Biography of Gao Xianzhi
Gao Xianzhi (?-756) was a native of Goguryeo (which straddles the northeastern region and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula). A famous general in the middle of the Tang Dynasty.
A generation of famous generals who died unjustly
Gao Xianzhi was originally a native of Goguryeo, and his father served as a general in the Tang Dynasty and had outstanding military achievements. Gao Xianzhi is handsome, good at riding horses and archery, brave and good at fighting, and has a decisive personality. When he was a teenager, he followed his father on the expedition and became a general in his twenties, which was the same rank as his father. Later, he was gradually reused by Tang Xuanzong and became a general stationed in the northwest region.
One day, Gao Xianzhi went out with an entourage dressed in fancy clothes, and a man in his thirties asked to be his entourage. Gao Xianzhi saw that this person was ugly, thin and lame, and there was something wrong with his eyes, so he excused himself and said: "My entourage has recruited enough, what are you still doing?" This person said angrily: "I am Gao Yicai, who admires the general, and I am afraid that I will miss talents." Gao Xianzhi still didn't want to accept it. This person waited in front of the door every day, and Gao Xianzhi had no choice but to let him be his entourage. This person is Feng Changqing, very talented, and later became Gao Xianzhi's right-hand man.
There was a rebellion in one tribe, and Gao Xianzhi was ordered to pursue it and won a great victory. Feng Changqing privately prepared a good report for Gao Xianzhi, and wrote the marching route, camping points, enemy and enemy situation, and winning strategy of this battle in a thorough, precise and well-organized manner. What Gao Xianzhi wanted to say, Feng Changqing made it clear for him. Gao Xianzhi was greatly appreciative and reported it directly. At the celebration banquet, two adjutants asked Gao Xianzhi who wrote the report, and Gao Xianzhi said, "It's my entourage Feng Changqing." The two adjutants immediately invited Feng Changqing to sit down and had an intimate conversation with him like an old friend, and everyone was impressed with him from then on. Since then, Feng Changqing has been continuously promoted.
At that time, Tibet on the Tibetan Plateau was growing stronger and more powerful, posing a major threat to the Tang Dynasty's borders. One of the Tang Dynasty's vassal states, the Lesser Bolu Kingdom (present-day northern Kashmir), was surrendered by the Tibetans, who married the princess to the Younger Bolu King. Many small nearby states then surrendered to Tibet and stopped paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty. Tang Xuanzong sent troops to recruit Xiao Bolu many times, but failed to win, so he ordered Gao Xianzhi to lead the army to conquer.
Gao Xianzhi learned the lessons of the previous failures, and believed that Xiaobolu had a dangerous terrain and Tubo as foreign aid, so he could not attack by force, but could only outwit. He first divided his troops into three routes, raided an important stronghold in Tibet, and cut off the vine bridge leading to Xiaobolu in Tibet. Then, Gao Xianzhi sent a vanguard army to say to King Bolu Jr., "We will not attack you, but we will only use the channel to fight other countries. He then designed to kill several chieftains who were close to Tibet. Because the bridge was cut off and the Tibetan reinforcements could not pass, the little Bolu King knew Gao Xianzhi's purpose, so he had to take the Tibetan princess out and surrender. Seventy-two small nearby states were shocked and submitted to the Tang Dynasty.
Two years later, another vassal state betrayed the Tang Dynasty and annexed Tibet. On his second expedition, Gao Xianzhi defeated the Tibetans again and captured the king of this vassal state. At this point, the prestige of the Tang Dynasty in the western region reached its peak, and Gao Xianzhi also reached the peak of honor, and was praised as the "king of the mountains" by Tubo and Dashi.
In 755, the Hu general An Lushan, who was guarding Hebei (most of present-day Hebei Province), rebelled and commanded 150,000 elite soldiers to be invincible. At this time, Feng Changqing was in the capital Chang'an, and Tang Xuanzong was frightened and urgently ordered him to go to Luoyang (now Luoyang City, Henan Province) to recruit troops to meet the battle. Then he appointed Gao Xianzhi as the deputy marshal, and the eunuch Bian Lingcheng as the supervisor of the army, and recruited a group of market disciples, plus a number of miscellaneous troops, totaling 50,000 people.
Feng Changqing recruited 60,000 people in Luoyang, all of whom had no military training, and after the confrontation, he collapsed at the touch of a button, lost several games in a row, and had to retreat. Feng Changqing met Gao Xianzhi in Shaanzhou (present-day Sanmenxia City, Henan Province) and said to him: "The rebels are menacing and unstoppable. At present, Tongguan (in present-day Tongguan County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province) has no troops to defend it, and if it is attacked, Chang'an will not be able to defend it. We should abandon Shaanzhou and rush to Tongguan to garrison it!" Tongguan is the last barrier to the east of Chang'an, and the strategic location is crucial, Gao Xianzhi agreed to his suggestion.
On the way to Gao Xianzhi's evacuation, An Lushan's rebels had already chased after him, and Gao Xianzhi was defeated. After arriving at Tongguan, Gao Xianzhi immediately ordered to strengthen the city defense and make military deployments, but the rebels could not attack for a long time, so they had to retreat. Gao Xianzhi finally blocked the rebels to the east of Tongguan, and the situation of the battle improved.
Bian Lingcheng, the overseer, did not understand military affairs, but he had to intervene in everything, and Gao Xianzhi refused to listen to him. Bian Lingcheng held a grudge and reported to Tang Xuanzong, saying that Feng Changqing had lost one after another, and Gao Xianzhi had deducted his military salary, which was an insult to the holy order. Xuanzong was furious and ordered the two to be executed. Feng Changqing wrote a note, stating the current war situation and coping strategies, reminding Xuanzong not to underestimate the enemy, but he was executed by Bian Lingcheng without waiting for the opportunity to present the battle situation.
Subsequently, Bian Lingcheng led a hundred long knife men to take Gao Xianzhi everywhere to the place where Changqing was killed, and announced his "crime". Gao Xianzhi said to Bian Lingcheng: "I am defeated and retreated, I am indeed guilty, and I will not give up." But it is a false accusation to say that I have withheld military salaries and embezzled rewards. The sky is above, the earth is below, and the soldiers are all here, what is the truth of the matter, don't you know in your heart?"
Then he said to the soldiers: "I recruited you in the capital to lead you to defeat the rebels and receive a reward for your meritorious service! If I am guilty, you can expose it, and if not, you should avenge me." ”
The soldiers shouted "wronged" in unison, and the sound was earth-shattering. Gao Xianzhi said to Feng Changqing's corpse again: "You were promoted by me, and you took over from me as the envoy of the festival, and now we are dying together, isn't it the destiny of heaven?"
Gao Xianzhi guarded the western region for decades, contributing to maintaining border security and strengthening ties with the Western Regions, and the strategy of retreating to Tongguan was undoubtedly correct. Tang Xuanzong believed slander and unjustly killed two experienced generals, which caused the morale of the army to waver and had a serious adverse impact on the pacification of the "Anshi Rebellion".
Biography of Guo Ziyi
Guo Ziyi (697-781) was a native of Zheng County, Huazhou (now Weinan City, Shaanxi Province). Tang Dynasty Zhongxing famous general, military strategist, known as "Guo Linggong".
Recreate the famous generals of China
Guo Ziyi was born in Taiyuan, one of the eight major surname families in the Central Plains, and his father was a magistrate. He was burly and dignified, and in his early years he took the martial arts exams, came out on top, and became a low-ranking officer. Later, he was gradually reused by virtue of his military exploits and became the military governor in the northwest region.
In 755, the "Anshi Rebellion" broke out, and the imperial court ordered Guo Ziyi to stop mourning and lead an army to quell the rebellion. Guo Ziyi immediately regained many cities in Hedong (most of present-day Shanxi Province), and his troops pointed directly at Fanyang (present-day Beijing), the base camp of the rebel general An Lushan. coincided with the Tang Xuanzong forcing the famous general Ge Shuhan, who was guarding Tongguan, to fight, but the Tang army was defeated, Xuanzong fled, and the eastern capital Luoyang and the capital Chang'an fell successively. Soon, Xuanzong's son Tang Suzong succeeded to the throne, appointed Guo Ziyi as prime minister, and was promoted to deputy marshal. Guo Ziyi joined other troops and the Hui army, and regained Chang'an and Luoyang in more than three months, Tang Suzong said gratefully: "Although this is my country, it is rebuilt by you!"
Guo Ziyi made immortal achievements, his prestige increased greatly, and he held heavy troops, which aroused the jealousy of the great eunuch Yu Chaoen and the suspicion of Tang Suzong. Later, Guo Ziyi lost the battle, and Yu Chaoen took the opportunity to slander Su Zong, dismissed him from his military position, and recalled Chang'an to be idle.
After the accession to the throne of Emperor Zong of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court continued to concentrate its main forces against the rebels, and the northwest frontier had no time to take care of it, and the Tibetans on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau took the opportunity to develop eastward. Only half a year after the end of the "Anshi Rebellion", Tubo began to invade the east on a large scale, and the border generals complained to the imperial court, but the eunuchs who controlled the government concealed it and did not report it. When the Tubo army was about to arrive in Chang'an, Tang Dynasty Zong got the news and hurriedly reappointed Guo Ziyi as the deputy marshal and fled from Chang'an by himself. Guo Ziyi took office in a hurry, without an army in his hand, and only temporarily gathered 20 cavalry, while the Tubo army had already occupied Chang'an, and the number was as high as 200,000.
Guo Ziyi was calm and calm, sheltered the scattered soldiers along the way, and finally gathered a team, and the morale of the Tang army slowly rose. Tang Dynasty Zong was worried that Tubo would take advantage of the situation to enter the Central Plains and summoned him for an interview, Guo Ziyi said: "The minister did not recover Chang'an, and he did not have the face to meet His Majesty." As long as I am still here, I will definitely stop the Tubo people from advancing eastward!" When the various units of the Tang Army heard that Guo Ziyi was still there, they all expressed their obedience. Guo Ziyi sent a small force to harass the Tibetan army, beating drums and unfurling flags during the day and lighting torches at night, bluffing. He also sent hundreds of people to beat drums and shout in Chang'an City at night, declaring that Guo Ziyi was about to lead the army to arrive. The Tibetan people were difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction, and they did not dare to act rashly, and they could not bear to be disturbed, so they had to withdraw their troops. Fifteen days after Chang'an was captured, the danger was saved. Tang Dynasty Zong returned to Chang'an and said to Guo Ziyi ashamedly: "I can't use you earlier to make it like this." ”
In 764, the Tibetan general Gu Huai'en rebelled, colluded with the Tubo, Hui, Dangxiang and other ministries, and led hundreds of thousands of troops to invade. Tang Dynasty Zong asked Guo Ziyi what to do, Guo Ziyi said: "Although Fugu Huaien is brave and good at fighting, he is unpopular. His subordinates are all old subordinates of the ministers, will they bear to attack the ministers?" Fugu Huaien sent people to challenge, and the generals all asked to attack, Guo Ziyi stopped them and said: "The enemy has penetrated deep into our realm, and it is beneficial for them to fight quickly, and we don't have to fight with them to win." My men have long been blessed by me, and if they delay a little time, they will be shaken. If they were forced to fight immediately, victory or defeat would be uncertain. If you dare to say that you will go to war, military law will do it!" Guo Ziyi adopted the strategy of holding on, and the rebels really wavered and retreated on their own.
In 765, Fugu Huaien lied that the Tang Emperor and Guo Ziyi had died, and once again united with the Tubo, Hui and other departments, leading an army of 300,000 to make a comeback, and the troops were directed at Chang'an, and the Tang Dynasty Emperor hurriedly ordered Guo Ziyi to guard the military stronghold Jingyang (now Jingyang County, Shaanxi Province). At that time, Jingyang City was surrounded by regiments, Guo Ziyi led 2,000 cavalry to fight with them, and the Hui army knew that Guo Ziyi was not dead, and said in surprise: "Fugu Huaien said that the Tang Emperor and Guo Linggong have died, and he deceived us." ”
Guo Ziyi sent someone to say to them: "Back then, I helped the Tang Dynasty to quell the Anshi Rebellion, and I fought side by side with you, and I will never forget." How foolish it is that now you are treacherous and helping traitors! Besides, if you betray the monarch and abandon your mother, can you do Hui Hui well?"
The Hui people asked to meet Guo Ziyi, and the generals thought that the Hui people should not be trusted, but Guo Ziyi said: "The enemy's strength is dozens of times that of our army, and we cannot match it." Sincerity can move the gods, let alone the Hui people?" So, with only a few followers, he calmly walked up to the Hui people, took off his helmet and comforted them, saying, "Everyone is okay? We have been loyal to each other for a long time, so why fight?"
Guo Ziyi's prestige was extremely high, and he was regarded as a father by the Hui soldiers, and the Hui people saw that it was indeed Guo Ziyi, threw away the weapon, jumped off the warhorse, knelt down and said, "It's really our father!" It happened that Fugu Huaien fell ill and died, and the Hui people accepted Guo Ziyi's suggestion and attacked Tibet. The Tibetans withdrew overnight, and the Tang army and the Hui army pursued closely, annihilating 60,000 Tubo and winning a complete victory. For the sake of national stability, Guo Ziyi risked his life to go into the tiger's den alone, divided the invading enemies with high prestige, and once again saved the precarious Tang Dynasty.
In 781, Guo Ziyi died of illness at the age of eighty-five. Tang Dezong issued an edict that spoke highly of Guo Ziyi and reiterated that he had the merit of "rebuilding China".
This article is excerpted from "Twenty-four Histories Read Now, Language and History Are Progressing" - the eighth volume of "Old Tang Book", which is officially authorized to be published, welcome to continue to pay attention.