Today, the editor of the History Encyclopedia will bring you the An Lushan Rebellion, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
In the 14th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty (755 AD), An Lushan, the military governor of Pinglu, Fanyang, and Hedong, gathered 150000 elite troops and officially rebelled against the Tang Dynasty in Fanyang under the pretext of suppressing the prime minister Yang Guozhong. This marked the beginning of the “Long History Rebellion” and the historical process of the Tang Empire’s decline from prosperity to decline.
In June of the second year, the unstoppable rebel army captured Tongguan, endangering the capital city of Chang’an. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, fled westward in panic with his noble concubine Yang Yuhuan and his princes and grandchildren, seeking refuge in Sichuan. When the fleeing troops arrived at Mawei Post Station (now Xingping County, Shaanxi Province), the accompanying guards of the Imperial Guards mutinied. The loyal soldiers of the Imperial Guards vented their family and national hatred on Prime Minister Yang Guozhong. Led by Imperial Guard General Chen Xuanli, they stormed into the residence of Yang Guozhong at the post station and brutally killed him with knives.
The soldiers of the Forbidden Army who killed Yang Guozhong did not stop there. Chen Xuanli summoned the soldiers and charged Yang Guozhong with “rebellion”. Afterwards, Yang Guozhong’s son and Yang Guifei’s sister, Lady Han, died in the chaos of the war. Lady Guo fled halfway and was chased and killed by suicide. The soldiers, enraged by the crowd, completely lost control and even dismembered Yang Guozhong, using guns to lift his head and hanging it outside the post station as a public display.
Upon hearing the news, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, knowing the seriousness of the situation, quickly walked out of the post gate with a cane, comforted the soldiers, and advised them to settle down and return to their respective units. The court did not hold them accountable for their actions. But the soldiers of the Forbidden Army, whose eyes were red from killing, remained motionless and still had a murderous intent.
Tang Xuanzong panicked and asked Gao Lishi to ask the soldiers for any further requirements. The soldiers said in unison, “The thief is still there
Chen Xuanli explained to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang on their behalf, “If the loyalty of the country conspires to rebel, it is not appropriate for the noble consort to be worshipped. May Your Majesty show mercy and uphold the law
The soldiers of the Forbidden Army claimed that in order to prevent retaliation from the Yang family in the future, they demanded to kill all the Yang family members. Yang Yuhuan, who was deeply favored by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, became a key target for the soldiers. In the eyes of the imperial guards, the rapid promotion of Prime Minister Yang Guozhong was all due to the favor of Yang Guifei. Therefore, they must kill her, one to vent their anger and the other to eradicate the root cause.
From the perspective of the soldiers, their demands make some sense. At least Yang Guozhong’s promotion and the chaos of the country after coming to power are due to Yang Guifei. The soldiers are not sure if this is because of Yang Guifei, and there is no one who can explain it to them for the time being. The current situation is that it is difficult to provoke public anger!
Tang Xuanzong was stunned and had no idea that the rebellious imperial guards would target Yang Yuhuan. He didn’t calm down for a moment, but slowly said, “I will handle it myself
Minister Wei E saw that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was hesitating, so he quickly stepped forward and kowtowed, with a face full of blood, and bluntly advised, “The anger of the people is difficult to break, and safety is at the hour of the clock. May Your Majesty make a quick decision
Tang Xuanzong still couldn’t bear it and said, “Your Concubine often resides in the Shengong Palace, and she is loyal to the country and plotting against it
At this moment, Gao Lishi, a eunuch who had served Emperor Xuanzong for many years, gave a fatal blow out of loyalty to the emperor. He advised, “Your Highness is truly innocent, but the soldiers have already killed the country’s loyal ones. Your Highness is with Your Majesty, how dare you be at ease! May Your Majesty consider this, and if the soldiers are at ease, Your Majesty will be at ease!” Gao Lishi was indeed an old official in the palace. These words hit the nail on the head. If Yang Guifei is not killed, the soldiers of the Imperial Guard will not be at ease, and the soldiers will be uneasy. As the emperor, Emperor Xuanzong will also be in danger. Killing the jealous soldiers of the Imperial Guard and turning their focus on the emperor again is not impossible.
Tang Xuanzong loved Yang Guifei, but he loved his own life and the throne even more. At the moment when both needed to make a choice, he could only sacrifice women to preserve his life and imperial power. But in Li Longji’s heart, there was undoubtedly immense pain. As an emperor, he couldn’t even protect his beloved woman. What’s the point of being this emperor?
In order to save his life, Li Longji, in a helpless situation, bid farewell to Yang Guifei and issued a heart wrenching order to have Yang Guifei hanged in front of the Buddhist temple with white silk. At the age of 38, a peerless beauty of unparalleled beauty, passed away with fragrance and jade! As Bai Juyi wrote in his “Song of Everlasting Sorrow”:
If the Sixth Army doesn’t take action, there’s nothing they can do but die in front of the horse like a moth.
There is no one to collect the flower beds, and the jade is curled up with golden sparrows scratching their heads.
The king covered his face and couldn’t save him, looking back at the blood and tears flowing together. ”
Is Yang Guifei the cause of the ‘An Lushan Rebellion’? History has long debated whether it was due to Yang Guifei. This stunning beauty symbolized the prosperity of that era, embellishing the entire Tang Dynasty with natural beauty. However, unfortunately, as the prosperity came to an end and the empire was about to collapse, it was a huge joke to let a weak woman bear the historical responsibility.
To be fair, Yang Guifei, who was deeply favored by the emperor, devoted herself to singing and dancing with Emperor Li Longji, enjoying their world happily, indirectly leading to Li Longji’s neglect of political affairs as emperor. But has Yang Guifei, who is favored exclusively, taken over too much power? Has there been authoritarian and disorderly governance? It seems that there is no such record in history books, and there is even no record of the chaos in the harem, the slaughter of royal heirs, or the interference in the position of the Eastern Palace. The state affairs of the Tang Empire were corrupt, and the country’s fortunes were declining, which had nothing to do with her being a harem woman. Perhaps, even without Yang Yuhuan, there would still be Li Yuhuan and Zhang Yuhuan.
Yang Guifei’s death was mainly due to her being the cousin of the treacherous prime minister Yang Guozhong. After Yang Guozhong became the top figure in the Tang Dynasty court, apart from Emperor Li Longji, he was domineering and tyrannical, monopolizing power and causing chaos in politics. He constantly rose up in wrongful imprisonment and harmed loyal and righteous people, and constantly competed for power and profit with Li Linfu and An Lushan. In the end, he forced An Lushan to rebel, causing the country to be engulfed in flames of war and turmoil, and the people to be deeply involved. He also successfully made himself the target of public criticism. Originally, Yang Guozhong was Yang Guozhong, and Yang Yuhuan was Yang Yuhuan. However, those who do not know the reason will naturally connect the two and impose the responsibility for Yang Guozhong’s actions that have harmed the country and the people on Yang Yuhuan, viewing him as an accomplice or even the mastermind.
Yang Guozhong’s promotion was not solely based on his relationship with Yang Guifei, but Yang Guifei was completely pushed into a desperate situation due to her relationship with Yang Guozhong.
So, Yang Guifei hanged herself at Mawei Post, which is even more unjust than Dou E! How could an arrogant and debauched emperor, a tyrannical prime minister, who led to the disaster of the Tang Empire, ultimately have a weak woman in the harem who had nothing to do with politics to bear the responsibility?
