The man who made the world tremble saved Datang.
On December 15, 755, outside the gate of Chang'an City, a horse galloped forward.
The knight held the gold medal in his hand, held it high, and shouted in his mouth: Eight hundred miles plus urgent! The Royal Golden Medal, the obstruction dies, the contrarian dies!
Pedestrians avoided it, startling up a trail of smoke and dust.
At this time in the Huaqing Palace, it was the time when the Hibiscus tent was warm.
Li Longji, the Tang Xuanzong who had returned to His senses in the Spring Supper moment, was angry.
Since the beginning of the New Century, the world has been peaceful for forty-two years, what is worth such a fuss?
Until he heard a name from the population that was almost about to vomit blood:
"Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong three towns jiedushi an Lushan, leading an army of 200,000, the opposite!"
The seriousness of the matter far exceeded Li Longji's imagination.
Figure | Internet
An Lushan's army went all the way to the west, Hebei and Shanxi fell all the way, and went straight to Chang'an.
At that time, An Lushan's army claimed to be 200,000, while the central standing army was only 120,000.
The rebels have been fighting on the border for many years, and the Central Army has been at peace for a long time, and its armament is abandoned.
It was a confrontation that was doomed to failure.
Chang'an is in danger, who can save the crumbling Tang Dynasty?
Figure | Chang'an City was in danger
In Ningxia, a man named Guo Ziyi also received a call for rescue.
Due to the death of his mother, the fifty-nine-year-old Guo Ziyi is guarding filial piety.
The only highlight moment in the first half of his life was that he was admitted to the Wu Zhuangyuan of the Tang Dynasty.
In the next thirty years, he went all the way from a grassroots officer to a high-profile officer, and did not fight any famous battles, that is, he became a military boss with pure seniority.
But some people, destined to be heroes, often just lack a moment.
Now, the time has come.
The great husband, he will turn the tide of the tide, and help the building to fall!
In the next thirty years, his name will resound throughout the Tang Dynasty.
Guo Ziyi, let the world tremble for it!
Figure | Historical portrait of Guo Ziyi
As soon as Guo Ziyi struck, he completely reversed the situation.
At that time, An Lushan had already captured the eastern capital Luoyang and established himself as the "Emperor of Great Yan".
His soldiers and horses had already encircled Tongguan, the last line of defense of Chang'an City.
Figure | Chang'an City fell
Guo Ziyi was in Inner Mongolia, knowing that the distant water could not save the nearby fire, and his strategy was to "encircle Wei and save Zhao" and go straight to Fanyang, the base camp of An Lushan.
Along the way, the army led by Guo Ziyi recaptured Shanxi and Hebei, and the rebels in Shandong, Henan and other places also responded.
Even An Lushan's elder brother Shi Siming was beaten by Guo Ziyi.
Guo Ziyi's army and the imperial court army have formed a two-sided attack, as long as the imperial court holds Tongguan, Guo Ziyi will break Fan Yang.
The anshi rebellion can be determined.
Figure | Anshi Chaos History Painting
Unfortunately, there are unpredictable storms in the sky, and people are afraid of pig teammates around them.
Seeing that victory was at his fingertips, Tang Xuanzong's anger came up—he longed to see the head of An Lushan the next day.
He ordered the Tongguan guards to take the initiative to attack, but they were completely unaware of the gap between the enemy and us.
The Tang army, which had left the protection of the city wall, shook the tree like a grasshopper, and was crushed by An Lushan with the power of destruction and decay.
Tongguan fell, and Tang Xuanzong, who heard the news, actually escaped overnight.
The Heavenly Son of the Tang Empire, the Heavenly Khan who surrendered in all directions, was frightened and trembled.
The most prosperous city in the world, the ancient capital of Chang'an, where countless people are haunted, has become a paradise for bandits to burn and plunder.
What a shame, what a tragedy.
Countless People of Datang have such a question: Datang, is there any salvation?
The answer given by Guo Ziyi is, yes.
Witnessing the victory in his hand turn into nothing, Guo Ziyi had no choice but to hesitate for half a minute and turned his head to Lingwu.
There, the newly enthroned crown prince, is now Emperor Suzong.
Figure | Historical portrait of Emperor Suzong of Tang
He knew that when the new emperor ascended the throne, he must have some ambition.
The encounter between these two people is like Zhuge Liang meeting Liu Bei, a match made in heaven.
Guo Ziyi, who had just arrived in Lingwu, was enfeoffed with the title of Shangshu of the Bingbu And tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (equivalent to the prime minister) - this is already the peak of a martial artist.
In later generations, there will be no more Wu Zhuangyuan who can sit in the position of prime minister.
Guo Ziyi also proved herself and is a trustworthy person.
Seeing that his colleagues suffered a fiasco because they were eager to make achievements, the first trait of Guo Ziyi's life was revealed:
He was a patient to the point of being "outrageous".
He spent half a year doing almost nothing, that is, to rectify the discipline, combat strength, and logistics of the army.
Then he sent troops to retake Tongguan, the place where the humiliation of the Tang Dynasty began.
This also means that the retreat of the Chang'an rebels has been cut off.
The only thing Guo Ziyi needs to do is wait.
As a result, the opportunity was really waited for by him.
The rebels were actually in civil unrest - An Lushan was killed by his son, and Shi Siming and his nephew turned against each other.
The timing was fleeting, and Guo Ziyi caught it.
The soldiers and horses immediately set off, and with lightning speed and unconcealed ears, like the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves, cleared the Yangguan Avenue to Chang'an.
The Chang'an garrison collapsed with one blow.
On the day of returning to Chang'an again, hundreds of people shed tears: I did not expect that we would have another day to see the Tang army.
Tang Suzong, who was far away, also wept with joy at the Zongmiao Temple, and then returned to Chang'an with the imperial court.
Chang'an was recovered, and the future of Datang reappeared.
When meeting Guo Ziyi, Tang Suzong said the famous line: Although my home country is really recreated by Qing.
Indeed, this is true - the sky does not give birth to Guo Ziyi, and the Tang Dynasty may have long become history.
At this moment, he is the first military god of the Tang Dynasty.
Figure | Guo Ziyi stills
But no one thought that Guo Ziyi, who saved the Tang Dynasty, was almost destroyed by a eunuch.
The eunuch's name is Yu Chao'en.
Figure | Portrait of Yu Chao'en
It was as if he had been born to add to Guo Ziyi's blockage.
Although Chang'an has been recaptured, the rebel army is still powerful.
Emperor Suzong of Tang then dispatched Hundreds of thousands of allied troops, including Guo Ziyi and other envoys of the Nine Roads Festival, to sweep away the remnants.
However, the emperor made a decision that made people cry and laugh--the large army did not have a marshal, and the emissaries did not subordinate to each other, but instead let the eunuch Yu Zhao'en serve as a supervisor.
This confused decision made Datang swallow the bitter fruit of failure.
Originally, relying on Guo Ziyi's strategy of defeat, the coalition army killed tens of thousands of rebels successively, and finally surrounded the rebels in Xiangzhou City, and victory was at hand.
However, because the generals fought their own battles, And Yu Zhao'en, who was nominally able to command, did not know the military, the Tang army besieged the city for four months, but still could not capture a small Xiangzhou city.
Instead, the rebels waited for reinforcements to arrive.
When the great war came, due to a sudden wind and sand, the two sides were both defeated and injured in the chaotic battle, and the Tang army, which was worried about being caught between the front and the back, had to retreat to Luoyang.
The opportunity to end the Anshi Rebellion was once again missed.
It is reasonable to say that the defeat of this war can be blamed on the employment of the central authorities, or on the lack of justice.
But no one expected that Yu Chao'en had pressed the charge of ineffective combat on Guo Ziyi's head—what was even more absurd was that the emperor actually believed it.
Therefore, Guo Ziyi, who had the "grace of reconstruction" for the Tang Dynasty, was asked to surrender his military power and return to Chang'an.
In a chaotic world, the "barrel of a gun" is the capital for survival.
As a military boss, Guo Ziyi can find an excuse at will and continue to "support the army and respect himself" in the local area.
Instead, he returned to Chang'an, an old man with no reputation, who could only be reduced to fish on the chopping board and slaughtered.
How will Guo Ziyi choose?
At this moment, the second quality of Guo Ziyi's life was fully displayed at this time:
He never loved power.
Fame and fortune are like floating clouds to me, only a heart of blood, a heart of a child, the sun and the moon can be learned!
The day after receiving the holy will, Guo Ziyi did not say a word and set off for Beijing.
He didn't yet know what ugly reality he was facing.
Figure | Guo Ziyi
Guo Ziyi, who returned to the capital, became a "soft bone" for others to grasp.
At the beginning, it was Guo Ziyi's hit nemesis - Yu Chao'en.
For the first time, the Tang army even suffered defeat, and even the eastern capital Luoyang fell back into the hands of the rebels, and the pressure came to the side of the Tang.
Guo Ziyi was appointed as the emissary of the two towns and was about to leave the mountain.
Yu Chao'en recalled the old "pass" and accused Guo Ziyi of his past "failure", so the appointment was shelved.
The second time, the courtiers came forward one after another, asking Guo Ziyi to lead the troops to quell the rebellion, so Tang Suzong ordered Guo Ziyi to regain control of Shuaiyin and recruit the rebels.
The only favored fish, Chao'en, directly intercepted the holy will.
The emperor did not make a sound, and the courtiers did not dare to speak out.
Guo Ziyi, who knows nothing about this, only silently bears this unfairness.
Later, Yu Chao'en died, and it was another eunuch, Cheng Yuanzhen.
Figure | Portrait of Cheng Yuanzhen
At that time, When Emperor Suzong died and the new emperor ascended the throne, Guo Ziyi was appointed as an envoy to the mountain tombs— working as a supervisor at the construction site of Suzong's tomb.
You know, at this time, Guo Ziyi is already a sixty-six-year-old man.
In the year of Hua Jia, even if there is still incorruptible courage, it can only be reduced to a "toy" in the hands of a traitor?
Guo Ziyi had no choice.
The so-called "brave to shake the lord is in danger, and those who cover the world are not rewarded", and he who is in a suspicious place can only be silent.
However, if it does not erupt in silence, it perishes in silence.
He is not in love with power, so it is not impossible to enjoy the fun of his old age at home.
He has patience, and silence is a matter of obscurity and accumulation.
Someday, when Datang needs Guo Ziyi.
He will prove once again that the First Military God of the Tang Dynasty is not a vain name.
Guo Ziyi did not miss any opportunity to save Datang in the future.
In 763, Tubo saw that the Tang Dynasty was weak, and attacked Chang'an with 100,000 horses, and Emperor Daizong fled.
When there was no choice, it was Guo Ziyi again.
He collected the fleeing Tang army, then beat drums during the day and lit fires at night, and with thousands of troops, he scared back 100,000 Tubo troops, and Chang'an was restored again.
This year's Guo Ziyi, sixty-six years old.
In 765, Tubo and Hui invaded again, and Guo Ziyi was trapped in Jingyang.
The night of the dark wind high killing night, Guo Ziyi made a decision that surprised countless people.
With dozens of his own soldiers, he walked into Hui's camp and single-handedly persuaded Hui to turn around the gun.
Instead, it was the Tubo people, who were beaten and rolled urine.
This year,Guo Ziyi, sixty-eight years old.
In 767, the envoys of Tonghua Jiedu made Zhou Zhiguang fly around, not only killing officials hand-picked by the imperial court, but also plundering the grain and grass of the imperial court in preparation for rebellion.
The emperor issued a secret decree to let Guo Ziyi pacify Zhou Zhiguang.
Guo Ziyi then sent a large army, but before the army arrived, Zhou Zhiguang's subordinates heard the name and actually killed Zhou Zhiguang first and chose to surrender.
This year's Guo Ziyi, seventy years old.
Veterans do not die, Datang lives forever!
Since then, Guo Ziyi has not been left out in the cold.
He had thought about returning to his hometown, but the emperor refused, and he did not insist on it.
Whenever there was a border chaos, the emperor would think of Guo Ziyi for the first time.
Guo Ziyi, who is already more than an old rarity, still grits his teeth every time and comes to the front line in person.
The emissaries of the town were afraid of him, the Tubo people were afraid of him, and the Hui people were also afraid of him.
People inside and outside Datang know that as long as Guo Ziyi is still in one day, Datang will always be safe.
At this moment, Guo Ziyi is the only designated reassuring pill of Datang.
Figure | Tang Dynasty after the Anshi Rebellion
In 781, the eighty-four-year-old Guo Ziyi became seriously ill.
The emperor sent people to comfort him, and the great general who used to be a sword and a sword was now unable to get up, and could only prostrate his head with his hands on the bed to show his gratitude.
It wasn't long before he died.
On the day of his death, the emperor declared the abrogation of the dynasty for five days.
According to the grade, Guo Ziyi's grave should be one zhang and eight feet high, and the emperor ordered that another zhang be added.
Before his death, he was honored as "Shang Father" and a very popular subject; after his death, he was nicknamed "Zhongwu" and buried with the imperial tomb, which was also the top treatment of the warriors.
When people commented on him, "The power of the world is not jealous, and the master is not doubtful after a generation."
Zeng Guofan regarded him as his idol, believing that no matter whether he was a man, a courtier, or a father, Guo Ziyi had achieved the ultimate.
His life was simply perfect.
Figure | Tomb of Guo Ziyi
It's just that for Guo Ziyi himself, there are still regrets.
His efforts have been failed again and again.
Because of the impulse of the emperor and the incompetence of his colleagues, the Anshi Rebellion was stretched for seven years before it was finally put down.
How many people have been displaced, and how many subordinates have lost their lives as a result?
His loyalty was questioned again and again.
Just a few words from the eunuchs around him, he was dismissed from the military power again and again.
As a result, Guo Ziyi had to move out of the mountain of folds and letters, and he had to give up all his power and hide in the small building to show his loyalty to the emperor.
Most importantly, the Tang Dynasty he had guarded all his life was destroyed after all.
The Anshi Rebellion subsided, and the rebels of the past, just because of surrender, continued to sit on one side of the military power.
On the contrary, it is a piece of enthusiastic Guo Ziyi, but it is floating and sinking several times, full of constraints.
He could only resist the enemy, but he was powerless to change the decline of the empire.
A hundred years after Guo Ziyi's death, The Tang Dynasty died at the hands of Zhu Wen, a warrior of the fanzhen.
The same surrendered rebels, the same one side of the division of the town.
The difference is that there is no longer a Guo Ziyi who can help Datang turn the tide.
Resources:
1. Old Book of Tang and Biography of Guo Ziyi
2. New Book of Tang and Biography of Guo Ziyi
3. Reinventing the Tang Dynasty: Guo Ziyi by Wang Junliang
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