Dynasties of ChinaTang dynastyTang dynasty lineage
Zhide and others · Reign 756—762
Suzong took the throne at Lingwu during the An Lushan Rebellion. With Uyghur assistance, Tang forces retook both capitals; court eunuchs also began to gain control of the imperial guards.
Li Heng, whose original name was Li Sisheng, was the third son of Xuanzong. In 738, he succeeded the deposed Crown Prince Li Ying and became the Crown Prince. Since then, Li Linfu, the prime minister of power, repeatedly went to jail in an attempt to shake his position. He successively abandoned Concubine Wei and Du Liangdi in order to protect himself, and was cautious in everything. After the Maweiyi mutiny in 756, he separated from Xuanzong and went north to Shuofang. In July, he ascended the throne in Lingwu, changed the Yuan Dynasty to Zhide, and respected Xuanzong as the Retired Emperor.
After taking the throne, he used Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi as his main generals and borrowed troops from Huihe. In 757, his eldest son, Prince of Guangping Li Chu, led the army to regain Chang'an and Luoyang. But he was eager for success. In 758, he ordered the Jiujiedu envoys to besiege Yecheng without setting up a commander, and used the eunuch Yu Chaoen to supervise the army. The following year, he was defeated. Shi Siming fell into Luoyang again, and the war continued. He doted on the eunuch Li Fuguo, allowing him to control the imperial army, interfere in government affairs, and condone Zhangzhuangzhou's manipulation of power. Shortly after Xuanzong's death in April 762, he died of illness amid the shock of a palace coup.
PoliticsEstablished as Crown Prince
The previous year, Xuanzong believed Concubine Wu Hui's slander and deposed and killed Crown Prince Li Ying and other three princes. After the death of Concubine Wu Hui, Gao Lishi suggested "promoting the long-term establishment", so Xuanzong established the elder loyal king Li Yu as Crown Prince, later Li Heng.
PoliticsLingwu ascended the throne
After the mutiny at Mawei, local elders urged the crown prince to stay and fight the rebels. He parted from Xuanzong and travelled north, taking the throne at Lingwu in the seventh lunar month. He adopted the era name Zhide, honored Xuanzong as retired emperor and called for forces to support the court.
MilitaryRecover the two capitals
In the first lunar month, An Lushan was killed by his son An Qingxu. In the ninth month, Prince Li Chu and his deputy Guo Ziyi led Tang and Uyghur forces to defeat the rebels at Xiangji Temple and retake Chang'an. Luoyang was recovered in the tenth month; An Qingxu withdrew to Yecheng.
PeopleLi Bai Exiles Yelang
Li Bai was summoned to the shogunate by Yongwang Li Linzhi. In 757, King Yong was exterminated for leading troops eastward without authorization. Li Bai was convicted and imprisoned, and was later exiled to Yelang. In 759, he traveled to Baidi City and was pardoned, writing "A thousand miles of Jiangling is returned in one day."
EconomyDiscussing Salt and Making Big Money
In order to raise military expenditures, Wu Qi implemented the salt law, whereby the government purchased salt and sold it at a higher price. Salt profits became an important financial source for the court. He also minted "Qianyuan Chongbao" for one to ten, and the following year minted heavy coins for one to fifty, causing prices to skyrocket.
CultureYan Zhenqing's book in memory of his nephew
Yan Zhenqing's elder brother Yan Gaoqing and nephew Yan Jiming were martyred while fighting against An Lushan in Changshan. In 758, Yan Zhenqing found his nephew's skull. In grief and anger, he wrote a draft of the memorial service. The paper was covered with redactions and became majestic, which is called the "Nephew Memorial Service Manuscript".
Lasting legacyThe original manuscript of "Manuscript for Memorials to My Nephew" is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. It is known as "the second running script in the world".
MilitaryDefeat of Yecheng
The Nine-Jiedu Envoy claimed that an army of 600,000 troops besieged Anqingxu in Yecheng. Since there was no commander and the eunuch Yu Chaoen was appointed as the envoy to watch the army, the orders were inconsistent. In March, Shi Siming's reinforcements arrived and the Tang army was defeated. Shi Siming immediately killed An Qingxu and fell into Luoyang in September.
CultureThree officials and three farewells
After the defeat of Yecheng, the imperial court recruited young men from all over the country to supplement its troops. Du Fu witnessed the tragic situation and wrote "Xin'an Officials", "Shihao Officials", "Tongguan Officials" and "Newlywed Farewell", "Elderly Farewell" and "Homeless Farewell". Later generations called his poems "the history of poetry".
Lasting legacyDu Fu entered Shu in the winter of this year, and the following year he built a thatched cottage by the Huanhua River in Chengdu. Today, Du Fu's thatched cottage in Chengdu is the memorial site of his former residence.
PoliticsForcing the emperor to move
The eunuch Li Fuguo controlled the imperial army and had power over the government and the opposition. All the chief minister's actions had to go through his hands. In July, he forced the Retired Emperor to move from Xingqing Palace to Xinei in the name of Suzong and exiled Gao Lishi. Suzong did not stop him due to illness.
PoliticsDied of uterine disease
In April, Xuanzong passed away and Suzong became seriously ill. Zhanghuanghou conspired to summon King Yue and Li Xi to kill Li Fuguo, but the incident was revealed. Li Fuguo and Cheng Yuanzhen led their troops into the palace, imprisoned Zhanghuanghou and killed King Yue. Suzong died of illness two days later, and Crown Prince Li Yu ascended the throne.
Suzong was the trusted eunuch of the Crown Prince. Due to his meritorious service in Lingwu support, he took control of the imperial army, marking the beginning of the monopoly of eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty. After Daizong ascended the throne, he was assassinated at home.
In An Lushan Rebellion, he commanded Shuofang's army and joined forces with the Uighur troops to regain the two capitals, ranking first in success. Suzong praised him as "my country will be rebuilt by you."
Khitan, as famous as Guo Ziyi. In 757, with less than 10,000 people, he held on to Taiyuan and defeated Shi Siming and other 100,000 troops. Later, he defeated Shi Siming repeatedly in Heyang.
Known as a child prodigy in his early years, Suzong participated in secrets as a commoner after he ascended the throne. It was suggested to take Fan Yang first and destroy the rebel nest, but it was not adopted.