Guo Ziyi
Tang general who ended the An Lushan rebellion.
Guo Ziyi (697 – July 9, 781), also known as Kuo Tzu-i, was a Tang dynasty general and politician. He is credited with ending the An Lushan Rebellion and led campaigns against the Uyghur Khaganate and the Tibetan Empire. Considered one of the most influential Tang military leaders both before and after the Anshi Rebellion, he was later deified in Chinese folk religion as the God of Wealth and Happiness, associated with the Lu Star of Fu Lu Shou. His likeness appears in the *Wu Shuang Pu* (Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.
Born into a middle-class civil servant family in Hua Prefecture (modern Hua County, Shaanxi), Guo was described as handsome and stood over 1.9 meters tall. Around 735, the poet Li Bai saved him from a court-martial by intervening with a local commander. Unlike his relatives, Guo entered politics through the military examinations rather than the civil service, passing them in 749. He became an officer in the border regions and quickly rose to the rank of *jiedushi* (regional military governor).
Limited records exist of Guo before the An Lushan Rebellion, which brought him fame. When the rebellion began in 755, he was assigned to defend the strategic Tong Pass. Facing ten thousand rebels, he lured them onto the plains before the pass, where sparse settlements offered little to loot. Demoralized, the rebels met Tang troops motivated to protect their families and the capital, Chang’an. Guo engaged seven thousand troops at the Battle of Qingbi, scattering the rest with few Tang casualties.
In 756, Chang’an fell due to the corruption of Chancellor Yang Guozhong and his eunuchs. Emperor Xuanzong fled with his guard and the Yang family, including Consort Yang Guifei. The resentful troops executed Yang Guozhong and forced the emperor to kill his consort before he continued to Chengdu. Meanwhile, Guo faced a hundred thousand rebels under Shi Siming with only ten thousand men. He delayed Shi for forty days by tricking him into fearing an ambush, until Commander Li Guangbi arrived with ninety thousand reinforcements. The clash left few Tang dead but ten thousand rebel casualties. Shi retreated to Fanyang. Guo recommended a counter-attack to Xuanzong, but the emperor refused.
Xuanzong’s son, Li Heng, declared himself Emperor Suzong in Lingwu on August 12, 756, and organized a counter-attack. The rebellion weakened imperial authority, and many Tang generals ignored Suzong’s orders. Guo, one of the few Chinese generals left, was appointed Imperial Commander. With Suzong’s support, he entered the Shaanxi front in 757, where locals willingly aided him, doubling his army. The rebels suffered heavy losses, including the deaths of their generals, and Guo declared victory in Shaanxi.
Guo then focused on retaking Chang’an, attacking with 15,000 men against 10,000 rebels and defeating them. His victories fueled infighting among the rebels; An Lushan was killed by his son, An Qingxu, who gathered the remaining rebels and retreated to Luoyang. When Suzong arrived in Chang’an, he reportedly wept and told Guo, “This may be my country, but it is recreated by your hand.” In 758, Guo, Li Guangbi, and other *jiedushi* were ordered to eliminate the remaining rebels.
Guo’s family included his father, Guo Jingzi, and his mother, who is unknown. His legal wife, Lady Wang, bore sons Guo Xi (733–794), Guo Wu, Guo Ai, Guo Shu, and Guo Ying. Concubines Lady Zhang and Lady Li also had children. Other sons—Guo Yao, Guo Gan, and Guo Po—were born to unknown mothers. He also had eight daughters.
- born
- 697
- died
- July 9, 781
- field
- Military general, politician
- nationality
- Chinese (Tang dynasty)
- known_for
- Ending the An Lushan rebellion, expeditions against Uyghur Khaganate and Tibetan Empire, deified as God of Wealth and Happiness
Lore & Background
Guo Ziyi was born into the family of a middle-class civil servant in Hua Prefecture (華州, present-day Hua County in Shaanxi), he was described as a handsome man and was over 1.9 meters tall. Around 735 Guo Ziyi was saved from a court martial by the poet Li Bai, who intervened on his behalf with the local commander. Unlike other members of his family, Guo Ziyi entered political life through the official military examinations instead of a literary exam (for civil servants). He passed the military examinations in 749 and became an officer in the border regions of the Tang Empire and quickly rose through the ranks to become a jiedushi (regional military governor). When rebellion broke out in 755, Guo Ziyi was assigned to protect the Tong Pass. He won his first victory at the Battle of Qingbi. By 756 the capital fell due to the ineptitude of chancellor Yang Guozhong. Guo Ziyi confronted rebel commander Shi Siming with ten thousand men against a hundred thousand, delaying him until reinforcements arrived. Li Guangbi came to his relief with ninety thousand men, and the rebels suffered ten thousand casualties. Guo asked Emperor Xuanzong for permission to launch an immediate counter-attack, but Xuanzong refused. Xuanzong's son Li Heng declared himself Emperor Suzong on 12 August 756. Guo was given the post of Imperial Commander. By 757, Guo Ziyi entered the Shaanxi battlefront, aided by locals, and declared victory there. He then retook Chang'an with 15,000 men against 10,000 rebels. Suzong said to Guo, 'This may be my country, but it is recreated by your hand.' In 758, Guo Ziyi and other jiedushi were ordered to eliminate remaining rebels, but Suzong placed eunuchs in charge, leading to a disaster. A bloody battle in 759 resulted in tremendous losses on both sides, and Suzong demoted Guo. The An Lushan Rebellion was finally put down in 763. Tibet then threatened the Tang. Suzong re-promoted Guo Ziyi, but only as a military figurehead. In 762, a general named Wang Yuanzhi murdered the jiedushi of Shaanxi, claiming troops demanded Guo be reinstated. Suzong forced Guo back to his former position. Guo condemned Wang for disloyalty.
Reader's Guide
Guo Ziyi was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang dynasty, most famous for ending the An Lushan rebellion. He was born into a middle-class civil servant family in Hua Prefecture, stood over 1.9 meters tall, and was described as handsome. Unlike many of his relatives, he entered political life through the military examinations, which he passed in 749, rather than through the civil service literary exam. He rose quickly to become a regional military governor. During the An Lushan rebellion, he earned his fame by winning a series of battles. At the Battle of Qingbi, he lured a large rebel force onto plains with scarce settlements, discouraging them from looting while his motivated troops defended the strategic Tong Pass. After the capital Chang’an fell in 756 due to corrupt officials, Guo Ziyi delayed a massive rebel army of a hundred thousand with only ten thousand men, using a ruse that made the enemy commander think an ambush awaited. Reinforcements arrived, and the rebels suffered heavy casualties. Under the new Emperor Suzong, Guo was appointed Imperial Commander and led successful campaigns in Shaanxi, where locals willingly aided him. He retook Chang’an with 15,000 men against 10,000 rebels, prompting Suzong to credit him with recreating the empire. Guo also participated in expeditions against the Uyghur Khaganate and the Tibetan Empire. After his death, he was deified in Chinese folk religion as the God of Wealth and Happiness, and he is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu, a table of peerless heroes. His posthumous title is Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang.
Did You Know?
- Guo Ziyi was over 1.9 meters tall and described as handsome.
- The poet Li Bai saved Guo Ziyi from a court martial around 735.
- Guo Ziyi passed the military examinations in 749, unlike his family who took literary exams.
- Emperor Suzong told Guo Ziyi, 'This may be my country, but it is recreated by your hand.'
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