From being brave and good at fighting on the border to becoming an accomplice of eunuchs, the process of the fall of the Shence Army is really suffocating. This once invincible ironclad warrior became the master of imperial power for a period of time. They were originally the personal guards of the Son of Heaven, but later they became tools for power and profit. We have to ask: what kind of changes has this army undergone? What kind of conspiracy and power game are hidden behind it? Let's trace the rise and fall of the Divine Army.
The Divine Army was founded and grew
In the thirteenth year of Tang Tianbao (754), a new army was founded in the frontier by Ge Shuhan, which was called the "Shence Army" by later generations. At first, it was only in charge of the border, and the scale was not very large. However, after the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, the Shence Army entered the customs with a large number of border troops to participate in the war, and repeatedly made military exploits and won the appreciation of the Tang Dynasty.
After the rebellion was quelled, the old homeland of the Shence army had been occupied by the Tibetans, and they had to be stationed in Shaanzhou. At that time, the Shaanzhou Festival made Guo Yingyi return to the dynasty as an official, and the Shence Army was entrusted to the eunuch Yu Chaoen to command. Yu Chaoen was incorporated into the Shaanzhou Jiedu Envoy Department, which caused the strength of the Shence Army to soar to more than 10,000 people. In the first year of Guangde (763), the Shence Army escorted the fleeing Emperor Daizong to take refuge in Shaanzhou, and after several performances, he was finally allowed to be promoted to the forbidden army.
During the Dezong period, the Shence Army became the army relied on by the imperial court. In addition to maintaining foreign combat power, it also assumed the responsibility of supervising the feudal domains. In the fourteenth year of the Great Calendar (779), Li Sheng led the Shence army and the feudal soldiers to repel the invasion of Tubo and Nanzhao. During the "Mukden Difficulty" period, the Shence Army was also active on the front line of counterinsurgency and performed outstandingly.
Later, the Shence Army was reorganized into the "Left and Right Shence Army", which had the same establishment as the six armies of the Forbidden Army, and its strength increased sharply due to the incorporation of a large number of feudal soldiers. During the Xianzong Dynasty, all the vassals in the world surrendered one after another, and the country was prosperous, and the Shence Army could be said to have contributed a lot. Since then, the imperial court has paid great attention to the Shence army, giving abundant funds and generous gifts, and the Shence army has grown to hundreds of thousands. This original border army has become the most relied on ace army of the imperial court.
The eunuchs control the interior of the Shence Army
As the status of the Shence Army became more and more important, the eunuchs also set their eyes on this powerful ace army. The eunuchs controlled the military power, which became a major feature of the middle and late Tang Dynasty. For the Shence Army, the eunuchs adopted a two-handed strategy.
On the one hand, they infiltrated the upper echelons of the Shence Army and firmly controlled the power in the army. The important positions such as lieutenants, deputy envoys, and capital judges of the supreme commander of the Shence Army were all held by eunuchs. Even the lower-level staff members, key positions such as judges and Confucius were also touched by the eunuch group. The eunuchs are in control of the Shence army.
On the other hand, the eunuchs also concentrated their efforts on weakening the old power figures in the army. The functions and powers of the "three capitals", such as the important military envoys, the capital Yuhou, and the capital of the Ya, were seriously weakened in the Shence army, and there was no commander at the upper level who could control the whole army. Sandu positions are only set up in exceptional circumstances and have limited powers.
Under the control of the eunuchs, the Shence Army was soon embroiled in the whirlpool of political struggles in the court. Originally, the Shence Army was just a regular army fighting against foreign countries, but it became a tool to help the eunuchs in disputes. In events such as the Manna Revolution and the Wenzong Reform, the Shence Army can be said to have played a regrettable role. Sometimes, the Shence Army even became the target of some feudal towns to kill eunuchs and "Qing Jun Side".
What's even more tragic is that under the control of the eunuchs, there are also signs of decay within the Shence Army. The eunuchs only regarded the Shence Army as a means to gain political capital, but never considered how to improve the combat effectiveness of the Shence Army. With the passage of time, the corruption and degeneration of the Shence army stationed in Beijing became more serious, and it became a hotbed for the sons of gentlemen to seek benefits by virtue of their military ranks.
Excess subsidies lead to corruption and degeneration
In order to ensure the absolute loyalty of the Shence Army, the imperial court gave the Shence Army stationed in Gyeonggi far more favorable treatment than usual. In addition to the high amount of money, the Shence soldiers can also receive a large number of rewards and land, and live a worry-free life. But this kind of excessive spoiling has instead become poison, accelerating the process of corruption and degeneration of the Divine Army.
First of all, the Shence army stationed in the capital has received too many rewards. Some soldiers are as high as thousands of stones, and with other rewards, it is simply rolling money. The sergeants lived in luxury, and there was no shortage of wine and wealth. Over time, these soldiers only knew how to enjoy themselves, but gradually neglected to manage military training.
Second, some officials' sons and daughters also took advantage of the false title of the Shence Army to make personal gains. They rely on their military ranks to collect money and extort money, and live a life no different from that of gentlemen. Naturally, the real sergeants stayed away from these so-called "comrades". Military discipline was lax and the establishment of the contingent was chaotic.
The most serious thing is that these Shence Army, who are drowning in a copper-smelling life, have gradually lost even the most basic combat effectiveness. An ace army that was originally invincible in a hundred battles has been reduced to the point of straw bales and weak force. When the peasant rebel army smashed the capital, the performance of the Shence army could be described as completely devoid of combat strength and could not be defeated.
Such an army naturally lost the trust of the imperial court. In order to restore its glory, the imperial court had to take remedial measures and recruit a large number of feudal soldiers to augment the Shence army. However, due to the mutual containment and infighting between the feudal domains, it was difficult to reconcentrate the strength of the Shence Army. In the end, this calcium Zhao, which was once the imperial court, had to be incorporated into the ranks of the Sixth Army, and it has existed in name only.
The peasant rebel army defeated the Shence army
After the outbreak of the Huangchao Uprising, the rebel army conquered all the way and finally went straight to Chang'an. This is undoubtedly a big test for the Shence Army. However, the performance of this once-ace army at the time was extremely disappointing.
When the rebel army besieged Chang'an City, the Shence Army was ordered to expel it. However, the long-corrupted Shence army was crushed under the onslaught of the rebel army. One by one, the soldiers scattered and fled, throwing off their armor and powerless to fight back. Even the commander of the Divine Army was killed in battle.
Seeing that the Shence army could not resist, Tang Xizong had to lead the pro-army and eunuch guards to flee in panic. Chang'an fell, and the rebel army annexed the imperial city. And the remnants of the shattered Shence Army can only be abandoned by the monarch in Chang'an City.
In the end, the rebel army burned and plundered the city of Chang'an for seven days. And the remnants of the Shence Army were only a few thousand people who fled with Tang Xizong. This proud army, which used to be the pro-army of the Son of Heaven, is now just a plate of loose sand. The heroic division of the year no longer exists, and the decline of the Shence Army can be said to have no room for maneuver at all.
After that, although Tang Xizong regrouped the remnants in Huazhou, and was known as the "Zhaowuwei Army". But that's just a name. In fact, the main force of this "army" is still composed of eunuchs and relatives, and the Shence army is just a foil. For this former ace army, such a level is really a sigh of relief.
In the late Tang Dynasty, the feudal divisions were divided, and the Shence army died out
After the Huangchao Rebellion was put down, although the central power of the Tang Dynasty was re-established, the situation of the division of the feudal domains had begun to emerge. In order to restore centralized power, the imperial court decided to revive the majesty of the ace Shence army.
All of a sudden, a large number of soldiers from all walks of life were incorporated into the Shence Army. Although the number of soldiers is considerable, due to the complex backgrounds and different backgrounds of these soldiers, the sloppy military discipline, and the scattered training, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers naturally cannot be compared with that of the former Shence Army.
What's more serious is that there are still factional disputes within the Shence Army. The soldiers of different feudal towns often formed factions for personal gain, resulting in factional struggles. In order to weaken each other's strength, these factions are even more in control of military power and intrigues.
In this case, the power of the commander of the Shence Army is also weakening. The soldiers of the various feudal towns hid in their strongholds, ignoring the orders of the central commander. The Shence Army, which was once an ace army, has actually become a plate of scattered sand.
The situation of the division of the feudal domains became more and more intense, and in the end, in order to concentrate its forces, the imperial court had to completely disintegrate the Shence Army and merge it into the six armies. Since then, this former ace army has existed in name only and completely disappeared from the stage of history.
The depravity of the Shence Army is certainly suffocating, but it also reflects the shortcomings of the middle and late Tang Dynasty. Due to the inability of the imperial court to unify the military power of the central and local governments, coupled with the constraints of eunuchs and the intensification of feudal separation, this trump card army, which was once the great praise of the imperial court, could not escape the fate of following suit. The demise of the Shence Army symbolized the decline of centralized power and the beginning of the decline of the dynasty.