A Precarious Throne in Troubled Times
The year 766 marked a rare moment of respite for Emperor Daizong of Tang (Li Yu), who celebrated his first peaceful birthday since ascending the throne. After years of turmoil following the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763), the absence of autumn raids by Tibetan forces and the subdued behavior of regional military governors (jiedushi) under the watchful eye of general Guo Ziyi offered temporary relief. Provincial governors presented lavish gifts worth 240,000 strings of cash—a display of loyalty that scholar-official Chang Gun criticized as exploitative “flattery through plundered wealth.”
Yet this fragile stability would soon unravel through the actions of Zhou Zhiguang, a military officer whose rise and fall encapsulated the Tang dynasty’s struggle to control its increasingly autonomous provincial warlords.
The Rise and Fall of a Reckless Warlord
Zhou Zhiguang’s career trajectory exemplified the dangerous militarization of Tang politics. A common soldier who rose through battlefield merit, he gained patronage from the powerful eunuch Yu Chao’en, becoming military commissioner of Hua Prefecture and inspector of Tongguan defenses. His brutal suppression of Tibetan forces in 765—including the massacre of rival official Du Mian’s family and the burning of 3,000 homes—went unpunished due to Yu’s protection.
Emboldened by impunity, Zhou grew increasingly defiant:
– Refused imperial summons
– Amassed private armies
– Intercepted tax shipments
– Openly threatened the capital: “I dare not stretch my legs at night lest I kick over Chang’an!”
The breaking point came when Zhou murdered imperial eunuch inspector Zhang Zhibin in December 766, even cannibalizing the body—an act that severed his ties with patron Yu Chao’en.
Guo Ziyi: The Empire’s Indispensable Pillar
Emperor Daizong’s solution revealed the dynasty’s dependence on its aging military savior. At seventy, Guo Ziyi remained the only figure capable of quelling rebellions without bloodshed:
– Merely deploying generals Hun Zhen and Li Huaiguang near Zhou’s territory caused mass defections
– Zhou’s own officers delivered his head within a week of Guo’s mobilization
Guo’s unprecedented authority—supported by military colonies that made his troops self-sufficient—prompted historian commentary: “Had he been twenty years younger, the Mandate of Heaven might have shifted.” Regional warlords like Tian Chengxi of Weibo famously kowtowed to Guo’s envoys despite refusing imperial authority.
The Delicate Dance of Loyalty
Two critical incidents tested Guo’s allegiance:
1. Family Scandal (767): When Guo’s son Guo Ai drunkenly declared his father could replace the emperor, Daizong calmly dismissed it as “children’s talk”—a remarkable show of trust.
2. Desecrated Ancestral Tomb (767): The suspicious vandalism of Guo’s family graves (possibly orchestrated by rivals) presented a perfect pretext for rebellion. Guo’s tearful acceptance of blame as “divine punishment” confirmed his loyalty.
This political theater allowed Daizong to finally restructure defenses:
– Established four permanent garrison zones around Chang’an
– Assigned Guo to guard the critical Bin-Ning sector
– Integrated Guo’s Shenxi Army into the imperial defense system
The Eunuch’s Overreach and Fall
While managing warlords, Daizong confronted another threat: the militarized eunuch Yu Chao’en, whose Shence Army had become:
– A secret police force extorting wealthy families
– A political weapon intimidating officials
– A personal power base rivaling the throne
The emperor’s meticulous counterstroke (770) involved:
– Co-opting Yu’s subordinates through宰相元载
– Gradually transferring Yu’s military allies
– A staged banquet assassination followed by generous compensation to Shence troops
This set the precedent for later Tang emperors: eunuchs could be eliminated if their military influence was first neutralized.
Legacy of the Daizong Era
The 760s-770s established critical patterns for late Tang governance:
1. Militarized Regionalism: The Zhou Zhiguang episode proved even minor commanders could defy central authority if backed by military networks.
2. Charismatic Stabilizers: Figures like Guo Ziyi became temporary fixes for systemic problems—his advanced age ironically preserving the dynasty.
3. Eunuch Power Structures: Though Yu Chao’en fell, his Shence Army framework would empower later eunuchs.
4. Defensive Reconfiguration: The four-garrison system became the template for protecting Chang’an against Tibetan incursions.
As the Tang entered its twilight, these developments foreshadowed the coming century’s defining struggles—between court and provinces, bureaucrats and military men, emperors and the eunuchs who increasingly controlled them. The dynasty’s survival until 907 owed much to the precarious balances struck during Daizong’s turbulent reign.
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