The experience of Tian Chengsi, a general in the mid Tang Dynasty, can be said to be very rich. He followed An Lushan to launch a rebellion in his early years and later surrendered to the court. However, Tian Chengsi did not really want to serve the court. He had been secretly developing his own power, eventually forming a separatist situation. Due to Emperor Xuanzong’s policy of appeasement, he did not suppress Tian Chengsi but instead recruited him, which undoubtedly increased Tian Chengsi’s arrogance and led to his more arrogant behavior.
In 755, An Lushan launched a rebellion and successively captured Luoyang and Chang’an, almost overthrowing the rule of the Tang Dynasty. It took the Tang Dynasty eight years to quell the An Lushan Rebellion. In theory, An Lushan and Shi Siming are both rebel generals, and no one dares to set up temples to worship them. But there was a person with great courage who openly erected a temple for An Lushan and others, but the Tang emperor dared not punish them and instead tried his best to win them over.
This person is Tian Chengsi. Tian Chengsi was from Lulong, Pingzhou, and came from a prominent family. His grandfather and father were both fierce generals, known for their heroic deeds in the Liao and Jie dynasties. In the late Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, Tian Chengsi served under An Lushan and was awarded the titles of Left Qingdao Prefect and General of Military Guard for his repeated military achievements. Tian Chengsi is a fierce general under An Lushan and has gained his trust. In 755, Tian Chengsi rebelled with An Lushan and crossed the Yellow River as a vanguard, occupying Luoyang in one fell swoop.
Once An Lushan was patrolling the army and found that Tian Chengsi was not only a fierce general, but also skilled in managing the army. Therefore, he ordered Tian Chengsi to guard Yingchuan. In October 756, the situation on the battlefield changed, and the Tang army recaptured Luoyang. Tian Chengsi surrendered the city of Yingchuan to the Tang. But not long after, Tian Chengsi betrayed again and followed An Qingxu to resist the Tang Dynasty. Afterwards, Tian Chengsi defected to Shi Siming and once again broke through Luoyang as a forward, being appointed as the Governor of Weizhou.
In 762, the Tang army recaptured Luoyang again, and Tian Chengsi followed Shi Chaoyi to retreat to Mozhou. Tian Chengsi realized that the situation was not good, so he deceived Shi Chaoyi and led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty general Pugu Huai’en did not punish Tian Chengsi and other Anshi rebels, but allowed them to continue guarding the Hebei region. Among them, Tian Chengsi defended Weizhou and was appointed as the military governor of Weibo. But Tian Chengsi is very cunning. Although he accepts orders from the court, he actively expands his strength.
In just a few short years, Tian Chengsi’s army reached 100000 people, and he also selected “10000 strong and powerful individuals for self-defense”. Tian Chengsi appointed officials within his jurisdiction on his own, and the household registration was not registered in Tianfu, and taxes were not collected by the court, making it seem like an independent kingdom. In 773, Tian Chengsi openly challenged the authority of the Tang Dynasty court. He erected a temple to worship An Lushan and Shi Siming, known as the “Four Saints,” and also proposed the title of prime minister to the court.
At that time, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was Emperor Tang Zong, who considered that the world had been plagued by wars and the court’s strength had not been restored, so he adopted a policy of appeasement and indulgence. During the Tang Dynasty, the eunuch Sun Zhigu went to Weizhou to persuade Tian Chengsi to demolish the “Four Saints” temple. At the same time, Emperor Tang also issued an edict to confer the titles of Censorate Shangshu Pushe, Taiwei, Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, and Yanmen Junwang upon Tian Chengsi. Not long after, Emperor Tang and Tian Chengsi “reconciled” and married their daughter Princess Yongle to Tian Chengsi’s son Tian Hua.
The intention of Emperor Tang was to appease and win over Tian Chengsi, in order to “consolidate his heart”, but Tian Chengsi was even more arrogant and did not take the court seriously. In 775, under the instigation of Tian Chengsi, the Zhaoyi Army staged a mutiny, and he took the opportunity to send troops and occupy Xiangzhou. Although Emperor Tang ordered Tian Chengsi to “defend their respective territories”, he ignored it and continued to send troops to “occupy the territories of the four states”. Afterwards, Emperor Tang organized an army to suppress Tian Chengsi, but was unable to eliminate him.
In 777 AD, Emperor Tang planned to use military force again, and Tian Chengsi immediately apologized. Emperor Tang finally regained face and stopped pursuing the matter. At that time, Tian Chengsi occupied seven provinces including Wei, Bo, Xiang, Wei, Ming, Bei, and Chan, with an army of about 100000 people and a strong military force. He was one of the “Three Towns of Heshuo”, and the Tang Dynasty court had no choice but to do so. In 779, at the age of 75, Tian Chengsi passed away due to illness, and his position was inherited by his nephew Tian Yue.
