The life of Gao Xianzhi, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty?

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month of the tenth year of Tianbao (751), Gao Xianzhi entered the court and presented the captured Tuqi Shi Khan, the Tubo chief, King Shi, and King Xu Shi. When Na Juchebi arrived at Kaiyuanmen in the northwest of Chang'an, he was killed by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Yibo Khan was also executed. Xuanzong granted Gao Xianzhi the title of Three Divisions of Kaifu Yitong for his outstanding achievements. Probably not long after, Tang Xuanzong saw through the details of Gao Xianzhi's Western Expedition, accommodated Gao Xianzhi, and did not punish him. Therefore, although Gao Xianzhi and his men contributed to the destruction of the country, they did not receive heavy rewards. Soon, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty appointed Gao Xianzhi as the prefect of Wuwei, and appointed An Sishun as the military governor of Hexi Province in order to transfer him away from the Western Regions. However, An Sishun sarcastically advised his subordinates to "cut off their ears and slap their faces" to stay together. At this time, the supervisory censor Pei Zhounan also submitted a report, so the order could not be implemented, so he was appointed General You Yulin.

Due to Gao Xianzhi’s series of wrong actions, the prestige of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions was greatly reduced, and "the Western Regions were dissatisfied." The prince of Shiguo fled to the Zhuhu tribe and told Hu Zhaowu about Gao Xianzhi's deception, corruption and violence. The Hu tribes were furious and secretly united with the Dashi Kingdom to attack the four towns of Anxi. Dashi then used this as an excuse to implement its expansion plan.

After Gao Xianzhi learned of the incident, he felt uneasy and decided to strike preemptively. In April, Gao Xianzhi personally led 30,000 Tibetan and Han soldiers to attack Dashi. The Tang army penetrated more than 700 miles into the border of Dashi country and encountered the Dashi army in Talas City (also known as Zuluosi, today's Zhambul City in the southeast of Kazakhstan) (see Battle of Talas). Although the Tang army was at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, due to Gao Xianzhi's good command, the two sides fought fiercely for five days without a victory. However, at an important moment of the stalemate between the two sides, the Geluolu tribe in the Tang army suddenly rebelled and attacked the Tang army with Dashi in front and back. Gao Xianzhi was defeated and escaped at night. Due to the obstruction of the road, Bahan's tribe blocked the way in front, and people and horses blocked the road. Fortunately, General Li Siye of the Right Weiwei raised his stick and opened a bloody path for him, and he was able to escape. In this battle, almost all the soldiers died, and Gao Xianzhi only led thousands of people to escape.

From a military perspective, the Battle of Talas was just an ordinary battle in the history of Chinese wars, but it had a significant impact on the world structure at that time. The failure of the Tang army caused the Tang Dynasty to lose all its Jisi prefectures in Central Asia. The elite soldiers under the Anxi Protectorate suffered heavy casualties, and only a few of them were left. In the days to come, they would only be able to parry against the invading enemies, but would no longer be able to fight back. The Tang Dynasty's orders no longer went west out of the Ili River. Soon, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, and Tang Dynasty no longer had time to take care of Central Asia. Not only that, the Tang Dynasty also recruited elite soldiers from the Western Regions to join the Guan Qinwang, and transferred another 7,000 people from Beiting and Anxi. Only some old, weak, sick and disabled people were left to guard the west, so they had to rely on the emerging Uighur Kingdom to barely support the endgame. Later, Tufan and Ge Luolu joined forces and first captured the Beiting Protectorate. Soon, Tubo alone captured Anxi, and the Tang Dynasty completely withdrew from the Western Regions. At the end of the eighth century, the Uighur Khanate became powerful. It conquered Geluolu north of the Tianshan Mountains and drove away the Tibetans south of the Tianshan Mountains. Its power reached as far as Suiye, and the Western Region finally belonged to the Uighur Khanate. The Battle of Talas also had a great impact on Dashi. After conquering the Central Asian countries, Dashi imposed heavy taxes and greatly increased its economic strength, laying the foundation for its continued expansion. At the same time, there were papermaking craftsmen among the captured Tang troops, and papermaking technology was introduced to the West.

After the Battle of Talos, Gao Xianzhi was relieved of his post as the Jiedushi of the Four Towns of Anxi and went to Beijing as General Youjinwu. The post of Jiedushi was held by Wang Zhengjian. In the eleventh year of Tianbao (752), Wang Zhengjian died and Changqing was granted the title of Jiedushi. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), Gao Xianzhi was named the Duke of Fengmiyun County.

During the Tianbao period, amid the prosperity of singing and dancing, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty became complacent and unwilling to interfere in political affairs. He entrusted the government to treacherous people such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong. He indulged in pleasure and the politics became increasingly corrupt. On the ninth day of November in the fourteenth year of Tianbao, in the name of attacking Yang Guozhong, Anlu Mountain sent 150,000 troops from Fanyang (southwest of today's Beijing), claiming to be 200,000, and went south to rebel against the Tang Dynasty and attack Luoyang and Chang'an (now Xi'an) (see Fan Yang raise troops). There has been no war in the Central Plains for many years. Many counties and counties have no troops available and no preparations for emergencies. When local officials heard that the rebels were coming, they either abandoned the city and fled, or opened their doors to welcome them. The An army drove southward and encountered little resistance, and quickly occupied most of the area north of the Yellow River. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was frightened and sent Feng Changqing, the envoy of Anxi Jiedu who came to Beijing to meet with him, and rushed to Luoyang to recruit troops to fight. He also hurriedly deployed a comprehensive defense against Anlu Mountain: he appointed Guo Ziyi as the governor of Shuofang, General Wang Chengye of You Yulin as the Yin of Taiyuan, Wei Weiqing Zhang Jieran as the governor of Henan, and Cheng Qianli as the governor of Lu; he appointed Rong Wang Li Wan as the governor. Marshal Gao Xianzhi was the deputy marshal and led Feiqi, Yiqi and Shuofang, Hexi, Longyou and other soldiers. He also spent money from the ban to recruit Guanfu new soldiers, totaling 50,000 people. On December 1, Gao Xianzhi set out from Chang'an. Xuanzong personally held a banquet for King Rong and Gao Xianzhi at Qinzheng Tower, and then went to Wangchunting to see them off. He also ordered Bian Lingcheng to supervise the army and enter Shaanxi County (to govern Shaanxi Province). City, now west of Sanmenxia City, Henan Province).

In December, An Lushan led his troops to cross the Yellow River from Lingchang (now east of Huaxian County, Henan Province). Since the rebels are all elite troops, they are invincible wherever they go. Although Feng Changqing was good at using troops, the soldiers he recruited were all ordinary people who were unable to fight against the rebels. He lost consecutive battles and the rebels soon captured Luoyang (see the battle of the An army to capture Dongdu). When Feng Changqing led the remaining troops to guard Shaanxi County late, Dou Tingzhi, the governor of Shaanxi County, had fled to Hedong, and all the officials and people in the city had fled. Feng Changqing said to Gao Xianzhi who was stationed there: "Changqing has been fighting bloody battles for days, and the thieves are unstoppable, and there are no soldiers at Tongguan. If the thieves break into the pass, Chang'an will be in danger.

Shaanxi cannot be defended, so it is better to lead troops to Tongguan to resist them. "This was a wise move given the disparity in power at the time. After listening to Feng Changqing's detailed report, Gao Xianzhi knew that what he said was true, so he accepted his opinion and led his army to retreat to Tongguan. He hurriedly opened the Taiyuan warehouse, He gave all the silk cloth in the warehouse to the soldiers, set fire to the warehouse, and led his troops to retreat to Tongguan. They were caught up by the rebels on the way, and the official army collapsed at the first touch. After retreating to Tongguan, Gao Xianzhi immediately reorganized his troops, repaired his defenses, and fought in danger. His morale gradually improved. Cui Qianyou, the leader of Anlu Mountain's troops, arrived, but he could not capture it for a while, so he had to retreat to Anlu Mountain. Cui Qianyou, the general of the Ministry, was stationed in Shaanxi County, and Linru, Hongnong, Jiyin, Puyang, and Yunzhong counties were all surrendered to Anlu Mountain. At that time, the soldiers from Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou recruited by the Tang Dynasty had not yet arrived. After arriving in Chang'an, Guanzhong was shocked. Fortunately, An Lushan stayed in Luoyang and prepared to proclaim himself emperor, so he did not attack with all his strength. In addition, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing retreated to Tongguan in time and made preparations to resist the defense, which contained the An army's offensive. Peace.

When Xuanzong heard that Feng Changqing was defeated, he reduced his rank and made him serve in Gao Xianzhi's army in white clothes. Gao Xianzhi ordered Feng Changqing to patrol the left and right armies to help him. When Gao Xianzhi led his army to the east, the supervisor Bian Lingcheng suggested several things to Gao Xianzhi, but Gao Xianzhi refused, which made Bian Lingcheng feel resentful. After Gao Xianzhi retreated to Tongguan, Bian Lingcheng went to the court to report Gao Xianzhi and Feng. Regarding Chang Qing's defeat, he also said: "Chang Qing used thieves to sway the people, while Xianzhi abandoned Shaanxi for hundreds of miles and stole and reduced the soldiers' rations. "Xuanzong was furious after hearing Xin Bian Lingcheng's one-sided remarks, and sent Bian Lingcheng to the army to kill Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing.

On the 18th (January 24, 756 AD) When Gao Xianzhi arrived at Tongguan, he first called Feng Changqing, announced the imperial edict to him, beheaded him, and exposed his body on a reed. After Gao Xianzhi returned to the official office, Bian Lingcheng took 100 Mo swordsmen. He said to Gao Xianzhi: "The doctor also has a favor. After hearing this, Gao Xianzhi immediately went down to the hall, and Bian Lingcheng announced the imperial edict. Gao Xianzhi said: "It is a crime for me to retreat, and I will die without mercy. However, if you think that I am cutting off the troops' food and giving gifts, etc., it is a false accusation against me." Lingcheng said to the other side: "The sky is above and the earth is below. The soldiers are all here. Don't you know what you are doing!" "At this time, all the new soldiers who were recruited were lined up outside, and they believed in Gao Xianzhi very much. Gao Xianzhi said loudly: "I summoned some young men in the capital. Although I got a few things, the clothes were not enough, so I can defeat the thieves with you, and then take them. Highly rewarded by high officials. Not only did the thieves rely on the mausoleum to lead the army here, but they also wanted to stick to Tongguan. If I really have this, you will tell the truth; if I really don't have it, your words will be in vain. "The soldiers all shouted: "In vain. "The sound was loud. But Bian Lingcheng didn't listen. Gao Xianzhi looked at the dead Feng Changqing again, and sighed: "Feng Er, the son came from Wei, and I led the son to be my judge, and he was the judge for me. Jiedushi, today he died here together with his son, how could he be ordered to do so! "Yan Bi was killed.

Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were famous generals at the time. Their unjust killing caused the morale of the military to shake, and also caused the Tang court to lose two generals with combat experience, which was very important for pacifying the Anshi Rebellion. It caused serious adverse effects.

Comment: Gao Xianzhi was a famous military general during the Tang Xuanzong period. He guarded Anxi and contributed to maintaining the security of the western border of the Tang Dynasty. He retreated to Tongguan to temporarily avoid the enemy. The strategy was helpful to prevent the rebels from advancing westward to Chang'an. However, due to the frame-up by the eunuchs, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty listened to the wrong ideas and died. In addition, Gao Xianzhi also had serious problems in handling ethnic relations, which was the reason why the Tang Dynasty lost. Gao Xianzhi also had a large part of the responsibility for the rule of the Western Regions.

The time when Gao Xianzhi lived was the most prosperous period in Chinese history. Judging from Gao Xianzhi's several battles (especially the two pars). The march on the Mir Plateau), all showed superb commanding art, and his military thoughts were also very rich.