Yang Guozhong was a loyal minister, but his character and talent were not sufficient to support him in assuming the position of Tang Dynasty official. In such an important official position, Yang Guozhong not only did not bring positive influence to the country, but also monopolized power and caused chaos and corruption. The conflict between him and An Lushan was also one of the reasons for the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion. In the An Lushan Rebellion, Yang Guozhong was actually a very important figure, and in the past, people may have focused their attention on Yang Guifei and Tang Xuanzong. Today, let’s talk about Yang Guozhong and see what kind of person he really is.
Yang Guozhong is a person
Yang Guozhong, originally an unrequited son, had improper behavior, was unrestrained, addicted to drinking and gambling, and lived a life of hunger and satiety at home. He has always been despised by his clan. Later on, Yang Yuhuan, a younger sister of the clan, was born beautiful and difficult to give up on. She was once chosen by the emperor. She was favored by Emperor Ming of Tang, Li Longji, and was promoted to the rank of Noble Consort. One person was enlightened, and chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. The Yang family all followed suit, and several sisters were appointed as the Lady of the State.
Yang Guozhong was skilled at scheming, tightening the collar of his clan sister Yang Guifei and soaring to great heights. After Li Linfu’s death, he became the Right Prime Minister, holding the title of Duke of Weiguo, a high position of power and fame.
In a high position, Yang Guozhong’s talents and virtues are not worthy of being displayed. He lacks the ability to govern the country, is arrogant, sells official titles, arrogantly exercises power, and employs private individuals. Two expeditions against Nanzhao resulted in major defeats, causing Nanzhao to break away from the rule of the Tang Dynasty.
Internally, due to starting to stand in line with Li Linfu and repeatedly challenging Crown Prince Li Heng, the conflict with Crown Prince reached an irreconcilable level. Externally, he had a grudge against An Lushan and presented him with a small report in front of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, claiming that he had ambitions and signs of rebellion.
You say every day in front of the emperor that An Lushan is plotting rebellion, without any restraint mechanism or military defense. Isn’t this forcing him to rebel?
An Lushan Rebellion
The continuous growth of power gradually nurtured An Lushan’s ambition. Before the rebellion of An Lushan, he served as the commander-in-chief of the three provinces and held one-third of the military power in the country, as well as managing civil affairs and finance. An Lushan was also worried that one day Tang Xuanzong would really listen to Yang Guozhong’s words and exempt himself, just like treating the famous general Wang Zhongsi, and end up with a violent death. So, without hesitation, they rose up and rebelled, claiming to kill Yang Guozhong and actually seized the Tang Dynasty’s political power. The sound of Yuyang’s drums came with great agitation, and the powerful Tang Dynasty began to decline from prosperity to decline. Afterwards, the fiefdoms were divided, and the central authority declined day by day. The prosperous era of “nine days of long and closed palaces, and the clothes and crowns of all nations bowing to the royal family” was no longer present.
An Lushan rebelled, and Yang Guozhong did not feel worried. Instead, he felt proud and said that no one would follow An Lushan’s rebellion and seek his own path to death. When the rebels arrived at Tongguan, they panicked again. When Geshu Hanjian’s troops were stationed and Li Guangbi and others attacked An Lushan’s lair, the situation improved. Yang Guozhong forced his brother Shu Han to send troops to meet the enemy, but he was defeated and lost Tongguan. The gate of Guanzhong was opened, and the great situation was destroyed in an instant.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled in panic and sought refuge in Shu Commandery. As they arrived at Mawei, Crown Prince Li Heng, Gao Lishi, and others secretly plotted and instigated the rebellion to kill Yang Guozhong’s entire family and several sisters of Yang Guifei. Yang Yuhuan was also forced to commit suicide.
Monopoly harms the country
Bai Juyi wrote in “Song of Everlasting Regret”:
If the six armies don’t launch, there’s nothing they can do. They’ll die like moths and eyebrows in front of horses. No one will take over the flower beds, and the jade birds will scratch their heads. The king hides his face and can’t save him. Looking back, blood and tears are flowing
Despite the desolation of that time.
The An Lushan Rebellion lasted for 8 years and brought enormous disasters to northern China, with “hundreds of miles of prefectures and counties all in ruins”. According to the Tang Huiyao, at the beginning of the war, there were over 9 million registered households in the country. Five years later, there were only over 1.9 million registered households left.
An Lushan’s rebellion is closely related to Tang Xuanzong’s indulgence and lack of restraint.
Li Linfu appointed foreign generals to exclude dissidents, which also played a role in fueling the situation. During the reign of Li Linfu, he was cunning and cunning, lacking virtue but possessing talent, and held An Lushan in high regard. An Lushan met Li Linfu and said, ‘Every time I saw him, even though it was winter, I would sweat profusely.’ He regarded Li Linfu’s anger and anger as his attitude towards him, feeling anxious and uneasy all day long. When it came to Yang Guozhong, An Lushan didn’t even take him seriously. Yang Guozhong saw that he couldn’t subdue him, so he intensified the conflict, which led to An Lushan’s fear of being suspected by Emperor Xuanzong, causing him to jump over the wall in a hurry and rebel. Yang Guozhong, if his virtue is not enough to win over the people, he cannot govern the country. His corpse is a simple meal, and the heavens are angry and people are resentful. Why not die?
