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Chapter 300: The Emperor of Chang'an and the Wei Palace Soldier

However, when An Qingxu regrouped the rebels in Xiangzhou and gained a foothold, he once again betrayed the Tang Dynasty and returned to the rebel camp. After that, the rebels continued to quarrel internally, and Shi Siming killed An Qingxu and annexed his territory.

Tian Chengsi once again changed his stance and joined Shi Siming.

However, as Shi Siming was killed by his son Shi Chaoyi, the rebellion was doomed to fail, and he once again chose to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. He changed masters countless times in his life, and his fickleness was so great that even Lu Bu in the Three Kingdoms period would be ashamed of himself.

At that time, during the reign of Shi Chaoyi, the military strength of the Anshi Yan State was already at the end of its strength.

Luoyang was captured by the Tang Dynasty again. Shi Chaoyi led the remnants of his army to fight against the Tang army many times, but was defeated repeatedly and suffered heavy losses. Finally, he had to flee to Mozhou. Tian Chengzi from Renqiu, Hebei, also followed Shi Chaoyi to Mozhou.

Although Tian Chengzi had fought bloody battles with the Tang army, he had lost confidence in his future after repeated defeats. Looking at Shi Chaoyi, who was distraught and looked ashen, Tian Chengzi was filled with contempt and resentment.

He did not want to be buried with Shi Chaoyi and wanted to surrender to the Tang Dynasty immediately. However, Shi Chaoyi refused to surrender and insisted on fighting the Tang army to the death.

In fact, Tian Chengzi had every opportunity to capture Shi Chaoyi and present him to the Tang Dynasty in exchange for wealth and glory, but he was a cautious person and knew that Shi Chaoyi still had a certain influence in Mozhou, and that rash action would be extremely risky.

So, Tian Chengzi pretended to be loyal and said to Shi Chaoyi: "Your Majesty, why don't you return to Youzhou and let Li Huaixian send troops to rescue Mozhou." Shi Chaoyi was so moved that his eyes filled with tears that he could still get a "loyal minister" like Tian Chengzi when he was in trouble.

He accepted Tian Chengzi's suggestion and arranged for Tian Chengzi to defend Mozhou. Before leaving, Shi Chaoyi cried and said to Tian Chengzi: "My whole family of hundreds of people are entrusted to you."

Tian Chengzi pretended to be moved, and said with tears in his eyes that he would defend Mozhou City to the death. However, when Shi Chaoyi's back gradually disappeared from his sight, Tian Chengzi showed a sly smile on his face.

Soon, Tian Chengzi raised a white flag on the top of the city, opened the city gate, and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Shi Chaoyi's family members were also given to the Tang Dynasty as a gift. The one who besieged Mozhou was Pu Guyang, the son of the famous Tang Dynasty general Pu Gu Huai'en.

After Pu Guyang and Tian Chengzi agreed on a surrender date, they asked him to go out of the city to the military camp to accept the surrender. However, Tian Chengzi was cunning and worried that Pu Guyang would harm him, so he pretended to be sick and refused to go.

Seeing this, Pu Guyang decided to go to the city of Mozhou to capture Tian Chengzi in person. However, Tian Chengzi was surrounded by many personal soldiers and was under strict guard, which made Pu Guyang quite afraid. In the end, he had to give up the idea.

Tian Chengzi knew that the An-Shi Yan State was running out of time, so even if he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, he had to firmly control his soldiers and military power. Once he lost his military power, he would become a fish on the chopping board of the Tang Dynasty and could be eliminated at any time.

In order to stabilize the situation in Hebei, the Tang Dynasty did not dare to take action against these former An-Shi generals who held heavy troops. Therefore, although Tian Chengzi surrendered to the Tang Dynasty on the surface, he actually still firmly controlled his troops.

His mind was working rapidly, thinking about how they, the old Anshi generals, would survive and how they would gain the greatest benefits for themselves after the Anshi Rebellion ended.

Soon, Tian Chengzi got in touch with his former comrades Zhang Zhongzhi, Li Huaixian, Xu Song and others. They all turned their attention to Pugu Huai'en. In the process of suppressing the Anshi Rebellion, Pugu Huai'en made great military achievements, but he suddenly had an uneasy premonition:

Would the imperial court abandon him after he had done his work, and then abandon him? So he had the idea of ​​buying off the old generals of An Lushan as internal support and nurturing the enemy for his own benefit, and this idea was also keenly captured by Tian Chengzi and others.

Tian Chengzi, Zhang Zhongzhi and others came to the army of Pugu Huai'en, the commander of the Tang army, with a large sum of money. They kowtowed, admitted their mistakes, gave gifts and money, and expressed their willingness to follow Pugu Huai'en's lead forever.

Upon seeing this, Pugu Huai'en was overjoyed and believed that these former generals of Anshi would become a powerful force in his future.

Therefore, he suggested to the court that the former generals of An Lushan should be forgiven and allowed to continue their posts. Tian Chengzi was appointed as the governor of Weizhou and soon promoted to the governor of Weizhou.

Tian Chengzi, the new governor of Weizhou, stood on the wall of Weizhou, looking at the bright moon, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart. He recalled the ups and downs of his life, and couldn't help but howl to the sky.

He understood a truth: the stars are still the same stars, the moon is still the same moon, and the soldiers are still the same soldiers, only the flags on the city walls have changed. The flag of Yan State was replaced by the flag of the Tang Dynasty, but the essence of the event did not change.

In the early days of his surrender to the Tang Dynasty, Tian Chengzi was honest and did not cause any trouble. However, as time went on, the incompetence of the Tang Dynasty made Tian Chengzi's ambitions gradually expand.

In 763 AD, the second year after the An-Shi Rebellion ended, the Tibetan army took advantage of the lack of defense in Chang'an and launched a massive attack. Emperor Daizong of Tang fled the city, and Chang'an was occupied by the Tibetan army, who burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of atrocities.

However, the imperial edict issued by Emperor Daizong of Tang Dynasty fell on deaf ears, and no news came. The vassal states with heavy military power seemed to be watching this farce, laughing at the emperor's helplessness and sorrow.

Although Tubo withdrew from Chang'an City soon after and Emperor Daizong of Tang returned to Chang'an City, everyone knew very well that the glory of the Tang Dynasty was gone forever, and this once prosperous empire was now crumbling like a candle in the wind.

The magnificent palace in Chang'an City is no longer a symbol of power in the eyes of the world, but a gradually fading memory.

At this critical moment, Pugu Huai'en, a general who had made great military achievements for the Tang Dynasty, chose to betray.

He joined forces with the Tubo, Huihe and other tribes to rebel and marched straight to Chang'an. For a time, the situation was extremely tense, as if the end of the Tang Dynasty was approaching.

However, fate did not seem to intend for this rebellion to last too long. Pugu Huai'en suddenly died of a sudden illness, and the rebellion disappeared.

In this turmoil, there was one person whose eyes remained calm and profound. He was Tian Chengzi. He silently observed the changes in the situation, from the turmoil in the court to the rebellions in various places. He saw it all and kept it in mind.

The various changes that had occurred in the Tang Dynasty a few years ago had completely destroyed his awe of the imperial court, and replaced it with deep contempt and disdain.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty government had long lost its full control over the local military governors. The military governors who had once been loyal to the court now ruled their own territories and became local emperors. The ruling power of the Tang Dynasty was weakening day by day, and the situation of separatist regimes became more and more obvious.

Tian Chengzi knew that an era similar to the Spring and Autumn period of the late Eastern Zhou Dynasty was coming, and he was an important figure in this coming chaotic era. He held the power of the Jiedushi of Weizhou, governing six states including Wei, Bo, Bei, Chan, Xiang, and Wei.

Located in the south of Hebei and the north of Henan, it is a relatively rich vassal town with fertile land, dense population and abundant products. Tian Chengzi was full of confidence in Wei Bo's hardware conditions and was determined to build it into a place where the vassal states would dominate.

So he began his secret preparations.

He secretly expanded the military, strengthened the city defense, and increased taxes to raise more military funds. He also reshuffled the officials of various states and counties in Weizhou and appointed a group of officials who were loyal to him.

These officials were not only responsible for local governance, but also for collecting taxes, and they completely ignored the orders of the Tang government. After a few years, Tian Chengzi had a standing army of 10 people.

In order to further strengthen his power, he also selected 1 strong local people from Wei Bo in the army to form his own personal guard unit - Yabing. This unit was responsible for protecting his safety and was his most reliable support.

At this time, Tian Chengzi had become the local emperor of Wei Bo. He held the power of life and death, and ordered the people and officials of Wei Bo around. His ambitions and desires were constantly expanding. He began to plan a bigger conspiracy.

In 773 AD, Tian Chengzi finally started his performance again. He did not choose the direct and rough way of sending troops to rebel, but chose to build a ancestral hall, which seemed gentle but was actually very provocative.

The ancestral hall he built was not to worship his ancestors or gods, but to commemorate An Lushan, Shi Siming and Shi Chaoyi, three traitors who had brought great disaster to the Tang Dynasty.

He also named the temple "Four Saints Temple" to show his rebellious heart to the world.

This move shocked the entire Tang Dynasty.

Building a temple for the rebellious An Lushan traitor was a blatant provocation and insult to the Tang Dynasty's imperial power. Tian Chengzi was undoubtedly playing with fire, and he might pay the price with his life, but he didn't seem to care.

He just wanted to embarrass and anger the court. The court was indeed very angry about Tian Chengzi's provocative behavior. Emperor Dezong of Tang wanted to cut Tian Chengzi into pieces, but he had no other choice.

At this time, the Tang government could not even defeat Tian Chengzi. If it wanted to eliminate him, it had to rely on the help of other vassal states.

However, considering the economic recession and weakening of national strength caused by years of war, Emperor Dezong of Tang could only choose to compromise and tolerate Tian Chengsi. Tian Chengsi won the gamble again.

Not only was he not punished by the court, but he was appointed to important positions such as the Inspector of the Left Pushe and the Guardian of the Grand Commandant. In order to appease him, Emperor Dezong of Tang also ordered the upgrading of Weizhou to the Grand Commandery and appointed Tian Chengsi as the Chief Secretary.

At the same time, Emperor Dezong of Tang also married his daughter Princess Yongle to Tian Chengsi's son Tian Hua to consolidate the relationship between the two sides.

Tian Chengsi's life reached its peak. He was not only the local emperor and governor of Wei Bo, but also the prime minister of the court and the emperor's relative. His life seemed to be complete, and there was nothing more worth pursuing.

However, the greed and desire in human nature are endless. Tian Chengsi was not satisfied with this, but became more arrogant, domineering, and cruel.

In 775 AD, Pei Zhiqing, the military commander of Zhaoyi, launched a rebellion under the instigation of Tian Chengsi, expelled the governor Xue Song, and restored Tian Chengsi's power.

Tian Chengsi took the opportunity to send troops to attack Xiangzhou to further expand his sphere of influence. Emperor Dezong of Tang was enraged by Tian Chengsi's provocative behavior and could no longer tolerate it. He sent an envoy to Wei Bo to warn him not to send troops without authorization.

But Tian Chengsi turned a deaf ear to it and continued to send troops to attack, and soon occupied the four states of Xiangzhou.

Emperor Dezong of Tang was extremely angry and wanted to lead the army to attack Wei Bo and eliminate Tian Chengsi. But the reality was cruel. He had no soldiers to use and could not defeat Tian Chengsi at all.

At this time, Li Baochen, the governor of Chengde, and Li Zhengji, the governor of Zibo and Qingzhou, who had conflicts with Tian Chengsi, jointly wrote a letter requesting to send troops to attack Tian Chengsi. Tang Dezong saw the opportunity and quickly assembled the armies of the nine governors and marched towards Weizhou.

The battle between the nine armies besieging Wei Bo was extremely fierce. Although Tian Chengsi was facing a powerful enemy, he did not choose to fight head-on. He knew that Wei Bo's strength could not compete head-on with the nine armies.

Therefore, he chose to use tactics. He first took advantage of the covetousness of the Ziqing Jiedushi for Wei Bo and forced him to stop his advance; then he successfully provoked the conflict between Chengde and Lulong, leading to the outbreak of war between the two sides.

For a time, the situation on the battlefield reversed. Problems arose in Chengde, Zibo, Qinghai, and Lulong, the strongest among the nine military governors. The others also began to wait and see, and the battlefield fell into a stalemate.

Tian Chengsi saw that the time was right and began his performance again. He twice submitted petitions to the court to plead guilty and ask for permission to reform.

Faced with Tian Chengsi's compromise and peace request, Emperor Dezong of Tang could only choose to accept it helplessly. After all, the Tang government at this time was no longer able to entangle with Tian Chengsi.

In 776 AD, the court officially pardoned Tian Chengsi's crimes, restored his official title, and allowed him to come to the court with his family to meet the emperor. This was undoubtedly a victory for Tian Chengsi.

Not only did he save his life and status, he also succeeded in getting the court to compromise and tolerate him. However, for the Tang Dynasty, this was a deep humiliation and pain.

It marks that the ruling power of the Tang Dynasty has declined to the extreme. A chaotic era is coming, and Tian Chengsi will also play an important role in this chaotic era and continue his path of ambition and desire.

Tian Chengsi was tolerant of his subordinates and did not investigate further. However, he repeatedly delayed his visit to the court with various excuses, and finally disobeyed orders. He continued to send troops to encroach on surrounding prefectures and counties, becoming a major scourge in the Hebei vassal state.

In 777, the imperial court sent troops to attack Wei Bo again because Tian Chengsi refused to enter the court and secretly supported the rebel general Li Lingyao. However, Tian Chengsi used the same old trick again and wrote a letter to apologize. Emperor Dezong of Tang could do nothing about him and had no choice but to compromise.

In 779 AD, Tian Chengsi passed away at the age of 75. The Tang Dynasty finally got rid of this cunning opponent. However, the real power of Wei Bo was still in the hands of Tian Chengsi's nephew Tian Yue, which set a precedent for the hereditary rule of the feudal lords.

"The emperor in Chang'an and soldiers in the Wei government" became a portrayal of the era of separatist regimes. Tian Chengsi himself was posthumously awarded the title of Taibao by the court and was still regarded as a loyal and good minister of the Tang Dynasty who corrected his mistakes.