How powerful is Yang Sixu, the eunuch of the Tang Dynasty who led troops to battle

How powerful is Yang Sixu, the eunuch of the Tang Dynasty who led troops to battle? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
The eunuchs and their associates in Chinese history have left a very bad impression on the world. People always feel that they have been physically harmed and their hearts have become twisted, narrow, and ruthless. Moreover, the development of Chinese history has been influenced by the eunuchs and their subversive activities, which are numerous. Among them, there were also very few eunuchs who made certain contributions to the feudal dynasty at that time from their positions and perspectives; Today we will talk about a ruthless general named Yang Sixu among the eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty. It is indeed rare in history for eunuchs to send their own troops to war, and there have been many cases of counterproductive and harmful actions; But this Yang Sixu was actually a eunuch who led troops and achieved many victories in battles.
1、 Yang Sixu’s background introduction:
Yang Sixu was born in 654 AD and died in 740 AD, in the year of the tiger; My surname is Su, and my courtesy name is Youzhi. I was born in Shicheng, Luozhou (now Lianjiang, Guangdong), and was the son of Luo Li, the leader of the Luozhou ethnic minority in Lingnan. My mother, Chen Shi, was the daughter of Chen Xuan, the leader of the Leizhou ethnic minority; The political marriage of the leaders of two indigenous tribes in Lingnan demonstrates their prominent family background and has been known as the ‘Chronicles of Southern Soil’ for generations. In 659 AD, when Yang Sixu was five years old, the fate of the indigenous dynasty in Luozhou came and they were destroyed by the Tang Dynasty. The Su family was wiped out, and Yang Sixu was castrated due to his young age and sent to the capital to be adopted by the eunuch Yang in the imperial palace. From then on, he changed his surname and name to Yang Sixu, and served in the Imperial Household Department.
2、 The Merit of One Brave and Five Peaceful:
Yang Sixu, who became an eunuch, went through the reigns of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Empress Wu Zetian, and Emperor Xianzong Li Xian in the palace; This Li Xian is relatively weak and incompetent, doting on Empress Wei who shares hardships together; Emperor Wei gave birth to one son and four daughters, but unfortunately his biological son was executed by Empress Wu Zetian for discussing Zhang Yi’s brother; Empress Wei followed Li Xian through the ups and downs of his life, including ascending to the throne, being demoted to the throne of Luling, and ascending to the throne again. His family members were also killed because of Li Xian. In the days of trembling and worrying about being killed at any time, Li Xian swore that if he saw the light of day again, Empress Wei would do as she pleased without any restrictions or inquiries. This was Li Xian’s understanding of the impermanence of life and death, gratitude, and the idea of sharing weal and woe.
It is said that Empress Wei and her daughter Princess Anle had the idea of becoming empresses like Empress Wu Zetian, and also had the promise made by Li Xian. The mother and daughter not only gradually gained control of a lot of power; Empress Wei also colluded with Wu Sansi and Shangguan Wan’er to form her own Wei Group; However, the future of Li Chongjun, the crown prince of Li Xianli, was threatened. Li Chongjun, who hated the Wei Group, launched the “Jinglong Coup” in July 707 AD, killing Wu Sansi’s father and son and their followers; When leading the army to the palace to deal with Empress Wei and her daughter, a scene of a tiger head and a snake tail appeared; The main goal of Li Zhongjun’s rebellion was to kill Wei Shi and Wu Sansi, and his identity as a crown prince was also stabilized. He did not have a complete idea of driving his father Li Xian off the throne.
So, when the rebel army led by Li Chongjun attacked Xuanwu Gate, they were stopped and confronted by the imperial guards guarding the palace. Li Chongjun and others were hesitant due to their original ideas and plans; At that time, the situation was chaotic, and it was unclear what was happening inside and outside the palace; At this time, the 53 year old eunuch Yang Sixu volunteered to go into battle to stop the rebels, wielding weapons to kill the enemy’s vanguard general Ye Huli, which intimidated the rebels and inspired our own banned army; Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, ran to Xuanwu Tower again and shouted to the rebels outside to inquire about the promise. Li Chongjun and some of the soldiers and officials who were not completely rebellious had problems. Many of the soldiers and officials who were kidnapped immediately rebelled and killed several leading generals. Li Chongjun could only lead his confidants to flee in panic. Yang Sixu was promoted five levels in a row due to his outstanding bravery in saving the driver.
In the year 710 AD, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, was poisoned by Empress Wei and others. Empress Wei presided over the court and appointed him as a puppet emperor, monopolizing political power; Yang Sixu was extremely dissatisfied with the assassination of Li Xian by Empress Wei and others, and sought refuge with Prince Li Longji of Linzi. He followed Li Longji and made new achievements in the battle to kill Wei. Due to Yang Sixu’s strong arm, he made great contributions in this government coup and was promoted to the position of General of the Right Guard. From then on, Yang Sixu became a loyal eunuch to Li Biji. After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, ascended the throne and granted Yang Sixu the title of Hongnong, becoming a prominent member of the Tang Dynasty’s aristocratic family and a member of the Yuan Xian Empress. This was the greatest grace in the world at that time.
Yang Sixu was strong and powerful, daring to charge into battle, which was highly valued and valued by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang; After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang rebuilt the palace, Yang Sixu and several others became favored eunuch leaders; In 722 AD, the leader of Annam, Mei Shuluan, rebelled and proclaimed himself the “Black Emperor”; Tang Xuanzong’s head heated up, and he even sent Yang Sixu, who held the title of General guarding the imperial city, to lead troops to quell the rebellion; Yang Sixu led his army on a campaign and recruited over 100000 ethnic minority soldiers in the Lingnan region, launching a sudden attack; When Mei Shuluan received the news, she was completely dumbfounded. She was helpless and easily killed by Yang Sixu on the battlefield. The rebel army was swept away by the autumn wind by Yang Sixu, and their blood flowed like rivers. The rebellion was quelled.
Yang Sixu led his troops to suppress the rebellion in World War I and gained great prestige. His military talent was recognized by Emperor Xuanzong and the Tang court; Subsequently, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang sent Yang Sixu to lead his army to suppress the rebellion of Qin Xingzhang, capture his head alive, and kill 30000 enemy soldiers; Pacify the rebellion of Liang Dahai, capture 3000 people including Liang Dahai, and kill more than 20000 people; Pacify the rebellion of Chen Xingfan, capture him alive, behead him, and kill more than 60000 rebels. Yang Sixu rose to power with courage, fighting four times and pacifying five times, which can be considered as a victory in every battle, and his military achievements are awe inspiring. Yang Sixu, who is already old, surprisingly has such military talent and achievements, which has truly impressed many famous generals.
3、 Loyalty and Perseverance Duo:
According to historical records, although Yang Sixu had outstanding military achievements, he remained loyal to the Tang Dynasty and did not take credit for himself or seize power. He was a loyal and brave eunuch with outstanding military skills; Firstly, it is natural that there were not many good people among the eunuch group in history. Secondly, the compilation of historical books was inevitably manipulated by the ruling authorities of the current dynasty, who mainly focused on maintaining the rule of the Tang Dynasty. It is difficult for our predecessors and descendants to know in detail, so we can only rely on the historical records found in the books. Yang Sixu had a feud with the Tang Dynasty over family raiding and extermination, but he was castrated at a young age to avoid death, completely changing a man’s life path. His entire life journey was also guided by the nurturing environment of the imperial palace.
Yang Sixu has been serving the imperial family in the palace for decades, and he has been content with unknown work for decades, which can be considered loyal to the Tang Dynasty; He fearlessly stepped forward to save and kill the enemy in the face of danger, which further demonstrates his loyalty to Emperor Li Xian; Later, due to the poisoning of Li Xian by Empress Wei, he defected to Li Longji in anger and helped him ascend to the throne of God. He also made great contributions to stabilizing the world for Li Longji and leading troops to fight in all directions; Later, a statue was erected in the Longmen Grottoes to commemorate Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. It can be said with certainty that Yang Sixu was a loyal minister to the Li family dynasty of the Tang Dynasty.
Yang Sixu was a eunuch who could fight in the eunuch community, but his reputation was not as good as that of Gao Lishi. Historical records show that this was because Yang Sixu was fond of killing; Although Yang Sixu has the image of a eunuch, he is different from the eunuch in people’s impression. He is resolute and decisive by nature, has a fierce temper, is ruthless and domineering, and governs the army with dignity. When his subordinates report to military commanders, they dare not look up to him; According to records, he was too cruel and inhumane by nature. After capturing the enemy, he mostly stripped them of their face, even their scalp, which made the enemy fearful; Once, the eunuch Niu Xiantong was sent to Youzhou and was secretly reported to have accepted a bribe from the governor Zhang Shougui. Tang Xuanzong was furious and ordered Yang Sixu to kill him. Yang Sixu tied up Niu Xiantong, dug out his heart, cut off his hands and feet, and devoured his flesh, which was extremely cruel. Has Yang Sixu’s ruthless personality been distorted and cynical due to being castrated? Difficult to determine! Therefore, Yang Sixu’s ruthless and cruel methods have been criticized by historical records, but it seems to also conform to the ancient saying: “Kindness does not govern soldiers, righteousness does not govern wealth”.
Summary: According to historical records, Yang Sixu spent more than half of his life in seclusion in the palace courtyard, working as a eunuch and servant to serve people, and did not have much reputation; But at the age of 53, when faced with internal turmoil within the royal family, he bravely took the lead in killing enemies and saving the way, and gradually rose through the ranks with the help of the platform provided by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang; At the age of 68, he began leading troops to quell the rebellion, and according to records, he continued to lead troops in battle. By 728 AD, he was already 74 years old and became a powerful helper for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to stabilize the world. It is said that his status was favored by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, surpassing that of a strongman; Yang Sixu was promoted to the rank of Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry (from the first rank), and was awarded the title of Duke of Guoguo. He was the earliest official in the history of Leizhou Peninsula, the first first-class official in the feudal dynasty of Leizhou Peninsula, and the most capable eunuch in Chinese history recorded in official history books. What do everyone say? Welcome to leave a message for communication! (Image from the internet, thank you for borrowing)