Tang Dynasty General in Heavy Armor- Yuchi Jingde: 唐猛将尉遲恭 | 尉遲敬德

Action Figure: Jiao Zong Studio - 程咬金

JZMW-016 Yuchi Jingde 1/6 Scale Action Figure

Figure of formidable Tang founding general Yuchi Gong 尉遲恭 (courtesy name Yuchi Jingde) in heavy guard armor. The armor is based on a composite of Tang imperial guardsman and cataphract horseman figurines recovered from Tang Prince Yide of Tang's mausoleum. The rider's horses have gilded chanfrons (horse head armor) and have peacock plumes surmounted on their lamellar helmet. Yuchi Gong was one of young Tang prince Li Shiming (later Taizong Emperor)'s most ferocious warriors and played a critical part in his master's military campaigns and later~ ruthless bid for the imperial throne.

Tang cataphract- likely imperial guards. 

FEROCIOUS

KOEI style portrait of Yuchi Gong. Ferocious, gruff, and fearless to the point of madness, Yuchi Gong was a terrifying berserker of a warrior and one of Prince Li Shimin's best fighting soldiers. He was instrumental in many events that propelled the Tang Prince to become the future Taizong Emperor. Later he would be deified as a God in Chinese folk religion. He is frequently depicted with an appearance similar to Zhang Fei- with fiery wild untrimmed beard and wielding 2 heavy sword breakers called Jian (not to be confused with Jian for sword which is spelled differently) Sword breakers were very heavy and could only be effectively wielded on horseback by the strongest warriors.

Yuchi Gong (585–658) lived a life that was- in many ways somewhat typical of the early founders of Tang. He was an unequalled warrior who fought in a rebel army that topple the dying Sui dynasty- and in the ensuing civil war his superiors fought and was defeated by the young 20 year old Prince of Tang Li Shimin. After surrendering to the young Tang Prince- and was pardoned by him, Yuchi Gong became one of the greatest warriors in the Tang army. Though they were previous enemies, Yuchi Gong and the young Tang Prince instantly formed a close bond and Gong quickly rose to become one of Li Shimin's best champions. 

Records of the dynamic prince Li Shimin are abound with episodes of Yuchi Gong's suicidally heroic and at times very violent deeds, shortly after he was taken under his new patron he was said to have rescued Li Shimin from a deadly cavalry raid into the camp with a spear. The two then became very close. During the leadup to the dangerous battle of Hulao, Yuchi Gong acted as Taizong's mounted champion and dueled with the enemy camp's warriors and capably probed their strength. Upon seeing the enemy commander's nephew riding a resplendent prized war horse, Yuchi Gong sought to take it for his master, but Li Shimin rebuffed him, saying "How can I lose a great warrior for a horse?" Despite this, later on Yuchi Gong and several other warriors made a daring sneak attack and captured the nephew as well as the prized horse. 

Li Shimin's elite guard cavalry unit was known as the "Blacks" or "Black Armor Army" 玄甲军 because all of them wore distinctive black armors and were cobbled together from Li Shimin's best warriors. 

MIRACLE AT HULAO

Hulao was one of Li Shimin's most lopsided battles, with him reportedly having only 3,500 soldiers Taizong (conservatively still less than 10,000- Li Shimin's core + local levies) faced against an arriving enemy some 100,000 strong. In the narrow Hulao pass, Li Shimin harassed nimbly harassed them with superior Tang cavalry and then, while the enemy army began to loose cohesion, the Tang made a deep attack charging directly into the center of the sweltering enemy camp. The deep attack against the larger army caused a severe ripple of panic from the larger host and its morale began to collapse in pieces then all together. Soon the entire enemy army was routed and its commander captured. The battle eventually captured surrendered enemies in the high tens of thousands. Li Shimin did not relent his pressure, and took the victorious army to Luoyang, where he had been sieging with an entrenched section of his army previously, the defenders, seeing their reinforcement have been shattered and its commander captured- broke and the massive city surrendered. 

The young Warrior Prince Li Shimin- the Prince of Qin, and future Taizong 太宗 Emperor of Tang (598 – 649). Decisive and tolerant, two traits that defined Li Shimin. A cerebral and charismatic leader, he was able to persuade most of his enemies to work for him and become key parts of his imperial cabinet. During his reign Tang became the undisputed Hegemon on East Asia and entered into a Gold Age. Arguable the best Tang Emperor along with Xuanzong who presided during the High Tang era (713－766.) In his youth- then known as the Prince of Qin (a fief awarded in the West) he personally defeated several of Tang's most dangerous foes while leading from the front.

Ming dynasty portrait of Taizong Emperor which the KOEI portrait is almost definitely based on, note the almost exact similar collars and embroidered cloud and dragon motif of his emblem.

Hulao ensured that 2 major rival factions against the burgeoning Tang hegemony were crushed in one fell swoop and 2 armies- both far larger than Li Shimin's own were both broken and its strength now augmented under the merciful Tang banner. Hulao ensured from that point on, Tang supremacy (which previously had only been a rebellion that captured the Sui capital- and were seen by enough of the other post- Sui warlords as usurpers)- is secured. From that point on Tang's mandate under Li Shimin's father- Emperor Gaozu was secured. As a measure of class, and perhaps his character, decades after the battle was over in 629, Li Shimin, by then the new Taizong Emperor, ordered the erection of Buddhist monasteries on the sites of seven of the battles he had fought during the civil war. For Hulao he chose the name "Temple of Equality in Commiseration" in tribute and commiseration for soldiers of all sides that fell in this battle. 

KEY OPERATOR AT LI SHIMIN'S IMPERIAL COUP 

All humans fear death. However, we are now willing to support Your Royal Highness with our lives, and this is the will of Heaven. Great disaster is about to come, and Your Royal Highness believes that there is nothing to worry. Even if you do not think of yourself, what about the future of the empire and the imperial temples? If Your Royal Highness does not accept my suggestion, I will flee your mansion and roam the wilderness. I cannot remain here, waiting to have my hands be bound and to be executed!

Unfortunately~ or in hindsight perhaps fortunately for Yuchi Gong, upon Li Shimin's instrumental role in helping his father consolidate Tang rule over all of the newly conquered realm, he was caught in a bitter cold war with his brothers upon his return. Threatened by his success- his elder brother the crown prince and his younger brother both maneuvered against him. They actively slandered against him and persuaded their father to deploy the "blacks" away. 

In one of the more violent episodes upon returning from his older brother's banquet Li Shimin became violently ill and began to vomit and was bed ridden for days. Fearing that he has been poisoned, his remaining loyal retainers and advisers rushed to him. On his near deathbed it was reported that Yuchi Gong ^ made an impassioned plead for his master to be utterly ruthless against his brothers or else he too and all of the other loyalists would be killed as well.

Swayed, his young master took heart. On the pre-dawn hours of 2 July 626- when Li Shimin's 2 brothers were summoned for an attendance with their liege father in court, when they came near the Xuanwu gate to the imperial palace, they were ambushed. Before this night Li Shimin had bribed the gate commander and the district's garrison. Li Shimin rode up to them and with one well placed arrow shot his older brother to death. Despite the alarm, his younger brother- who was also a fierce warrior, and Li Shimin began to fight. During the battle Li Shimin was unhorsed and his younger brother nearly strangled him with the bow's string until Yuchi Gong (equipped for battle) rushed close with shouting and slew the younger brother. Though bitter fighting had broke out- upon seeing the death of their patrons the soldiers of the 2 ambushed princes collapsed.

By dawn- the gate- and the rein of power was in Li Shimin's hands. His father the Gaozu Emperor (personal name Li Yuan) was still holding pre-morning session with his ministers when reportedly disturbances and distant commotion were reported back to them. When Yuchi Gong personally appeared- in full armor and armed (this was extremely illegal as possession of arms and armor were strictly forbidden except for imperial guards) Gaozu and his ministers understood something terrible must have had happened, when the emperor inquired what had happened Yuchi Gong coolly replied that the 2 princes had been plotting treason and were dealt with. 

Action Figure: JiaoZong Model Tang Dynasty Horse's Armor 1/6 Accessories Black WF2024

(Above) cataphract horseman figurines recovered from Tang Prince Yide of Tang's mausoleum. The rider's horses have gilded chanfrons (horse head armor) and have peacock plumes surmounted on their lamellar helmet. 

Guessing the reality of what had happened the ministers persuaded Gaozu to name Li Shimin the crown prince and then retire. Gaozu therefore hastily retired and passed the throne to his son. The Xuanwu Gate Incident was one of the most controversial incidents in Li Shimin's career and early Tang's history, yet regardless of opinions taken regard it, Yuchi Gong played a paramount part in it. If the records of the incident that was passed down is indeed reliable- or mostly reliable, at one point the fate of the empire was seconds away from being different, and Chinese history may be completely different if not for Yuchi Gong's hasty intervention for his master.  

With the conclusion of the Xuanwu Gate incident, Taizong's rule within the empire was largely secured. And for his part in the coup Yuchi Gong was well rewarded for his service. Already one of Li Shimin's well relied upon staffs, Yuchi Gong was conferred with greater rewards and lived the rest of his life in luxury and distinction. In time he would be remembered as one of the most meritorious of early Tang's generals. 

 

Yuchi Gong would also achieve a degree of cultural immortality. Later on he would be honored as a Door God 门神, and is frequently depicted, along side his friend Qin Shubao- another key bodyguard of Li Shimin as defenders of hearth and home on 2 sides of doors of traditional Chinese houses. 

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