An Lushan Rebellion

In the later Kaiyuan years, Emperor Xuanzong grew complacent and idle, pursued pleasure, doted on Consort Yang, and appointed Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong as chancellors, and government grew more corrupt. To strengthen frontier defense Tang set up ten military governors on the borders, who gradually held military, administrative and financial power together and kept growing, producing a situation of “strong outside, weak within”. An Lushan, a general of Hu origin and a skilled flatterer, enjoyed Xuanzong's trust, serving as military governor of Pinglu, Fanyang (southwest of present-day Beijing) and Hedong at once, with over 100,000 troops. In 755, on the pretext of punishing the treacherous Yang Guozhong, he rose in revolt at Fanyang with his subordinate Shi Siming, the “An–Shi Rebellion”. The rebels marched south from Hebei and quickly took the Eastern Capital Luoyang, where An Lushan declared himself emperor of Yan. In 756 they broke Tong Pass and Xuanzong fled in haste toward Sichuan; at Mawei Station the escorting troops mutinied, killed Yang Guozhong and forced Xuanzong to order Consort Yang's death. Crown Prince Li Heng took the throne at Lingwu as Emperor Suzong. The rebels soon entered Chang'an. During the suppression, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan held Suiyang and blocked the rebels' southward advance, while Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and others fought bloody battles and recovered Chang'an and Luoyang. The rebels also weakened themselves with killings among father and sons. In 763 Shi Chaoyi was defeated and killed himself, and the rebellion was finally put down. It severely damaged the northern economy and greatly reduced the population, and Tang declined from then on.