Famous Generals of the Middle Tang Dynasty

Zhang Xun was only a county magistrate at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, but after the Battle of Suiyang (Suiyang, now Shangqiu, Henan Province) during the Anshi Rebellion, Tang Suzong posthumously awarded him the title of Governor of Yangzhou and the Governor of Yuanjing Province, and named him Deng Guogong. Zhang Xun's wife was given as the wife of Shen Guo, and Zhang Xun's son was given the title of General Jinwu. During the Dazhong period, Zhang Xun's portrait was placed in Lingyan Pavilion. This shows its role in the Anshi Rebellion. In addition, Lao Wanghui in Shaanxi said that the filial king was the two patriotic heroes Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan; also, the Taoist Jade Emperor named him "Baoshan Zhongjing Jingyou Fude Zhenjun Sima Shengwang, also known as the ghost-killing Zhang Zhenjun. The image is of a civil servant with a white face and a black beard holding a wat. There is a couplet that says: "The loyal and brave are called Sima, and the heroic saints are called Holy King." The gods include Xu Yuan, general Nan Jiyun, Lei Wanchun, his wife Liu, his concubine Liu, and Lei Wanchun. In Putian, Fujian, Zhang Xun is also revered as the Holy King of Sima, a god who protects the environment and the people. Every year during the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month, in many places, statues of Zhang Xun, Xu Yuan and their generals are carried around the country, which is unprecedentedly grand and lively. So why do people carry their idols? . . . . . .