An Lushan was just a military governor, why could he turn the prosperous Tang Dynasty upside down? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
In Chinese history, almost every dynasty promoted the idea of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism. In order to firmly hold power, rulers would constantly strengthen centralization, which resulted in few people having the opportunity or courage to rebel.
However, sitting on a dragon throne allows one to enjoy thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, which is a great temptation for many people. Therefore, in history, there were still many people who, even if they sacrificed their lives, would still sit on a dragon throne.
If you sit firmly on the dragon throne, it’s okay to say. Once overthrown, you will face endless calamity. To fight for that dragon throne, you still need some courage. In history, there was a person who, although not having much courage to sit on the throne, caused rebellion to flourish and even led to the decline of a dynasty. Who is this person, and how could he make a dynasty so miserable?
1、 The rebellious military governor An Lushan
That’s right, this person is An Lushan, the military governor of the Tang Dynasty. An Lushan was born in the Western Regions of the Kang Kingdom, originally surnamed Kang, and had a very tragic childhood experience. He lost his father when he was very young, and his mother had no choice but to remarry An Yanyan, the brother of General An Bozhu of the Right Feather Forest. After An Lushan settled down, he changed his surname to An.
Later, An Lushan joined the army and made many achievements on the battlefield with his brave and skilled fighting skills. During the Tianbao era, he even held the position of Jiedushi for a while. However, no one expected that this person, who had made countless military achievements for the Tang Dynasty, would launch the An Lushan Rebellion in the 14th year of the Tianbao reign under the pretext of killing the prime minister Yang Guozhong, causing the entire Tang Dynasty to be turned upside down.
2、 The Tang Dynasty’s military system, which was prone to mutiny
Most people choose to rebel when the enemy’s strength is weak, but when An Lushan rebelled, it was during the period when the Tang Dynasty was strong. Why did he do so? Because the two collapsed military systems of the Tang Dynasty gave him a lot of courage, and the foolish behavior of Tang rulers and officials also assisted him.
1. The collapsed system of military governors in the Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty implemented the system of military governors, setting up a large number of military governors, and each governor held great power and a large number of troops. Although the total military strength of the Tang Dynasty was strong, too many troops were deployed, resulting in a situation of external strength and internal weakness. In fact, the original intention of setting up military governors in the Tang Dynasty was good. During the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, the economy was developed and the military power was strong. Several emperors did not stop the pace of expanding their territories.
The Tang Dynasty launched multiple large-scale wars with foreign countries, which required timely transmission of battlefield information. At that time, communication methods were not as advanced as they are today, so frontline generals needed to have a certain degree of power. Otherwise, if Xinjiang were to fight, they would seek approval from Shaanxi, and once the instructions arrived in Xinjiang, they would be lost. For this reason, the Tang Dynasty established military governors in many places.
At the beginning, there were nine military governors in the Tang Dynasty, but later it continued to increase. The power of military governors was very great. At first, they did not have a permanent position in civil affairs. Later, military governors became permanent officials and combined military, civilian, and financial power, becoming a true local emperor. If a military governor governs a certain state, the army, local officials, food and wealth of that state will all be under the command of the military governor, thus becoming self-sufficient small kingdoms.
The total military strength of the Tang Dynasty was about 600000
Nine military governors controlled around 480000 troops, with An Lushan alone serving as the governor of three regions and possessing approximately 180000 troops. This was a terrifying force, as the central army of the Tang Dynasty had only about 120000 soldiers at that time.
From the perspective of the quality of soldiers, the two are like heaven and earth. An Lushan’s army is strong, and his troops often engage in wars with the enemy. The soldiers in his army have been tempered by war and blood to be brave and skilled in battle. On the other hand, the central army in mainland China has not had combat missions for a long time, and there are few opportunities for actual training in peacetime. Because they do not fight, their overall equipment is not as sophisticated as that of border troops.
The gap in combat effectiveness between the central army of the Tang Dynasty and the troops of An Lushan was very obvious. Although the system of military governors in the Tang Dynasty initially facilitated war command and helped the Tang Dynasty expand a large territory, it laid a huge hidden danger for itself and also provided An Lushan with a foundation for rebellion.
2. The declining imperial system of the Tang Dynasty
The second military system in the Tang Dynasty that gave An Lushan the courage to rebel was the already collapsed prefectural military system. Although the system of prefectural soldiers was good, due to incomplete implementation and enforcement, the fields that prefectural soldiers relied on for survival were gradually annexed by officials and powerful forces, and a large number of soldiers were forced to leave because their fields were taken away.
In the agricultural era, land was a powerful tool to win people’s hearts.
After the collapse of the Tang Dynasty’s military system, the central government implemented a recruitment system in order to replenish troops in a timely manner. However, as a result, soldiers became professional soldiers and it was difficult to control them. Whoever gave them money, they would fight and sacrifice their lives for whoever they fought for. Warlords’ troops were like this.
An Lushan took advantage of the collapse of the military system and the implementation of the recruitment system to assign some important positions in the army to his confidants. Slowly, An Lushan transformed the national army into his own army.
He was actually able to do so due to the factors of the imperial court’s indulgence. For generals who did not obey him, An Lushan petitioned the court to strike those who needed to be removed. Over time, An Lushan’s army formed a concept that An Lushan was the boss. Those who obeyed would have glory and wealth, while those who did not obey could lose their jobs and lives at any time.
3. A foolish operation by the Tang Dynasty
There is a saying that a soldier is like a bear, and when a bear is surrounded, the magnificent Tang Dynasty can be so embarrassed by the chaos of An Shi. In fact, it cannot be separated from the assistance of Tang Dynasty rulers and officials. Firstly, there was a serious strategic mistake made by the Tang Dynasty. Although An Lushan was capable of fighting, the Tang Dynasty still had over 200000 elite troops in the Hexi region. As long as the Tang Dynasty made reasonable arrangements and sent a large number of troops to attack An Lushan’s stronghold while he was heading south, it was certain that An Lushan would suffer a major setback or even fail his rebellion.
However, the brainless operation of the Tang Dynasty’s rulers and officials gradually extinguished the hope of victory. Although the newly appointed prime minister Yang Guozhong was determined to eliminate An Lushan, he always backfired. In order to seize political achievements, Yang Guozhong launched a war against Nanzhao and blindly commanded a large number of elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty to be annihilated. In addition, Yang Guozhong holds the power of selecting officials, and with the passage of money, various departments and institutions are crowded with incompetent officials.
Although Yang Guozhong’s name is Yang Guozhong, he is not only disloyal to the country, but also very cunning. He was already plagued with evil deeds and insisted on retaliating against An Lushan, whom he didn’t like. An Lushan was forced to use his evil deeds as a sign and threatened to “enter the court to overthrow Yang Guozhong”, thus officially triggering the An Lushan Rebellion.
The outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion was one of the main culprits, Yang Guozhong. In history, there were many people who had the conditions to rebel, but it was not the case that they would rebel with the conditions, nor was it true that everyone would rebel. An Lushan can be considered a qualified military strategist, but he is not an excellent politician.
An Lushan’s philosophy is the truth of power. He suffered a difficult life at a young age and could only survive by serving in the military. The cruel reality made him understand that emphasizing patriotism is useless. Whoever has power and influence, I will follow them. Whoever can make me do well, I will follow them. All I do is to live comfortably and peacefully.
