In what aspects does Pugu Huaien’s contribution lie Why can he be as famous as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi

Pugu Huai’en was a general in the mid Tang Dynasty. He was not well-known among the people, but he played a pivotal role in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Interested friends, let’s take a look with the history encyclopedia editor.
The role played by Pugu Huaien in quelling the An Lushan Rebellion was no less significant than that of the famous Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi. In the official announcement of Tang Suzong’s “Lingyan Pavilion meritorious officials” during the Tang Dynasty, Pugu Huaien even surpassed Guo and Li, ranking first.
From the name, it can be seen that Pugu Huaien is a foreign general. His tribe belongs to one of the nine clans of the Tiele tribe in the northern desert. His ancestors led their people to submit to the Tang Dynasty and won the hereditary position of Jin Wei Commander, which is a standard second-generation aristocratic official.
Pugu Huaien has been serving under the command of the Shuofang Jiedushi since childhood. After the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, the Shuofang troops led by Guo Ziyi gradually became the absolute main force in resisting the rebels, and Pugu Huaien also gradually reached the peak of his career.
The An Lushan Rebellion can be divided into three stages: in the early stage, led by Guo Ziyi, it successfully recovered two capitals; In the mid-term, led by Li Guangbi, the rebellion faced off against the front line in Luoyang, enabling the rebellion to survive the most difficult period; In the later stage, under the leadership of Pugu Huaien, a counterattack was launched, and the head of the bandit leader Shi Chaoyi was taken, achieving victory in the anti rebellion war.
The three of them also had different military performances: Guo Ziyi was skilled in strategy, whether it was the Jiashan Victory in the early stage or the Khitans of the Single Cavalry League in the later stage, he demonstrated his superb strategic level; Li Guangbi was skilled in defense. In the Battle of Taiyuan, he withstood the fierce attack of Shi Siming’s 100000 strong army for over a month with 10000 elderly and weak soldiers, and was able to counterattack repeatedly; The confrontation in Heyang has pushed Shi Siming to the point of going crazy; But Pugu Huaien was exceptionally brave, often leading the way in battles and winning the championship among the three armies.
All three of them have high levels of expertise and have made great contributions, so their official positions are also comparable. In terms of titles, Guo Ziyi is the Prince of Fenyang County; Li Guangbi was the Prince of Linhuai County; Pugu Huai’en is the Prince of Daning County. In terms of official positions, all three of them have served as prime ministers, holding high positions such as San Gong, Zhong Shu Ling, and Shi Zhong that are highly respected.
For Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, their deeds are well-known to most of us. So, what achievements did Pugu Huaien make that made him as famous as Guo and Li in history?
Being able to become a famous general of the Tang Dynasty’s revival that goes down in history, relying solely on bravery in battle is far from enough. Pugu Huaien’s contributions are mainly reflected in both political and military aspects.
Firstly, politically win over the Khitans
The Tang army was able to defeat the powerful Anshi rebels, and the Khitan iron cavalry played an important role. The bond between the Tang Dynasty and the Khitan people was precisely Pugu Huai’en.
The Huihe and Pugu tribes belong to the Tiele Nine Clan Tribe and share a common background. So, Emperor Suzong and Emperor Daizong successively conferred the titles of princesses on the three daughters of Pugu Huai’en and married them to the Prince of the Khazars. The Pugu Huai’en family has always been the leader of the Pugu tribe, and is on par with the Khitan prince. Pugu Huai’en himself is highly valued by the Tang emperor, so the Khitan Khan is also happy to see his success. One of her daughters also became the Khan of the Khitan Khaganate (equivalent to the empress).
In the first year of Baoying (762), at an important moment when Emperor Daizong was about to counterattack the rebels, under the secret instigation of Shi Chaoyi, the Khagan of Dengli, the Khitan Khaganate, betrayed the Tang Dynasty and led a 100000 strong army south to prepare for the plunder of Chang’an. Daizong panicked and sent two groups of envoys, but to no avail. Therefore, he moved out the father-in-law of Dengli, Pugu Huai’en, to deal with the disobedient son-in-law.
After meeting Deng Li, Pugu Huai’en went from the country to his home and expressed great righteousness to his son-in-law. With a common background and a relationship as a son-in-law, Deng Li was finally persuaded by his father-in-law to turn his focus back to Shi Chaoyi. So, the suppression of the An Lushan Rebellion was definitely greatly contributed by Pugu Huai’en’s actions.
Secondly, in terms of military affairs
When Emperor Suzong Lingwu ascended the throne, he was very humble and sat on the dragon throne trembling. It was not until the Shuofang army led by Guo Ziyi returned that Emperor Suzong felt a little more at ease. At this moment, there were over ten thousand powerful Tongluo Iron Riders threatening the safety of Lingwu. As the general of the Shuofang Army, Pugu Huai’en was duty bound and received the task of suppressing the Tongluo Iron Cavalry.
After the battle began, Pugu Huai En’s son Pugu Yue was defeated, causing a panic among the soldiers. At a critical moment, with great kindness and righteousness, he killed his own son, stabilized the morale of the army, and inspired the fighting spirit of his subordinates. He defeated the Tongluo Iron Cavalry in one fell swoop, ensuring the safety of the emperor.
In the battle to recapture the two capitals, Pugu Huai’en led his troops to defeat the enemy general Cui Qianyou, who had previously defeated a 200000 strong army led by Ge Shuhan, and broke through the natural barrier of Tongguan.
In the final counterattack, Pugu Huai’en became the de facto commander, leading his army to defeat 100000 elite soldiers of Shi Chaoyi in Luoyang. Later, he and his son Pugu Di relentlessly pursued the remaining invaders without giving Shi Chaoyi any breathing space, forcing him to the end of the road and ultimately being killed by his subordinates, ending the eight year An Shi Rebellion.
During the process of suppressing the rebellion, a total of forty-six members of his family sacrificed their lives for the country, which can be described as a loyal and heroic family.
Although under Emperor Daizong’s policy of reducing fiefdoms, Pugu Huaien was forced into rebellion and embarked on a path of rebellion, his contributions in quelling the Anshi Rebellion were tangible.
After the death of Pu Gu Huai’en, Emperor Daizong murmured, “If Huai’en does not rebel, it will be missed by both sides!” Therefore, Emperor Daizong did not implicate his family. The portrait of Pu Gu Huai’en, which symbolizes his meritorious service in the Lingyan Pavilion, has also been hanging high, indicating that his contributions to the Tang Dynasty will never be erased. (Text: Bear Fish Laughs)