Ma Weiyi Mutiny

Tongguan is the gateway to the capital Chang'an, where the situation is steep and the roads are narrow. Tang Xuanzong sent General Ge Shuhan to lead a heavy army to guard. Rebel general Cui Qianyou stationed troops outside Tongguan for six months, but was unable to defeat them. The defenders of Tongguan light a fire every night at the beacon tower in Yantai as a signal of peace. The beacon towers in Guanli, Yantai, received signals and set off "safety fires" one after another, which have been transmitted to Chang'an and reassured the people of Chang'an.

The rebels were unable to enter Tongguan, but internal conflicts arose within the Tang Dynasty. Ge Shuhan advocates obeying Tongguan and waiting for the right opportunity; Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi also submitted memorials to Tang Xuanzong from the front line in Hebei, requesting to lead troops north to attack Fan Yang, the stronghold of An Lushan; The defenders of Tongguan must not leave the border. However, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong opposed this approach. Someone said to Yang Guozhong, "Now the heavy troops will be in the hands of Ge Shuhan. If Ge Shuhan wins and returns to Chang'an, your position as prime minister will not be guaranteed." Yang Guozhong himself knew that he was the most unpopular prime minister, and after hearing these words, he became even more afraid. He said in front of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang that the rebels outside Tongguan were already vulnerable, and that if Ge Shuhan stood still at Tongguan, he would lose the opportunity to eliminate the rebels. The incompetent Emperor Xuanzong of Tang believed Yang Guozhong's words and sent envoys to Tongguan one after another, forcing Ge Shuhan to lead troops out of Tongguan.

Ge Shuhan knew that there was no benefit in leaving the border, but he couldn't disobey the emperor's decree. He cried bitterly and had to lead his troops out of the border.

The rebel general Cui Qianyou outside the pass had already gathered his strength and was waiting for the Tang army to leave. Cui Qianyou sent elite troops to ambush in the valley west of Lingbao (in western Henan Province today). As soon as Ge Shuhan's 200000 strong army left the border, they were ambushed and almost wiped out by the rebels. Out of 200000 people, only 8000 remain.

Ge Shuhan still wanted to deal with the remaining soldiers, but his subordinates became chaotic first. The rebels took advantage of the victory and entered Tongguan. Ge Shuhan was also captured.

Once Tongguan is breached, there will be no danger to defend within the pass. Some local officials and guards between Tongguan and Chang'an have abandoned the city and fled.

At the beginning, Ge Shuhan also sent people to Chang'an for emergency. Afterwards, urgent documents were suspended; At night, the "peace fire" on the beacon tower was also nowhere to be seen. At this point, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang felt the situation was critical and became anxious, asking Yang Guozhong to find a solution.

Yang Guozhong summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss, and everyone was in a hurry. No one could come up with a good idea. Yang Guozhong knew that staying in Chang'an had no way out, so he urged Emperor Xuanzong to flee to Shu.

That evening, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Yang Guozhong, accompanied by Yang Guifei and a group of princes and grandsons, quietly opened the palace gate and fled Chang'an under the escort of General Chen Xuanli and the Imperial Guard.

They sent a eunuch to various places along the way to prepare officials for reception.

Little did they know that the eunuchs and county magistrate sent out had already fled when they arrived in Xianyang. Tang Xuanzong and his group left for half a day, but no one brought them food. The accompanying eunuch easily found the local people and begged for some food from them. A few common people offered some sorghum cakes. Those princes and grandsons usually live in luxury and have never eaten such a meal before, but they are really hungry and do not care about any dignity. Without bowls and chopsticks, they use their hands to scoop them up and eat them all in a short while.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang reluctantly swallowed a few puffs of bread, tears streaming down his face. An old man squeezed into the car and said to Emperor Xuanzong, "An Lushan has been wanting to rebel for quite some time now. Over the years, some people have reported to the court and were instead imprisoned and killed. The ministers around Your Majesty only know how to flatter and flatter horses, and Your Majesty cannot hear the situation outside. We ordinary people would have known that one day would come, but the court's palace gates are too deep for Your Majesty to hear the opinions of the people. If it weren't for tomorrow's land, how could we speak in front of Your Majesty

Tang Xuanzong said dejectedly, "I was too confused. It's too late to regret now

After walking and stopping like this, on the third day, the soldiers accompanying them at Mawei Post Station (located in the west of Xingping County, Shaanxi Province, with a sound of w ē i) were hungry and exhausted, and could no longer bear it. The more they think about it, the angrier they get. They can't stay in Chang'an and end up in exile, enduring hardships. They believe that this is all due to the burden of the treacherous prime minister Yang Guozhong, and this debt must be calculated towards Yang Guozhong.

At this time, more than twenty Tibetan envoys stopped Yang Guozhong's horse and demanded food from him. Before Yang Guozhong could answer, the soldiers around him had already shouted:

Yang Guozhong is going to rebel! "He shouted as he shot an arrow.

Yang Guozhong remained calm and wanted to escape, but a few soldiers rushed up and chopped off his head.

The soldiers killed Yang Guozhong, stirred up emotions, and surrounded the post office where Tang Xuanzong lived. Tang Xuanzong heard the commotion outside and asked what was going on. The eunuchs informed him that the soldiers had killed Yang Guozhong. Emperor Xuanzong was greatly surprised and had no choice but to hold onto his cane as he walked out of the post gate to comfort the soldiers and ask them to return to the camp to rest.

The soldiers ignored Tang Xuanzong's words and continued to clamor. Emperor Xuanzong sent Gao Lishi to find Chen Xuanli and asked the soldiers why they refused to disperse. Chen Xuanli replied, "Yang Guozhong rebelled, and the Noble Consort cannot stay

This has really stumped Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. How could he bear to kill this beloved concubine? He stood with his head down for a while before saying, "Your Highness lives in the inner palace, how do you know that Yang Guozhong is plotting rebellion

Gao Lishi knew that not killing Yang Guifei could not calm the anger of the soldiers, so he said, "Your Highness is not guilty, but the soldiers killed Yang Guozhong. If you keep your Highness, the soldiers will not feel at ease. I hope Your Majesty will consider carefully, the soldiers will feel at ease, and Your Majesty will also be safe

In order to save his own life, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had to be ruthless and ordered Gao Lishi to take Yang Guifei to another place and strangle her to death with a belt.

The soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Yang Guifei had been executed before retreating back to the camp.

After this mutiny, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Chengdu like a startled bird. Prince Li Heng was persuaded by the local people to take charge of the court affairs. Li Heng cleared up the remaining troops from Mawei Post and headed north, ascending to the throne in Lingwu (now southwest of Lingwu, Ningxia). This is Tang Suzong.