In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the situation of eunuchs' monopoly of power was very serious, and they even dared to murder the emperor and depose the emperor. However, before that, the Tang Dynasty still had some meritorious eunuchs. For example, during the tang xuanzong period, the fiercest eunuch in the history of the Tang dynasty appeared. It is said that he is "fierce" not only because this person is brave and good at war and has made many achievements in battle, but also has something to do with one of his behaviors, that is, he actually dares to eat human flesh! So, who is this fierce eunuch?
This person's name is Yang Sixun, his original surname is Su, and he is a native of Shicheng, Luozhou. Yang Sixun was born into the local Hao clan, and his ancestors had been the leader of Luozhou for generations, and he was canonized by the Tang Dynasty court. However, in 659, there was a rebellion in the local reactionary imperial court, and Yang Sixun's father Su Li was also involved in it, and was later executed by the Tang Dynasty. Although Yang Sixun, who was still a child, was not killed, he was plundered to Chang'an City, castrated to become a eunuch in the palace, and because he was raised by a eunuch surnamed Yang, he changed his surname to Yang.
Don't look at Yang Sixun as a eunuch, but he is very brave and martial, "with strength, cruel and easy to kill." In 707, the forbidden general Li Duozuo assisted the crown prince Li Chongjun in launching the "Jinglong Coup", but it was eventually pacified. During this period, Yang Sixun was credited with suppressing rebellion, "super worshiping Yin qingguang lu doctor, and constantly serving within the industry". After experiencing the rule of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Wu Zetian, and Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Yang Sixun finally ushered in the emperor who changed his life, and this person was Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang!
In 710, Yang Sixun followed Li Longji, the king of Linzi County, in launching the "Tanglong Coup", eliminating Empress Wei and her henchmen, and from then on became a confidant of Tang Xuanzong and served as a general of the Right Guard. In the early years of the new century, a rebellion broke out in the south, and Mei Xuancheng, the leader of Annam, called himself the "Black Emperor", "citing the people of the thirty-two states, the foreign countries of Linyi, Chenla, Jinlin and other countries, according to Hainan, the number of 400,000.". Yang Sixun took the initiative to ask for help, gathered 100,000 people in Lingnan, and then launched an attack unexpectedly, destroying the rebels in one fell swoop.
In the twelfth year of the new century, the Wuxi chiefTain Qin Xingzhang rebelled, and Yang Sixun was appointed as an envoy to Qianzhong, "leading 60,000 troops to go, executing the chapter, and beheading 30,000 ranks." Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was very happy and made Yang Sixun a great general of the Auxiliary State, "giving Lu Feng and defending the cabinet". The following year, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang held a ceremony to seal Zen at Mount Taishan, and Yang Sixun "entered the great general of the Horse Riding and was enfeoffed as the Duke of Yu". In the history of the Tang Dynasty, Yang Sixun was the first eunuch to be made a duke by virtue of his military achievements!
In the fourteenth year of the new century, there was another rebellion in the south, and "the thief Liang Dahai of Yongzhou rebelled against Binbin and Hengzhou." Tang Xuanzong once again sent Yang Sixun on the expedition, and as a result, "more than 3,000 people such as Liang Dahai were captured, more than 20,000 ranks of the remaining party were beheaded, and the corpses were restored to The Jingguan." Two years later, a large-scale rebellion broke out in the south, and "the leaders of Taki Prefecture, Chen Xingfan, He Youlu, Feng Xuan, and others, rebelled and trapped more than forty cities", and they also called themselves Tianzi and established a political power in a vain attempt to divide the Lingnan region.
Yang Sixun was ordered to lead "Yong, Company, Dao and other soldiers and 100,000 crossbowmen from Huainan to enter the battle." In the Battle of Takizhou, the Tang dynasty army won a complete victory and killed He Youlu and Feng Xuan. Later, he launched a pursuit of Chen Xingfan, who fled, and captured him in one fell swoop, "beheading his party by 60,000 ranks and obtaining a huge number of mouths and horses." Yang Sixun made great military achievements for the Tang Dynasty in his lifetime, which was later summarized as "200,000 grades, 81 in Beijing".
In addition, Yang Sixun was a very cruel person, often torturing and killing prisoners of war, "if you get prisoners, you will peel off your face, scratch your head, and tuck your hair to show people", even the Tang Dynasty generals felt very terrible, "looking at the wind and fearing, do not dare to look up." In 739, the eunuch Niu Xiantong accepted bribes from local officials, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was furious and sent Yang Sixun to put him to death. Yang Sixun tied up the cow fairy boy for several days, and then "probed his heart, cut off his hands and siblings", and "cut off the meat to eat, and the meat will die". That is to say, niu xiantong was eaten by Yang Sixun. The following year, Yang Sixun died of illness in Chang'an at the age of eighty-seven.
References: 1. Old Book of Tang, 2. New Book of Tang, 3. Epitaph of Yang Sixun