The Fragile “Yuanhe Restoration” Under Emperor Xianzong

In the second day of the first lunar month of 806 CE, 29-year-old Emperor Xianzong of Tang ascended the throne and proclaimed the Yuanhe era, initiating what historians later termed the “Yuanhe Restoration.” This 15-year period (806-820) represented the Tang dynasty’s final attempt to reassert central authority over rebellious regional military governors (jiedushi).

While superficially successful—Xianzong temporarily installed loyal governors in the rebellious Hebei provinces and dismantled the Huaixi and Ziqing armies—the restoration was fragile. Unlike the golden ages of Zhenguan (627-649) or Kaiyuan (713-741), this was no true revival. The emperor increasingly mirrored his paranoid grandfather Dezong, recklessly opening multiple military fronts despite warnings. As Chief Minister Wei Guanzhong bluntly cautioned: “Does Your Majesty not remember the Jianzhong disasters?”

The Western Sichuan Gambit: Liu Pi’s Failed Rebellion

The Yuanhe era’s first challenge emerged immediately when Liu Pi, deputy military commissioner of Xichuan, demanded control over all Three Chuan regions (Xichuan, Dongchuan, and Shannan West). His mentor, the powerful governor Wei Gao, had dominated Sichuan for two decades before dying opportunely in 806. Exploiting the new emperor’s instability, Liu Pi rebelled when denied his territorial claims.

Xianzong’s response proved decisive. Against conventional wisdom about Sichuan’s impregnability, Chief Minister Du Huangchang recommended the aging but capable general Gao Chongwen. Leading 5,000 elite Shence Army troops, Gao crushed Liu Pi’s forces at the strategic Deer Head Pass by August 806. The campaign’s efficiency—settled within eight months—became Yuanhe’s military high-water mark.

The Zhenhai Mutiny: Li Qi’s Bizarre Revolt

In 807, another crisis erupted when Li Qi, the corrupt military governor of Zhenhai (modern Zhejiang), refused reassignment to the capital. The 67-year-old imperial clansman staged a half-hearted rebellion, but his own officers—including Zhang Ziliang and Pei Xingli—switched sides. Within weeks, Li Qi was captured and sent to Chang’an in a makeshift cage.

These swift victories against Liu Pi and Li Qi created an illusion of renewed imperial authority. However, as historian Sima Guang noted, these were “small rebellious officials, not powerful warlords”—the real test lay north in Hebei.

The Shatuo Migration: Refugees Turned Kingmakers

The truly transformative event occurred quietly in 808 when the Shatuo Turks—a formerly loyal Western Turkic subgroup—defected from Tibet back to Tang territory. After being forcibly relocated by the Tibetans, chieftain Zhuxie Jinzhong and his son Zhuxie Zhiyi led 30,000 tribesmen eastward. Despite devastating losses during their fighting retreat (only 10,000 survived), their arrival at Lingzhou marked a pivotal moment.

Governor Fan Xichao wisely settled the skilled horsemen in Shanxi’s Dingxiang region. Reorganized as the elite “Shatuo Army,” these warriors became the Tang’s most effective strike force against rebels and northern nomads. Their later relocation to Shenwu Chuan (near modern Shuozhou) placed them in a historically significant region—the same area that nurtured Northern Dynasties strongman Erzhu Rong centuries earlier.

The Shatuo Legacy: From Mercenaries to Monarchs

Over the next six decades, the Shatuo would:
– Merge with Sogdian (粟特) and Six-Hu (六胡) communities
– Produce key Five Dynasties rulers like Li Keyong (Later Tang) and Shi Jingtang (Later Jin)
– Form the core of what historians call the “Shatuo Three Tribes”

As the Tang collapsed, these naturalized “barbarians” became China’s new ruling class. Their eastern migration—initially a desperate flight—ultimately reshaped East Asian history, proving that sometimes the most consequential events begin as obscure footnotes. The stage was now set for the Five Dynasties’ turbulent drama, with the Shatuo cast as unlikely protagonists.