Many friends are particularly curious about why Pu Gu, who was loyal and devoted to the Tang Dynasty, betrayed the court in the end? Below, the history encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed introduction. Let’s take a look together!
Pugu Huaien was a famous general of the Tiele ethnic group from Kent Province, Mongolia, during the mid Tang Dynasty. In order to quell the An Lushan Rebellion, Pugu Huai’en sacrificed his life for the entire clan of 46 for the Tang Dynasty. In order to win the help of the Khazars in suppressing the rebellion, Pugu Huaien married his two daughters to the Khagan of the Khazars.
The Pugu family is one of the nine major clans of Tiele, known as the “Pugu tribe”. Pugu Huai’en is the descendant of Pugu leader Pugu Ge Langbayan. In the 20th year of the Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang (646 AD), the famous general Li Ji destroyed the Xue Yantuo Khanate and swept across the northern region. Tiele’s nine clans surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.
1、 Pacify the An Lushan Rebellion
Pacifying the An Lushan Rebellion, Pugu Huai’en experienced numerous battles and achieved outstanding military honors, repeatedly making remarkable achievements.
At the beginning of the An Lushan Rebellion, Pugu Huai’en served as the Left Wufeng Commander of the Shuofang Army, following Shuofang Jiedushi Guo Ziyi to defeat rebel generals Gao Xiuyan, Xue Zhongyi, and others in the Zhenwu Army and its eastern region.
Pugu Huai’en is brave and decisive, always leading the way in battle, jumping horses and wielding spears to rush into the formation.
In the battle to recapture the eastern capital of Luoyang, Pugu Huaien led the Khitan cavalry to detour back to the rebel camp, captured the rebel walls, and killed tens of thousands of enemies.
Shi Chaoyi personally led 100000 elite cavalry to assist, and Pugu Huai’en defended the decisive battle, leaving the enemy corpses scattered everywhere and surrendering 30000. The eastern capital of Luoyang was successfully recovered.
In the Battle of Tongguan, Pugu Huaien defeated the rebel general Cui Qianyou, thus opening the gateway to Guanzhong.
In the Battle of Xiangji Temple, the rebels set up ambushes to attack the Tang army, but were detected by Pugu Huai’en. They led elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the enemy and completely eliminated the ambushes.
The main force of the two armies engaged in battle, and he led the Khitan reinforcements to rush up and down. When the battle reached a climax, he took off his armor and brandished a spear, and fell straight into the enemy line, killing countless rebels. The rebels were panicked and immediately collapsed.
After the recapture of the two capitals, Pugu Huai’en and his son Pugu Di moved to Zhengzhou, surrendered to Bianzhou, descended to Xiazhou, defeated Weizhou, pacified Youyan, and ultimately forced Shi Chaoyi to commit suicide after being defeated.
In the battle with Luo, his son Pugu Yue was defeated and surrendered, and then took the opportunity to escape back. Pugu Huaien angrily rebuked his son and publicly beheaded him, which was a righteous act of annihilating his family.
During the eight years of quelling the An Lushan Rebellion, 46 members of the Pugu Huai’en family sacrificed their lives for the country, which can be described as a loyal and heroic family.
The suppression of the An Lushan Rebellion was greatly contributed by Pugu Huai’en and his family!
In the process of quelling the An Lushan Rebellion, Pugu Huaien was ordered by Emperor Suzong of Tang, Li Heng, to borrow troops from the Khitans with Crown Prince Li Yu. In order to facilitate the smooth borrowing of troops, Pugu Huaien married his two daughters to the Khitan Khagan and finally successfully borrowed Khitan soldiers to help quell the rebellion.
What did this loyal, brave, and selfless servant, who cherished kindness, ultimately embark on the path of rebellion against the Tang Dynasty?
2、 Famous generals are not trusted
In the second year of Baoying (763), the An Shi rebel army, which caused chaos throughout the country, was suppressed. After quelling the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Tang no longer trusted military commanders, especially those from ethnic minorities.
Due to the An Lushan Rebellion, the central government of the Tang Dynasty had a potential fear of generals holding heavy military power. Due to An Lushan being a Hu ethnic group, the Tang Dynasty had even less trust in minority generals.
The famous generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi, who contributed the most to pacifying the An Lushan Rebellion, were successively promoted and secretly surrendered, deprived of their military power. Even Guo Ziyi had to present more than a thousand edicts given by Tang Suzong to the young emperor Daizong to temporarily dispel his doubts. Pugu Huaien recognized the potential crisis in the court and acted cautiously, but the trouble still came knocking on his door.
3、 Great achievements are not worth slander
In the later stage of the An Lushan Rebellion, Shi Chaoyi, the eldest son of Shi Siming, was unwilling to accept defeat and attempted to lure the Khitans to attack Tang. The Khitan Khan, who was a Khitan, personally led a 100000 strong army to advance to the border. In order to win over the Khitans, Emperor Tang quickly sent troops to negotiate with the Khan. At this moment, Khan Deng Li proposed to meet his father-in-law, Pugu Huai’en.
Afraid of being slandered by malicious people, Pugu Huai’en did not want to meet his son-in-law. However, Emperor Tang insisted on having Pugu Huai’en meet him and offered him a death warrant to ensure that he would not be held responsible. Pugu Huaien had to meet this son-in-law of the Hu people. According to the New Book of Tang, the Khan was greatly pleased and requested peace to assist in the struggle against the righteousness of the historical dynasty.
This meeting resolved the conflict between the Khitans and the Tang Dynasty, allowing the Khitans to further assist the Tang Dynasty in suppressing the rebellion.
After the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Tang ordered Pugu Huai’en to escort the Dengli Khan and the Khitan army back to the north of the desert. As soon as Pugu Huai’en left, eunuchs came to complain, claiming that Pugu Huai’en had conspired with the Khitan to rebel.
Pugu Huaien was unable to prove his innocence, and coincidentally came to offer condolences on behalf of the sect’s prime minister, Pei Zunqing. Pugu Huaien immediately hugged Pei Zunqing’s feet and burst into tears. Pei Zunqing persuaded Pugu Huai’en to go to the court to explain, but Vice General Fan Zhicheng believed that the eunuchs of the Daizong family suspected the generals and went away with bad luck.
At this moment, the Tang Dynasty general Xin Yunjing led troops to attack Pugu Huai’en. Pugu Huai’en and Xin Yunjing couldn’t explain, so they had to send their son Pugu Di to resist. As a result, the misunderstanding grew worse and worse, forcing Pugu Huai’en onto the path of rebellion and ultimately leading him to his tragic death in the army.
In order to quell the An Lushan Rebellion, 46 members of the Pu Gu Huai En clan sacrificed their lives for the Tang Dynasty. In order to encourage the Khitans to send troops to help the Tang Dynasty, he arranged for his two daughters to marry the Khitans. It can be said that without Pugu Huai’en, the An Lushan Rebellion would not have been successfully resolved. Such great achievements cannot offset the slander of petty people. It’s heartbreaking that a famous general died so unjustly.
