance and increasing Li Baochen's holdings to seven prefectures. By 777, Li Baochen had an army that was 50,000-men strong, and Emperor Daizong created him the Prince of Longxi.

In 778, for reasons unclear in history, Li Baochen briefly assumed his old surname of Zhang. However, in 779, he became apprehensive about having done so, and, with Emperor Daizong's permission, reassumed the imperial surname of Li. Also in 779, when Tian Chengsi died, it was at the urging of Li Baochen that Emperor Daizong officially approved Tian Chengsi's selected successor, his nephew Tian Yue, as Tian Chengsi's successor.

As Li Baochen grew older, he was planning to pass his territory to his son Li Weiyue, but as Li Weiyue was described to be weak in personality, he feared that Li Weiyue would not be able to control the army. Therefore, he began to systematically kill the stronger military officers in his army to eliminate potential challengers to Li Weiyue. The only officers to escape this fate were Zhang Xiaozhong the prefect of Yi Prefecture — who resisted repeated summons by Li Baochen and stayed at Yi Prefecture, although not turning against Li Baochen while Li Baochen was alive — and Wang Wujun, who was close to Li Baochen and whose son had married Li Baochen's daughter. It was also said that in his old age, he became particularly superstitious and trusted sorcerers who predicted that he would have long life and supreme power . In 781, the sorcerers made him a potion that was supposed to yield long life, but instead was poisonous, and he died within three days of drinking it. Li Weiyue would succeed him without Tang imperial approval, and by 782 was killed by Wang, ending the Li family's hold on Chengde.

Guo Ziyi 9 Sep 2008 12:29 AM (17 years ago)

Guo Ziyi , formally Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang , was a general during the Tang Dynasty who ended the An Shi Rebellion, and participated in expeditions against the peoples of Huihe and Tubo . He is reputed to be one of the greatest generals in Chinese history and was revered as the best general in East Asia during his lifetime. After his death, he was immortalized in Chinese mythology as the God of Wealth and Happiness.

Early life

Guo Ziyi was born into the family of a middle-class civil servant in Hua Prefecture . Unlike other members of his family, he entered political life through a martial test instead of a literary test . In 749 AD, he passed a martial test and became an officer in the border regions of the Tang Empire and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Jiedushi .

An Shi Rebellion

;First victories
Limited records exist about Guo Ziyi before the An Shi Rebellion; it was during the rebellion that he earned his fame. When the rebellion began in 755, Guo Ziyi was assigned to protect the Tong Pass, a strategic location on the Chinese frontier. A large force of a ten thousand rebels were marching toward the Pass. Guo Ziyi took advantage of the situation by luring the rebels onto the plains in front of the pass where there were only scarce settlements. The rebels saw little to loot and were discouraged, while the Tang troops were prepared to fight hard, motivated by the desire to protect their families in the Tong Pass and the capital of Chang'an. In a matter of days, Guo eliminated seven thousand rebels at the Battle of Qingbi and scattered the rest while suffering few casualties to his own force, winning his first victory.

By the following year, 756, the capital fell due to the ineptitude and corruption of the chancellor Yang Guozhong and his eunuchs. The emperor, , fled the city, accompanied by his personal guard and members of the Yang family, including his consort Yang Guifei. Members of the entourage, including the troops, resented Yang Guozhong, holding him responsible for the failed strategy that led to the fall of Chang'an. Yang Guozhong was denounced and executed. Following this, the emperor's own troops also forced him to execute his beloved Yang Guifei. The emperor then fled with the remainder of the entourage under difficult conditions, ultimately reaching the city of Chengdu.

Meanwile, Guo Ziyi confronted a great force of one hundred thousand led by rebel commander Shi Siming. Although Guo had only ten thousand men, he decided to stall for time until reinforcements could arrive. He managed to trick Shi Siming into thinking he would be ambushed if he moved against Guo, and was able to hold him off for forty days. By then, the commander of Tang, Li Guangbi, came to Guo's relief with ninety thousand men. The opposing forces clashed, resulting in few Tang losses, but leaving ten thousand rebels dead. Shi Siming quickly gathered up what was left of his force and retreated back to Fanyang, the rebels' stronghold. Li recommended Guo to Emperor Xuanzong, and Guo quickly asked the emperor for permission to launch an immediate counter-attack to destroy the remaining rebels, but Xuanzong refused him.

;Change of Emperor and the Shaanxi campaign
In the meantime, Xuanzong's son, , seized his throne and began organizing a counter-attack against advancing rebels. From this time on, Xuanzong was known as the "Retired Emperor", and after the retaking of Chang'an from the rebels he returned there, where he lived until his death in 761.

The crisis spawned by the rebellion decreased the power of the Imperial Court. Thus, after assuming power, Suzong's authority was weak and many Tang generals cared little about orders from the emperor. There were few generals of Chinese descent remaining in the Tang army and Guo was one of the these. Guo was given the post of Imperial Commander and Suzong provided support for his military operations. This was rewarded with great successes. By 757, Guo Ziyi had entered the Shaanxi battlefront, and many locals supported him against the rebels; Guo's force may have increased twice in size at this time. The rebels suffered dramatic losses, including the deaths of many notable rebel generals, and Guo declared victory on the Shaanxi front.

;Chang'an victory and rebel collapse
Guo Ziyi then immediately turned his attention to retaking Chang'an. He attacked with fifteen thousand men, where the rebels were able to assemble only ten thousand men. The result was a great victory for the Tang, with many historians noting that the number of rebels corpses was so great that they covered the battlefield. Guo's devastating victories in Shaanxi and at Chang'an contributed to in-fighting among the rebel ranks. The leader of the rebels, An Lushan, was killed by his son, An Qingxu, who gathered up what was left of the rebels and retreated to Luoyang. When Suzong arrived at Chang'an, it is said that he shed tears and said to Guo, "This may be my country, but it is recreated by your hand." 「雖吾之家國，實由卿再造。」

In 758, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, and other Jiedushi were ordered to eliminate the last remaining rebels in Yi. However, Emperor Suzong was worried about the growing power of the Jiedushi and placed his eunuchs in charge of the campaign. This was once again a disaster, but Guo Ziyi managed to make the best out of the situation by convincing his fellow Jiedushi that they could have one easy victory if they laid siege to the rebel city. All of them agreed to this strategy and the rebel's supplies were depleted during the siege. When the time came to assault the city, however, there were no commander-in-chief to coordinate the attack since all the Jiedushi were of equal rank, and it proved ineffective. In the meantime, reinforcements under Shi Siming arrived to reinforce An Qingxu. The Tang forces missed the opportunity to eliminate the rebels once and for all. A bloody battle followed in 759, fought in poor weather and again with no central command for the Tang. Although a victory for the Tang, both sides suffered a tremendous losses and the result of the battle was unacceptable to the emperor, since the Tang army had been known to win battles while suffering relatively few casualties. The many Jiedushi began to blame one another, and many of them targeted Guo, placing much of the blame on him. In fact, Guo Ziyi was the only Jiedushi that the Chinese population would have followed other than the Emperor himself. Suzong, worried by Guo's popularity, used this as a pretense to decrease Guo's power, demoting him while generously rewarding the other Jiedushi.

Under Emperor Suzong

Although the An Shi Rebellion would finally be put down in 763, Tang China was now facing another threat, this time from the Tibetans. Tibet had benefited from Tang China's prosperous period, when aid to it from the Tang Dynasty was frequent. During the An Shi Rebellion, it reached the height of its power, and it betrayed the aid the Tang had given it by supporting the rebels. Although the Tibetans had signed a peace treaty with the Tang, the Tibetans only observed the treaty so long as the Tang remained strong. Weakened by the An Shi Rebellion, the Tibetans began to harass the Chinese border. Most Jiedushi who were not born ethnically Chinese and had little incentive to defend the Tang Empire, especially when it was ruled by a weak emperor. In response, Suzong re-promoted Guo Ziyi, but only as a military figurehead with no power, in the hope that merely the threat of sending Guo against them would keep the Tibetans at bay. In 762, a general named Wang Yuanzhi murdered Li Jingzhi, the commander of Shaanxi, claiming that the troops were still so loyal to Guo that they demanded he be reinstated as Jiedushi. Suzong was forced to return Guo Ziyi to his former position. When Guo Ziyi arrived, however, instead of thanking Wang he condemned the general for his disloyalty in killing his commander. He also pointed out that such an act disrupted the chain of command, which might embolden the Tibetans to attack. General Wang submitted to his mistakes and committed suicide. Guo Ziyi quickly assumed command of the post and the Tibetans did not dare to attack Chinese border towns.

Under Emperor Daizong and Tibetan Invasion

Not long after, Suzong died and was succeeded by his son Daizong. The new emperor was worried about Guo Ziyi's fame and called him back to Chang'an. Guo Ziyi advised the emperor to take a note of the threat posed by the Tibetans, but the emperor largely ignored this.

;The "Battle" of Chang'an
In 763, one hundred thousand Tibetans invaded China and surrounded the capital city of Chang'an. This was the height of Tibetan power, but it was also the height of Guo's career. He was prepared and sent a small force of cavalry to scout the Tibetans, giving them orders to light fires in random locations where the Tibetans could see them and then immediately retreat. Guo then sent secret messages to Chang'an ordering citizens to strike gongs and shoot off fireworks. The Tibetans were confused by these actions, and they panicked and scattered when rumors spread that it was Guo Ziyi moving against them with a large force. The Tibetans began to desert and the battle was won without losses on either side. Many Chinese military historians considered this to be the best example of Sun Tzu's idea of the cleanest kind of battle, "a war with no loss on either side but simply played out with the desired effect for the victor." There are discrepancies in the number of cavalry troops Guo dispatched; some Chinese texts state that Guo had sent out only thirteen scouts, but a Tibetan text source indicated there had been two hundred. Nevertheless, it was a great victory, and when Guo Ziyi arrived at Chang'an with his "large" force, Daizong appeared to him and stated, "If the country had just use general earlier, this would never happen." 「用卿不早，故及於此。」

;The Tibetan threat of 765 and the Uyghur alliance
The next two years were peaceful, but the Tibetans attacked again in 765, when the Uyghur Jiedushi Pugu Huai'en sent false messages to the King of Tibet stating that Guo Ziyi had died. The Tibetan king was eager to avenge his earlier defeat, and dispatched a large force to attack Tang China again. Various Uyghur chieftains, also believing that Guo was dead, joined force with the Tibetans. The Tibetan force was recorded as more than thirty thousand , almost the entire Tibetan military at the time.

When news of the Tibetans reached Emperor Daizong, he sent Guo Ziyi out with a few thousand men. When Guo was within a day's march from the enemy, he decided to go alone to see the Uyghur chieftains. His officers and son were so dismayed and panicked by his intention that they would not let go of his horse's reins, declaring such an act would be suicide. Guo laughed and convinced his officers to let him go, but his son would not. Angered, Guo whipped his son's hand so that he released the reins, reprimanding him and telling him that this was a life and death situation for the empire; their force was small and if they fought the Tibetans alone, both father and son, and their troops, would die. If he succeeded in his plan the empire would be defended, but if it failed only his own life would be lost. “現在強敵當前，形勢危急，如果交戰，不但我父子難保，就是國家也很危險，不如以誠意勸服他們，如果成功，是天下人的福分，如果失敗，我個人性命又算得了什麼!”

When Guo arrived at the Uyghur's camp, he did not reveal his identity and appeared to be a messenger who had been sent to tell them that Guo Ziyi was coming to see them. The Uyghur chieftains, many of who had joined the rebel side in the An Shi Rebellion, were surprised and panicked to hear that Guo was alive, deciding that they had to meet with him. Guo laughed at them and asked them why they would want to face Guo Ziyi again after their defeat at his hands during the An Shi Rebllion. The Uyghur chieftains replied they had been told that he was dead, but if they met with him and saw he was alive, they would retreat. Guo, however, insisted that Guo Ziyi did not seek their retreat but instead wanted them to join him against the Tibetans. The Uyghur chieftains, saying they had been deceived by the Tibetans about Guo's death, decided to break the alliance with them. They even claimed that shamans had foretold that a great man would lead them to victory and that they now believed this man must be Guo, and agreed to join forces with the Tang.

;Battle of Xiyuan
Guo returned to his camp and ordered a thousand light horsemen to made a quick rush at the Tibetan camp at Xiyuan. When the Tibetans realized the Uyghurs had broken their alliance, they tried to withdraw, but Guo's horsemen arrived and scattered their forces; at the same time, the Uyghurs arrived and prevented the Tibetans' retreat. Over ten thousand Tibetans were killed in battle and another ten thousand were taken as prisoners of war. Guo continued to pursue the Tibetans and freed over four thousand civilians they had taken captive.

When the Tibetan king heard that his force had been defeated, he quickly sent a message to Emperor Daizong seeking a peace, stating that his army had been on a hunting trip and had had no intention of attacking the Tang Empire. Although Daizong did not believe this, he agreed to the peace and Tibet was never again a threat to China.

Later life

Guo was later made Prefect of Fenyang , and hence is sometimes called "Li Fenyang". He lived to the age of 85 and was given the posthumous name of Zhongwu after his death.

There is a commonly remembered anecdote dated to the year 767 in which his son had an argument with his wife, a princess. During the argument, the princess and Guo's son compared their fathers, Emperor Daizong and Guo Ziyi. Guo's son was purported to have said, "What is so great about being an emperor? My father could become emperor at any time if he wanted to." Guo was so angry at his son for implying such an idea of disloyalty to the emperor that he had him locked up and waited for Emperor Daizong to pass judgement on him. The princess regretted what had happened and asked Guo to forgive his son, but Guo refused. When Emperor Daizong arrived, he pardoned the son and said to Guo, "When the son and daughter fight, there is little as fathers-in-law we can do."：“不痴不聾，不作家翁。兒女子閨房之言，何足聽也！”

In another instance, the son hit his wife in a drunken rage. Again Guo was so angry at his son that he had him arrested again. But again the princess begged for her husband to be forgiven, and again Emperor Daizong stepped in and forgave his son-in-law. This story of Guo's son and the princess was popularized by the rather literally titled Beijing Opera "Hitting the Princess While Drunk" 醉打金枝.

Popular folklore states that the Jade Emperor was so pleased with Guo's actions in protecting the Tang Dynasty and in giving happiness to the people that he sent a fairy down from Heaven to ask Guo what his greatest desire was. Guo replied that he had fought for so long and had seen so much bloodshed that all he wanted was peace and happiness. As a reward, the Jade Emperor had Guo guided to Heaven and gave him the post of God of Prosperity and Happiness.

Achievements

Guo Ziyi has been much credited by many historians with putting down the An Shi Rebellion, characterizing him as the man who single-handedly saved the Tang Dynasty. His impact on East Asia was also dramatic in that he renewed Tang relations with many of its Uyghur allies, who would later support the dynasty in campaigns against Tibet. After his various victories over them, the Tibetans were never able to restore their military might and lost much of their political strength in Asian affairs.

Future members of his family would also go to become famous generals, among them Guo Puyo, a general greatly used by Genghis Khan, and Guo Kan, one of the best generals of the Mongol Empire.

Li Cong 9 Sep 2008 12:29 AM (17 years ago)

Li Cong , né Li Sizhi , known as Li Tan from 725 to 736, posthumously honored Crown Prince Jingde and then Emperor Fengtian , was an imperial prince of the dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of but, despite that status, was never made crown prince, bypassed in favor of his younger brothers Li Ying and . After Li Heng became emperor, he posthumously honored Li Cong as an emperor.

Background

It is not known when Li Sizhi was born, but it is known that he was the oldest son of , then the Prince of Linzi under Li Longji's uncle . His mother Consort Liu, who would eventually receive the imperial consort rank of ''Huafei'' , the third highest rank for imperial consorts, later bore two more sons for Emperor Xuanzong, Li Wan the Prince of Rong and Li Sui the Prince of Yi . In 710, after Li Longji's father became emperor , Li Longji was created crown prince, and his sons were created princes. Li Sizhi was created the Prince of Xuchang.

During Emperor Xuanzong's reign

In 712, Emperor Ruizong yielded the throne to Li Longji, who took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. Li Sizhi's title was upgraded to Prince of Tan. In 715, however, he was bypassed for the crown prince position when his younger brother the Prince of Ying was selected, as Li Siqian's mother Consort Zhao was then Emperor Xuanzong's favorite concubine, and Li Siqian was raised personally by Emperor Xuanzong's wife , who had no sons of her own. In 716, Li Sizhi was made the Protectorate General to Pacify the West and received the title of "Comforter of the Non-Han of the Hedong , Guannei , and Longyou Regions" , although there was no evidence that he actually left the capital Chang'an.

In 725, Li Sizhi's name was changed to Li Tan, and his title was changed to Prince of Qing.

In 727, Li Tan became the military governor of Hexi Circuit as well as the commandant at Liang Prefecture , but, as was the case with 10 other brothers of his who received similar titles, did not actually take up the command.

In 736, Li Tan's name was changed to Li Cong.

In 737, LI Siqian , whose name had been changed to Li Ying, was forced to commit suicide after false accusations of treason by Emperor Xuanzong's then-favorite concubine , who wanted her son Li Mao the Prince of Shou to be crown prince. However, Emperor Xuanzong subsequently selected another son, the Prince of Zhong, crown prince, bypassing Li Cong again in the process.

In 742, Li Cong became military governor of Hedong Circuit.

Posthumous honors

Li Cong died in 752. Emperor Xuanzong, still emperor at that time, posthumously honored him as Crown Prince Jingde, even though he was never crown prince. As he was sonless, he adopted Li Ying's son Li Qiu , and Li Qiu inherited his title of Prince of Qing.

In 756, after Li Yu, whose name was by then changed to Li Heng, became emperor , Li Cong was further posthumously honored as Emperor Fengtian. His wife Princess Dou was posthumously honored Empress Gongying, and they were reburied with honors due emperor and empress.

Li Huaixian 9 Sep 2008 12:29 AM (17 years ago)

Li Huaixian was a general of the rebel state , who later submitted to and became a general of Tang Dynasty, from which Yan had rebelled. As was in the case of several other Yan generals who submitted to Tang but who had substantial army and territorial holdings, Li was allowed to retain his command and territory, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government structure, but unlike the others, he was unable to hold onto power for long and was assassinated in 768 by his subordinates Zhu Xicai, Zhu Ci, and Zhu Tao.

Background

It is not known when Li Huaixian was born, but it is known that he was from Liucheng and that he was of Xiongnu stock. His family had served the Khitan for generations, but he became a subject of Tang Dynasty and became a Tang military officer at Ying Prefecture . He later served under the Tang general An Lushan.

During Anshi Rebellion

An Lushan rebelled against the rule of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in late 755, and Li Huaixian, serving under An, participated in An's campaign to capture Tang's central territories, on which An established a state of as its emperor. In spring 756, Li participated in the campaign led by fellow Yan general Linghu Chao against the city of , defended by the Tang general , but the Yan generals were unable to capture Yongqiu and eventually forced to withdraw. He later successively served under the next three Yan emperors -- An Lushan's son An Qingxu, An Lushan's major general Shi Siming, and Shi Siming's son Shi Chaoyi. After Shi Chaoyi had succeeded to the Yan throne after assassinating his father Shi Siming in 761, he made Li the mayor of the key city Fanyang. According to the Tang Dynasty historian Ping Zhimei , whose ''Jimen Jiluan'' is no longer extant but is often cited in other works, when Li arrived at Fanyang, Fanyang was in a state of disturbance after various Yan generals in Fanyang had fought and killed each other in street battles in the confusion after Shi Siming's death, and it was Li who put down the disturbance and restored order.

After a joint Tang and Huige army decisively defeated Shi Chaoyi and recaptured Shi Chaoyi's capital Luoyang, Shi Chaoyi fled north toward Fanyang. Before Shi Chaoyi reached Fanyang, however, Li sent messengers to the powerful Tang eunuch Luo Fengxian and offered to submit to Tang. He sent his subordinate Li Baozhong to Fanyang County to block off Shi Chaoyi's path, and Shi Chaoyi, after being unable to capture Fanyang County, fled further north. Li Huaixian sent an army to pursue him, and Shi Chaoyi, believing the situation to be hopeless, committed suicide. Li Huaixian cut off Shi Chaoyi's head and presented it to Emperor Xuanzong's grandson , ending the Anshi Rebellion.

After Anshi Rebellion

After Li Huaixian's submission, the Tang imperial government was hesitant to move them, fearing another rebellion, and at the suggestion of the general Pugu Huai'en, Li Huaixian, along with fellow Yan generals Xue Song, Li Baochen, and Tian Chengsi, were allowed to keep their territory, and he was made the military governor of Lulong Circuit , consisting of six prefectures that he controlled. The four former Yan generals formed alliances among themselves, as well as with two other military governors, Li Zhengji and Liang Chongyi, hoping to be able to pass their territories to their descendants, semi-independent of the Tang imperial government, retaining their armies and taxes without submitting them to the imperial government. However, in summer 768, Li Huaixian's subordinates Zhu Xicai, Zhu Ci, and Zhu Ci's brother Zhu Tao, jointly rose against Li Huaixian and killed him. Zhu Xicai took over command of the circuit. Li Baochen, who was friendly with Li Huaixian and who lamented Li Huaixian's death, sent an army to attack Zhu Xicai, but was defeated by Zhu Xicai. The Tang imperial government was subsequently forced to recognize Zhu Xicai as the new military governor.