Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

Chapter 391: The Regrettable General

So the rebels kidnapped Geshu Han, tied him on horseback, and sent him to the rebel base in Luoyang.

When he was tied up and sent to Luoyang, Geshu Han was extremely reluctant. He shouted loudly and righteously: "I would rather die like Gao Xianzhi, please let me go!"

However, when he was brought before An Lushan, Geshuhan seemed like a different person. When An Lushan saw Geshuhan, he said provocatively: "You are always frivolous, what do you think today?"

What he meant was, “You always look down on me, how about today?” Geshu Han was frightened, so he kowtowed to An Lushan and begged for mercy, saying, “I have failed to recognize Mount Tai, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.

Tang generals Li Guangbi, Tian Luqiong and others are on good terms with me. As long as Your Majesty spares my life, I am willing to write letters to persuade them to surrender to Dayan." An Lushan was overjoyed when he heard this and appointed Geshu Han as the Minister of Works.

If it were not for the records in history books, it would be really hard to believe that such words of begging for mercy, such a humble face just wanting to survive, was actually the same person as the war god of the Tang Dynasty who dominated the battlefield back then.

Later, the Tang army generals who received Geshu Han's letter of surrender were all angry and scolded him for not keeping his integrity, and of course no one surrendered. Seeing that Geshu Han, an old and sick man, was of no use, An Lushan imprisoned him in the confinement courtyard and soon forgot about him.

The following year, An Lushan was killed by his son An Qingxu, who became the new rebel commander. Under the counterattack of the Tang army, An Qingxu was defeated and forced to flee to Yecheng.

Before leaving, An Qingxu killed Geshu Han and more than 30 other captured Tang generals. It is a pity that such a famous general could have survived for a few months but died in such a cowardly way.

Fortunately, the imperial court did not forget his contribution to expanding the territory and posthumously awarded him the title of Taiwei and the posthumous name of "Wu Min".

Looking back on Geshu Han's life, some people believe that Geshu Han surrendered to An Lushan intentionally to imitate Li Ling of the Han Dynasty, pretending to surrender, and then waiting for an opportunity to cooperate with the Tang army from inside and outside to avenge his previous humiliation.

However, judging from historical data, this is probably more of a subjective conjecture by later generations in order to whitewash him. In the movie "30,000 Miles of Chang'an", the director only talked about Geshu Han being captured when he left Tongguan, and did not go on to say anything further, leaving everyone with a good impression.

However, from the moment Geshu Han decided to surrender to An Lushan, he was destined to never return to his Tang Dynasty, whether alive or dead.

The most severe evaluation of his later years was from his uncle: "How ugly! Geshu Han cannot die!" Although it is true that Geshu Han surrendered, a closer look reveals that he is also a tragic person. Originally, everything was caused by Xuanzong, so it is not unacceptable to blame him for the fault.

[The buried first famous general of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, historical trivia, Wang Zhongsi]

In the dreamlike Kaiyuan prosperous era, a heroic general is surrounded by his many subordinates. Ge Shuhan, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and the rising star Li Sheng are all among them.

The boss among the bosses was Wang Zhongsi, who was known as the "first famous general in the prosperous Tang Dynasty". He served as the governor of the four towns of the Tang Dynasty, defeated the Khitan, defeated the Tubo, and guarded the four borders. He was the pillar of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

There has always been a saying among the people: If Wang Zhongsi were still alive, An Lushan would not dare to rebel. However, who would have thought that such a brilliant and shining general in the prosperous times would end up in tragedy. He was demoted and died suddenly just because of a quarrel with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. It is a pity.

In this video, let's talk about Wang Zhongsi, a representative of the military commanders in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Zhongsi's ancestral home was in Junqi County, Taiyuan, and later moved to Zheng County, Huazhou. Here is an additional talk about his family background.

Wang Zhongsi was born in the Wang family of Taiyuan, and was of genuine aristocratic blood. Anyone familiar with the history of the Sui and Tang dynasties knows that the Sui and Tang dynasties were a society of aristocratic families, and the aristocratic families enjoyed high prestige and status in society.

Among all the noble families, five are the most prominent: the Longxi Li family, the Zhaojun Li family, the Boling Cui family, the Qinghe Cui family, the Fanyang Lu family, the Xingyang Zheng family, and the Taiyuan Wang family.

Among them, the Li family and the Cui family each had two county names, so it was called "Five Surnames and Seven Clans". This also shows that Wang Zhongsi's family background was extremely prominent.

Wang Zhongsi's father, Wang Haibin, relied on his family's merits to enter the government through family connections and served as the Prince's Right Guard, a rank of fourth rank, which was not a low rank at the time.

Although Wang Haibin's military career did not start from a high point, he was also a fierce general of the Tang Dynasty and was well-known in the northwest region for his bravery and fighting skills.

The story of Wang Zhongsi's beginnings can be traced back to his father Wang Haibin. One day in the second year of the Kaiyuan reign (714), a 9-year-old boy cried in front of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. His sorrow moved everyone around him. This boy was the famous general Wang Zhongsi in the future. But at that time, he was still called Wang Xu.

Not long ago, Tubo invaded the Longyou area of ​​the Tang Dynasty, and Wang Zhongsi's father, Wang Haibin, went to war as the defense envoy of Longyou. In the famous Five-Level Battle, Wang Haibin, as a vanguard general, charged into battle, killed many enemies, and made great contributions.

However, what is outrageous is that other generals, jealous of his achievements, refused to support him, leaving him to fight alone, where he was ultimately outnumbered and died on the battlefield.

After Wang Haibin died in battle, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang specially ordered someone to bring the 9-year-old Wang Zhongsi to his side. Looking at the crying child in front of him, Emperor Xuanzong felt sympathy and said, "You are like the orphan of Huo Qubing. You will be a general when you grow up."

In order to let Wang Zhongsi remember his father's loyalty, Emperor Xuanzong changed his name to "Wang Zhongsi", which means "descendant of loyalty and righteousness". After that, Emperor Xuanzong brought Wang Zhongsi into the palace, adopted him as his son, and let him enjoy the same treatment as the prince.

As a teenager, Wang Zhongsi had a close relationship with the crown prince Li Heng, who would become the future Emperor Suzong of Tang. As both the emperor's adopted son and the crown prince's best friend, Wang Zhongsi's political capital was enviable.

However, although Wang Zhongsi grew up in a wealthy and prosperous palace, he did not have the dandy airs of a rich and noble son. When he grew up, Wang Zhongsi was brave and resolute, taciturn, and had a great talent for military affairs.

Every time Emperor Xuanzong of Tang discussed military strategies with him, Wang Zhongsi answered questions fluently, which made Emperor Xuanzong highly respect him and praised him for "definitely becoming a good general in the future."

In the 730th year of Kaiyuan (300), Wang Zhongsi followed Hexi Jiedushi Xiao Song to the battle. In the Battle of Yubiaochuan, he led light cavalry to attack Tubo. Facing an enemy force several times larger than his own, Wang Zhongsi took the lead and led his troops into the enemy camp.

In this battle, the Tang army killed thousands of enemies and seized tens of thousands of cattle and sheep. Wang Zhongsi also became famous in this battle and was promoted to General of the Left Guard and Governor of Daibei. He was granted the title of Man of Qingyuan County and held the third rank. At this time, his official position had surpassed his father.

In the 738th year of Kaiyuan (), Hexi Jiedushi Du Xiwang planned to capture Xincheng of Tubo, but was worried about the lack of food and grass. So someone recommended Wang Zhongsi to him, saying that he was the only one who could capture Xincheng.

Sure enough, with Wang Zhongsi, the Tang army was unstoppable and successfully captured Xincheng. The history books said that he made the greatest contribution in this battle, so he was also awarded the title of General of the Left Guard, a fourth-rank official.

You may be wondering, wasn't Wang Zhongsi already a third-rank official? How did he get promoted again after making great contributions? In fact, there is a little story behind this.

Shortly after the Battle of Yubiaochuan, Wang Zhongsi was falsely accused of a conflict with another general, Huangfu Weiming, and was demoted to Guoyi Duwei of Dongyang Prefecture. Therefore, Wang Zhongsi was at a stage of career rise again at this time.

After the Tang army captured Xincheng, Tubo also launched a counterattack. However, this also gave Wang Zhongsi an opportunity to improve his personal record. Facing the enemy's attack, Wang Zhongsi rushed into the enemy group, hacking and killing left and right, killing hundreds of people by himself.

The Tibetan army trampled on each other in panic, and the Tang army attacked from the flank, defeating the Tibetan army. Due to his outstanding military achievements, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang issued an edict to appoint him as the General of the Left Jinwu Guard, and soon he was also appointed as the General of the Left Yulin Army, the Jiedushi of Hedong, and the Envoy of Datong Army.

In the 740th year of Kaiyuan (35), Wang Zhongsi was appointed as the governor of Hedong at the age of 35. His experience was legendary, as he held great power at the age of . However, for Wang Zhongsi, this was just the beginning.

In the 741th year of Kaiyuan (), Wang Zhongsi also served as the governor of Shuofang. In the border defense system of the Tang Dynasty, Shuofang was extremely important. He not only had to deal with the threat of the Turkic forces, but also had to face the challenges of the newly emerging Khitan, Uighur, Karluk and other tribes.

In the first year of Tianbao (742), Tang general Zhao Chengxie led an expedition to the north against the Khitan, but was defeated and lost all his food and supplies. Facing the defeat of the Tang army, Wang Zhongsi personally led the army across the Sanggan River and attacked the Khitan's lair. He won three battles in Mobei, demonstrating the majesty of the Tang Dynasty and returned triumphantly.

In order to completely recover the major tribes on the grassland, Wang Zhongsi changed his previous bravery and began to use wisdom.

He engaged in diplomatic maneuvers with the Basmil, Uighur, and Qarluk Turkic tribes, continued to fan the flames, and defeated them one by one during counterattacks, causing most of the northern tribes to submit to the Tang Dynasty.

Years of fighting also made Wang Zhongsi gradually transform from a brave general in his youth to a military strategist. From Shuofang County to Yunzhong Army, along the thousands of miles of border, he built a complete and lasting defense system.

In the more than 40 years since the famous Tang Dynasty general Zhang Rendan, Wang Zhongsi inherited his legacy, making it so that for a long time, the Hu people dared not invade the border of the Tang Dynasty again. At this time, Wang Zhongsi could be called the Dinghai magic needle guarding the Tang Dynasty's border.

In the fifth year of Tianbao (746), Wang Zhongsi entered a glorious period of his life. He served as the governor of four towns and controlled most of the military forces of the Tang Empire. The safety of the Tang border depended on him alone. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been very few people who have been able to hold such a position.

However, as water overflows, the moon waxes and wanes. In the sixth year of Tianbao, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang issued an unacceptable order to Wang Zhongsi - to attack Shibao City.

Shibao City is located at a strategic point, but although it is small in size, it is located halfway up the mountain and can only be reached by a small path, making it extremely difficult to capture. Therefore, Wang Zhongsi opposed it, believing that they should wait for the right time and make long-term plans.

However, the ambitious Emperor Xuanzong was unwilling to wait any longer. He said, "How can the great Tang Empire be stopped by a small castle? If you, Wang Zhongsi, refuse to take action, I will order others to go."

Then, the pro-war Dong Yanguan came on the scene. However, the result was just as Wang Zhongsi had expected. Not only did the Tang army fail to capture Shibao City, but they were also beaten and fled by the Tibetan army that came to reinforce.

Wang Zhongsi was passive in his response to Emperor Xuanzong's order to divide his troops to attack Shibao City. At that time, Li Guangbi, as a subordinate, was worried about the situation of his old leader.

He persuaded Wang Zhongsi: "Isn't this action contrary to the decision of the leadership? You should obey the decision of the leadership and quickly join forces to attack!" However,

Wang Zhongsi replied: "Is my lifelong ambition to pursue honor? Now I strive for a city. If I get it, I can't stop the enemy; if I don't get it, it will not harm the country.

How can I exchange tens of thousands of lives for an official position? "We often say that "a general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers", just as I have seen a sentence: the humanity of a soldier is nothing more than to let fewer soldiers under his command die.

As a commander, Wang Zhongsi did not think that war was just for the sake of gaining military merits on the frontier. He had an open mind and was loyal to his country, making him a model of a famous general.

However, Wang Zhongsi overlooked the cruelty of court politics. He forgot that he and Emperor Xuanzong were not biological father and son, and even if they were, it would be insignificant in the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

The New Book of Tang's assessment of Wang Zhongsi as a treasoner is far-fetched. In a society that has been based on favoritism for thousands of years, those who go against their leaders usually have no good end.

Thus, a storm against Wang Zhongsi came. Emperor Xuanzong's neglect gave opportunities to villains, such as Li Linfu in the capital.

Li Linfu was a narrow-minded person. Anyone in the court who showed his talent in front of the emperor could hardly escape his clutches.

So, at the instruction of Li Linfu, someone submitted a memorial to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, saying that Wang Zhongsi and the prince had been together since childhood and had a close relationship, and he had said that he wanted the prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible.

It has to be said that Li Linfu's false accusation was to the point and hit directly into the heart of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Since ancient times, the crown prince, as the heir to the throne, is the future emperor. Even if they are just father and son or brothers, the crown prince, as the legal heir, will be suspected by the current emperor, who is afraid that the crown prince will murder him or usurp the throne.

Therefore, many emperors would deliberately suppress the crown prince. After the Kaiyuan Prosperity, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang gradually settled down to enjoy himself and cherished his throne more and more. He became wary of the early crown prince Li Heng.

Therefore, when Tang Xuanzong's favorite concubine Wu Huifei falsely accused Crown Prince Li Heng of treason, Tang Xuanzong believed it without a second thought and then killed all three sons who were involved in the incident.

This is the famous "Three Commoners' Disaster" in the Tang Dynasty. It can also be seen that as an emperor who emerged from the bloody political struggle in the palace, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was extremely sensitive in the control of power. This memorial directly put Wang Zhongsi in prison.

Geshu Han was very disgusted with this. Since the fourth period was executed, Geshu Han replaced Wang Zhongsi as the governor of Longyou. Therefore, when reporting on his work, he took the opportunity to plead for his old leader Wang Zhongsi and asked to use his official position to atone for Wang Zhongsi's sins.

Faced with Geshu Han's loyalty, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's anger subsided a little, but he still demoted Wang Zhongsi to the position of prefect of Hanyang.