Brief: This article narrates the tragic Mawei Incident during the An-Shi Rebellion. After the Tang defeat at Tong Pass, Emperor Xuanzong fled Chang’an with Yang Guifei. Enraged imperial guards mutinied, killing Yang Guozhong and forcing the emperor to order Yang Guifei’s death. The imperial family split; the crown prince declared himself Emperor Suzong. Though the rebellion ended, the Tang Dynasty was irreversibly weakened.
The Collapse at Tong Pass and the Flight
Following the disastrous order to attack, General Geshu Han led the Tang army out of Tong Pass, only to fall into a rebel ambush at Lingbao. The Tang forces were decimated; of the 200,000 soldiers, fewer than 8,000 survived. Geshu Han was betrayed by his own subordinates, captured, and later executed. With the strategic pass lost, the rebel army surged toward Chang’an like a flood. Local officials fled or surrendered en masse. In the capital, Emperor Xuanzong, paralyzed by grief and fear, abandoned any thought of defense. After a hollow declaration that he would lead the army personally, he secretly prepared for flight. At dawn, protected by the imperial guard, he fled westward with Yang Guifei, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, Crown Prince Li Hen, the eunuch Gao Lishi, and a retinue of courtiers, aiming for the safety of Sichuan.
The Mutiny at Mawei Post
The exhausted procession reached Mawei Post (in modern Xingping, Shaanxi), where the imperial guards, starving and fatigued after days of hard marching, reached their breaking point. Blaming the national catastrophe on Yang Guozhong’s corruption and arrogance, the soldiers’ resentment boiled over. General Chen Xuanliang, commander of the imperial guard, shared their fury. He rallied the troops, declaring, “The empire is torn apart because of Yang Guozhong. Unless we kill him, how can we appease the people’s wrath?” The soldiers agreed enthusiastically. Chen first sought the approval of Crown Prince Li Hen through his eunuch Li Fuguo, but the prince hesitated. Chen then directly petitioned Emperor Xuanzong, arguing that since An Lushan’s rebellion was justified by the need to purge Yang, the army would not move until Yang was executed.
The Fall of the Yang Clan
As the Emperor hesitated, a group of Tibetan envoys approached Yang Guozhong to complain about hunger. Seeing him conversing with foreigners, soldiers shouted, “Yang Guozhong is plotting treason with the barbarians!” A volley of arrows was loosed; one struck Yang’s saddle. As he fled toward the west gate, the mob caught and beat him to death, severing his head and displaying it on a spear. However, the soldiers did not disperse. They surrounded the post, demanding more. Gao Lishi investigated and reported back: “Yang Guozhong is dead, but Yang Guifei remains. The soldiers fear future retribution from her family. General Chen insists she must go.”
Heartbroken, Emperor Xuanzong pleaded, “She has lived in seclusion; how could she know of her cousin’s plots?” Gao Lishi replied grimly, “Her presence beside you prevents the soldiers from feeling safe. If the guard refuses to protect you, how will you reach Sichuan? You cannot sacrifice the empire for one woman.” Reluctantly, the Emperor granted permission for her death. Gao Lishi led Yang Guifei to a Buddhist shrine, where she hanged herself. Only after viewing her body did the soldiers disperse. In the ensuing purge, Yang Guozhong’s wife, sons, and Yang Guifei’s three sisters were also killed, marking the violent end of the powerful Yang clan.
The Division of the Imperial Family
With the immediate threat quelled, the destination became a point of contention. Many soldiers opposed going to Sichuan, fearing it was Yang Guozhong’s stronghold and too distant to reclaim the Central Plains. Suggestions ranged from Shuofang to Taiyuan. As the Emperor insisted on heading to Fufeng, local villagers blocked the road, kneeling and begging him not to abandon the ancestral temples and tombs. When the Emperor ordered Crown Prince Li Hen to comfort them, the people pleaded with the prince to stay and lead the resistance. Li Hen’s sons, Li Chu and Li Tan, along with Li Fuguo, urged him: “To stay and fight the rebels is the true filial piety. We can welcome the Emperor back once peace is restored.” Persuaded, Li Hen sent Li Chu to inform his father. Emperor Xuanzong sighed, “This is Heaven’s will,” and agreed to the separation, dividing the escort to give his son troops before continuing to Sichuan alone.
The Rise of Suzong and the Resistance
Li Hen traveled north to Lingwu in Shuofang. Without waiting for his father’s formal approval, he declared himself Emperor Suzong, honoring Xuanzong as Retired Emperor. He appointed himself Commander-in-Chief and issued calls for a unified campaign against the rebels. Meanwhile, the rebels had captured Chang’an. An Lushan, seeking revenge for his son An Qingzong’s earlier execution in the capital, ordered brutal massacres of remaining royal relatives and Yang’s associates. His troops looted the city indiscriminately.
While An Lushan indulged in luxury in Luoyang, his general Shi Siming commanded the front lines. On the Tang side, Guo Ziyi joined Suzong in Lingwu to coordinate strategy, while Li Guangbi took command at the front. The war turned into a grueling stalemate in Hebei and Henan. Heroic defenders like Yan Gaoqing in Changshan and Zhang Xu in Suiyang held out against overwhelming odds. Yan Gaoqing, after six days of resistance, was captured and tortured to death by An Lushan, refusing to stop cursing the rebel even as his tongue was cut out. Zhang Xu and Xu Yuan defended Suiyang for months until starvation forced the city’s fall; Zhang refused to surrender and was executed, but their sacrifice bought crucial time for the Tang counteroffensive.
Internal Collapses and the End of an Era
The rebel leadership eventually crumbled due to internal strife. An Lushan, obese and suffering from severe illness, favored his youngest son, threatening the succession of his elder son, An Qingxu. In a bloody coup, An Qingxu, aided by advisor Yan Zhuang and attendant Li Zhu’er, stabbed his father to death in his sleep. An Qingxu proclaimed himself emperor but lacked authority. Shi Siming, disdainful of the new ruler, eventually killed An Qingxu and seized the throne himself.
Capitalizing on rebel disarray and aided by Uyghur cavalry, Tang forces recaptured Chang’an. Emperor Suzong returned to the capital and welcomed his father back. However, the aged Xuanzong, broken by tragedy, wished only for a quiet retirement. The powerful eunuch Li Fuguo, fearing a restoration, forced Xuanzong into isolation in the deserted Ganlu Hall and exiled Gao Lishi. Depressed and ill, Emperor Xuanzong died shortly after. Emperor Suzong, already sick and traumatized by court intrigues between Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang, also died soon after when Li Fuguo violently arrested the Empress. Within a month, both the Retired Emperor and the reigning Emperor had passed away. Li Fuguo assisted Li Yu (formerly Li Chu) in ascending the throne as Emperor Daizong, closing a turbulent chapter in Tang history.
Note
Emperor Xuanzong
The Tang ruler who fled Chang’an during the An-Shi Rebellion. He was forced to order the death of his beloved Yang Guifei to calm the mutinous imperial guards.
Yang Guifei (Yang Yuhuan)
Emperor Xuanzong’s favorite concubine. Blamed for the chaos caused by her cousin Yang Guozhong, she was forced to commit suicide at Mawei Post.
Yang Guozhong
Corrupt prime minister and cousin of Yang Guifei. The soldiers held him responsible for the rebellion and killed him in the mutiny.
Chen Xuanliang
Commander of the imperial guard. He led the mutiny and demanded the deaths of Yang Guozhong and Yang Guifei.
Gao Lishi
Loyal eunuch of Emperor Xuanzong. He reluctantly carried out the order to execute Yang Guifei.
Crown Prince Li Heng (Emperor Suzong)
Left his father at Mawei, went north to Lingwu, and declared himself emperor to lead the resistance against the rebels.
An Lushan & Shi Siming
Leaders of the An-Shi Rebellion. Their internal power struggles later destroyed their own regime.
Guo Ziyi & Li Guangbi
Main loyalist generals who saved the Tang Dynasty by defeating the rebels.
An-Shi Rebellion (755–763 AD)
The catastrophic civil war that ended Tang’s golden age and weakened the dynasty forever.
Mawei Post
A relay station near Chang’an where the imperial guard mutinied, becoming a symbol of tragic imperial love and political downfall.
Imperial Guard Mutiny
Soldiers revolted because they blamed the emperor’s favorites for the national disaster.
Division of the imperial family
After Mawei, the emperor went to Sichuan, while the crown prince stayed to fight — splitting the Tang court.
Tragedy at Mawei
The most famous romantic tragedy in Chinese history: an emperor sacrificing his beloved to save the empire.
Soldiers’ wrath cannot be stopped
The public and military anger was so strong that even the emperor could not protect his favorite.
Fall of the Yang clan
The sudden destruction of a powerful imperial relative group, a common pattern in Chinese court politics.
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