Tang General Liu Zhan

Liu Zhan (? - 761), A Tang general during the Anshi Rebellion, had both military exploits and tragedy in his life. In his early years, he joined the army for Chen Liu. After the rebellion, he performed meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion. In 759, he was promoted to the governor of Songzhou and deputy envoy of Huaixi Jiedu. He was famous for his strict military management, but he was jealous of the Jiedu envoy Wang Zhongsheng because of his upright character. In 760, Wang Zhongsheng used the prophecy of "holding a golden sword to rise from the east" and colluded with the eunuchs to falsely accuse Liu Zhan of treason. Suzong of the Tang Dynasty secretly issued a secret order to induce him to be the "Jianghuai Dutong" in order to assassinate him midway. Liu Zhan saw through the conspiracy, asked for the seal, and led 7,000 soldiers southward. When they arrived at Guangling, they were blocked, and the court deemed him "treason."​ Liu Zhan immediately counterattacked. In November, he broke through Yangzhou, crossed the Yangtze River and went south, conquering ten states including Runzhou and Shengzhou, threatening water transportation. In January 761, during the decisive battle in Xia Shu, he was shot in the left eye by Jia Yinlin and was killed in front of the battle. On his deathbed, he sighed, "I will wait for you sooner or later" and refused to escape to avoid harming innocent people.​ The rebellion caused a catastrophe in the Jianghuai River: Tian Shengong's army sacked Yangzhou, killed thousands of Hu merchants, and interrupted water transportation for half a year. In essence, it was the product of the collapse of the Tang court's trust in local generals. Liu Zhan was reduced from a hero to a "rebel", which reflected the plight of loyal and slandered military generals in the Middle Tang Dynasty. It also accelerated the separatism of feudal towns and became a microcosm of the decline of the empire.