The An Lushan Rebellion was an important event in Chinese history and a turning point for the Tang Dynasty’s rise and fall. It’s okay if you don’t know, the history encyclopedia editor will tell you.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a brave general named Guo Ziyi who almost single handedly saved the Tang Dynasty from turmoil. However, after completing all of this, he only asked for six beautiful women, and there was even a voice among the people that said, “The sound and appearance are precious, the envy is overflowing, and it is beyond record.” But is this really the case?
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out. At this time, when there was a shortage of personnel, Emperor Taizong of Tang changed Guo Ziyi’s title to Wei Wei. And ordered him to go on a campaign to reclaim the territory occupied by the enemy. Guo Ziyi was invincible in this war and recaptured many cities, earning him the title of Grand Censor.
However, at this point, the rebels’ actions were even greater, as they were heading straight towards Luoyang and Chang’an. This also scared Emperor Xuanzong of Tang enough. Seeing that his throne was about to be overthrown, he gave up Chang’an City and fled to Chengdu. His son Li Heng fled to Shuofang, and Tang Xuanzong also chose to push his son Tang Suzong Li Heng to the throne at this time.
After ascending to the throne, Emperor Suzong of Tang issued a decree to have all the Tang army gather in Shuofang first.
At this moment, Guo Ziyi, who had just won the war, was about to conquer the north. After receiving the news, he rushed to Shuofang. After seeing Guo Ziyi’s brave and invincible military achievements, Tang Suzong promoted him to the position of Minister of War.
Guo Ziyi first led troops to pacify Hequ, captured tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, and brought back many cattle and sheep. Then attack Tongguan. He also recaptured many cities, but unfortunately lost in the battle with An Shouzhong during the Qingqu period. In order to motivate himself, Guo Ziyi took the initiative to plead guilty and demote to Tang Suzong. In the subsequent wars, Guo Ziyi became even more brave when leading troops and quickly recaptured Chang’an from the rebels, which allowed Tang Xuanzong and Tang Suzong to return to their hometowns.
When Guo Ziyi entered the court, Emperor Suzong of Tang even sent people to greet him on Ba and said, “It’s all thanks to you that the country can be recovered.” This shows the great contribution of Guo Ziyi. But such achievements have put Guo Ziyi in an awkward position.
After the death of Emperor Suzong of Tang, he ascended to the throne. The first thing that the new ruler did upon assuming the throne was undoubtedly to consolidate his political rule and win over the hearts of the people. However, it is worth questioning who could have had a greater influence both inside and outside the court than Guo Ziyi, who single handedly saved the Tang Dynasty and made such great contributions?
So the first thing Emperor Tang did was to suppress Guo Ziyi. He repeatedly sow discord and slander Guo Ziyi, but eventually found an opportunity to dismiss him and make him an idle official without military power.
Guo Ziyi also understood that the new emperor was very worried about him, so he showed Tang Zongzong all the edicts that Tang Suzong had given him before, totaling more than a thousand copies, telling Tang Zongzong that he had no ulterior motives and only wanted to assist the emperor, in order to dispel Tang Zongzong’s concerns.
After reading it, Emperor Tang also felt deeply guilty and said to Guo Ziyi, “I am not virtuous, and Minister Yi is worried. I am truly ashamed.
But Tang Dynasty Emperor did so many things just to suppress Guo Ziyi, how could he be persuaded by a few words? It’s just that Emperor Tang still needed Guo Ziyi.
At that time, the rebels began to stir up again. They took advantage of the opportunity of the new king’s accession to the throne and expanded their influence again, even occupying the city of Luoyang. This made Emperor Tang very anxious, but none of his soldiers were as brave as Guo Ziyi. Chang’an was once again occupied by rebels, and he could only flee eastward after being beaten. If he still chooses to suppress Guo Ziyi at this time, he will not only have to face these rebels, but also bear the risk of Guo Ziyi’s possible betrayal. However, timely bowing down can allow Guo Ziyi to continue to help him fight.
Guo Ziyi lived up to his great general demeanor. He not only did not dwell on the previous suppression of himself by Emperor Tang, but also volunteered to lead troops to recapture Luoyang and Chang’an. Emperor Tang was not foolish and immediately said, “It’s all because I appointed you too late that we got to this point.” This was to appease Guo Ziyi’s heart.
A veteran is a veteran. After Guo Ziyi’s expedition, he quickly recaptured Luoyang and Chang’an cities, and also helped Tang Emperor resist the invasion of Tubo.
At this time, Guo Ziyi’s reputation had reached a new height, and there was no way to suppress him with the previous methods. However, Guo Ziyi’s existence was always a hidden danger for him.
When rewarding Guo Ziyi, Emperor Tang intentionally rewarded him with six beauties when appointing him as the Shangshu Ling. It should be noted that Guo Ziyi was already over 70 years old at this time, and the meaning behind these six beauties can be imagined.
After this second time, Guo Ziyi had come to understand that no matter what he did, he could not dispel the concerns of Emperor Tang about him. Therefore, he declined the official position and only accepted six beauties. Making people all over the world think he is a lecherous person is not enough. After returning to his official residence, he immediately ordered someone to expand it and began collecting fun items from all over the world, selecting beautiful women to enter the residence. Making one’s life appear very luxurious and decadent is just to lower one’s reputation and reassure Emperor Tang.
Guo Ziyi’s behavior also allowed him to enjoy his later years peacefully, and he couldn’t help but admire the wisdom of this general. Compared to fame and fate, fate is definitely more important.
