Battle of Suiyang

The Battle of Suiyang: The Tang Dynasty was saved because Suiyang held on for ten months

A brief introduction to the Battle of Suiyang in the Tang Dynasty

The Battle of Suiyang It was a famous battle during the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty. It took place in the first year of Emperor Suzong Li Heng's reign (AD 756). After Zhang Xun withdrew from Yongqiu, he led his troops to retreat southward along the Suiyang Canal. At that time, he only had 300 horses. They retreated to Suiyang (now Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province), a strategic location known as the Jianghuai barrier, and joined the prefect Xu Yuan and Chengfu County Magistrate Yao Yan. After that, they sent their generals Lei Wanchun and Nan Jiyun to lead troops north to fight against the rebels. They defeated Yang Chaozong in the north of Ningling, beheaded 20 rebel generals, killed more than 10,000 enemies, and threw their corpses into the Suiyang Canal. The water in the canal does not flow.

Yang Chaozong escaped death and escaped overnight. After this war, Zhang Xun received an imperial edict and was named the chief guest doctor and the deputy envoy of Henan Jiedu. The history of this battle is called the Battle of Suiyang, also known as the Battle of Suiyang.

Suiyang is located at the junction between the Central Plains and the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and its location is very important. In the second year of Zhide (757), after An Lushan's death, his son An Qingxu sent general Yin Ziqi to lead the elite troops of Tongluo, Tujue, Xi and other tribes to join forces with Yang Chaozong, killing hundreds of thousands of people and attacking Suiyang. .

Facing a strong enemy, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan encouraged the soldiers to stick to their guns and fought more than 20 times from morning to noon, and their morale was not declining. Xu Yuan believed that his talents were not as good as Zhang Xun's, so he recommended Zhang Xun as his commander and took charge of raising military rations and war supplies himself.

After Zhang Xun became the coach, he first eliminated the internal rebel general Tian Xiurong, and then led his troops out of the city to attack the rebels. They defeated the rebels and fled, and seized a large number of horses, horses, cattle and sheep. Zhang Xun distributed all the spoils to the soldiers and did not want any of them himself.

After this great victory, the imperial court appointed Zhang Xun as the censor Zhongcheng; Xu Yuan as the censor; and Yao Min as the official doctor.

The Battle of Suiyang

In the first year of Emperor Suzong's reign in the Tang Dynasty (756 AD), after Zhang Xun withdrew from Yongqiu, he led his troops to retreat southward along the Suiyang Canal. With only 300 horses and 3,000 soldiers, they retreated to Suiyang (now Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province) and joined the prefect Xu Yuan and the Chengfu County Magistrate Yao Yan.

After that, they sent their generals Lei Wanchun and Nan Jiyun to lead troops north to fight against the rebels. They defeated Yang Chaozong in the north of Ningling, beheaded 20 rebel generals, killed more than 10,000 enemies, and surrendered to the enemy. The corpse was in the Suiyang Canal, and the water in the canal did not flow.

Yang Chaozong escaped death and escaped overnight. After this war, Zhang Xun received an imperial edict and was named the chief guest doctor and the deputy envoy of Henan Jiedu.

Suiyang Land is the strategic point of Suiyang Canal, and its location is very important. In the second year of Zhide (757), after An Lushan died, his son An Qingxu sent general Yin Ziqi to lead the elite troops of the Tongluo, Tujue, Xi and other tribes to join forces with Yang Chaozong, and killed more than 100,000 people to attack Suiyang. .

Faced with a strong enemy, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan encouraged the soldiers to stick to their guns and fought more than 20 times from morning to noon, and their morale remained intact. Xu Yuan believed that his talents were not as good as Zhang Xun's, so he recommended Zhang Xun as his commander-in-chief and took charge of raising military rations and war supplies by himself.

After Zhang Xun became the head coach, he first eliminated the internal rebel general Tian Xiurong, and then led his troops out of the city to attack the rebels. The rebels were defeated and fled, and a large number of horses, horses, cattle and sheep were seized.

Zhang Xun distributed all the spoils to the soldiers and did not take any of them himself. After this great victory, the imperial court appointed Zhang Xun as the censor Zhongcheng; Xu Yuan as the censor; and Yao Min as the official doctor.

In May, when the wheat was ripe, the rebels were harvesting wheat outside the city to supply the army. After Zhang Xun saw it on the city, he gathered his soldiers and beat drums as if they were ready to fight. Upon seeing this, the rebels immediately stopped harvesting wheat and waited for the battle.

At this time, Zhang Xun stopped beating the drum and asked the sergeant to pretend to take a rest. Seeing this, the rebels relaxed their vigilance. Zhang Xun seized the opportunity and ordered Nan Jiyun to lead his army to open the city gate and suddenly rush out, directly attack Yin Ziqi's camp, kill the generals and remove the flag.

At the same time, a rebel general led more than a thousand cavalry to the city to recruit Zhang Xun to surrender. While Zhang Xun was talking to the enemy generals on the city, he secretly ordered dozens of warriors armed with hooks, knives, and crossbows to be hoisted from the city into the waterless moat. While the rebels outside the city were relying on their overwhelming numbers, they were unable to do so. When on alert, the warriors fought bravely, but the rebels were caught off guard and injured many men and horses.

When there was no food in the city, they ate bark from trees, horses, and even sparrows and mice. All the soldiers and civilians in the city knew that there was no hope of holding on, but no one defected.

By mid-October, under the harsh conditions of disease, hunger and no external aid, the soldiers guarding the city had lost their combat effectiveness. They watched helplessly as the rebels climbed over the wall and entered the city, but no one had the strength to do so. Resistance, Suiyang City finally fell.

Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan, Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun and others preferred death to surrender, but were all killed by Yin Ziqi. But Yin Ziqi was also defeated by the Tang army a few days later, the entire army was wiped out, and Yin Ziqi was killed in public.

In December, the world was temporarily at peace, and Suzong of the Tang Dynasty pursued the heroes who died. Later, during the reign of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, the portraits of Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan, and Nan Jiyun were moved to Lingyan Pavilion for future generations to worship.

How important was the Battle of Suiyang in the Tang Dynasty?

At that time, the imperial court was only supported by taxes from the Yangtze River and Huaihe River basins. Suiyang was located in the middle of the Bianhe River section of the Grand Canal. If an important town in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin is lost and the canal is blocked, the consequences will be disastrous. Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan guarded Suiyang, with a maximum strength of less than 7,000. They fought more than 400 battles and annihilated 120,000 rebels.

Suiyang held firm for ten months. During this period, the imperial court continued to receive financial support from Jianghuai and completed the process of recovery, preparation and counterattack. Chang'an was recaptured and Suiyang fell in the previous month. Luoyang was recaptured 10 days later, and the rebels were no longer able to move south. The Tang Dynasty's empire was preserved thanks to Suiyang's persistence for ten months.