Volume 200 Biographies 150: An Lushan, Gao Shang, Sun Xiaozhe, Shi Siming

安祿山子慶緒高尚孫孝哲史思明子朝義

An Lushan's son Qingxu; Gao Shang; Sun Xiaozhe; and Shi Siming's son Chaoyi.

安祿山，營州柳城雜種胡人也，本無姓氏，名軋犖山。母阿史德氏，亦突厥巫師，以卜為業。突厥呼鬥戰為軋犖山，遂以名之。少孤，隨母在突厥中，將軍安波至兄延偃妻其母。開元初，與將軍安道買男俱逃出突厥中。道買次男貞節為嵐州別駕，收穫之。年十餘歲，以與其兄及延偃相攜而出，感愧之，約與思順等並為兄弟，冒姓為安。及長，解六蕃語，為互市牙郎。

An Lushan came from Liucheng in Ying Prefecture, a frontier town of mixed Hu peoples. He had no family name at birth and was called Yalushan. His mother belonged to the Ashide clan and was likewise a Türk shaman who earned her living through divination. Among the Türks, fighting was called yalushan, and this became his name. He lost his father early and grew up with his mother among the Türks. Later General An Bo came, and Yan Yan, the elder brother of An Bo, took his mother as wife. In the early Kaiyuan years he escaped from the Türk lands together with the son of General An Daomai. Daomai's second son Zhenjie, then assistant prefect of Lan Prefecture, received and sheltered them. Still in his early teens, he had left the Türks with his brother and Yan Yan; deeply moved by their kindness, he swore brotherhood with them and with Sishun and the rest, and took the surname An. As an adult he learned six frontier languages and served as a trade broker at the border markets.

二十年，張守珪為幽州節度，祿山盜羊事覺，守珪剝坐，欲棒殺之，大呼曰：「大夫不欲滅兩蕃耶？何為打殺祿山！」守珪見其肥白，壯其言而釋之。令與鄉人史思明同捉生，行必克獲，拔為偏將。常嫌其肥，以守珪威風素高，畏懼不敢飽食。以驍勇聞，遂養為子。

In the twentieth year of Kaiyuan, Zhang Shougui held Youzhou as military commissioner. When An Lushan's sheep theft came to light, Shougui had him stripped and bound for beating and was about to club him to death. An Lushan cried out: "Grand Marshal, do you not mean to destroy both the Khitan and the Xi? Why kill Lushan!" Shougui saw his stout, fair complexion, was struck by his bold speech, and let him go. He paired him with his townsman Shi Siming to take captives on raids; they never failed, and both were raised to deputy general. He was forever self-conscious about his weight; Shougui's stern reputation was so great that he dared not eat his fill. When his valor became famous, Shougui adopted him as a son.

二十八年，為平盧兵馬使。性巧黠，人多譽之。授營州都督、平盧軍使。厚賂往來者，乞為好言，玄宗益信響之。天寶元年，以平盧為節度，以祿山攝中丞為使。入朝奏事，玄宗益寵之。

In the twenty-eighth year he became Pinglu's army commander. Clever and quick-witted, he won wide praise. He received appointment as governor of Ying Prefecture and commissioner of the Pinglu army. He paid lavish bribes to every traveler passing through, asking them to speak well of him, and Xuanzong's confidence in him only grew. In the first Tianbao year Pinglu was made a frontier circuit, and Lushan was named its commissioner while holding the post of deputy censor. On his visits to court to report affairs, Xuanzong showered him with still greater favor.

三載，代裴寬為范陽節度，河北採訪、平盧軍等使如故。採訪使張利貞常受其賂；數載之後，黜陟使席建侯又言其公直無私；裴寬受代，及李林甫順旨，並言其美。數公皆信臣，玄宗意益堅不搖矣。後請為貴妃養兒，入對皆先拜太真。玄宗怪而問之，對曰：「臣是蕃人，蕃人先母而後父。」玄宗大悅，遂命楊銛已下並約為兄弟姊妹。

In the third year he succeeded Pei Kuan as Fanyang commissioner while keeping his Hebei surveillance and Pinglu army commands. Surveillance commissioner Zhang Lizhen was regularly in his pay; and a few years later the promotion commissioner Xi Jianhou likewise praised his impartiality; when Pei Kuan left office and Li Linfu chimed with the throne—all alike extolled his merits. These men were all trusted officials, and the emperor's confidence in him became unshakable. He later asked to be adopted as the Noble Consort's son, and at every audience he bowed first to Lady Yang. Xuanzong was puzzled and asked why. He answered: "I am a frontier man, and among us one honors the mother before the father." The emperor was delighted and had Yang Xian and the rest of the clan bind themselves to him as sworn kin.

六載，加大夫。常令劉駱穀奏事。與王鉷俱為大夫。李林甫為相，朝臣莫敢抗禮，祿山承恩深。入謁不甚罄折。林甫命王鉷，鉷趨拜謹甚，祿山悚息，腰漸曲。每與語，皆揣知其情而先言之。祿山以為神明，每見林甫，雖盛冬亦汗洽。林甫接以溫言，中書廳引坐，以己披袍覆之，祿山欣荷，無所隱，呼為十郎。駱穀奏事，先問：「十郎何言？」有好言則喜躍，若但言「大夫須好檢校」，則反手據床曰：「阿與，我死也！」李龜年嘗敩其說，玄宗以為笑樂。

In the sixth year he was raised to Grand Counselor. He routinely sent Liu Luogu to court with his reports. He and Wang Hong both held the rank of Grand Counselor. With Li Linfu as chief minister, no courtier dared withhold full obeisance—yet Lushan, so deeply favored, did not. On audience days his bows were perfunctory. Linfu would call Wang Hong forward; Hong would rush to bow with meticulous deference, while Lushan, quaking, slowly bent his waist. In every conversation he seemed to read Lushan's mind and voice it before Lushan could. Lushan regarded him as uncanny; even in midwinter he broke into a sweat at the sight of him. Linfu would greet him kindly, seat him in the Secretariat, and drape his own robe over him. Grateful and unguarded, Lushan called him "Tenth Son." Whenever Luogu brought word from court, Lushan would ask first: "What did Tenth Son say?" Good news sent him leaping with delight; if the message was only "The Grand Marshal must keep close watch," he would slap the bed and wail, "Ayu, I'm finished!" Li Guinian once mimicked this for the emperor, who laughed with delight.

晚年益肥壯，腹垂過膝，重三百三十斤，每行以肩膊左右抬挽其身，方能移步。至玄宗前，作胡旋舞，疾如風焉。為置第宇，窮極壯麗，以金銀為篣筐笊籬等。上御勤政樓，於御坐東為設一大金雞障，前置一榻坐之，卷去其簾。十載入朝，又求為河東節度，因拜之。

In later life he grew immense: his belly hung below his knees, and he weighed three hundred thirty jin. To walk at all he needed men on either side hoisting his shoulders. Yet before the emperor he would whirl in the Hu spin-dance, quick as wind. The court built him a residence of staggering splendor, with baskets and kitchen tools wrought in gold and silver. At the Qinzheng Tower the emperor had a great golden rooster screen set east of his seat, with a couch before it where Lushan sat in full view, the curtain drawn back. On his tenth-year audience he sought and received the Hedong commission as well.

男十一人：長子慶宗，太僕卿，少子慶緒，鴻臚卿。慶宗又尚郡主。

Of his eleven sons, the eldest Qingzong was Minister of the Stud and the youngest Qingxu Minister of State Ceremonial. Qingzong had moreover married an imperial commandery princess.

祿山陰有逆謀，于范陽北築雄武城，外示禦寇，內貯兵器，積穀為保守之計，戰馬萬五千匹，牛羊稱是。兼三道節度，進奏無不允。引張通儒、李庭堅、平冽、李史魚、獨孤問俗在幕下，高尚掌書記，劉駱谷留居西京為耳目，安守忠、李歸仁、蔡希德、牛庭玠、向潤客、崔乾祐、尹子奇、何千年、武令珣、能元皓、田承嗣、田乾真，皆拔於行間。每月進奉生口駝馬鷹犬不絕，人無聊矣。既肥大不任戰，前後十餘度欺誘契丹，宴設酒中著莨菪子，預掘一坑，待其昏醉，斬首埋之，皆不覺死，每度數十人。十一載八月，祿山並率河東等軍五六萬，號十五萬，以討契丹。去平盧千餘里，至土護真河，即北黃河也。又倍程三百里，奄至契丹牙帳。屬久雨，弓箭皆漲濕，將士困極，奚又夾攻之，殺傷略盡。祿山被射，折其玉簪，以麾下奚小兒二十餘人走上山，墜坑中，其男慶緒等扶持之。會夜，解走，投平盧城。

Secretly plotting rebellion, he built Xiongwu Fort north of Fanyang, ostensibly against raiders but in truth to stock arms and grain for a stand: fifteen thousand war horses and herds to match. Commanding three circuits, he obtained every request he sent up. Zhang Tongru, Li Tingjian, Ping Lie, Li Shiyu, and Dugu Wensu served on his staff; Gao Shang ran his secretariat; Liu Luogu stayed in Chang'an as his informant. An Shouzhong, Li Guiren, Cai Xide, Niu Tingjie, Xiang Runke, Cui Qianyou, Yin Ziqi, He Qiannian, Wu Lingxun, Neng Yuanhao, Tian Chengsi, and Tian Qianzhen were all men he had plucked from the ranks. Month after month he flooded the court with captives, camels, horses, hawks, and hounds until the realm groaned under the burden. Too corpulent to fight, he more than ten times tricked Khitan envoys: at feasts he drugged their wine with datura, had pits dug in advance, and when they collapsed drunk he beheaded and buried them unawares—dozens each time. In the eighth month of the eleventh year he marched with fifty or sixty thousand men from Hedong and allied commands—claiming a hundred fifty thousand—to chastise the Khitan. A thousand li beyond Pinglu they reached the Tuhu'er River, the northern branch of the Yellow River. They pressed another three hundred li at double speed and fell suddenly on the Khitan royal camp. Prolonged rain had soaked every bow; the army was spent. The Xi struck from both sides, and the force was all but annihilated. An arrow struck Lushan and snapped his jade hairpin. He fled up a hill with twenty-odd Xi boys from his escort, tumbled into a pit, and was hauled out by Qingxu and his sons. Under cover of night they escaped and made for Pinglu.

楊國忠屢奏祿山必反。十二載，玄宗使中官輔璆琳覘之，得其賄賂，盛言其忠。國忠又云「召必不至」，洎召之而至。十三載正月，謁于華清宮，因涕泣言：「臣蕃人，不識字，陛下擢臣不次，被楊國忠欲得殺臣。」玄宗益親厚之，遂以為左僕射，卻回。其月，又請為閑廄、隴右群牧等都使，奏吉溫為武部侍郎、兼中丞，為其副，又請知總監事。既為閑廄、群牧等使，上筋腳馬，皆陰選擇之，奪得樓煩監牧及奪張文儼馬牧。三月一日，歸范陽，疾行出關，日行三四百里，至范陽，人言反者，玄宗必大怒，縛送與之。十四載，玄宗又召之，托疾不至。賜其子婚，令就觀禮，又辭。

Yang Guozhong repeatedly warned the throne that Lushan would rebel. In the twelfth year the emperor sent the eunuch Fu Yuolin to spy on him; Yuolin took Lushan's bribes and returned praising his loyalty. Guozhong had said, "Summon him and he will not come"—yet when summoned, he came. In the first month of the thirteenth year he appeared at Huaqing Palace and wept: "I am an illiterate frontier man whom Your Majesty raised beyond merit, and Yang Guozhong now wants me dead." The emperor drew him closer still, named him Left Vice Director, and sent him home. That month he also sought command of the imperial studs and Longyou pastures, named Ji Wen his deputy as vice minister and censor, and asked overall supervision of the directorate. As stud commissioner he secretly culled the best tribute horses and seized the Loufan stud and Zhang Wenyian's pastures. On the first of the third month he raced from the capital at three or four hundred li a day. At Fanyang, anyone who called him a rebel was, by imperial order, bound and delivered to him. In the fourteenth year the emperor summoned him again; he pleaded illness and stayed away. The court granted his son a royal marriage and bade him attend; he declined once more.

十一月，反于范陽，矯稱奉恩命以兵討逆賊楊國忠。以諸蕃馬步十五萬，夜半行，平明食，日六十里。以高尚、嚴莊為謀主，孫孝哲、高邈、何千年為腹心。天下承平日久，人不知戰，聞其兵起，朝廷震驚。禁衛皆市井商販之人，乃開左藏庫出錦帛召募。因以高仙芝、封常清等相次為大將以擊之。祿山令嚴肅，得士死力，無不一當百，遇之必敗。

In the eleventh month he rose at Fanyang, claiming an imperial mandate to march against the traitor Yang Guozhong. He led a hundred fifty thousand barbarian horse and foot, marching by night, eating at dawn, sixty li a day. Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang plotted for him; Sun Xiaozhe, Gao Miao, and He Qiannian were his trusted confidants. Peace had lasted so long that war was unimaginable; at news of his revolt the court reeled. The palace guard were shopkeepers and peddlers; the left treasury was opened and silks paid out to raise men. Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and others were sent in turn as supreme commanders against him. Lushan's discipline was iron; his men fought as if each were worth a hundred, and every clash went his way.

十二月，度河至陳留郡，河南節度張介然城陷死之，傳首河北。陳留郭門祿山男慶緒見誅慶宗榜，泣告祿山，祿山在輿中驚哭曰：「吾子何罪而殺之！」狂而怒，官軍之降者夾道，命交相斫焉，死者六七千人，遂入陳留郡。太守郭納初拒戰，至是出降。至滎陽，太守崔無詖拒戰，城陷死之。次於泥水罌子谷，將軍荔非守瑜蹲而射之，殺數百人，矢及祿山輿。祿山不敢過，乃取谷南而過。守瑜箭盡，投河而死。東京留守李悽、中丞盧奕、採訪使判官蔣清燒絕河陽橋。祿山怒，率軍大至。封常清自苑西隤牆，使伐樹塞路而奔。祿山入東京，殺李悽、盧奕、蔣清，召河南尹達奚珣，使之蒞事。初，常清欲殺珣，恐應賊，悽、奕諫止之。常清既敗，唯與數騎走至陝郡，高仙芝率兵守陝城，皆棄甲西走潼關，懼賊追躡，相蹂藉而死者塞路。陝郡太守竇庭芝走投河東。賊使崔乾祐守陝郡。臨汝太守韋斌降於賊。

In the twelfth month he crossed into Chenliu; Henan commissioner Zhang Jieran died in the fall of the city, and his head was paraded through Hebei. At Chenliu's outer gate Qingxu saw the notice of Qingzong's execution and wept to his father. Lushan, in his litter, wailed: "What crime did my son commit to be killed!" In a frenzy he had surrendered loyalists along the road cut one another down—six or seven thousand dead—then entered Chenliu. Prefect Guo Na, who had resisted, now surrendered. At Xingyang Prefect Cui Wubi fought to the death when the city fell. At Nishui Jar Valley General Lifei Shouyu knelt and shot, killing hundreds; arrows struck Lushan's litter. Lushan dared not pass through and detoured south of the valley. When his arrows were gone, Shouyu threw himself into the river and died. Eastern Capital intendant Li Qi, censor Lu Yi, and staff officer Jiang Qing burned the Heyang Bridge. Enraged, Lushan marched in force. Feng Changqing breached the western palace wall, felled trees to block pursuit, and fled. Lushan entered Luoyang, executed Li Qi, Lu Yi, and Jiang Qing, and installed Henan intendant Daxi Xun to govern. Earlier Feng Changqing had wanted Xun killed lest he side with the rebels; Li Qi and Lu Yi had stopped him. Defeated, Feng fled with a handful of riders to Shaan; Gao Xianzhi held the city, but both armies shed armor and ran for Tong Pass, trampling one another until the road was choked with dead. Shaan prefect Dou Tingzhi fled east to Hedong. The rebels left Cui Qianyou to hold Shaan. Linyu prefect Wei Bin surrendered.

十五年正月，賊竊號燕國，立年聖武，達奚珣已下署為丞相，五月，南陽節度魯炅率荊、襄、黔中、嶺南子弟十萬餘，與賊將武令珣戰于葉縣城北枌河，王師盡沒。六月，李光弼、郭子儀出土門路，大破賊眾於常山郡東嘉山，河北諸郡歸降者十餘。祿山窘急，圖欲卻投范陽。會哥舒翰自潼關領馬步八萬，與賊將崔乾祐戰於靈寶西，為賊覆敗，翰西奔潼關，為其帳下執送於賊。關門不守，玄宗幸蜀，太子收兵靈武。賊乃遣張通儒為西京留守，田乾真為京兆尹，安守忠屯兵苑中。十一月，遣阿史那承慶攻陷潁川，屠之。

In the first month of the fifteenth year they declared Yan and the era Shengwu, with Daxi Xun and others as chancellors. In the fifth month Lu Kui of Nanyang led a hundred thousand men from Jing, Xiang, Qianzhong, and Lingnan against Wu Lingxun at the Fen River north of Yexian; the imperial force was wiped out. In the sixth month Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi marched out Tumen and shattered the rebels at Jia Mountain east of Changshan; more than ten Hebei districts submitted. Cornered, Lushan planned to fall back on Fanyang. Ge Shuhan meanwhile led eighty thousand from Tong Pass against Cui Qianyou west of Lingbao, was routed, fled to Tong Pass, and was seized by his own men and handed to the rebels. The pass fell; Xuanzong fled to Shu while the Crown Prince rallied troops at Lingwu. They posted Zhang Tongru as Luoyang intendant, Tian Qianzhen as Jingzhao governor, and An Shouzhong in the imperial park. In the eleventh month Ashina Chengqing took Yingchuan and put it to the sword.

祿山以體肥，長帶瘡。及造逆後而眼漸昏，至是不見物。又著疽疾。俄及至德二年正月朔受朝，瘡甚而中罷。以疾加躁急，動用斧鉞。嚴莊亦被捶撻，莊乃日夜謀之。立慶緒于戶外，莊持刀領豎李豬兒同入祿山帳內，豬兒以大刀斫其腹。祿山眼無所見，床頭常有一刀，及覺難作，捫床頭不得，但撼幄帳大呼曰：「是我家賊！」腹腸已數斗流在床上，言訖氣絕。因掘床下深數尺為坑，以氈罽包其屍埋之。又無哭泣之儀。莊即宣言於外，言祿山傳位於晉王慶緒，尊祿山為太上皇。慶緒縱樂飲酒無度，呼莊為兄，事之大小必咨之。

His obesity left him chronically ulcerated. After his revolt his sight failed until he could see nothing at all. A carbuncle developed as well. On New Year's Day of Zhide 2 he attempted court, but the pain was so great he broke off midway. Sickness fed his rage, and he killed at will with axe and sword. Yan Zhuang too was thrashed, and he plotted night and day. Qingxu stood guard outside while Zhuang led the eunuch Li Zhuer in with a knife; Zhuer slashed open Lushan's belly. Blind, Lushan kept a knife by his bed; when he felt the attack and groped for it in vain, he shook the bed-curtains and roared, "A traitor in my own house!" Entrails poured across the bed; he spoke once more and died. They dug a pit beneath the bed, wrapped the body in felt, and buried it without ceremony. No mourning rites were observed. Zhuang announced that Lushan had abdicated to Prince Qingxu and taken the title Retired Emperor. Qingxu gave himself to revelry and drink, called Zhuang "brother," and consulted him on everything.

初，豬兒出契丹部落，十數歲事祿山，甚黠慧。祿山持刃盡去其勢，血流數升，欲死，祿山以灰火傅之，盡日而蘇，因為閹人。祿山頗寵之，最見信用。祿山肚大，每著衣帶，三四人助之，兩人抬起肚，豬兒以頭戴之，始取裙褲帶及系腰帶。玄宗寵祿山，賜華清宮湯浴，皆許豬兒等入助解著衣服，然終見刳者，豬兒也。

Zhuer came from a Khitan tribe and entered Lushan's service as a boy; he was exceptionally clever. Lushan castrated him with a knife; he lost several sheng of blood and nearly died. Lushan cauterized the wound with hot ash; by evening he lived, and became a eunuch. Lushan doted on him and trusted him above all others. Lushan's belly was so vast that dressing required three or four men: two to lift the belly while Zhuer supported it with his head, then the garments and belt could be fastened. The emperor granted Lushan baths at Huaqing and allowed Zhuer to attend him in undressing; yet it was Zhuer who finally gutted him.

慶緒，祿山第二子也。母康氏，祿山糟糠之妻。慶緒善騎射，祿山偏愛之。未二十，拜鴻臚卿，兼廣陽太守。初名仁執，玄宗賜名慶緒，為祿山都知兵馬使。嚴莊、高尚立為偽主。慶緒素懦弱，言詞無序，莊恐眾不伏，不令見人。莊為偽御史大夫、馮翊郡王，以專其政。厚其軍將官秩，以固其心。

Qingxu was Lushan's second son. His mother was Lady Kang, Lushan's wife from his days of poverty. Skilled in riding and archery, Qingxu was Lushan's favorite. Before twenty he was named Minister of State Ceremonial and prefect of Guangyang. Originally Renzhi, he received the name Qingxu from the emperor and became Lushan's director of military affairs. Yan Zhuang and Gao Shang made him rebel emperor. Timid and incoherent, Qingxu was kept from public view lest the army refuse him. Zhuang took the titles rebel Censor-in-Chief and Prince of Fufeng and ran the state himself. He lavished rank on the generals to bind their loyalty.

二月，肅宗南幸鳳翔郡，始知祿山死，使僕固懷恩使於回紇，結婚請兵討逆。其月，郭子儀拔河東郡，崔乾祐南遁。八月，回紇三千騎至。九月，廣平王領蕃漢之眾收西京，走安守忠，賊之死者積如山阜。

In the second month Suzong reached Fengxiang and learned Lushan was dead; he sent Pugu Huai'en to the Uyghurs for a marriage alliance and troops against the rebels. That month Guo Ziyi retook Hedong and Cui Qianyou fled south. In the eighth month three thousand Uyghur cavalry arrived. In the ninth month the Prince of Guangping retook Chang'an with allied forces; An Shouzhong fled and rebel corpses heaped like hills.

十月，賊將尹子奇攻陷睢陽郡，殺張巡、姚摐等。王師乘勝至陝郡，賊懼，令嚴莊傾其驍勇而來拒。廣平王遣副元帥郭子儀等與賊戰于陝西曲沃，大破之於新店，逐北二十里，斬首十餘萬，伏屍三十里。嚴莊奔至東京，告慶緒，慶緒率其餘眾奔河北，保鄴郡。嚴莊至河內，南來歸順。賊將阿史那承慶等麾下三萬餘人，悉奔恆、趙、范陽。從慶緒者，唯疲卒一千三百而已。偽中書令張通儒秉政，改相州為成安府，署置百官。旬日之內，賊將各以眾至者六萬餘，凶威復振。偽青、齊節度能元皓獨率眾歸順，明年，改乾元元年，偽德州刺史王暕、貝州刺史宇文寬等皆歸順，河北諸軍各以城守累月，賊使蔡希德、安太清急擊，復陷於賊，虜之以歸，臠食其肉。其下潛謀歸順者眾矣，賊皆易置之，以縱屠戮，人心始離。又不親政事，繕治亭沼樓船，為長夜之飲。高尚等各不相葉。蔡希德兵最銳，性剛直，張通儒譖而縊殺之，三軍冤痛不為用。以崔乾祐為天下兵馬使，權領中外兵。乾祐性愎戾，士卒不附。

In the tenth month Yin Ziqi took Suiyang and killed Zhang Xun, Yao Zong, and the rest. The imperial army advanced to Shaan; the rebels in panic sent Yan Zhuang with every crack troop to hold them. Guo Ziyi routed them at Quwo and Xindian, pursued twenty li, and left a hundred thousand dead over thirty li of road. Yan Zhuang fled to Luoyang to warn Qingxu, who retreated to Hebei and held Ye. Yan Zhuang reached Henei and surrendered to the court. Thirty thousand under Ashina Chengqing and others scattered to Heng, Zhao, and Fanyang. Only thirteen hundred exhausted men remained with Qingxu. Zhang Tongru governed, renamed Xiang to Chengan, and installed a full bureaucracy. Within ten days rebel commanders rallied sixty thousand men and their power revived. Only Neng Yuanhao of Qing and Qi surrendered with his force. In Qianyuan 1 Wang Min of Dezhou, Yuwen Kuan of Beizhou, and others defected; but when Hebei garrisons held out for months, Cai Xide and An Taiqing stormed them back, carried off the defenders, and ate their flesh. Many subordinates plotted secretly to defect; the rebels answered with massacre, and loyalty began to crack. He ignored government, built pavilions and pleasure boats, and drank through the nights. Gao Shang and the other ministers were at constant odds. Cai Xide commanded the finest troops and was blunt-spirited; Zhang Tongru slandered him to death by strangulation, and the army, bitter, would not fight. Cui Qianyou was named supreme commander with authority over all forces. Obstinate and harsh, Qianyou won no loyalty from the ranks.

九月，肅宗遣郭子儀等九節度率步騎二十萬攻之，以魚朝恩為軍容使。初，子儀之列陳也，使善射者三千人伏於壘垣內。明日接戰，子儀麾其屬偽奔，慶緒逐之，伏者齊發，賊黨大潰。使薛嵩求救于史思明，言禪讓之禮。思明先遣李歸仁以步卒一萬、馬軍三千，先往滏陽以應。及至滏陽，子儀之圍已固，築城穿壕各三重，樓櫓之盛，古所未有。又引水以灌城下，城中水泉大上，井皆滿溢。以安太清代乾祐為都知兵馬使。思明南攻魏州，節度使崔光遠南走，思明據其城數日，即乾元二年正月一日也。思明偽稱燕王，立年號。

In the ninth month Suzong sent Guo Ziyi and nine commissioners with two hundred thousand men against Ye, with Yu Chao'en as army superintendent. When Ziyi formed his line, he hid three thousand archers inside the ramparts. Next day Ziyi feigned retreat; Qingxu pursued into an ambush, and the rebel army broke. Xue Song was sent to Shi Siming for aid, offering terms of abdication. Siming first sent Li Guiren with ten thousand foot and three thousand horse to Fuyang. At Fuyang they found Ziyi's siege complete—triple walls and trenches and watchtowers such as history had never seen. They flooded the ground below the city until springs and wells brimmed over inside. An Taiqing replaced Qianyou as director of military affairs. Siming marched south on Weizhou; Cui Guangyuan fled, and Siming held the city for days—on New Year's Day of Qianyuan 2. Siming declared himself King of Yan and took an era name.

慶緒自十月被圍至二月，城中人相食，米斗錢七萬餘，鼠一頭直數千，馬食隤牆麥鞬及馬糞濯而飼之。思明引眾來救，三月六日，子儀等戰敗，遂解圍而南，斷河陽橋以守谷水。思明領其眾營于鄴縣南。慶緒使收子儀等營中糧，尚六七萬石，復與孫孝哲、乾祐謀閉門自守，議更拒思明。諸將曰「今日安可更背史王乎！」張通儒、高尚、平冽謂慶緒曰：「史王遠來，臣等皆合迎謝。」對曰：「任公暫往見思明。」思明與之涕泗，厚其禮，復命歸城。經三日，慶緒不至。思明密召安太清令誘之。慶緒不獲已，以三百騎詣思明。思明引入，令三軍擐甲執兵待之。及諸弟領至於庭，再拜稽首曰：「臣不克負荷，棄失兩都，久陷重圍，不意大王以太上皇故，將兵遠救。」思明曰：「棄失兩都，用兵不利，亦何事也！爾為人子，殺汝父以求位，庸非大逆乎？吾為太上皇討賊。」即牽出，並其四弟及高尚、孫孝哲、崔乾祐，皆縊殺之。

From the tenth month to the second, Ye starved: men ate men, grain cost seventy thousand per dou, a rat thousands; horses were fed rotten grain from the walls and washed dung. Siming marched to relieve the city; on the sixth of the third month the imperial army was beaten, lifted the siege, burned Heyang Bridge, and held the Gu River line. Siming camped south of Ye. Qingxu seized sixty or seventy thousand shi from the imperial camps and with Sun Xiaozhe and Qianyou debated shutting the gates against Siming. The generals cried: "How can we betray King Shi now!" Zhang Tongru, Gao Shang, and Ping Lie urged: "King Shi has marched far to save us—we must go out to welcome him." Qingxu answered: "Let Lord Ren go first to see Siming." Siming wept with him, honored him, and sent him back. Three days passed and Qingxu did not appear. Siming secretly ordered An Taiqing to lure him out. Qingxu, unable to refuse, rode out with three hundred men. Siming received him with the entire army armed and waiting. Brought with his brothers into the courtyard, he kowtowed: "I failed in my charge, lost both capitals, and was besieged so long—I never thought you would march so far for the Retired Emperor's sake." Siming said: "Lost capitals, lost battles—what of that! You murdered your father for the throne—is that not the greatest treason? I punish the traitor for the Retired Emperor." He was dragged out; his four brothers, Gao Shang, Sun Xiaozhe, and Cui Qianyou were all strangled with him.

祿山父子僭逆三年而滅。初王師之圍相州也，意朝夕屠陷，唯術士桑道茂曰：「三月六日，西師必散，此城無憂。」卒如其言。

The Lushans' rebellion lasted three years and ended in extinction. When the siege began, the court expected instant victory; only the diviner Sang Daomao said: "On the sixth of the third month the western army will break—this city is safe." It came to pass exactly as he said.

高尚，幽州雍奴人也，本名不危。母老，乞食于人，尚周遊不歸侍養。寓居河朔縣界，與令狐潮鄰里，通其婢，生一女，遂收之。尚頗篤學，贍文詞。嘗歎息謂汝南周銑曰：「高不危寧當舉事而死，終不能咬草根以求活耳！」縣尉有姓高者，以其宗盟，引置門下，遂以尚入籍為兄弟。李齊物為懷州刺史，舉高尚不仕，送京師，並助錢三萬。齊物寓書于中官將軍吳懷實以托之。懷實引見高力士，置賓館中，令與男丞相錫為學，無問家事，一以委之。無何，令妻父呂令皓特表薦之。

Gao Shang came from Yongnu in Youzhou; he was born Buwei. His aged mother begged for food while he wandered and never came home to support her. Living on the Heshuo border near Linghu Chao, he lay with Chao's maid, who bore a daughter he then kept. He studied hard and wrote well. He once told Zhou Xian of Runan: "I would rather die in rebellion than chew roots to survive!" A county lieutenant named Gao, a clansman, took him in and registered him as a brother. Li Qiwu of Huaizhou recommended him; Shang declined office but was sent to the capital with thirty thousand cash. Qiwu wrote the eunuch general Wu Huaishi to recommend him. Wu presented him to Gao Lishi, housed him as a guest, and set him to study with Cheng Xi, leaving all household affairs in his hands. Soon Lishi's father-in-law Lü Linghao memorialized to recommend him.

天寶十一年，祿山表為屯田員外郎。及隨祿山寇陷東京，偽授中書侍郎。偽赦書制敕多出其手。始，尚與嚴莊、孫孝哲計畫，白祿山以為事必成。及顏杲卿殺李欽湊於土門，揚聲言榮王琬、哥舒翰二十萬眾徇河北，十七郡皆歸順。顏真卿破袁知奉三萬眾於堂邑，賀蘭進明再拔信都，李光弼、郭子儀繼收常山、趙郡，河北路絕者再。河南諸郡皆有防禦，潼關有哥舒翰之師。祿山大懼，怒尚等曰：「汝元向我道萬全，必無所畏。今四邊若此，賴鄭、汴數州尚存，向西至關，一步不通，河北並已無矣，萬全何在？更不須見我。」尚等遂數日不得見祿山，憂悶不知所為。

In Tianbao 11 Lushan had him named Outer Gentleman of the Farms. When Lushan took Luoyang, he was made rebel Vice Director of the Secretariat. Most rebel proclamations and edicts were drafted by him. At first he, Yan Zhuang, and Sun Xiaozhe assured Lushan the plot would succeed. When Yan Gaoqing killed Li Qintou at Tumen and rumors spread that Prince Wan and Ge Shuhan led two hundred thousand through Hebei, seventeen districts submitted. Yan Zhenqing smashed Yuan Zhiben at Tangyi; Helan Jinming retook Xindu twice; Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi retook Changshan and Zhao—Hebei was severed again and again. Henan was defended everywhere, and Ge Shuhan held Tong Pass. Lushan was terrified and raged: "You told me all was secure and I had nothing to fear. Now look—only Zheng and Bian remain; the road west to the pass is blocked; Hebei is gone—where is your security? Do not come before me again." For days Shang and the rest could not see him and were desperate.

會田乾真自潼關至，曉諭祿山曰：「自古帝王，皆有勝敗，然後成大事，豈有一舉而得之者乎！今四邊兵馬雖多，皆非精銳，豈我之比。縱事不成，收取數萬眾，橫行天下，為一盜蹠，亦十年五歲矣，豈有人能制我耶！尚、莊等皆佐命元勳，何得隔絕不與相見，令其憂懼？只此數人，豈不能為患乎？外間聞之，必心搖動。」祿山喜曰：「阿浩，非汝誰能開豁我心裏事，今無憂矣！為之奈何？」乾真曰：「不如喚取慰勞之。」遂召尚等飲宴作樂，祿山自唱歌以送酒，待之如初。阿浩，乾真小字也。及慶緒至相州，偽授侍中。

Then Tian Qianzhen came from Tong Pass and reasoned with him: "Every emperor wins and loses before triumph—who succeeds at once! The armies on every side are numerous but none are elite—how can they match us? Even if we fail, we can still rally tens of thousands, sweep the empire, and live like bandit-kings for a decade or more—who could stop us! Shang, Zhuang, and the rest are your founding ministers—why shut them out and leave them in dread? A handful of men like that could still do you harm. Word will spread, and men's hearts will falter. Lushan exclaimed with relief: "Ahao! Only you could lift this weight from my heart—now I have nothing to fear! What should we do?" Qianzhen replied: "Summon them and treat them warmly—that is best." He called Shang and the others to a feast with music; Lushan sang to them himself as he passed the wine and received them as before. "Ahao" was Tian Qianzhen's courtesy name. When Qingxu arrived at Xiangzhou, Qianzhen was given the rebel title of Grand Counselor.

孫孝哲，契丹人也。母為祿山所通，因得狎近。及祿山僭逆，偽授殿中監、閑廄使，封王。孝哲尤用事，亞于嚴莊。裘馬華侈，頗事豪貴，每食皆備珍饌。性殘忍，果于殺戮，聞者畏之。祿山使孝哲與張通儒同守西京，妃王宗枝皆罹其酷。與嚴莊爭權不睦。及祿山死，奪其使，以鄧季陽代之。慶緒之奔，莊懼為所圖，因而來奔。

Sun Xiaozhe was a Khitan. Lushan had taken his mother as a concubine, and through her the son won his confidence. When Lushan rebelled, Xiaozhe was made Director of the Palace Secretariat and Commissioner of the Imperial Stud in the rebel regime, and enfeoffed as a prince. Xiaozhe wielded great power, ranking just below Yan Zhuang. He lived in lavish style, kept company with the mighty, and never sat down to a meal without rare delicacies. Cruel by nature and swift to kill, he was widely feared. Lushan put Xiaozhe and Zhang Tongru in charge of the Western Capital, where consorts, princes, and imperial kin all fell victim to his brutality. He and Yan Zhuang vied for power and were estranged. After Lushan died, Qingxu stripped him of his post and put Deng Jiyang in his place. When Qingxu was in flight, Zhuang feared he would be targeted and defected to the Tang.

史思明，本名窣干。營州寧夷州突厥雜種胡人也。姿瘦，少鬚髮，鳶肩傴背，欽目側鼻。性急躁。與安祿山同鄉里，先祿山一日生，思明除日生，祿山歲日生。及長，相善，俱以驍勇聞。初事特進烏知義，每令騎覘賊，必生擒以歸。又解六蕃語，與祿山同為互市郎。張守珪為幽州節度，奏為折沖。天寶初，頻立戰功，至將軍，知平盧軍事。嘗入奏，玄宗賜坐，與語，甚奇之。問其年，曰「四十矣」。玄宗撫其背曰：「卿貴在後，勉之。」遷大將軍、北平太守。十一載，祿山奏授平盧節度都知兵馬使。

Shi Siming was originally named Sugan. He was a Türk of mixed descent from Ningyi in Ying Prefecture. Gaunt and nearly beardless, he had stooped kite-shoulders, slanting eyes, and a crooked nose. He had a violent temper. He came from the same village as An Lushan and was born a day earlier, on the chu day of the calendar cycle; Lushan was born on the sui day. As adults they were close friends, both renowned for fierce courage. He first served Wu Zhiyi, holder of the Special Advance title; sent to scout the enemy on horseback, he unfailingly brought captives back alive. He also spoke six frontier languages and, like Lushan, worked as a border-trade broker. When Zhang Shougui held Youzhou as military commissioner, he recommended Siming for appointment as a crack-troop colonel. In the early Tianbao years he won repeated victories, rose to general, and took charge of Pinglu military affairs. On one audience at court, Xuanzong gave him a seat, spoke with him, and was deeply impressed. Asked his age, he answered, "Forty." Xuanzong clapped him on the back and said, "Great honor awaits you—apply yourself. He was promoted to Grand General and made Prefect of Beiping. In the eleventh year of Tianbao, Lushan recommended him as chief military commissioner of Pinglu.

十四載，安祿山反，命思明討饒陽等諸郡，陷之。十五載正月六日，思明與蔡希德圍顏杲卿於常山，九日拔之。又圍饒陽，二十九日不能拔。李光弼出土門，拔常山郡，思明解圍而拒光弼。光弼列兵于城南，相持累月。光弼草盡，使精卒以車數乘於旁縣取草，輒被擊之，其後率十匹唯共得兩束草，至剉蒿薦以飼之。初，祿山以賈循為范陽留後，謀歸順，為副留守向潤客所殺，以思明代之。又以征戰在外，令向潤客代其任。四月，朔方節度郭子儀以朔方蕃、漢二萬人自土門而至常山，軍威遂振，南拔趙郡，思明退保博陵。五月十日，子儀、光弼擊之，敗思明於沙河上。又攻之，思明以騎卒奔嘉山，光弼擊之，思明大敗，走入博陵郡。光弼圍之，城幾拔。屬潼關失守，肅宗理兵于朔方，使中官邢廷恩追朔方、河東兵馬。光弼入土門，思明隨後徼擊之。已而回軍並行擊劉正臣，正臣易之。初不設備，遂棄軍保北平，正臣妻子及軍資二千乘盡沒。

In the fourteenth year, An Lushan rebelled and sent Siming to conquer Raoyang and neighboring commanderies, which all fell. On the sixth day of the first month of the fifteenth year, Siming and Cai Xide besieged Yan Gaoqing at Changshan and captured the city on the ninth. He then besieged Raoyang but failed to capture it even after twenty-nine days. Li Guangbi marched out through Tumen, retook Changshan Commandery, and Siming broke off the siege to confront him. Guangbi formed his line south of the city, and the two armies faced each other for months. When Guangbi ran out of fodder, he sent picked men in carts to gather grass in nearby counties, but they were repeatedly ambushed; in the end ten horses had to share two bundles, and they fed the animals chopped reeds and straw. At first Lushan had made Jia Xun acting prefect of Fanyang; Jia plotted to surrender but was killed by the deputy prefect Xiang Runke, and Siming replaced him. With Siming away on campaign, Lushan had Xiang Runke assume his responsibilities. In the fourth month, Guo Ziyi of Shuofang brought twenty thousand mixed foreign and Han troops through Tumen to Changshan; morale soared, Zhao Commandery was retaken to the south, and Siming fell back to Boling. On the tenth of the fifth month, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi attacked and routed Siming on the Sha River. Attacked again, Siming fled with his cavalry toward Jia Mountain; Guangbi pursued, crushed him, and drove him into Boling Commandery. Guangbi besieged the city and nearly captured it. Just then Tong Pass fell; Emperor Suzong gathered forces at Shuofang and sent the eunuch Xing Yan'en to recall the Shuofang and Hedong armies. Guangbi withdrew through Tumen, and Siming pursued and struck at his rear. He then swung his army about and fell upon Liu Zhengchen, whom he took too lightly. Caught unprepared, Zhengchen abandoned his army and fled to Beiping; his wife, children, and two thousand cartloads of supplies were all lost.

思明將卒頗精銳，皆平盧戰士，南拔常山、趙郡，又攻河間。為尹子奇所圍，已四十餘日。顏真卿使和琳以一萬二千人、馬百匹以救之。至河間二十餘里，北風勁烈，鼓聲不相聞，賊縱擊之，擒和琳以至城下。思明既全，合勢，賊軍益盛。李奐為賊所擒，送東京。又攻景城，擒李暐，暐投河而死。遂使康沒野波攻平原。真卿覺之，兵馬既盡，渡河而南。攻清河，糧盡城陷，擒太守王懷忠以獻祿山。將軍莊嗣賢圍烏承恩於信都。承恩母、妻先為安祿山所獲，思明獲其男從則，使諭承恩，承恩遂降，思明與之把臂飲酒。饒陽陷，李系投火死。河北悉陷。尹子奇以五萬眾渡河至青州，欲便向江、淮。會回紇二千騎奄至范陽，范陽閉門二日，然後向太原，子奇行千里以救之。二年正月，思明以蔡希德合范陽、上黨兵馬十萬，圍李光弼於太原。光弼使為地道，至賊陣前。驍賊方戲弄城中人，地道中人出擒之。敵以為神，呼為「地藏菩薩」。思明留十月，會安祿山死，慶緒令歸范陽，希德留百餘日，皆不能拔而歸。自祿山陷兩京，常以駱駝運兩京禦府珍寶于范陽，不知紀極。由是恣其逆謀。思明轉驕，不用慶緒之命。

Siming's troops were crack Pinglu veterans; they had swept south through Changshan and Zhao Commandery and were now assaulting Hejian. Yin Ziqi had them under siege for more than forty days. Yan Zhenqing dispatched He Lin with twelve thousand men and a hundred horses to relieve them. Twenty-odd li from Hejian a howling north wind drowned out the drums; the rebels charged, seized He Lin, and paraded him before the walls. Siming's force reunited intact, and the rebel army grew stronger than ever. Li Huan was taken prisoner and sent to the Eastern Capital. They next attacked Jingcheng, captured Li Wei, and Wei drowned himself in the river. He then sent Kang Moyabo against Pingyuan. Zhenqing saw what was coming; his forces spent, he crossed the river and withdrew south. They took Qinghe when its grain ran out, seized Prefect Wang Huaizhong, and sent him to Lushan. General Zhuang Sixian besieged Wu Cheng'en at Xindu. Cheng'en's mother and wife were already in rebel hands; Siming captured his nephew Congze and sent him to negotiate; Cheng'en surrendered, and Siming clasped his arm and drank with him. When Raoyang fell, Li Xi burned himself to death. All of Hebei was lost. Yin Ziqi crossed the river to Qingzhou with fifty thousand men, aiming to drive straight toward the Yangtze and Huai. Just then two thousand Uyghur horsemen suddenly appeared at Fanyang; the city shut its gates for two days before they turned toward Taiyuan, and Ziqi marched a thousand li to its relief. In the first month of the second year, Siming and Cai Xide joined a hundred thousand Fanyang and Shangdang troops to besiege Li Guangbi at Taiyuan. Guangbi had tunnels dug to emerge in front of the rebel camp. While bold rebels were taunting the townspeople, men burst from the tunnels and grabbed them. The rebels thought it supernatural and called them "Bodhisattvas of the Earth Treasury." Siming stayed ten months; when An Lushan died, Qingxu recalled him to Fanyang, while Xide lingered over a hundred days—neither could take the city and both withdrew. After Lushan took the two capitals, camel trains carried imperial treasures from both capitals to Fanyang in amounts beyond counting. Emboldened by this wealth, Siming gave free rein to his rebellious ambitions. Siming grew increasingly arrogant and ignored Qingxu's commands.

安慶緒為王師所敗，投鄴郡，其下蕃、漢兵三萬人，初不知所從，思明擊殺三千人，然後降之。

Defeated by the imperial armies, An Qingxu fled to Ye; his thirty thousand foreign and Han soldiers did not know whom to serve until Siming slaughtered three thousand of them and forced the rest to submit.

慶緒使阿史那承慶、安守忠徵兵於思明，且欲圖之。判官耿仁智，忠謀之士，謂思明曰：「大夫崇重，人不敢言，仁智請一言而死。」思明曰：「試言之。」對曰：「大夫久事祿山，祿山兵權若此，誰敢不服！如大夫比者，逼於凶威耳，固亦無罪。今聞孝感皇帝聰明勇智，有少康、周宣之略，大夫發使輸誠，必開懷見納，此轉禍為福之上策也。」思明曰：「善。」承慶等以五千騎至范陽，思明悉眾介胄以逆之。眾且數萬，去之一里，使謂之曰：「相公及王遠至，將士等不勝喜躍。此皆邊兵怯懦，頗懼相公之來，莫敢進也。請弛弓以安之。」從之。思明遂以承慶、守忠入內，飲樂之。別令諸將於其所分收其甲仗。其諸郡兵皆給糧，恣歸之，欲留者分隸諸營。遂拘承慶，斬守忠、李立節之首。李光弼使衙官敬俛招之。遂令衙官竇子昂奉表，以所管兵眾八萬人，及以偽河東節度高秀岩來降。肅宗大悅，封歸義王、范陽長史、御史大夫、河北節度使，朝義已下並為列卿，秀岩雲中太守，以其男如岳等七人為大官。使內侍李思敬、將軍烏承恩宣慰使，令討殘賊。

Qingxu sent Ashina Chengqing and An Shouzhong to levy troops from Siming while plotting to destroy him. Geng Renzhi, his aide and a man of loyal counsel, said to Siming: "You stand so high that none dare speak plainly—I beg leave to speak one word, even at the cost of my life. Siming said, "Speak, then." He answered: "You served Lushan for years—when his power was at its height, who dared refuse him! Men like you obeyed only under duress—you are not guilty of treason. The Filial and Perspicacious Emperor is said to be wise and bold, with the restoring genius of Shao Kang and King Xuan; send envoys to pledge loyalty and he will surely welcome you— that is the surest way to turn ruin into fortune." Siming said, "Well said." Chengqing arrived at Fanyang with five thousand cavalry; Siming marched out in full armor with his entire army to meet them. When his force of nearly ten thousand was still a li away, he sent word: "The Prime Minister and the princes have come from afar—the men can scarcely contain their joy. These frontier soldiers are timid and greatly fear your arrival—they dare not come forward. Please unstring your bows to put them at ease. They agreed. Siming then ushered Chengqing and Shouzhong inside and feasted them with wine and music. Meanwhile he ordered his generals at each station to seize their armor and arms. He rationed the commandery troops and let them go home if they wished; those who stayed were distributed among his camps. He then seized Chengqing and beheaded Shouzhong and Li Lijie. Li Guangbi sent his staff officer Jing Mian to negotiate his surrender. He had his staff officer Dou Zi'ang submit a memorial offering surrender with his eighty thousand troops and the rebel Hedong commissioner Gao Xiuyan. Emperor Suzong was delighted: he enfeoffed Siming as Prince of Returning Righteousness and made him Fanyang Chief Administrator, Censor-in-Chief, and Hebei Military Commissioner; Chaoyi and his other sons received court ranks; Xiuyan was made Prefect of Yunzhong; and Siming's seven sons, including Ruyue, were given high posts. He dispatched the eunuch Li Sijing and General Wu Cheng'en as commissioners to confirm the surrender and order them to crush the remaining rebels.

明年，改乾元元年，四月，肅宗使烏承恩為副使，候伺其過而殺之。初，承恩父知義為節度，思明常事知義，亦有開獎之恩，以此李光弼冀其無疑，因謀殺之。承恩至范陽，數漏其情，夜取婦人衣衣之，詣諸將家，以翻動之意諭之。諸將以白思明，甚懼，無以為驗。有頃，承恩與思敬從上京來，宣恩命畢，將歸私第。思明留承恩且於館中，明當有所議。已令幃其所寢之床，伏二人於其下。承恩有小男，先留范陽，思明令省其父。夜後，私於其子曰：「吾受命除此逆，明便授吾節度矣！」床下二人叫呼而出，以告思明。思明令執之，搜其衣曩，得朝廷所與阿史那承慶鐵券及光弼與承恩之牒，云：「承慶事了，即付鐵券；不了，不可付之。」又得簿書數百紙，皆載先所從反軍將名。思明語之曰：「我何負於汝而至是耶？」承恩稱：「死罪，此太尉光弼之謀也！」思明集軍將官吏百姓，西向大哭曰：「臣以十三州之地、十萬眾之兵降國家，赤心不負陛下，何至殺臣！」因搒殺承恩父子，囚李思敬，遣使表其事。朝廷又令中使慰諭云：「國家與光弼無此事，乃承恩所為，殺之善也。」

The following year, the era was changed to Qianyuan; in the fourth month Emperor Suzong sent Wu Cheng'en back as deputy commissioner with orders to watch for an opening and assassinate Siming. Cheng'en's father Zhiyi had once been military commissioner, and Siming had served under him and owed him patronage; Li Guangbi counted on that bond to keep Siming unsuspecting and planned the assassination accordingly. At Fanyang, Cheng'en repeatedly betrayed the plot; by night he dressed in women's clothing, visited the generals' homes, and sounded them out about turning against Siming. The generals reported everything to Siming; terrified, he had no way to confirm or disprove what he heard. Shortly afterward, Wu Cheng'en and Li Sijing arrived from the capital; once they had delivered the emperor's commission, they prepared to return to their lodging. Siming kept Cheng'en overnight at the guest house, saying they would confer the next day. He had already curtained off Cheng'en's bed and hidden two men underneath. Cheng'en's young son, who had been staying in Fanyang, was sent by Siming to see his father. That night Cheng'en spoke privately to his son: "I've been ordered to eliminate this traitor—tomorrow I'll be given the military commission! The two men under the bed shouted and burst forth to report what they had heard to Siming. Siming had Cheng'en arrested and searched his garments, finding the iron tally meant for Ashina Chengqing and a letter from Li Guangbi to Cheng'en reading: "Once the Chengqing matter is settled, hand over the iron tally; if not, do not hand it over. He also found hundreds of pages of registers listing generals who had once served the rebels. Siming demanded: "What wrong have I done you that you would come to this? Cheng'en confessed: "I deserve death—it was Grand Marshal Li Guangbi's plot! Siming gathered his officers, officials, and townspeople and, facing west, wailed: "I surrendered thirteen prefectures and a hundred thousand men to the throne with a loyal heart—why would the emperor seek to kill me! He had Cheng'en and his son beaten to death, imprisoned Li Sijing, and dispatched an envoy to report everything to the court. The court sent another eunuch to reassure him: "The throne and Li Guangbi knew nothing of this—it was Cheng'en alone; you were right to kill him."

又有使從京至，執三司議罪人狀。思明曰：「陳希烈已下，皆重臣，上皇棄之幸蜀，既收復天下，此輩當慰勞之。今尚見殺，況我本從祿山反乎！」諸將皆云：「烏承恩之前事，情狀可知，光弼尚在，憂不細也。大夫何不取諸將狀以誅光弼，以謝河北百姓！主上若不惜光弼，為大夫誅之，大夫乃安；不然，為患未已。」思明曰：「公等言是。」乃令耿仁智、張不矜修表：「請誅光弼以謝河北。若不從臣請，臣則自領兵往太原誅光弼。」不矜初以表示思明，及封入函，耿仁智盡削去之。寫表者密告思明，思明大怒，執二人於庭曰：「汝等何得負我？」命斬之。仁智事思明頗久，意欲活之，卻令召入，謂之曰：「我任使汝向三十年，今日之事，我不負汝。」仁智大呼曰：「人生固有一死，須存忠節。今大夫納邪說，為反逆之計，縱延旬月，不如早死，請速加斧鉞！」思明大怒，亂捶殺之，腦流於地。

Another messenger arrived from the capital carrying the Three Offices' list of condemned traitors. Siming said: "Chen Xilie and the rest were senior ministers whom the Retired Emperor left behind when he fled to Shu—now that the empire is restored, they should be rewarded. Yet they are being executed anyway—what hope is there for me, who once rebelled with An Lushan? The generals said: "Wu Cheng'en's case shows what awaits us—while Li Guangbi still holds command, our danger is grave. Grand Marshal, why not petition with all the generals to execute Li Guangbi and answer to the people of Hebei? If the emperor will not spare Guangbi and executes him for you, you will be safe; otherwise the threat will never pass. Siming agreed: "You are right." He had Geng Renzhi and Zhang Bujin draft a memorial asking that Li Guangbi be executed to satisfy Hebei. If the throne refuses, I will lead my own army to Taiyuan and kill Guangbi myself. Zhang Bujin showed the draft to Siming, but before sealing, Geng Renzhi stripped out the threatening passages. The clerk who copied the memorial tipped Siming off; enraged, Siming had both men brought into the courtyard and demanded: "How dare you betray me? He ordered their execution. Renzhi had served Siming for decades, and Siming meant to spare him; he had Renzhi called back and said: "I've relied on you for nearly thirty years—in today's affair I have not wronged you. Renzhi cried out: "A man dies but once—it is better to keep faith and honor. You take wicked counsel and rebel—I'd rather die now than linger a few more weeks; strike at once! Siming flew into a rage and beat him to death until his brains spilled on the ground.

十月，郭子儀領九節度圍相州，安慶緒偷道求救於思明，思明懼軍威之盛，不敢進。十二月，蕭華以魏州歸順，詔遣崔光遠替之。思明擊而拔其城，光遠脫身南渡。思明于魏州殺三萬人，平地流血數日，既乾元二年正月一日也。思明于魏州北設壇，僭稱為大聖燕王，以周贄為行軍司馬。三月，引眾救相州，官軍敗而引退。思明召慶緒等殺之，並有其眾。四月，僭稱大號，以周贄為相，以范陽為燕京。九月，寇汴州，節度使許叔冀合于思明，思明益振。又陷洛陽，與太尉光弼相拒。思明恣行凶暴，下無聊矣！

In the tenth month Guo Ziyi led nine provincial armies in a siege of Xiangzhou; An Qingxu sent secretly for aid, but Siming, fearing the imperial host, did not dare march. In the twelfth month Xiao Hua surrendered Weizhou; the court ordered Cui Guangyuan to take his place. Siming attacked, took the city, and Cui Guangyuan fled south across the Yellow River. At Weizhou Siming slaughtered thirty thousand; blood pooled for days—it was the first day of Qianyuan year two. North of Weizhou he raised an altar and proclaimed himself Great Sage King of Yan, appointing Zhou Zan his campaign marshal. In the third month he marched to relieve Xiangzhou and routed the imperial armies. Siming summoned An Qingxu and his followers and killed them, taking their armies into his own. In the fourth month he proclaimed himself emperor, made Zhou Zan chancellor, and named Fanyang the Yan capital. In the ninth month he struck at Bianzhou; when Xu Shuji, the military commissioner, defected to him, Siming's power surged. He then seized Luoyang and faced off against Grand Marshal Li Guangbi. Siming ruled with unrestrained cruelty; his subjects had no refuge.

上元二年，潛遣人反說官軍曰：「洛中將士，皆幽、朔人，咸思歸。」魚朝恩以為然，告光弼及諸節度僕固懷恩、衛伯玉等：「可速出兵以討殘賊。」光弼等然之，乃出師兩道齊進。次榆林，賊委物偽遁，將士等不復設備，皆入城虜掠。賊伏兵在北邙山下，因大下，士卒咸棄甲奔散。魚朝恩、衛伯玉退保陝州，光弼、懷恩棄河陽城，退居聞喜。步兵散死者數千人，軍資器械盡為賊所有，河陽、懷州盡陷於賊。

In Shangyuan year two he secretly spread word among imperial troops: "The soldiers in Luoyang are all northerners who want to go home. Yu Chao'en believed it and urged Li Guangbi, Pugu Huai'en, Wei Buyu, and the other commissioners to march at once against the rebels. Li Guangbi and the others agreed and advanced on two converging columns. At Yulin the rebels abandoned supplies and pretended to flee; the imperial troops dropped their guard and rushed into town to loot. Rebel ambushers on Mount Beimang swept down; the soldiers threw off their armor and scattered. Yu Chao'en and Wei Buyu fell back on Shanzhou; Li Guangbi and Pugu Huai'en abandoned Heyang and retreated to Wenxi. Thousands of infantry died in the rout; the rebels took all supplies and arms; Heyang and Huaizhou fell entirely.

思明至陝州，為官軍所拒于姜子阪，戰不利，退歸永寧。築三角城，約一月內畢，以貯軍糧。朝義築城畢，未泥，思明至，詬之。對曰：「緣兵士疲乏，暫歇耳！」又怒曰：「汝惜部下兵，違我處分。」令隨身數十人立馬看泥，斯須而畢。又曰：「待收陝州，斬卻此賊。」朝義大懼。思明居驛，朝義在店中。思明令腹心曹將軍總中軍兵嚴衛，朝義將駱悅並許叔冀男季常等言：「主上欲害王，悅與王死無日矣！」因言：「廢興之事，古來有之，欲喚取曹將軍舉大事，可乎？」朝義回面不應。悅曰：「若不應，悅等即歸李家，王亦不全矣！」朝義然之，令許季常命曹將軍至。悅等告之，不敢拒。其夜，思明夢而驚悟，據床惆悵。每好伶人，寢食置左右，以其殘忍，皆恨之。及此，問其故，曰：「吾向夢見水中沙上群鹿渡水而至，鹿死水乾。」言畢如廁。伶人相謂曰：「鹿者，祿也；水者，命也。胡祿命俱盡矣！」駱悅入，問思明所在，未及對，殺數人，因指在廁。思明覺變，逾牆出，至馬槽，備馬騎之。悅等至，令傔人周子俊射，中其臂，落馬。曰：「是何事？」悅等告以懷王。思明曰：「我朝來語錯，今有此事。然汝殺我太疾，何不待我收長安？終事不成矣！」因急呼懷王者三，曰：「莫殺我！」卻罵曹將軍曰：「這胡誤我，這胡誤我！」悅遂令心腹擒思明赴柳泉驛，曰：「事已成矣！」朝義曰：「莫驚聖人否？莫損聖人否？」悅曰：「無有。」時周贄、許叔冀統後軍在福昌，朝義令許季常往告之。贄聞，驚欲仰倒。朝義卻領兵回，贄等來迎，因殺贄。思明至柳泉驛，縊殺之。朝義便僭偽位。

Siming reached Shanzhou but was stopped at Jiangzi Slope; defeated, he fell back to Yongning. He ordered Triangular Fortress built, to be finished within a month, as a granary. Chaoyi completed the walls but had not yet plastered them when Siming came and berated him. Chaoyi answered: "The men were exhausted—we've only paused to rest! Siming raged: "You coddle your own troops and defy my orders. He had a few dozen attendants stand over the men on horseback while they plastered; in moments the work was done. He added: "Once Shanzhou is mine, I'll cut off this wretch's head. Chaoyi was terrified. Siming stayed at the post station; Chaoyi at a nearby inn. Siming put his confidant General Cao in charge of the central guard; Chaoyi's general Luo Yue and Xu Shuji's son Jichang said to him: "The emperor means to kill you—we'll all be dead before long! They added: "Kings have been overthrown before—shall we bring in General Cao and do what must be done?" Chaoyi looked away and said nothing. Luo Yue warned: "If you refuse, we go over to the Tang—and you won't survive either! Chaoyi assented and sent Xu Jichang to fetch General Cao. Luo Yue laid out the plot; Cao dared not refuse. That night Siming jolted awake from a dream and sat on his bed in dread. Siming kept actors at his side day and night; they all hated his cruelty. He asked what troubled him and said: "I dreamed of deer crossing water onto a sandbank—the deer died and the water ran dry. Having said this, he went to relieve himself. The actors whispered among themselves: "Deer means rank and fortune; water means life. The barbarian's fortune and life are spent! Luo Yue burst in asking where Siming was; before anyone could answer he killed several men; someone pointed toward the privy. Siming sensed treachery, vaulted the wall, saddled a horse at the trough, and rode off. Luo Yue ordered his servant Zhou Zijun to shoot; an arrow struck Siming's arm and he fell from his horse. Siming cried: "What's happening? Luo Yue said it was Prince Huai's doing. Siming said: "I spoke rashly this morning—and now this. But you move too fast—why not wait until I retake Chang'an? You've ruined everything! He cried "Prince Huai!" three times: "Don't kill me!" Then he cursed General Cao: "That fool ruined me—that fool ruined me!" Luo Yue's men dragged Siming to Liuchuan Post and announced: "It's done!" Chaoyi asked: "Did you frighten the Emperor? Was he hurt? Luo Yue said: "No." Zhou Zan and Xu Shuji held the rear at Fuchang; Chaoyi sent Xu Jichang to tell them. Zhou Zan was so shocked he nearly collapsed. Chaoyi marched back; when Zhou Zan came out to meet him, Chaoyi killed him. At Liuchuan Post they strangled Siming. Chaoyi seized the rebel throne.

朝義，思明孽子也。寬厚，人附之，使人往范陽，殺偽太子朝英等。偽留守張通儒覺之，戰於城中。數日，死者數千人，始斬之。時洛陽四面數百里，人相食，州縣為墟。諸節度使皆祿山舊將，與思明等夷，朝義徵召不至。

Chaoyi was Siming's bastard son. Mild and generous, he won men's loyalty; he sent agents to Fanyang to kill the rebel crown prince Chaoying and his brothers. The Yan garrison commander Zhang Tongru discovered the plot and battle erupted in the city. After several days and thousands dead, Zhang Tongru was finally killed. For hundreds of miles around Luoyang men ate one another; towns lay in ruins. The provincial commanders were all veterans of An Lushan's army, peers of Siming; none answered Chaoyi's summons.

思明乾元二年僭號，至朝義寶應元年滅，凡四年。

From Siming's usurpation in Qianyuan year two to Chaoyi's fall in Baoying year one—four years in all.

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