Today, the History Encyclopedia editor brings you the story of An Lushan in the Tang Dynasty. Interested readers can follow the History Encyclopedia editor to take a look together. Who gave An Lushan the courage to rebel during the prosperous Tang Dynasty? What did An Lushan think?
In ancient times, rebellions were mostly in chaotic times. At that time, natural disasters occurred frequently and uprisings broke out. The central government’s control over the whole country has seriously weakened, the prestige of imperial power is no longer there, and local governments do not obey the central government’s management or arrangements. At this time, it is normal for those feudal lords who support their troops and respect themselves to find an excuse to rebel. Moreover, the rebellious lords all understood that their chances of success were high during the rebellion at that time. But An Lushan was a very unexpected situation. At that time, the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and the people were at peace. There were no natural disasters or uprisings, and the local fiefdoms were also in place. No one had any ulterior motives to rebel. Although An Lushan had troops from three fiefdoms at that time, it was not a large number. However, in such a situation, An Lushan launched a rebellion, killing all the way from the border and driving straight in, first capturing Luoyang and then Chang’an, and surprisingly succeeded. So, who gave An Lushan so much courage, and why does An Lushan think he can succeed?
Before An Lushan’s uprising, the total military strength of the Tang army was about 600000, including 180000 troops from An Lushan’s Kwantung Army; The Hexi Army led by Ge Shuhan, Guo Ziyi, and others had 220000 soldiers; The Central Army has 90000 soldiers; Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi had 40000 soldiers from the Western Regions. The rest are some scattered fiefdom troops in various places. At that time, although An Lushan’s troops only accounted for one-third of the total strength of the Tang army and did not have an absolute advantage, his actual commanding force was the largest. For example, the Hexi Army had a total of 220000 troops, more than Mount Lu, but these troops were respectively commanded by three military governors. Individually speaking, there is no military governor who can rival An Lushan. It can also be seen from this that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was indeed old and confused. He actually gave such great power to An Lushan.
In the Tang Dynasty, before An Lushan rose up, the Tang Dynasty was still immersed in the glory of the Kaiyuan era, singing and dancing, and most soldiers had not fought in decades. The people of the Central Plains had not seen a beacon for half a century. On the other hand, the central government of the Tang Dynasty was plagued by successive calamities from Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, leading to widespread corruption and weakened military affairs throughout the court. However, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang himself had long lost the pioneering spirit of his youth, and even became ignorant and listened to slander and deceit. Overall, the Tang Dynasty had already deteriorated internally, and within its magnificent exterior, it was already in a state of decay. And all of this, An Lushan, who was allowed to enter and exit the palace freely, had already seen it in his eyes. An Lushan has been in the imperial court for many years. He has not only won the trust of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, but also recognized Concubine Yang as the godmother, and made friends with the Yang brothers. The imperial court has a lot of people and eyeliner who help him speak. An Lushan was even more aware of the state of the imperial court than Tang Xuanzong.
An Lushan’s ambition grew bit by bit with the expansion of his personal power. In rebellion, he was already very aware of the weakness of the Tang Dynasty’s court, and the power he held personally gave him strong military strength and sufficient logistical support. Long term occupation of Fanyang and other three towns gave him a high reputation among the military and civilians, which gradually led An Lushan to develop a sense of disobedience.
