The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was one of the most glorious and glorious dynasties in Chinese feudal history, with the longest period of unification, and is widely recognized as one of the strongest dynasties in China’s national strength. Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will bring you a detailed article introduction.
Guo Ziyi (697-781 AD), also known as Ziyi, was born in Zheng County, Huazhou (now Huazhou District, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province). The son of Guo Jingzhi, a famous general, politician, and military strategist during the Tang Dynasty’s Zhongxing period, and the governor of Shouzhou.
Guo Ziyi entered the military with a high rank in the martial arts examination in his early years and accumulated merits until he became the governor of Jiuyuan. After the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, he was appointed as the military governor of Shuofang, led the army to serve as the king, recaptured Hebei and Hedong, and was appointed as the Minister of War and the Deputy Minister of the Central Secretariat. Due to his meritorious service in recapturing two capitals, he was appointed as a Situ and granted the title of Duke of Dai Guo. In the second year of the Qianyuan era (759 AD), he was responsible for the defeat of the Xiangzhou army, lost his military power, and served as an idle official. In the first year of Baoying (762 AD), he made contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Hezhong and was appointed as the Prince of Fenyang County.
In the first year of Guangde (763 AD), Pugu Huai’en colluded with Tubo and Khazars to invade, and Chang’an fell. Guo Ziyi was reinstated and appointed as the Vice Marshal of the Interior, reclaiming Chang’an once again.
Some people say that Guo Ziyi “recreated the Tang Dynasty”, although this statement is a bit exaggerated, the veteran Guo Ziyi is truly a legend in the Tang Dynasty.
Guo Ziyi was a famous politician and military strategist of the Tang Dynasty. Since entering the officialdom, he has not been given any important position. It was only during the An Lushan Rebellion that it was officially deployed towards the age of Hua Jia and began to show its sharpness in battles on the battlefield.
Since An Lushan led the Khitan army to rebel, the Tang Dynasty has been trembling with fear, but fortunately the court promptly employed Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi assessed the situation and used his extraordinary military command skills to quickly defeat the rebels. Guo Ziyi’s troops, like a sharp sword, dealt fatal blows to the rebels wherever they went. Although Guo Ziyi was already in his sixties at this time, his military talent brought infinite vitality to the Tang Dynasty.
The tug of war in history often takes a long time. Since the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion, the rebel forces he commanded should not be underestimated. He once proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang, and at these times, the Tang royal family would send Guo Ziyi to take orders in times of danger. Under the joint arduous battle with Li Guangbi, they successively recaptured Luoyang and Chang’an.
My family and country will be rebuilt by the officials. “This is Tang Suzong’s high praise for Guo Ziyi. That’s right, if Guo Ziyi hadn’t fought hard and defended himself in several crises, then the Tang Dynasty would have been replaced by An Lushan. It can be seen that Guo Ziyi’s achievements in the Tang Dynasty are irreplaceable.
However, later on, due to Tang Suzong and Tang Zongzong’s belief in slander, they made a wrong judgment about Guo Ziyi and dismissed him from office for a period of time. But Guo Ziyi is a person who always cares about the safety of the country, no matter where he is. Later, with the invasion of foreign tribes from northern Tubo, the Tang royal family once again appointed Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi gathered his former scattered soldiers to once again relieve the siege of the Tang Dynasty.
The historians once gave high praise to Guo Ziyi, an old minister of the Four Dynasties, saying: ‘He has won power over the world and the court is not jealous, and his achievements have lasted for a generation without doubt.’“
Let’s talk about why Guo Ziyi used to cry loudly when she got old.
This incident was caused by the theft of Guo Ziyi’s father’s tomb. In the third year of the Dali era, the tomb of Guo Ziyi’s father was stolen, which was a very serious matter in ancient times, especially for people like Guo Ziyi who valued patriotism and worked hard. Upon hearing the news, he was extremely saddened and burst into tears. His subordinates suspected that the tomb robbery was the work of their former court enemy eunuch Yu Chao’en.
However, after returning to Chang’an, Guo Ziyi did not take extreme actions, but instead comforted Emperor Tang.
The Biography of Guo Ziyi in the Old Book of Tang states: “I have been leading troops for a long time and have not strictly restrained my soldiers. Sometimes there have been incidents of my troops robbing and excavating graves. Now that my father’s tomb has been stolen, this is God’s retribution for me, and it has nothing to do with anyone
From this, it can be seen that Guo Ziyi is not only a brave and fierce general, but also a person of great character with flesh and blood. His demeanor and broad mindedness are still admirable to this day.
