Mid Tang Broadstrokes:（766－835）中唐

Concept Art by Binsart Binsart

"Middle Tang"（766－835）refers to the period which began immediately after the disastrous An Lushan Rebellion, and bookended by the failed Sweet Dew Plot of 835. Though the Tang emperors were able to crush the An Lushan Rebellion, it never managed to regain the hegemonic status it once enjoyed during the Early Tang 初唐 (618—712) and High Tang 盛唐 (650—755) eras. Still- this does not mean the Tang's fortunes at this point were sealed nor that a downward trajectory was irrevocable.

Observers in hindsight may be tempted to ascribe this period as one of "stagnation" but the wording may be too negative of a choice, a better description of the era would probably say it's one of bitter  struggles, where some times the imperial court's wishes were achieved, while others failed. The particular nature of the Tang's bitter struggle in this period could be compared to that of a proverbial tug of war, where the Tang quarreled fiercely with its many challengers with mixed results.

Mid Tang: Map of the Tang dynasty in 779 shortly after the ascension of emperor Dezong of Tang.Yellow represents the Tang empire, blue represents contested western territories lost to the resurgent Tibetan Empire, red represents the highly independent military circuits under the command of ambitious and autonomous warlords called the Jiedushi. The Tang emperors at this time were not only threatened externally by repeated Tibetan incursions but also by these ruthless vassals, who at times were even brazen enough to slay the emperor's own chancellors right in the capital. 

THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF MID TANG

Because of the disastrous An Lushan Rebellion, Tang's Tarim Basin holdings were lost to the ambitious Tibetan Empire. For the next century, the Tang and the Tibetans would war bitterly over the possession of the west.

The political struggles of the Mid Tang period could be divided into external, internal, and during the final days of this period: the internal elements of the political struggle would also encompass deadly palace intrigues. 

EXTERNAL THREATS- THE WESTERN FRONT

The foremost of these involves external rivals of the Tang empire taking advantage of Tang weakness in the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion. Namely that of the resurgent Tibetan empire would repeatedly invade Tang holds in the west. Because of Tibetan conquest of the vulnerable Hexi Corridor which served as a link in the ∞ shape of the Tang empire, nearly 40% of Tang holds in the west lost contact with the Tang heartland. The isolated provinces where therefore left alone and isolated to fend for themselves. For the next century, the Tang and the Tibetans would war bitterly over control of the western regions. Countless battles and hundreds of skirmishes were fought between the Tang and the Tibetans. 

Red lacquered leather lamellar armor of ancient construction. During the Kingdom of Nanzhao and Dali many of the warriors wore such armors into battle. 

In order to further distract Tang's ability to respond in the west, the Tibetans concluded an alliance with the aggressive Yunnan kingdom of Nanzhao against the Tang. Nanzhao- although small in territory was manned by formidable raiders and repeatedly invaded the Tang from the southwest, often attacking vulnerable (and more importantly down- hill) Tang holds in Annam (modern north Vietnam) then retreat back into their impregnable mountain passes with loot and thousands of slaves. 

To counter the repeated Tibetan incursions, the Tang during the reign of Emperor Dezong concluded a lasting marriage alliance with the other ascendant power during this era- the Uyghur Khaganate. 

The Khaganate in the 8th century was then the hegemonic power over much of the steppes and was also bitterly competing against the Tibetan empire over vassals and the control of the Silk Road trade in the west. With this critical alliance, the Tang- Uyghur alliance stabilized the western front. There after, the two sides maintained a degree of equilibrium for nearly a century until both the Tibetan empire and the Uyghur Khagate both suddenly collapsed in the middle of the 9th century. 

Uyghurs nobles, the Uyghurs were often seen as the most literate and refined of the steppe peoples, not only by the Tang but by the other steppe tribes as well. They value literacy and administrative abilities. They prized building of walled cities and monopolized power over the steppes through effective control of various vasalized tribes and the strategic control of trade roads and key rivers using forts.

INTERNAL THREATS- THE EMERGING WARLORDS 

A bad peace: In the post-Ān Lùshān period, in return for their surrender, several key An Lushan's defector generals were allowed to remain in command of their armies and govern large tracts of land as they saw fit. They became feudal lords in all but name, and most merely paid lip-service to the imperial court. 

Something else became very prominent during the Middle Tang period- the emergence of powerful warlords called the Jiedushi 节度使. The Jiedushi 节度使 were originally just Tang governors over the various Circuits of the empire, however, in the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion, their powers increased exponentially. 

Daizong, the Tang emperor that finally ended the An Lushan Rebellion merely pardoned many of the yet- powerful remnants of the rebel commanders and informed them that so long as they surrender to the Tang and acknowledge the Tang as overlords, they were permitted to keep all of their armies and territories. Though this swiftly ended the rebellion and allowed the Tang to deal with more pressing enemies like the Tibetan invaders, by allowing these men to retain their lands and titles, the Tang effectively allowed pockets of parallel (and untrustworthy) governments to be set up within the empire. The controversy and tension would erupt in violence after Daizong's death.

 Although nominally subordinate to the Tang by accepting imperial titles, the jiedushi 节度使 governed their territories as independent fiefdoms with all the trappings of an autonomous feudal society, they established their own family dynasties through intermarriage, collected taxes, privately raising armies, and even appointed their own state officials. What's more, several of the leading military governors in Hebei were non-Tang citizens.They allied with each other for mutual protection to prevent Tang reclamation.

WARS AGAINST THE WARLORDS

Much of the Middle Tang period would see Tang Emperors try to wrestle back control of the empire from these ambitious and untrustworthy warlords. In the wake of Daizong's death, his son Dezong, and the future emperor Xianzong would aggressively take the fight to the warlords. To do this, the Tang emperors would usually wait like vultures until one or by a stroke of luck- several of the warlords would die from their old age, then take advantage of the vulnerable succession period by launching attacks against the warlord- states. 

REVERSE OF TANG FORTUNES- XIANZONG'S YUANHE RESTORATION

Although the ambitious Dezong's attempts of reconquest in the late 700s and early 800s were blunted in humiliation, the fortunes greatly swung back to the Tang emperors in the reign of Dezong's grandson Xianzong. Unlike his predecessors, during Xianzong's reign, much of the Tang imperial power was restored and he was able to conquer most of the warlords and strip away their power. The degree of his success was such that his reign was called Yuanhe Restoration 元和中兴.

However, before he could have completely undo the Jiedushi and also completely reassert the imperial house's primacy over government affairs, Xianzong was poisoned by his ambitious consort and eunuchs. There after, much of what Xianzong had gained for the imperial clan was undone in the wake of his death and imperial authority began a steep tangible decline. The reign of Xianzong proved to only have been a brave but futile anomaly.

THE EUNUCH KINGMAKERS

By the 820s, the intrigues within the Daming Palace began to be increasingly dominated by the eunuchs. Xianzong's successor Muzong was a gluttonous, inept, and corrupt ruler, during his brief rule almost all of his father's military victories were not pressed and thus- in only 4 years since his father's military supremacy over the warlords. Most of the warlords again regained their holds and control. Not only did central authority enter an irrevocable decline during Muzong's disastrous rule, but in his death, the situation severely deteriorated. 

THE MURDERED EMPERORS

Worse yet, much of the imperial affairs was entrusted in the hands of the eunuchs, who directly commanded the strongest of the imperial armies- the Shence Army 神策军. Originally empowered by Dezong and molded as the fist of the imperial clan, eventually both the eunuch and the Shence Army would become kingmakers and actively become puppeteers of future Tang Emperors. 

Atop of the foriegn threats, warlords threats, now the Tang emperors found a new caste of enemies right under the very roof of the imperial house.

Muzong was followed by 3 emperors, who were all his sons and brothers to each other. His immediate successor, a teenager, Jinzong was assassinated by corrupt eunuchs at the age of 17. Enraged by the death of his brother, Jinzong's successor Wenzong sought to depose the cabal of eunuchs that had by now greatly plagued imperial authority. In conspiracy, Wenzong plotted with 2 of his trusted ministers in exterminating all of the Eunuchs within the court. 

THE SWEET DEW PLOT- A FINAL BID FOR FREEDOM

For many years, Wenzong and his 2 trusted ministers plotted and prepared in detail various plans on destroying all of the empire's enemies. To first purge the eunuchs and reshuffle the court, then take down the warlords, and finally after regaining the empire and take the fight to the empire's foreign enemies. However, one of the 2 ministers- wanting glory all for himself, prematurely launched the plan. 

First, by the ploy of inviting many eunuchs out to observe "Sweet Dew" gathered in the imperial garden (a traditionally auspicious sign) the eunuchs were summoned en mass and led out along with emperor Wenzong himself. However, before the assassins and soldiers were able to descend upon the eunuchs, they were discovered. The eunuchs were immediately alarmed and hastily ran to rally every group of guards and officer corps still under their command. Within hours, the assassins were slaughtered. The eunuchs ordered the imperial guard to storm the Grand Secretariat and slaughtered all of the officials within. But the violence did not stop with the death of the assassins, instead, the eunuchs's purge went into overdrive. 

In a twisted irony, the eunuchs began to invite many unsuspecting imperial ministers and officials to court and arrested hundreds of them and had them tortured and executed. After this, they put Wenzong under house arrest and publicly executed all of his faithful ministers. 

 Thereafter the eunuchs ruled the empire with naked impunity as king makers- and most importantly, king breakers. The nexus of the empire was relocated to the Imperial Office Bureau (headquarters of the eunuchs in the Daming Palace.) After five years of house arrest Wenzong died in captivity- concluding the sad end of his 13 years of reign. There after, almost all of the Tang emperors were made with the permission of the eunuchs. 

IRREVOCABLE DECLINE

It was with the "Sweet Dew Plot" that Middle Tang period concluded. From this point on, the next period of Tang history was differentiated by historians as Late Tang, where the empire became increasingly unable to handle and respond to various crises that appeared, and entered into an age of protracted and irrevocable decline. 

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SHORTHAND TO MID TANG EMPERORS

Interestingly, the Tang Emperors during this period could be broadly split into three groups all defined by their enemies and their conflicts. Emperors who devoted their efforts in ending the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperors who greatly challenged the warlords, and the weakened emperors who eventually lost imperial authority to the Eunuchs.

➢ THE CRUSHERS OF AN LUSHAN REBELLION



After the death of the sagely Xuanzong Emperor- whose long reign was denoted as "High Tang," his 2 successors Suzong and Daizong were remembered for their effort in putting down the An Lushan Rebellion. Suzong usurped his father with his father's later blessing and took an active role in reclaiming back the 2 imperial capitals of Chang An and Luoyang, however he died before he was able to wrap up the An Lushan Rebellion in Tang's favor. His son Daizong- in mercy and also in desperate need for Tang recovery pardoned many of the rebel generals and allowed them to become de facto independent warlords.

➢ THE FIGHTERS OF WARLORDS



To reassert imperial authority and reconquer the lands shamefully relinquished to the warlords, Dezong ambitiously attacked the warlords, though he secured some early victories, ultimately he was defeated by the warlords, who regained their power. Dezong was followed by his son Shunzong- who only reigned for 6 months as a sickly emperor before dying and passing the throne to his son Xianzong. The swift death of both Dezong and Shunzong by all means should have created a precarious decline for the empire, but Xianzong defied all odds and became a remarkably proactive warrior and administrator. He successfully appointed a court of talented officials and destroyed many of the most dangerous warlords that threatened imperial power. However, before he was able to complete his mission, he was assassinated.

➢ THE ENSNARED EMPERORS



Xianzong's death drastically weakened imperial power and sent the fortune of the Tang into a steep downward spiral. Much of his victories were undone during the reign of his lecherous and irresponsible son Muzong, who made the situation worse by dying early and leaving his successors trapped in a court filled with scheming eunuchs. His son Jinzong was flagrantly murdered by the eunuchs, and in revenge, the cautious Wenzong bid his time and did not show his claws. He conspired with loyal ministers to slaughter all of the eunuchs. However, the Sweet Dew Plot failed and all of Wenzong's key allies were all killed. Wenzong would die in house arrest and in his wake, the Tang entered into a period of protracted decline.