Chapter 18 Chapter 5: If you forget the battle, you will be in danger
Since August of the 14th year of Tianbao (755), An Lushan has repeatedly feasted on soldiers, ready to raise troops and rebel against the Tang Dynasty.However, the Anlu Mountain uprising was extremely secret in advance, and only a few confidantes, such as Kong Mu Guan, Tai Pu Cheng Yan Zhuang, Secretary in charge, Tuntian Yuan Wailang Gao Shang, and the general Ashina Chengqing and An Qingxu, knew about it.Just at this time, an officer returned to Fanyang from Chang'an, the capital of the capital. An Lushan forged a letter from the emperor, summoned his generals, showed the letter to everyone, and said: "There is a secret order from the emperor, ordering me to lead troops into the court." Discuss Yang Guozhong, please follow me and march into the army immediately." The generals were astonished and couldn't believe it, but no one dared to speak out.An Lushan ordered Jia Xun, deputy envoy of Jiedu of Fan Yang, to stay in Fanyang, Lu Zhihai, deputy envoy of Jiedu of Pinglu (now Chaoyang, Liaoning) to stay in Pinglu, and Gao Xiuyan not to stay in Datong (now Shuo County, Shanxi). All other generals should lead the army Set off overnight.
Before the official dispatch of troops, An Lushan held a special ceremony to parade the troops in the name of Yang Guozhong, and made a special trip to the north of Fanyang City to bid farewell to his grandfather and father's graves.Li Ke, the senior birthday star of Su County, persuaded An Lushan, thinking that sending troops without a name would surely fail.In order to gain popularity, An Lushan sent someone to answer Li Ke and said: "If it is beneficial to the country, arbitrariness is also okay. It is beneficial to the Lord, and the country is peaceful. Today, what should I be afraid of?" In the name of imperial edict".But the common people commented in private: "A hundred-year-old grandpa has never seen Fan Yang's soldiers and horses go south." People began to fear and worry.See "The Deeds of Anlu Mountain" written by Yao Runeng, a Tang Dynasty native.
Beforehand, An Lushan sent generals He Qiannian and Gao Miao to lead more than 20 Xiqi, falsely claiming that they wanted to present victory to the imperial court, and took a post car to Taiyuan.Taiyuan deputy Yang Guanghui went out of the city to meet him. He Qiannian and others took the opportunity to hijack Yang Guanghui and go away.Only then did the Taiyuan defenders know that An Lushan had really turned against them.However, when Taiyuan reported to the imperial court that Yang Guanghui had been captured by An Lushan, Xuanzong still suspected that it was a slander deliberately fabricated by those who were hostile to Anlushan, and did not believe it was true.
Yang Guanghui was escorted to An Lushan. An Lushan denounced his crimes in public, scolded him for being attached to Yang Guozhong, and then beheaded him.Yang Guanghui's confused death showed An Lushan's determination to be incompatible with Datang.This day was November 9th in the 14th year of Tianbao (755).
After that, An Lushan sent his troops to the south in a big way. "The elite cavalry, the smoke and dust are thousands of miles away, and the noise is shaking the ground. At that time, the sea has been peaceful for a long time, and the people have not known the military revolution for many generations. When they heard of Fan Yang's army, they were shocked from far and near. Hebei is all within the Lushan Mountains. Open the door and go out to welcome, or abandon the city and hide, or be captured and poked, no one dares to refuse" ("Zi Zhi Tong Jian Volume 217").Since the defeat of the Eastern Turks in the Zhenguan period, there has been no war in the Central Plains for more than 100 years. Now suddenly the Anlushan rebels crossed the border aggressively, and the people along the way were terrified.Various states and counties opened their arsenals to fight, but found that most of the weapons were rotten and unusable, so Tang soldiers had to fight with sticks.This is what is said in history books, "The so-called world is safe, but if you forget the battle, you will be in danger."An Lushan's subordinates are all elites of the Tang army, who are good at fighting. The county defenders are far less well-trained than the rebels.Since they were unable to resist, all counties and counties opened their city gates one after another to welcome the enemy.Some local officials fled, some were captured and killed by the rebels, some committed suicide by the roadside, and those who surrendered were insurmountable.The Hebei area was originally under the jurisdiction of Anlu Mountain, so the Tang Dynasty army did not organize any effective resistance to the counties and counties where the rebels arrived, and they almost collapsed.
After Xuanzong, who was still in Huaqing Palace, confirmed that An Lushan had really rebelled, he was in doubt. He believed what Yang Guozhong said, "The rebels are only An Lushan himself, and the soldiers in his army are not willing to follow him. will be defeated", only dispatched Bi Sichen to Tokyo (now Luoyang, Henan), Jinwu General Cheng Qianli to Hedong (now the northern part of central Shanxi), and each recruited tens of thousands of troops to train with the regiment to resist the rebels.
Just at this time, Anxi (now Kuqa, Xinjiang) Jiedu envoy came to see him. Feng Changqing was a well-known and battle-tested general in the northwest border.Xuanzong seemed to see the straw of rescue, and immediately asked him about the strategy of rebellion.At this time, the court was in chaos, and people's hearts were fluctuating. Even Xuanzong lost his former emperor's demeanor and was extremely panicked.In order to comfort Xuanzong, Feng Changqing boasted: "Now Lushan leads 100,000 murderers and invades the Central Plains. It has been peaceful for a long time, and people don't know how to fight. However, things are going against the law and the situation is changing. Please go to Tokyo. Luoyang), opened the treasury, recruited brave men, picked horses to cross the river, and counted the days to take the head of Nihu and hang it under the temple." ("Old Tang Book Volume 104 Feng Changqing Biography")
Xuanzong was very happy to hear that, and immediately appointed Feng Changqing as the envoy of Fan Yang and Pinlu Jiedu.Although Feng Changqing's words contained big words, they stabilized people's hearts and boosted morale under the current situation.Feng Changqing has served as a frontier general for a long time, and he is well aware of the role of morale in warfare.However, the emperor was more concerned about the outcome of the battle, and this reassuring boast laid a hidden danger for Feng Changqing's later tragic ending.
Feng Changqing bid farewell on the same day, and rushed to Luoyang day and night by post horse, opened the treasury, took out weapons, recruited new soldiers, and prepared to meet the rebels. Within 10 days, Feng Changqing managed to recruit 60,000 soldiers.But these 60,000 people are not elite soldiers and strong generals, they are all ordinary people in the market, who have not practiced military affairs, so their combat effectiveness is quite weak.How easy is it to use such a group of mobs to fight against the hundreds of thousands of brave people in Anlu Mountain, and even want to "pull the horse across the river and decide the leader of Nihu"?Feng Changqing has been through the battlefield for a long time, and he will not fail to understand the situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak. In such a situation, he can only take a defensive position.For this reason, Feng Changqing ordered the demolition of the Heyang Bridge (in the southwest of Mengzhou, Henan Province) in the north of Luoyang, in order to strengthen the defense of Luoyang City and prevent the rebels from attacking Luoyang from the north.Then marched into Hulao (now west of Sishui Town, Rongyang, Henan).
It was not until this time that Datang began to make formal dispatches to deal with the challenge from the rebels.Xuanzong first approved Yang Guozhong's suggestion: kill Anqingzong, the son of Anlushan, and give Rongyi the princess to commit suicide.Princess Rongyi was ordered to marry An Qingzong less than half a year ago, and committed suicide according to the order.This poor clan woman died in vain.In the chess game of history, she was just a pawn at the mercy of others from beginning to end, powerless to control her own destiny.
Then, Emperor Xuanzong summoned Shuofang Jiedu envoy An Sishun as the secretary of the household department; promoted Shuofang military envoy Guo Ziyi as Shuofang envoy Guo Ziyi; appointed You Yulin General Wang Chengye as Taiyuan Yin; Jiedu envoys commanded the thirteen counties in Chenliu area; appointed Cheng Qianli as the governor of Luzhou; all counties and counties, where bandits and soldiers must pass through, set up defense envoys; Marshal, right Jinwu General Gao Xianzhi was the deputy marshal, and a new "Tianwu Army" was established; Gao Xianzhi led 50,000 troops to Tunshan Prefecture.
At this time, in order to suppress the rebellion, the imperial court began to set up Jiedu envoys in the interior (mainly the places where the rebels must pass through southward).As a result, Jiedu envoys in various places and even observation officers with slightly lower positions took the opportunity to expand their influence, and gradually formed a situation where there were many vassals and towns.Later, some powerful vassals, such as Hebei, Shandong and other towns, became a separatist force.Inland Jiedushi also maintained a state of separation from the imperial court to varying degrees.After the Peasant War broke out at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Jiedu further expanded its power, and the Tang court lost its control over the feudal towns.The feudal vassals and towns fought endlessly and merged frequently, which led to a split and separatist situation in which five dynasties changed in the north and nine kingdoms in the south (the Northern Han Dynasty was in the north).It was not until the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty that Taizu Zhao Kuangyin released his military power with a cup of wine, and Jiedushi lost his real power and became a post of honor.
Xuanzong was still worried, fearing that the general would have another heart, so he specially sent the eunuch Bian Lingcheng to supervise the army.The history of eunuchs supervising the army began from then on.
As a special political force, eunuchs had a major impact on the political situation of many dynasties, and the Eastern Han, Tang, and Ming dynasties were the most serious, so I will just say a few more words here.Eunuch is an official in ancient China who lost his sexual ability after being castrated and was exclusively used by the emperor, monarch and his family. , internal supervisor, etc.During Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Dianzhong province was changed to Zhongyufu, and eunuchs were used as eunuchs and young supervisors.Later eunuchs are also commonly known as eunuchs.The word "eunuch" in English comes from the Greek word "the person who guards the bed", which also shows the role of the eunuch.
From oracle bone inscriptions, the use of eunuchs in ancient China had already appeared in the Yin and Shang Dynasties.However, the eunuch system originated in the pre-Qin period, and there are records about eunuchs in "Zhou Li" and "Book of Rites".Most of the Zhou Dynasty and the vassal states set up eunuchs.Almost in the imperial palaces of all dynasties, there have been very serious adultery scandals.Lai Ai of the state of Qin pretended to be an eunuch and entered the palace. She was favored by the queen mother and had great power. She was granted the title of Marquis of Changxin and later gave birth to two sons.
After Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, the eunuchs were under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu.After Qin Shihuang's death, the eunuch Zhao Gao colluded with Prime Minister Li Si and usurped the edict to change Hu Hai as emperor, which directly led to the death of Qin Dynasty II.In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, in view of the lessons learned from the death of the Qin Dynasty, occasionally used scribes to serve as regular servants in order to restrain the power of eunuchs.People at that time called the place where the castration was executed "Camsil".Castration can be used as a substitute for capital punishment. Sima Qian was sentenced to death because he spoke good words for Li Ling who surrendered to the Huns.In the early and mid-Western Han Dynasty, eunuchs were suppressed and did not form a large force.After Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, the power of eunuchs revived.In the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs served as the regular servants who served the emperor.They conveyed edicts, handled documents, and controlled the emperor's audiovisual, thus greatly affecting the political situation.In addition, the relatives were powerful at that time, and the emperor wanted to use the eunuchs to contain the relatives, but the result often resulted in a situation of dictatorship by the eunuchs.
After the Qin and Han Dynasties, the eunuch system became more detailed.During the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs were managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bureau of Ye Ting, Bureau of Imperial Palace, Bureau of Xiguan, Bureau of Internal Servants, and Bureau of Internal Government.The bureau chiefs are called Ling or Cheng.During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the restrictions on eunuchs were stricter, and the highest rank of eunuchs in the Ministry of Internal Affairs was stipulated as the third rank, and the amount was also limited.After Taizong's death, the system gradually relaxed.During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong, the total number of eunuchs increased to more than 3,000, and as many as 1,000 were awarded the seventh rank or above.During the time of Xuanzong, a large number of eunuchs held high positions, and there were more than a thousand eunuchs of the fourth and fifth ranks, and there were many who were awarded the rank of left (right) prison gate general of the third rank.If they became generals, their power would be greater than that of Jiedushi, and the rewards they would receive could easily be in the tens of millions.After the Anshi Rebellion, the power of eunuchs expanded even more, and some even became princes, ranking among the three princes.Some eunuchs also got involved in military power.During the reign of Emperor Suzong, an envoy to watch the army was set up, who was specially appointed as the eunuch in power, as the highest military position to monitor the generals who went to the expedition.Since the Dezong Dynasty, eunuchs have mastered the military power of forbidden soldiers such as Shence Army and Tianwei Army.The important positions in the army, such as the lieutenant of the guard and the guard of the central guard, were all held by eunuchs.Because the military and political power is controlled by the eunuch group, not only the civil and military officials are under it, but even the emperor's abolition is determined by them.Seven of the nine emperors who ascended the throne from Xianzong to Zhaozong were supported by eunuchs, and two were killed by them.The dictatorship of eunuchs became a chronic disease in the middle and late Tang Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty also set up the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was headed by eunuchs.However, the phenomenon of eunuchs interfering in politics in the Song Dynasty was not as serious as the dictatorship of foreign relatives.
In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs' interference in politics reached its peak.At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, had very strict restrictions on eunuchs. He once cast an iron plaque on the gate of the palace, stipulating: "Internal ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and offenders will be beheaded."In November of the sixth year of Hongwu (1373), Yanchen was specially ordered to study the previous generation's methods of correcting and impeaching internal officials.The Ministry of Rites proposed to set up an internal department, with one department chief and one deputy department, to specialize in the inspection of internal officials' inappropriate and illegal behavior.According to "Ming Hui Yao·Official Eleven" cited "Ming Zheng Tong Zong", in May of the tenth year of Hongwu (1377), an internal servant was immediately reprimanded by Taizu because he had been in the court for a long time and occasionally talked about political affairs. Return it to the village and make it impossible to use it for life.Since ancient times, the ban on eunuchs has not been as comprehensive as that of Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.At that time, there was an imperial prisoner named Du Andao who served Taizu as a tweezer for decades. He knew many secret plans in the court, but he was cautious and strictly obeyed Taizu's prohibition. Do not reveal secrets.Taizu loved him very much, but he didn't give him preferential treatment, and later moved out to be the Minister of Guanglu Temple.
Huidi Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne, and as soon as he followed the ancestral precepts, he imposed stricter restrictions on his internal ministers.According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty The Preface to the Eunuch's Biography", Emperor Jianwen ordered the internal ministers to "be more strict with the imperial courtiers, and the edicts were slightly illegal when they went out, and Xu Youshou heard about them."That is to say, Zhu Yunqi's discipline and control over eunuchs was stricter than Zhu Yuanzhang's.
When Ming Chengzu Zhu Di first came to court, he was also wary of eunuchs arrogating power. "History of Ming Dynasty Official Records III" contains, Zhu Di once said: "I follow the precepts of the Taizu, and there is no imperial treasure document, that is, one army and one people, and middle officials are not allowed to transfer without authorization." At that time, an eunuch privately called Yingtianfu craftsmen as He served in the army, and after the incident, Zhu Di immediately ordered Jin Yiwei to arrest and punish him.But before long, these bans were all broken.
During the Battle of Jingnan, many eunuchs were punished because Emperor Hui Zhu Yunqi treated his courtiers too harshly.The eunuchs were full of resentment in their hearts, and either secretly communicated with King Yan, or simply went to King Yan Zhu Di's army to report to him the truth of the court.King Zhu Di of Yan learned that Nanjing was empty, so he dared to put all his eggs in one basket and drove to Jinling.Some eunuchs around Zhu Di also fought on the battlefield, and they had many military exploits.Zhu Di believed that these eunuchs were loyal to him, and gradually began to reuse them. The iron plate system established by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was broken.After that, eunuchs can be seen playing an important role in various fields such as internal affairs, diplomacy, and military affairs in the Ming Dynasty.
In the first year (1403) after Cheng Zu Zhu Di came to the throne, he sent the eunuch Li Xing to Siam (now Thailand), which was the eunuch's first foray into diplomacy.Beginning in the third year of Yongle (1405), Chengzu Zhu Di successively sent eunuch Zheng He to lead 20,000 troops on a large-scale mission to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, setting a precedent for eunuchs leading troops in the Ming Dynasty.In the eighth year of Yongle (1410), Cheng Zu Zhu Di sent the eunuch Wang An to supervise Tan Qing and other troops, and also sent the eunuch Ma Jing to inspect Gansu, setting a precedent for eunuchs to supervise and inspect the army.After the Ming Dynasty conquered Annan, the eunuch Ma Qi guarded Annan.
Cheng Zu Zhu Di also changed the old system of the eunuchs being managed by the Ministry of Officials during the Hongwu period, and let the eunuch's first yamen chief inspector manage the eunuch's affairs. After the eunuch's management power was transferred to the inner court, the eunuch's activities became more convenient.Zhu Di, the founder of the Cheng Dynasty, used the eunuch as a supervisor of rites, and granted him great powers such as "going envoys, special conscripts, supervising the army, dividing towns, and assassinating officials and people", so that he could compete with the power of the cabinet.After the capital was moved to Beijing, the "Dongchang" was set up outside Dong'an Gate, which was specially used to spy on ministers and common people for suspected treason.Chengzu Zhu Di was afraid that the ministers outside would be unreliable, so he asked his trusted eunuch to be the admiral of the East Factory, and his status was higher than that of Jin Yiwei.
After Zhu Di set this precedent, his descendants followed suit.In the first year of Hongxi (1425), Emperor Renzong Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Di's son, sent Zheng He to lead the Fanguan army to guard Nanjing.Since then, the practice of eunuchs leading the army has continued.At the same time, Zhu Gaochi sent Wang An to guard Gansu, so eunuchs were successively sent to guard Gansu in various provinces and towns.In the fourth year of Xuande (1429), Zhu Di's grandson, Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, set up an inner book hall in the palace, and ordered Chen Shan, a senior scholar, to teach the small inner envoy. He even gave eunuchs such as Jin Ying and Fan Hong special edicts to avoid death, which is no different from the iron certificate of the alchemy of the ministers.Since then, eunuchs have deterred courtiers, and their power has been poured inside and outside.For example, Wang Zhen in Yingzong's time, Wang Zhi in Xianzong's time, Liu Jin in Wuzong's time, and Wei Zhongxian in Xizong's time were even more domineering and independent in government affairs.As for the mine tax envoys during Shenzong's time, they were almost everywhere.
Eunuchs not only have power and power to bully others, but also can shade younger brothers, nephews, uncles, and dukes.In the era when eunuchs gained power, the folks often set off a "self-government tide" accordingly.Many sons from well-to-do families also reluctantly left the palace in order to become an official.According to Shen Defu's "Wanli Yehuo Compilation Supplement", in September of the second year of Zhengde (1507), Wu Zong once strictly banned the palace, but some people who stayed in the capital were considered dead.Because eunuchs were especially favored at that time, and foolish people were not prohibited by them, many eunuchs eunuched their descendants in order to get rich, and in some villages there were hundreds of people from the palace.After Jiajing and Longqing, the number of people from the palace increased.
The growing power of eunuchs, their control over the state, and their cruel actions became an important reason for the demise of the Ming Dynasty.As far as corruption is concerned, according to Zhao Shijin of the Ming Dynasty in "Jiashen Jishi", before Li Zicheng entered Beijing at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the national inventory of the huge Ming Empire was less than 4,000 taels!When the eunuch Wei Zhongxian’s home was raided, he found tens of millions of taels of silver. The treasures were worthless, so that the Emperor Chongzhen angrily reprimanded the eunuchs many times: “My ancestral savings storehouse was handed down to foreign treasures, such as gold and silver, and all of them were stolen. "
In the Ming Dynasty, the number of eunuch institutions continued to expand, and the positions of eunuchs were divided into twelve supervisors, four divisions, and eight bureaus according to the content of their jurisdiction, collectively referred to as "twenty-four yamen".The ceremonial supervisor is known as the "shadow cabinet", and its power over eunuchs is higher than that of the first and auxiliary ministers.And the secret service agencies that make the officials and the people turn pale are all under the control of the eunuchs: the leaders of Jinyiwei, Dongchang, Xichang, and Neichang are all eunuchs, and the eunuchs form "a small court within a big court."
After the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the rulers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty took some restrictive measures in view of the severe damage done by the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty.In the early Qing Dynasty, it was stipulated that eunuchs were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and specifically managed by the Office of Respect.The Respect Room is also called the Palace Supervision Office, which has a manager and a deputy manager.During the Kangxi period, the eunuch in charge was the fifth rank, and during the Yongzheng period it was changed to the fourth rank.The "Twenty-four Yamen" in the Ming Dynasty was changed to "Thirteen Yamen", and the number of people was greatly reduced.There were more than a thousand eunuchs in the Shunzhi period, and the number increased to 3,000 in the Qianlong period, and the number did not exceed this number until the end of the Qing Dynasty.The promotion and demotion of eunuchs is determined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.If eunuchs break the law, the Ministry of Internal Affairs can take it first and play later.It is especially forbidden to intervene in politics.Emperor Shunzhi imitated Zhu Yuanzhang's old system, and erected a cast iron stele in the Jiaotai Hall, expressly stipulating that anyone who committed any illegal act would be executed at a later date.These measures have been well implemented.Although the Empress Dowager Cixi's favored eunuchs An Dehai and Li Lianying repeatedly broke the law and the court officials looked at them in the late Qing Dynasty, there was no such thing as the monopoly of eunuchs in the Han, Tang, and Ming Dynasties.
Back to the topic of the Anshi Rebellion.Here I would like to mention An Sishun in particular. Because he repeatedly said in advance that An Lushan was going to rebel, he was not implicated this time even though he was a brother of An Lushan clan.But Xuanzong was still worried, cut off his military power as Jiedu envoy, and changed to be the Minister of the Household Department.An Sishun thought that he should rest easy now, but he didn't know that his big enemy brother Shu Han was still watching him.Later elder brother Shuhan was stationed in Tongguan and took charge of the military power in the world. He complained wantonly, falsely accused An Sishun and An Lushan of colluding secretly, and even had people forge their exchange documents and deliberately threw them outside the gate.Then he captured An Sishun and dedicated it to the court.Xuanzong didn't care about innocence, and An Sishun and his younger brother An Yuanzhen, the imperial servant, were killed together.
The rebels were invincible and unstoppable along the way. In a short period of time, they swept and ravaged the entire Hebei region almost without bloodshed.On the second day of December, the Anlushan rebels marched to the north bank of the Yellow River in Lingchang County, Henan Province (now southwest of Huaxian County, Henan Province). Tie broken boats, vegetation, etc. across the Yellow River. After a night of cold wind and freezing, the knot is like a pontoon bridge.With the help of this pontoon bridge, the rebels easily stepped on the ice and crossed the natural barrier of the Yellow River, and attacked Lingchang County with lightning speed.At this point, the Anlushan rebels entered the territory of Henan Province and advanced into Chenliu County (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), an important pass.
Zhang Jieran, who had just been promoted to Henan Jiedu envoy, had just entered Chenliu when he was surrounded by the Anlushan army. Hearing that the rebels had arrived, he hurriedly led his troops to the city to hold the key points.However, most of the soldiers in Chenliu's garrison city were recruited temporarily. Not only had these people never been on the battlefield, they had never even touched their swords. Trembling, unable to put on even armor.As soon as the rebels attacked the city, the defenders immediately fell apart.Guo Na, the prefect of Chenliu, saw that the rebels were so powerful that it was difficult to compete with them, so he went out of the city and surrendered, and Zhang Jieran was captured.
At this time, An Lushan received news from Chang'an that after learning that his son An Qingzong had been killed by the Tang Dynasty, he beat his chest and wept bitterly for the loss of his beloved son.In order to vent his personal hatred, he brutally killed Zhang Jieran, Chen Liu, and tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers, causing rivers of blood to flow.Guo Na, the prefect of Chenliu, was not spared either.Chenliu is an important port on the canal.Its fall directly led to the cutting off of the southern supply line of the Tang court.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the rebels arrived at Xingyang (now Xingyang, Henan), but Cui Wuzhen, the prefect of Xingyang, led the troops and refused to defend.However, when the drums and horns of the rebels sounded, the Tang army guarding the city saw the momentum of the rebels, and they were so frightened that they fell from the top of the city.As a result, Xingyang fell, and Cui Wuyi, the prefect, was captured and killed by An Lushan.
Xingyang is the east gateway of Luoyang. If Xingyang falls, the gate of Luoyang will be opened, which is in danger.Since An Lushan led his army into Henan Road, he has won many battles and victories, the morale of the army has been greatly boosted, and the arrogance has become even more arrogant.Therefore, after the capture of Xingyang, An Lushan left his general Wu Lingxun to guard Xingyang before taking a break, and ordered Tian Chengsi, An Zhongzhi, and Zhang Xiaozhong to attack Luoyang directly.
The head coach of the Tang Army who was in charge of defending Luoyang at that time was Feng Changqing.Because Feng Changqing's subordinates were all newly recruited Baitu recruits and had no combat effectiveness, he stationed his troops in Wulao (now Sishui Town, Xingyang, Henan Province) to resist the rebels.Feng Changqing took the lead in the battle and killed hundreds of people.Soon, the main force of the rebels arrived.Although Feng Changqing was resourceful and had rich combat experience, all of his troops were untrained recruits, while the rebel army was a force of well-trained elite soldiers. It was known in history as "Lushan's elite soldiers are unmatched in the world."Especially the vanguard troops led by Tian Chengsi and An Zhongzhi are mostly elite cavalry who are brave and good at fighting.The rebels usually charged with cavalry first as soon as they went into battle. The Tang army was crushed by the rebel cavalry just after they formed their formation.The rebels went on a rampage, and the Tang army was defeated.Feng Changqing packed up the remnants and refused to fight in the sunflower garden east of Luoyang City, but was defeated again.Feng Changqing then sent troops to fight the rebels inside the upper east gate of Luoyang, and suffered heavy losses.
On December 12, the rebels captured Luoyang, the eastern capital.Anlu Mountain was full of noise, and the rebels entered the city from the four gates, burning, killing, looting, and doing everything.Feng Changqing fought and retreated. He led the remnant troops to start a tragic street battle with the rebels in Luoyang City.He retreated to Xuanrenmen and lost again.In the end, Feng Changqing had no choice but to lead the defeated soldiers to push down the western wall of the Forbidden Garden and retreat westward.In order to prevent the rebels from chasing after them, they "cut down the big wooden plug road to the palace" on the way.
In this way, Luoyang, the eastern capital, fell into the hands of Anlu Mountain.Henan Yin Da Xixun had written to remind Xuanzong a few months ago that he suspected that there was a conspiracy in Anlushan's horse donation. However, as soon as the rebels arrived, they immediately surrendered Anlushan.It can be described as a typical "time affairs person".
However, not every official is like Da Xixun.Li Wei, who stayed behind in Tokyo, said to Lu Yi, Zhong Cheng, the censor: "We are all favored by the imperial court. Although we can't do what we want, we should die for the country!"Afterwards, Li Wei collected hundreds of remnants and prepared to fight the rebels to the death.However, before the battle, the soldiers who had already been frightened by the rebels fled for their lives and scattered in all directions.Li Yan put on his court clothes and sat alone in the palace hall peacefully.Lu Yi arranged for his wife to flee to Chang'an by the small road with the official seal in her pocket, while he himself sat in the Yushitai with his chest in his chest.His subordinate officials have long since disappeared.Li Wei, Lu Yi and Jiang Qing, the interviewing judge, were captured by the rebels.When Lu Yi saw An Lushan, he scolded him endlessly, and said to the rebels: "Anyone who is a human being should be obedient and disobedient. Although I die, I will not lose my integrity. What else can I regret!" He was furious, and immediately ordered people to brutally kill the three people, and showed their heads to the public.
At that time, the ruling and opposition parties generally believed that Anlu Mountain would be defeated soon, and even the common people had great confidence in the Tang army.It can be seen that Xuanzong has been in a daze for 20 years, but Datang has never lost the hearts of the people.However, after the rebels went south, they were like breaking through bamboos, as if they had entered an uninhabited land, and within a month of starting their troops, they fell into the Eastern Capital and approached Tongguan.People began to be deeply disappointed and worried about the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.Feng Changqing was considered to be the biggest defeated general and was notorious.Feng Changqing fought against a strong enemy with 60,000 mobs. Although he was defeated repeatedly, he was never discouraged and could continue to fight repeatedly.Compared with many ministers who fled or simply surrendered, I don't know how many times stronger.The situation at that time was extremely dangerous, looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, any famous general in Feng Changqing's situation would not be able to do better than Feng Changqing, the result could only be worse than worse.It's a pity that people at that time couldn't see this, and neither could the emperor.
When the army was about to die, Feng Changqing had no choice but to cross the valley and rush westward to Shanjun (government of Shancheng, west of Sanmenxia City, Henan Province), and defected to Gao Xianzhi who was stationed there.When Dou Tingzhi, the prefect of Shan County, heard the news of Luoyang's fall, he panicked and fled to Hedong for refuge.All the officials and people in the city have fled, scattered like birds and beasts.
Shan County is the forward position of Tongguan, and Tongguan is the last barrier to defend the capital Chang'an. The city defense is strong, the terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack.However, at this time Gao Xianzhi gathered all his troops in Shan County, but did not set up heavy guards for the military fortress Tongguan.He saw Feng Changqing leading the remnants of the defeated generals from the Luoyang front line in a rout, felt the seriousness of the situation, and couldn't help but feel worried and anxious.Feng Changqing saw at a glance that Gao Xianzhi's deployment of troops was inappropriate, and persuaded Gao Xianzhi: "I have fought bloody battles with the rebels for days, and their morale is so strong that it is difficult to stop them. There are no soldiers guarding Tongguan now. If the rebels enter the pass, Chang'an will be in danger." Dangerous. Shan County has no danger to defend, so we might as well lead our troops to Tongguan to defend it. I wonder what the general thinks?"
After Gao Xianzhi thought about it carefully, he thought what Feng Changqing said was reasonable, so Feng and Gao Er generals joined forces, gave up the unsafe Shan County, and retreated to defend Tongguan.When the rebel army heard the news, they sent troops to pursue them. The Tang army fled in embarrassment.
After Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing retreated into Tongguan, they immediately started repairing the defense.As soon as the city defenses were deployed in Tongguan, Cui Qianyou, the general of Anlushan Department, arrived suddenly and immediately launched a fierce attack on the Tongguan defenders.Feng and Gao led 50,000 "white disciples" who had not received any military training, fought hard against danger, and finally repelled the rebels.
Cui Qianyou, a general of the Anlu Mountain faction, led his troops to station in Shan County, and the counties of Linru, Hongnong (now Lingbao North, Henan), Jiyang, Puyang and Yunzhong (now Datong, Shanxi) in Henan all bowed their heads to Anlu Mountain. .At that time, the Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou Taoist soldiers conscripted by the Tang court had not yet arrived in Chang'an, and the center of Guan was shaken, and Chang'an was frightened, fearing that Anlu Mountain would invade Tongguan.Fortunately, An Lushan was stranded in Luoyang, the eastern capital, and was preparing to become emperor, so he did not attack with all his strength.In addition, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing retreated to Tongguan in time, rushed to repair the fortifications, strengthened the city defenses, made preparations for refusal, and curbed the offensive of the rebels.
Facts have proved that Feng Changqing's strategy of retiring Tongguan is very correct.Tongguan has been the fortress of Xiongguan since ancient times. It is the last place to defend before entering Guanzhong and the capital Chang'an. At this time, it is even more important for the safety of Chang'an.If Feng Changqing's plan is fully implemented, the war will never last for 8 years.
When Xuanzong heard that Feng Changqing was defeated, he cut off his rank and made him serve in Gao Xianzhi's army in white clothes.Gao Xianzhi appointed Feng Changqing to patrol the left and right armies to help him.While Feng Gao and the others were busy strengthening their defenses, a tragedy happened.
When Gao Xianzhi led the army to march eastward, Bian Lingcheng, the supervisor of the army, suggested several things to Gao Xianzhi.Bian Lingcheng usually doesn't go out of the palace gate, so he doesn't know anything about military affairs.Gao Xianzhi naturally didn't obey, but Bian Lingcheng held a grudge because of it.After Gao Xianzhi retreated to Tongguan, Bian Lingcheng went to the court to play a role, and reported to Xuanzong the defeat of Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, and said: "Changqing used thieves to shake the crowd, but Xianzhi abandoned Shaanxi for hundreds of miles, and then stole and reduced Sergeant rations." ("Zizhi Tongjian Volume 217") means that Feng Changqing exaggerated the power of the bandits and swayed the morale of the army;Xuanzong was already an old man at this time. Years of drinking and sex had anesthetized his thinking. In addition, he was stimulated by the An Lushan Rebellion, and he began to distrust the generals, especially Gao Xianzhi was a Korean. After listening to Bian Lingcheng's one-sided remarks After that, he was furious immediately, and without thinking, he sent Bian Lingcheng to the army to kill Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing.The emperor's stupidity and the eunuch's monopoly became the fundamental reasons why the war situation was always difficult to reverse.
After Feng Changqing's defeat at first, he sent envoys to the court three times to state the situation of the rebels, but Xuanzong did not receive them.Feng Changqing reported the battle situation to Xuanzong, but Xuanzong didn't see it at all.Feng Changqing had no choice but to report to the imperial court on horseback in person. When he traveled to Weinan, he learned that Xuanzong had deprived him of his official title and asked him to return to the army to serve himself as a white robe.Feng Changqing had no choice but to return to Tongguan.At this time, he had already anticipated the coming storm.As a veteran general, he was ready to accept everything that the defeated army would accept, and even wrote a suicide note.Biao said: "Your Majesty is about to die against Biao. Your Majesty may say that you have lied to me after breaking the law; Your Majesty may say that I want to do my best and be loyal. After my death, I hope that Your Majesty will not lighten this thief and never forget my minister." If you say that, you hope that the society will be restored, that the rebels will be defeated, and the minister's wishes will be fulfilled. If you look up to the sky and drink poison, and seal the seal to the sun, you will be a minister who remonstrates with corpses, and will be a ghost of the holy dynasty after death. If you die and know, Must form a grass army before. Go back to the wind, lead the banner of the king's teacher, and fight against the bandits. Life and death rewards kindness, no gratitude, minister Changqing Wuren resigns forever, and the holy generation is deeply saddened." He knew the ministers of the court. Headed by Yang Guozhong, they all believed that An Lushan was arrogant and rebellious, and would fail in a short time, so they specially sent a letter to warn Xuanzong.When Feng Changqing wrote the suicide note, Bian Lingcheng was on his way to Tongguan to kill him.
When Bian Lingcheng arrived at Tongguan, he first called Feng Changqing and announced the imperial edict to him.Feng Changqing said: "Those who are immortal in Changqing can't bear to pollute the country's reputation, be slaughtered by thieves, and rebellion is futile. Death is willing." ("Old Tang Book Volume 104 Feng Changqing Biography") Before he was executed, he handed over the suicide note he had written to Bian Lingcheng, and asked him to present it to Xuanzong, and then calmly executed him.
After Feng Changqing died, his body was placed on a thick mat.Bian Lingcheng immediately ordered Gao Xianzhi to be kidnapped.Gao Xianzhi said: "When I meet a thief, I will retreat immediately. The crime is sure to die, but it is said that I stole the food. How can I do such a thing." Bian Lingcheng said: "Above is the sky, below is the earth, and the soldiers are all there. Don't you know it!" At this time, the recruits who were recruited were all lined up outside, and they trusted Gao Xianzhi very much.Gao Xianzhi had nowhere to appeal, so he had no choice but to say loudly: "I summoned my sons and gentlemen in the capital. Although I got a few things, the attire was not enough. I will fight the thieves with the lords, and then I will be rewarded by high-ranking officials. It doesn't mean that the thieves rely on their mausoleums to attract them." The army has come here, and they also want to stick to Tongguan. If I really have this, your generation will speak the truth; if I don’t have it, your generation will speak in vain." ("Old Tang Book Volume 104 Biography of Gao Xianzhi" ) The soldiers all shouted: "It's useless." The voice shook the sky.But Bian Lingcheng didn't listen.Gao Xianzhi turned to look at Feng Changqing's body, and sighed: "Feng Er, you have always been with me from insignificance to appearance, first introduced you as a judge, then replaced me as Jiedu envoy, and died with you today This, isn't it fate!" After saying that, he was killed.
The enemy is present, but Tongguan is full of grievances, and the general is still alive. This is the saddest and most deplorable place in history.Both Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi were famous generals in the dynasty. They had served as border commanders for many years and had rich combat experience, but in the end they both died for nothing.Xuanzong killed the general because of the eunuch's words, not only self-destructed the Great Wall, but also caused Tang Ting to lose two generals with combat experience, and also caused the morale of the army to be shaken.At that time, Tongguan officers and soldiers complained one after another, but they dared not resist because of the imperial order, but there were many people who were aggrieved in their hearts.It was from this time that the hearts of the people and the army began to diverge, and Datang lost its most precious wealth.The ridiculous thing is that Bian Lingcheng, who was deeply trusted by Xuanzong, surrendered to Anlu Mountain faster than anyone else.
The famous frontier poet Cen Shen served as Feng Changqing's judge.Many of his masterpieces of frontier poems praise Feng Changqing. Heaven. Luntai September wind roars at night, a river of broken stones is as big as a bucket, and the ground is full of stones with the wind. The grass and horses of the Xiongnu are fattening, and the smoke and dust are flying in the west of Jinshan. In the middle of the night, the army marched against each other, the limelight was like a knife, and the face was like a cut. The horse hair was steamed with snow and sweat, the five flowers and even the money were spun into ice, and the grass and inkstone in the curtain were frozen. Don't dare to pick it up, the car master Ximen is standing there to offer victory."
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