Xue Rengui devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Tang Dynasty, but his descendants did not have much sense of belonging to the Tang Dynasty. Why is this happening? We know that Xue Rengui has five sons, among whom the more famous are Xue Ne and Xue Chuyu. Their official positions are comparable to those of their father before his death, which is why they are considered famous.
Xue Rengui was so important to the Tang Dynasty, as he was a loyal minister who had gone through countless hardships to reach Li Shimin’s side. Xue Rengui’s life was imbued with legendary elements, such as “taking off his hat and retreating from ten thousand enemies”, “subduing Goryeo”, “conquering Tubo and retreating eastward”, “defeating the Turks in his later years”, and so on. Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
In the third year of the Xianqing reign, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty launched a campaign against Xili, with Xue Rengui as the deputy general. Xue Rengui beheaded 3000 enemy soldiers in Guiduan City, and in the second year, they fought against Hengshan. In 661 AD, Xue Rengui led his troops to the Tianshan Mountains to attack the nine surnamed Khitans, and there is a legend of three arrows to conquer the country. In 666, Xue Rengui and Liu Rengui led 20000 soldiers to garrison Pyongyang. Xue Rengui was conferred the title of Duke of Pingyang County, which was deeply loved and supported by the people of Goryeo.
In his later years, Xue Rengui was appointed by Emperor Gaozong of Tang to go on a campaign against the Turks. The Turkic side was very scared when they heard Xue Rengui’s expedition. Xue Rengui’s reputation spread far and wide, and the Turkic army dared not charge. Xue Rengui seized the momentum and charged directly, defeating the Turkic army.
It can be said that as long as Xue Rengui is present, the Tang Dynasty has a peace of mind. Xue Rengui’s external influence is too great, and foreign tribes dare not invade.
Xue Na was one of the more famous sons of Xue Rengui. Xue Na suffered a disastrous defeat in his expedition to Tibet and only achieved victory after enduring hardships along the way. Xue Na’s victory over Tubo undoubtedly demonstrated the status of his Xue family and avenged his father. Upon learning of the great defeat of the Turkic people, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was overjoyed and conferred the title of Grand General of Yulin upon Xue Ne, re appointing the descendants of the Xue family.
Xue Chuyu is famous for giving birth to Xue Song. We all know that the Xue family comes from a military background, and many of their descendants are military commanders. Generals are a highly sought after profession in turbulent times, as they can expand their territory and make achievements. As long as the country is stable and stable, the role of generals is not as important as that of civil servants.
At this point, the country needs stability and efforts need to be made in governing the country. It is not something that can be solved by fighting and killing. Throughout history, as long as there are no domestic incidents, as rulers, they will worry about situations such as military commanders supporting their own troops and ceding territory to become kings. At this point, the policy of emphasizing literature over martial arts began.
In the era when Xue Song was growing up, the status of generals in the court gradually declined. The descendants of generals from noble families are unable to find a clear path in the officialdom, and many descendants of generals do not have the opportunity to showcase their talents. The court sometimes suppresses military commanders, who are very frustrated and helpless.
Our ancestors were also heroes who made great contributions to the court, but by the time we reached our own generation, our family had declined, which would have been unbearable for anyone. The descendants of the Xue family have been developing in Youzhou, and their strength has been growing. The court has also realized the threat of the Xue family in Youzhou, so it has been suppressing the Xue family.
Xue Song inherited Xue Rengui’s courage and talent in martial arts. Since childhood, he did not enjoy reading and enjoyed playing with knives and guns. The legendary color of our ancestors’ lives, as future generations, it would be a joke if we didn’t know how to wield knives and guns.
A common problem in ancient times was that as long as our ancestors started positioning themselves as generals, generations of them would be generals without the concept of transformation. Descendants would only think about how to restore the clan and follow the old path of their ancestors. If the Xue family could produce several talented individuals on the path of civil service, perhaps their position in the court would be more stable and consolidated.
In the An Lushan Rebellion, Xue Song joined An Lushan’s camp to rebel together. After seeing the failure of the uprising, he acted for the sake of his family. Xue Song surrendered to King Li Tang, and after the Tang Dynasty finally quelled the An Lushan Rebellion, Xue Song was posthumously appointed as the Minister of Justice and other positions.
The Tang Dynasty did not prosecute him for rebellion, but instead added a title, which made Xue Song feel guilty. From then on, An An was divided and paid for by the Tang Dynasty. After the An Lushan Rebellion, Xue Song’s official position far exceeded that of Xue Rengui before his death.
Summary: The betrayal of Xue Rengui’s descendants is thought-provoking. At the beginning of the establishment of the regime, military commanders were needed, but their role decreased after stability. Rulers even worry that their generals may rebel and threaten their own rule. The balance between military commanders and civil officials has been a headache for monarchs throughout history. Without military commanders, it is impossible to consolidate border defense and power, while civil officials can govern the country and its people.
Both are essential factors for political power. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty also began to decline from prosperity to decline, and the problem of local separatism was still unresolved. This was a result of political system issues and the lack of clear division of military power, management power, and supervision power. Further improvements were made in subsequent dynasties!
