An Lushan
By Unknown author - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110454400
An Lushan, 安祿山 Ān Lùshān, was a Chinese military and rebel leader during the Tang dynasty and later became the first Emperor of the Yan dynasty who lived from 19 February 703 CE, though the exact year of his birth wasn't recorded, through 29 January 757. He was of Iranian and Turkic origin through the Sogdian and Göktürk peoples, at the very least by adoption as the records are unclear.
He was born to a Göktürk mother in the Ashide clan who served as their sorceress and was possibly born Alusoshan or Yaluoshan. There is conflict about who his father was, but he died when An Lushan was young and his mother remarried to An Yanyan and he took his stepfather's family name (in Chinese names, the family name comes first). It's likely that his father's family name was Kang, indicating that his family was from Samarkand or maybe Khitan while his stepfather was from Bukhara. It's possible that his name is the Sinicized, or assimilated into the Chinese language, version of Anxi (which means 'Parthia(n)', a region of northeastern Iran), and the Sogdian name ܪܘܚܫܐܢ Roχšan Roxshan 'the Bright', which is related to the name of Alexander the Great's Sodgian wife's name, Roxana.
As he grew up, An Lushan is reported as having spoken six non-Chinese languages, serving as an interpreter in a military market to trade silk for horses. In 732, An Lushan was found to have stolen some sheep and was sentenced to be executed by caning by General Zhang Shougui but before he was caned, An Lushan cried out 'Is it that you, Lord, do not wish to destroy the two barbarian tribes [the Khitan and the Xi 奚]? Why do you want to cane An Lushan to death?' Since An Lushan had a 'large body', General Zhang Shougui made him a police officer along with his friend Shi Sugan. He was later promoted to the military. Because Zhang thought An Lushan was 'obese', An Lushan limited how much he ate while around Zhang, which Zhang approved of, so much that he treated An Lushan 'like a son'. At some point, he married Lady Kang and they had at least one son named An Qingxu, though he was not the eldest son.
From 736-742, An Lushan served under Zhang Shougui in the Pinglu Army. In 736, he disobeyed an order, using an 'overly aggressive attack against the Khitan and the Xi', but he was defeated and should have been executed. Zhang sent An Lushan to the capital at Chang'an, hoping that Emperor Xuanzong would pardon him. While the chancellor Zhang Jiuling argued for An Lushan's death, Emperor Xuanzong spared him, but 'stripped him of titles' before sending him back to Zhang Shougui. In 740, An Lushan was Bingmashi 兵馬使 and he was inspected by the deputy chief imperial censor Zhang Lizhen in 741. During that inspection, he 'ingratiated himself with Zhang' to the point where he could bribe Zhang's servants. Zhang Lizhen returned to Emperor Xuanzong with a glowing report, which lead to An Lushan's promotion to commandant and the command of Pinglu Army with the goal of defending against the Khitan, the Xi, Balhae, and the Heisui Mohe. He was promoted to military governor and the Pinglu Army was promoted to military circuit in 742.
An Lushan visited Chang'an in 743 to 'pay homage to Emperor Xuanzong' where he was allowed to 'visit the palace at all times', which gave An Lushan the chance to 'inject himself into court politics' when an official complained to him that Zhang Shi, who was the son of the deputy chief imperial censor Zhang Yi, 'had been given a top grade despite having no abilities'. An Lushan brought this to the emperor and the emperor proctored the retest and 'Zhang Shi was not able to even write one character in response'. He was able to gain even more favor from the emperor through 'tributes of rare items, such as rare animals or jewels'. At one point, Emperor Xuanzong asked the 'more obese than before' An Lushan, 'What does this barbaric belly contain?', to which An Lushan replied, 'Other than a faithful heart, there is nothing else'.
He returned to the northern front in 744, and was made military governor over the Fanyang Circuit in addition to his being over the Pinglu. To show he his prowess, he set out to pilage the Khitan and Xi. This led to 'two princesses of the royal clan, who were married to the Khitan and Xi leaders as part of the hequin policy [the historical practice of Chinese monarchs marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states], being executed in retaliation'. Both groups rebelled, but An Lushan was able to defeat them in 745. This seems to be a bid to increase his own power base. He seems to have tried to recruit fellow military governor Wang Zhongsi, or at least get some troops from him, in 747, but Wang Zhongsi reported him as a potential traitor to the emperor. Li Linfu, who viewed Wang Zhongsi, 'used this as one of the reasons to indict Wang, and Wang was, later in 747, removed from his post'. In 747, An Lushan gained the honorary title of chief deputy imperial censor, and Lady Duan was listed as his wife, though Lady Kang was still alive, was made a lady at this time. In 748, Emperor Xuanzong gave him 'an iron certificate promising that he would not be executed, except for treason, and in 750, he created A [sic] Prince of Dongping, setting a precedent for generals not of the imperial Li clan to be created princes'. Later in 751, An Lushan went to pay homage to Emperor Xuanzong with 8,000 Xi captives. In 751, the emperor built An Lushan a 'magnificent mansion…in Chang'an, sparing no expense, using jade, gold, and silver in many different places'.
During his time in the capital, he was summoned by Consort Yang, who wrapped him up like an infant in an extra-large wrap, which caused a great deal of laughter among the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting. When the emperor came by to see what was going on, the attendants explained that Consort Yang 'gave birth three days ago [on An Lushan's birthday] and was washing her baby Lushan', which made the emperor happy. After this, An Lushan had a free pass to the palace with rumors that he was having an affair with Consort Yang, which Emperor Xuanzong didn't believe.
Reportedly, this is when An Lushan began thinking about what would happen when the emperor died, so he began collecting soldiers from the Khitan, Xi, and Tongluo tribesmen that had surrendered, creating an elite corps known as the Yeluohe 曵落河, meaning 'the brave'. Late in 751, he launched an attack deep into Khitan territory, but due to rains, he was defeated and was almost killed himself. In 752, he wanted to launch another campaign, but Li Xianzhong, an other general, was 'afraid of An; when An ordered Li to attack the Khitan, Li rebelled, thus putting a hault to An's campaign'.
By spring of 754, when Yang Guozhong asserted that An Lushan was plotting a rebellion and wouldn't come to Chang'an, the Emperor summoned An Lushan and he came immediately. After this, the emperor refused to believe that An Lushan was planning any kind of rebellion. In the spring of 755, An Lushan sent a request to 'replace 32 Han generals under his command with non-Han generals', which the emperor granted despite his chancellors arguing against because they took this as a 'sign of impending rebellion'. To control An Lushan's ability to raise a rebellion, the chancellors suggested the emperor make An Lushan a chancellor while the army under him be divided back under three deputies. The emperor drafted the edict, but sent a eunuch to observe him instead, and An Lushan reportedly bribed the eunuch for a favorable report.
On 16 December 755, An Lushan began his rebellion, 'claiming he had received a secret edict from Emperor Xuanzong to advance on Chang'an to remove Yang' and Yang 'believed that An could be suppressed easily'. Feng Changqing, military governor of Fanyang and Pinglu, was chosen by the emperor to replace An Lushan once the rebellion was put down, sending him to the eastern capital of Luoyang. Another general, Gao Xianzhi, was placed over Shan Commandery and executed An Qingzong, one of An Lushan's sons, and Lady Kang and he forced An Qingzong's wife, Lady Rongyi to take her life. On 8 January 756, An Lushan crossed over the Yellow River and captured two commanderies on his way to Luoyang. Feng was unprepared and was forced to flee, leaving Luoyang in the hands of An Lushan.
On 5 February 756, the Lunar New Year, 'An Lushan declared himself Emperor at Luoyang, establishing the state of Yan, making Zhang Tongru and the surrendered Tang official Daxi Xun his chancellors'. Tang generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi made their way into Emperor An's territory on the other side of the Yellow River, cutting communication lines and 'causing much fear in An's troops'. Two generals had set their armies up in the Tong pass to capture An's armies on the way to Chang'an were ordered to attach the Shan Commandery, even though those generals thought securing the Tong Pass was more important, and they were defeated. This allowed Emperor An's forces to capture the Tong Pass, which caused Emperor Xuanzong and Yang to flee to Shu Commandery, and along the way, believing that 'Yang Guozhong had provoked this rebellion, the imperial guards assassinated Yang Guozhong, and demanded the death of Yang Guifei, to which the Emperor reluctantly consented'. With Emperor Xuanzong gone, Chang'an surrendered to Yan forces and a number of the imperial relatives were executed.
An Lushan spent his time in Luoyang palace once he'd secured the two capitals though Emperor Xuangzhong and his son, Emperor Suzong, still lived, though they were north of the Yellow River and East of the Taihang Mountains, except where the Yan held the land. He suffered chronic eye problems that eventually caused him to go blind and had ulcers. As he grew blinder and sicker, he 'became ill-tempered and paranoid, and would flog or even murder his servants if they caused him any displeasure', even his 'highly-trusted Khitan eunuch named Li Zhu'er (李豬兒)'. While An Lushan preferred his son An Qing'en, one of the sons of his second wife, instead of his then eldest son An Qingxu, An Qingxu along with a couple of An Lushan's generals and Li Zhu'er planned to assassinate An Lushan. They carried out their plan on 29 January 757, with Li Zhu'er taking in a sword to do the deed. An Lushan tried to fight back, but he was unable to locate the sword under his bed, allowing Li Zhu'er to attack his abdomen. While his intestines were spilling out, he reportedly screamed 'this is a thief of my own household' before he died. The next day, one of the generals reported that An Lushan was 'seriously ill, and that he had appointed An Qingzu crown prince. Then, after taking the throne, An Qingxu reported that An Lushan had died'.
