On the eve of the Tang Dynasty's peak of prosperity, Tianbao suffered a series of border defeats in the tenth decade, which not only overshadowed the brilliance of the Tang Dynasty's borders, but also heralded the end of a glorious era.
The three catastrophic defeats of this period not only severely shaken the Tang Dynasty's dominance on the frontier, but also raised doubts about the longevity of the prosperous era.
This article will delve into the scenes behind this tragic night, revealing the complex factors that led to Tianbao's successive defeats on the Tang Dynasty for ten years. Through historical traces, we will recreate the real battle situation of that turbulent period, and deeply analyze how this defeat became the end signal of the Tang Dynasty's prosperity.
Together, we will travel through time to discover how these border wars affected the power and reputation of the Tang Dynasty, and how the turning point of this era raised doubts about the continuity of the prosperous era.
Through in-depth interpretation, perhaps we can more fully understand the ups and downs of the Tang Dynasty in the ten years of Tianbao, as well as the historical connotations contained in those border wars.
In the tenth year of Tianbao, Gao Xianzhi led his troops to meet the Great Food Army, and the two sides were evenly matched, but just when Gao Xianzhi was about to lead the army to pursue, the Great Food Army suddenly counterattacked, and it turned out that they set up an ambush to lure the Tang Army deeper.
Gao Xianzhi was caught off guard, and the Tang army was in chaos, so he could only retreat in a hurry. This defeat in the northwest caused the Tang Dynasty to lose control for a time.
The defeat of Gao Xianzhi caused the Tang Dynasty to lose control of the Western Regions, and since then this land has been occupied by the Uighurs, Tibetans and other ethnic groups, and the Tang Dynasty's position in the Western Regions has plummeted.
In the northern grasslands connected to the Western Regions, the influence of the Tang Dynasty also gradually faded. Li Shimin's title of "Heavenly Khan", which he struggled to come by, is now also overshadowed.
Gao Xianzhi was defeated by the Great Food Soldiers under the horse, and the Tang army of more than 30,000 people**, the survivors fled back to Chang'an in embarrassment. Xuanzong was furious when he heard the news and ordered Li Linfu to be killed to thank the world.
However, this can no longer compensate for the huge losses suffered by the frontier.
Xian Yu Zhongtong, the Tang Dynasty Jiannan Jiedu envoy, once followed Wang Xianzhi to pacify the Nanzhao meritorious service, and was promoted to the Jiedu envoy. He had a straightforward personality and was good at cavalry archery, but in the battle against Nanzhao, he was ambushed by Nanzhao and Tubo because of the light enemy, resulting in a great defeat of the Tang army and the loss of 20,000 horses.
After the defeat, although Xian Yu Zhongtong reorganized his army and horses and sent troops to take revenge again, he was once again ambushed by Nanzhao and Tubo, and the Tang army suffered a crushing defeat again. Although Xian Yu Zhongtong was favored by Xuanzong, he was not well versed in the way of using soldiers.
After the defeat, he felt that he could not escape the responsibility and hanged himself in Tongguan. As a result, the Nanzhao regime defeated the Tang army, stabilized its independence, and began to threaten Sichuan and Lingnan, and even in the later Anshi Rebellion, it had the spare strength to send troops to occupy Guizhou, making the southwest territory troublesome.
An Lushan planted a hidden danger in the northeast, and in the autumn of that year, he led a large army north to attack the Khitan, in an attempt to solve this border trouble once and for all, so as to establish merit in the DPRK.
However, he didn't know that the Khitan had secretly communicated with the Xi people, and as a result, An Lushan's army was attacked by the Xi people in the Khitan territory, and the army was disheartened and suffered a crushing defeat.
Although An Lushan was arrogant and jealous, he was brave and good at fighting, and was deeply supported by the soldiers of the Three Towns, and was known as the "Flying General". His Northern Expedition, originally intended to surpass the exploits of Li Guangbi and Li Jing, ended in a setback, which disgraced him and damaged his prestige and morale.
He was extremely disappointed by the concealment of the truth and deception of the imperial court, which made him rebel, and he led an army of 200,000 to become a time bomb in the northeast that could explode at any time.
The three defeats had far-reaching consequences, and the history of the Tang Dynasty took a turning point. These wars directly affected the Tang Dynasty's national policy and territory, causing the Tang Dynasty to shift from expansion to defensive contraction.
If there was a wise monarch in power, this might not be a big problem, but Tang Xuanzong was already addicted to the harem at that time, and he did not have the eloquence of the year. The government was controlled by the powerful minister Yang Guozhong, who did not bother to rectify the military system and defense, but instead searched for the people's fat and ointment to enrich the inner treasury.
Frequent border wars left the Tang Dynasty unable to deal with them, and most importantly, these three wars directly led to the collapse of the Tang Dynasty's government and military system. Originally, the government military system could not only deal with border wars but also not lead to local secession, but after the abolition, the Tang Dynasty was no longer able to recruit standing troops, so the local jiedu envoys conscripted troops on their own and gained more financial control, which directly led to the later secession of feudal towns.
Originally, the Tang Dynasty still hoped to curb the expansion of local power through military reforms after 751. However, due to the absurdity and mediocrity of Xuanzong, the Tang Dynasty missed this opportunity.
In a flash, in the fourth year of the Apocalypse, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, almost destroying this once heroic and warlike dynasty. In this unpredictable and turbulent world, who can say that the fate of the Tang Dynasty must have been determined by three defeats in 751?
We have no way of knowing. But what is certain is that the period of decline that began that year planted a ticking time bomb for this once glorious dynasty. Perhaps, the eventual demise is not too far off.
In 751, the Tang Dynasty suffered three crushing defeats, which undoubtedly became a turning point in the fate of the Tang Dynasty. The loss of the northwest caused the Tang Dynasty to lose control of the Western Regions and the northern grasslands, causing huge losses to national strength.
The rout in the southwest led to the rise of Nanzhao and Tubo, posing a formidable threat to Sichuan, Shu and Lingnan. The defeat in the northeast made the disgruntled An Lushan a potential scourge.
The collapse of these three fronts directly shook the Tang Dynasty's "Quartet Gongwei" national defense system.
The government military system collapsed, the military strength gradually weakened, the local separatist forces rose, the Tang Dynasty could only retreat, lost the momentum of expansion, the government was corrupt, internal and external troubles, and finally caused the Anshi Rebellion.
However, who can say that this was the fate of the Tang Dynasty? The historical process is intricate, and all possibilities are involved. We should not simply conclude that the three defeats in 751 were the trigger for the demise of the Tang Dynasty based on the results of hindsight.
The prosperity is fleeting, the prosperity is difficult to last, and the once invincible Tang Dynasty finally disappeared in the long river of history. However, its brilliance and contribution are always worthy of our remembrance and learning.