Anshi Rebellion

The rebellion by An Lushan and Shi Siming (755-763) occurred during the prosperous Tang Dynasty in China. It marked a major turning point between the early and late Tang dynasties.

The Tang Dynasty reached its peak under the rule of Emperor Xuanzong (after the Kaiyuan era), when domestic and foreign cultures were mixed and blossomed, but as Emperor Xuanzong reached middle age he grew tired of politics and became obsessed with Yang Guifei, and the aristocratic powers that had been suppressed by the reign of Empress Wu Zetian regained power in the imperial court, and the Prime Minister Li Linfu, who was of imperial descent, wielded absolute power. On the other hand, the development of large landholdings and the activities of commercial capital led to the instability of the equal-field system and the tax-paying system, and the disintegration of the peasant class progressed, leading to an increase in the number of people fleeing and social unrest, the collapse of the Fubing system, the expansion of the mercenary system, and the crackdown on households (surveys of people fleeing and hidden fields) to increase taxes due to financial expansion, deepening political and social contradictions.

In an attempt to seize dictatorial power, Li Linfu appointed aboriginals and people of low social standing to the ranks of the border mercenary corps. Taking advantage of this, An Lushan, who was also the third regional governor of the northeastern border, skillfully infiltrated the imperial court and became a major force. However, when Yang Guofei's elder brother Yang Guozhong became the center of the anti-Li Linfu faction, ousted Linfu and became prime minister, An Lushan became hostile and slandered him as plotting rebellion. Emperor Xuanzong finally became suspicious and tried to recall Lushan, so Lushan decided to rebel and raised an army in Fanyang (present-day Beijing). In November 755, he marched south across the Hebei Plain with a large army of 150,000 Barbarian Han (officially 200,000), centered around 8,000 elite cavalry from Khitan and Tiele (nominally Lushan's adopted son and called the father-son army). In December, he occupied Luoyang, and the following year proclaimed himself Emperor of Great Yan. The Tang Dynasty mobilized 200,000 troops and dispatched the military commander Geshu Han from the northwest to guard Tong Pass (halfway between Luoyang and Chang'an). In Hebei, local officials such as the brothers Yan Zhenqing, the Governor of Pingyuan, and Yan Gaoqing, the Governor of Changshan, threatened the rear of Lushan's army, while in Henan, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan defended Suiyang City (Shangqiu County) to the death, preventing Lushan's army from invading the Jianghuai financial region. It is said that behind the resistance of these local officials were village self-defense corps centered around local lords.

However, Yang Guozhong, eager to achieve success, gave strict orders to Geshuhan to retake Luoyang, and the Tang army was lured out by spies from Lushan's army and suffered a major defeat. In June 756, Lushan's army broke through Tong Pass and stormed into Chang'an, while Xuanzong and the court nobles fled to Shu (Sichuan). On the way, the Imperial Guard exploded in anger at Mawei Station (Xingping County, Shaanxi Province), killing Yang Guozhong and forcing the emperor to kill Yang Guifei. Meanwhile, the crown prince, who had split off from Xuanzong, ascended to the throne (Shuzong) in Lingwu (Gansu Province) in the west and prepared for a counterattack. Prevented from expanding the front line, Lushan's army broke out into internal conflict, and Lushan, who became ill and lost control, was killed by his son Qingxu in 757, and the following year Qingxu was killed by his subordinate Shi Siming, who then became emperor, but was also killed by his son Chaoyi in 761, and the rebel generals were scattered all over the country. Suzong appointed Prince Guangping (later Daizong) as Marshal of War and Horses and the famous general Guo Ziyi as Deputy Marshal, and with the help of the Shuofang army and the large army of the Huihe (Uighurs) who offered to help, they recaptured Chang'an and Luoyang, and then moved to pursue the rebels, defeating Shi Chaoyi in 763, bringing an end to the nine-year rebellion.

However, the generals who were deployed or stationed in various regions during the war became feudal governors, and centralism crumbled, with a growing tendency toward military decentralization, with Hebei in particular maintaining a semi-independent system for a long time. The capital Chang'an, devastated by war, was unable to recover from the blow and fell into decline. There was also a sharp increase in temporary plundering to raise military funds, and many new taxes were levied, altering the tax and labor adjustment system and setting the stage for the two tax laws. The system in place since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty was also completely overhauled in terms of financial management, including the monopoly on salt. From then on, the Tang Dynasty devoted most of its energy to dealing with the growing power of the foreign generals and controlling the feudal governors.

[Hideo Kikuchi]

“Anrokuzan” by Masumi Fujiyoshi (1966, Jinto Oraisha) ▽ “Anrokuzan and Yang Guifei” by Masumi Fujiyoshi (1972, Shimizu Shoin)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、盛唐時代に起こった安禄山(あんろくざん)、史思明(ししめい)らの反乱（755～763）。唐代の前期、後期を画する一大転機となった。

　唐帝国は玄宗治下に極盛期を迎え（開元の治(かいげんのち)）、内外文化を混一、開花させたが、中年を過ぎた玄宗(げんそう)は政治に倦(う)んで楊貴妃(ようきひ)への愛におぼれ、宮廷では則天武后(そくてんぶこう)朝に抑圧された貴族勢力が盛り返し、皇族出身の宰相李林甫(りりんぽ)が専権を振るった。一方、大土地所有の発展、商業資本の活動などによる均田制、租庸調(そようちょう)体制の動揺と、農民層の分解が進み、逃戸(とうこ)や社会不安が増大し、府兵制の崩壊、傭兵(ようへい)制の拡大、財政膨張による増税のための括戸(かっこ)（逃戸や隠田(おんでん)の摘発調査）と、政治的、社会的矛盾が深まっていた。

　李林甫が独裁権を握ろうと辺境傭兵軍団の軍将に、蕃人(ばんじん)や下層身分出身者を登用したのに乗じて、東北辺の3節度使を兼任した安禄山は、巧みに宮廷に食い込んで大勢力となった。しかし、楊貴妃の族兄楊国忠(ようこくちゅう)が反李林甫派の中心となって林甫を追い落とし宰相となるや、禄山を敵視して謀反の企てありと中傷した。玄宗もついにこれを疑い、召還しようとしたので、禄山は反乱を決意、范陽(はんよう)（現在の北京(ペキン)）で挙兵、755年11月、契丹(きったん)、鉄勒(てつろく)などの精騎8000余（名目上禄山の養子とし父子軍と称していた）を中核に、蕃漢15万（公称20万）の大軍で河北平原を南下、12月洛陽(らくよう)を占領、翌年大燕(だいえん)皇帝と称した。唐朝は20万を動員、西北より武将哥舒翰(かじょかん)を急派して潼関(どうかん)（洛陽、長安の中間）を守らせた。河北では平原太守顔真卿(がんしんけい)、常山太守顔杲卿(がんこうけい)兄弟らの地方官が禄山軍の後方を脅かし、河南では張巡(ちょうじゅん)、許遠(きょえん)らが睢陽(すいよう)城（商邱(しょうきゅう)県）を死守して禄山軍の江淮(こうわい)財源地帯への侵入を阻んだ。こうした地方官の抗戦の裏には、土豪を中心とする郷村自衛団があったといわれる。

　しかし、功をあせった楊国忠は哥舒翰に洛陽奪回を厳命、唐軍は禄山軍の間者におびき出されて大敗し、756年6月潼関を突破した禄山軍は一挙に長安に殺到、玄宗や宮廷貴族は蜀(しょく)（四川(しせん)）へ落ち延びた。途中、馬嵬(ばかい)駅（陝西(せんせい)省興平県）で近衛(このえ)兵の憤懣(ふんまん)が爆発し、楊国忠は殺され、帝は迫られて楊貴妃を死に至らしめた。他方、玄宗と分かれた皇太子は西方の霊武（甘粛(かんしゅく)省）で即位（粛(しゅく)宗）し、反攻を準備した。戦線拡大を阻止された禄山軍は内紛を生じ、病に冒されて統制力を失った禄山は757年、子の慶緒(けいしょ)に殺され、翌年慶緒も部下の史思明に殺され、思明が帝位についたが、これまた761年、子の朝義に殺され、反乱軍の諸将は各地に割拠するありさまとなった。粛宗は太子広平王（後の代宗）を兵馬元帥、名将郭子儀(かくしぎ)を副元帥とし、朔方(さくほう)軍および救援を申し出た回紇(かいこつ)（ウイグル）の大軍によって、長安、洛陽を奪回、追撃に移り、763年史朝義を滅ぼし、9年に及ぶ大乱は終結した。

　しかし、乱中各地に配備、進駐した諸将はそのまま藩鎮(はんちん)となり、中央集権は崩れて軍事的分権化の傾向が強まり、とくに河北は長く半独立の体制をとり続けることとなった。戦火に荒廃した首都長安は、ついに打撃から立ち直れず衰微した。また軍費調達のため臨時の収奪が激増し、多くの新税が徴収されて租庸調制を変質させ、両税法への伏線が張られ、塩の専売をはじめ、財政運営面でも唐初以来の体制を一変した。以後、唐朝は、勢力を増大した蕃将の処置と、藩節度使の統制に精力の大半を費やすこととなる。

［菊池英夫］

『藤善真澄著『安禄山』（1966・人物往来社）』▽『藤善真澄著『安禄山と楊貴妃』（1972・清水書院）』

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