Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

In the same year, Wang Zhongsi, who had suffered many setbacks, suddenly died at the age of 44. It was a pity that such a famous general died in his prime.

The death of Wang Zhongsi made the Tang Dynasty lose a mainstay who could check and balance An Lushan. As a result, An Lushan rose day by day. As a famous general in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Wang Zhongsi was not only two years younger than An Lushan, but also Li Guangbi, Geshu Han and other famous generals were carefully cultivated by Wang Zhongsi.

If Wang Zhongsi was still alive, it would be a question whether An Lushan would dare to rebel. Even if An Lushan rebelled, the difficulty of suppressing the rebellion would be greatly reduced with the reputation and ability of Wang Zhongsi, Geshu Han, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and others.

Therefore, it is not empty talk to say that "If Wang Zhongsi had not died, An Lushan would not have rebelled."

In short, this famous general of the prosperous Tang Dynasty passed away silently. As the most dazzling general of the Tang Dynasty after Li Jing, Wang Zhongsi's greatness lies not only in his ability to stabilize the country, but also in his selfless dedication to the country.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu says at the beginning: "War is a matter of great importance to a state. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival or destruction. It must be carefully considered." On the issue of Shibao City, Wang Zhongsi, for the sake of the country, would rather lose his job than exchange his official title for the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.

This is the humanity of a soldier, and this is why Li Guangbi was impressed by his personal charm, and why Geshu Han would rather exchange his official position for Wang Zhongsi's life.

[Li Siye, the most powerful general in the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, killed all the men and horses wherever the blade pointed. A little knowledge of Tang Dynasty history]

In the second year of the Tang Dynasty's Zhide reign (757 AD), at the Xiangji Temple in the southwest of Chang'an, the Tang army and the Anshi rebels deployed 30 troops and launched a thrilling decisive battle.

On the battlefield, the blade drew an arc in the air, and a shirtless warrior rushed towards the enemy like a beast, raising his arms and shouting: "Whoever stands in my way will die!"

The roar of anger rose to the sky like thunder. Thousands of elite soldiers followed closely behind with giant Mo Dao in hand, fighting against the oncoming torrent of steel. This duel, known as the Battle of Xiangji Temple, was the bloodiest and most horrific killing scene during the An-Shi Rebellion.

In this tragic duel, Li Siye, a fierce general of the Tang Dynasty, turned the tide and changed the course of Tang history. He was the famous general of the Tang Dynasty who "determined Chang'an with a single sword."

Li Siye, a native of Gaoling County, Shaanxi Province, is a typical Northwest man. According to the "Book of Tang", Li Siye was famous for his bravery in his prime.

According to the Tang Dynasty's chi equals 30.7 centimeters, his height actually reached an astonishing 2.15 meters. Perhaps many people have no idea about this data, let's put it this way, Yao Ming is 2 meters tall, and Li Siye's height is taller than most centers in the NBA.

In addition, he has amazing arm strength. With such physical fitness, he would probably be a good player if he played in the NBA.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty was in the heyday of Kaiyuan, and the country was at its peak. In the early years, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang expanded the territory and was powerful. In that era, joining the army became an important way for many aspiring young people to make achievements.

Therefore, Li Siye, who came from a humble background, joined the Anxi frontier army early on and began his legendary military career.

Initially, when Li Siye was a soldier in Anxi, a new type of equipment called the Mo Dao was gradually equipped to the Tang infantry. Li Siye quickly mastered the use of this powerful weapon and became the top Mo Dao master in the Tang army.

Li Siye's life is full of legends, and his legend is closely related to the Mo Dao. To understand how powerful this man was, we must first understand the unique killing weapon of the Tang Dynasty at that time - the Mo Dao.

In ancient battlefields, cavalry was like a tank, and the side with cavalry often had a huge advantage.

However, in the Tang Dynasty, there was an infantry unit that not only showed no fear in the face of the charging cavalry, but instead had a faint excitement and anticipation. This was the legendary Modao Team, which was extremely powerful.

The reason they were so brave was that they held a very terrifying weapon in their hands - the Mo Dao. According to the "Tang Liudian", the total length of the Mo Dao was 2.3 meters, the blade was 1 meter long, the handle was 1.3 meters long, and it weighed to kilograms.

It has a double-edged blade, which can be used to chop like a sword and stab like a spear. This weapon is derived from the horse-chopping sword of the Han Dynasty, but its strength and sharpness are better than the former.

The power of the Mo Dao was also amazing. Historical books said that it "turned the sword around and crushed everyone it hit into powder". When the enemy cavalry faced the Mo Dao, they were often cut in half or torn apart. Therefore, it was common to see two swords flying and blood flowing on the battlefield. It was like a human meat grinder in war.

Li Siye had a natural advantage of being invincible due to his extraordinary physical fitness. He was as strong as an iron tower, and when he stepped into the battlefield with a 2-meter-long Mo Dao in his hand, the visual shock and sense of pressure were enough to scare the enemy.

His extremely brave fighting style also made him quickly stand out among many elite soldiers and become the most outstanding figure in the Anxi Modao Team.

However, after the An-Shi Rebellion, there is no record of Mo Dao battles in history books. Li Siye may be the last Mo Dao master in human history, or the only one.

In the history of Sui and Tang dynasties, due to the misleading romance, when people talk about fierce generals, they often refer to Li Yuanba, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, etc. In fact, there are many fierce generals in the Tang Dynasty who are not widely known because the romance did not vigorously exaggerate them, and Li Siye is one of them who is seriously underestimated and buried.

Han Feizi once said: "A brave general must start from the ranks." Li Siye, who first joined the army, also started from the grassroots level and was highly appreciated by his leaders.

Every time he went into battle, he was always the vanguard, leading the way and being invincible. Later, Li Siye was promoted to General of the Central Army with his accumulated achievements over the years, and gradually grew into a mid- to high-level general.

The most famous battle of Li Siye's early years was to assist the famous Tang general Gao Xianzhi in attacking the Kingdom of Xiaoboluo. In March of the sixth year of Tianbao (747 AD), Gao Xianzhi, the deputy governor of Anxi, was ordered to attack Xiaoboluo.

Li Siye was appointed as the captain of the Zuomodao Team. At that time, 10 Tubo troops were stationed in Sule City, which was backed by mountains and faced the river. They used wood to build a fortress to resist the Tang army.

Faced with the enemy's stubborn resistance, Gao Xianzhi gave a death order to his subordinates, ordering Li Siye and others to attack fiercely, requiring that the enemy must be defeated before noon, otherwise all would be beheaded.

In this battle, Li Siye, holding a large flag, was the first to climb the enemy's wall from a strategic point, opening a breakthrough. The central army followed closely behind, and the Tibetan army was caught off guard and thus suffered a great defeat.

Many people jumped off the cliff and drowned. In this battle, the Tang army captured the king of Xiaoboluo, the princess of Tubo, and 72 other countries including Fulin and Dashi surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. This battle also became the most glorious battle in Gao Xianzhi's military career, and Li Siye was promoted to General of the Right Guard for his merits.

In August of the tenth year of Tianbao (751 AD), the invincible Gao Xianzhi encountered his Waterloo in his life. In the Battle of Talas, the Tang army led by Gao Xianzhi was defeated due to the sudden rebellion of the Karluk army and the Arab army's attack on the Tang army.

When the Tang army was forced to retreat, their retreat was blocked. Li Siye cleared the way with a big stick in his hand, which not only saved Gao Xianzhi's life, but also prevented the Tang army from being annihilated. After the battle, Gao Xianzhi reported Li Siye's contribution to the court, and the court promoted him to the general of the Right Jinwu Guard.

After that, Li Siye made many contributions and his official position was constantly promoted. He was promoted from the grassroots to the rank of General of the Cavalry, the highest rank of military officer. His reputation spread throughout the world, and his enemies called him the "Prodigy General."

In the first half of his career, Li Siye had reached the highest military rank in peacetime until the Anshi Rebellion broke out.

After the An-Shi Rebellion broke out, Tang Suzong ordered Li Siye to lead his army to defend the country. Li Heng, the newly crowned Tang Suzong, shouldered the historical mission of recovering the two capitals and pacifying the country.

He organized two large-scale counterattacks against Chang'an, but the Tang army suffered a crushing defeat in both battles because the Anshi rebels were extremely powerful. However, if Chang'an could not be conquered, how could the new army consolidate the emperor's position?

To demonstrate the power of the emperor? It was not until the second year of Zhide (757 AD) that Li Siye followed Guangping Prince Li Chu to recapture Chang'an, and the prelude to the third recapture of Chang'an was opened.

When the Tang army reached Xiangji Temple in the south of Chang'an, they encountered 10 rebels led by Li Guiren. Guo Ziyi immediately arranged the army, with General Li Siye as the vanguard, Guo Ziyi and Marshal Li Chu as the center, and General Wang Sili as the rear. They attacked successively.

At the same time, the Wuqing Uighur cavalry was lurking behind the side of the Tang army's formation, waiting for an opportunity to launch a fatal attack.

In this battle, the rebel Li Guiren led the light cavalry to fight first, and the most ferocious Yehu cavalry among the rebels came out in full force, catching the Tang army off guard, causing chaos on the front line.

If this unexpected defeat is not curbed in time, it will inevitably trigger a series of catastrophic chain reactions, and the entire Tang Dynasty Corps will collapse and disintegrate in an instant under the fierce attack of the cavalry.

At this critical moment, the commander of the front army, Li Siye, shouted loudly: "If we don't fight to the death in today's battle, the whole army will be in danger!" After that, he took off his heavy armor, went into battle naked, stepped forward, holding the Mo Dao in his hand, and shouted loudly: "Whoever stands in my way will die!"

On the battlefield, Li Siye was like a god descending from heaven. As he swung his Mo Dao, men and horses were shattered. With a flash of cold light, all those who stood in his way were defeated, and he killed more than 70 enemy soldiers in an instant.

It was precisely because of Li Siye's turning the tide at the critical moment that not only did the Tang army on the verge of collapse stabilize, but also precious time for counterattack was bought for the main force of the central army led by Guo Ziyi.

The next four hours were the bloodiest and most brutal period of killing in the Anshi Rebellion and even in the entire history of the Tang Dynasty.

The northwestern troops of the Tang Dynasty, known as "the most powerful army in the world", and the northeastern rebels that swept across the Central Plains, these two elite divisions representing the strongest combat power of the Tang Dynasty, launched a life-and-death battle in the wilderness north of Xiangji Temple without any frills and with every sword pierced.

In the peaceful place of Buddhism, a bloody battle broke out. From the moment Chen Zhihun fell, the opportunity was as great as a mountain, and blood flowed like a river. As dusk fell, the rebels finally collapsed. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, they had no choice but to gather up the remaining troops and retreat towards Chang'an.

At this point, the Tang army won the decisive battle in the An-Shi Rebellion with great difficulty after paying a huge price. The victory at Xiangji Temple eventually cleared the way to Chang'an, and the Tang army recaptured Chang'an on September 757, 9 AD.

The city fell for a full 15 months after the fall of the capital. The Tang army marched straight into Luoyang and successfully recaptured the two capitals. In the battle to recapture the two capitals, Li Si was undoubtedly the greatest contributor. Later, Li Si was also promoted to the rank of Duke of the State for his official duties.

In September of the first year of Qianyuan (758), Emperor Suzong ordered the gathering of nine generals, including Guo Ziyi, the governor of Shuofang, Li Guangbi, the governor of Hedong, and Li Siye, the governor of Anxi, to lead an army of 9 to besiege Xiangzhou (Yecheng), intending to wipe out An Qingxu's rebels in one fell swoop.

Previously, the Tang army had triumphantly returned, and now they were once again coming with the whole country's strength. In contrast, An Qingxu was defending an isolated city, and was already at the end of his strength. This huge disparity in strength made the outcome of the victory seem to have long been a foregone conclusion.

However, the Tang army's seemingly massive action was fraught with hidden dangers: insufficient logistics, lack of unified command, and even the eunuch Yu Chaoen serving as military supervisor, which hindered their operations.

The Tang army surrounded An Qingxu but could not capture him. The two sides were deadlocked for several months. At that time, the army was exhausted and all the generals failed to achieve anything. Only Li Siye wore armor and bravely killed the enemy many times and charged into the enemy's formation.

During the siege, Li Siye encountered many clashes with the enemy and nearly lost his life. Unfortunately, during one of the attacks, he was accidentally shot by a stray arrow. According to Li Siye's physical fitness, he only needed to rest for a period of time and his injuries would heal quickly.

However, a few days later, late at night, while he was recuperating in bed in the camp, he heard the sound of drums and gongs outside the tent, and the sound of killing. Li Siye knew that the rebels were coming, so he suddenly jumped up from his sickbed, shouted "Kill the rebels", and went into battle.

Unexpectedly, the wound that had just healed suddenly burst, blood gushed out, and he eventually died from his injuries.

In this way, Li Siye, the war god of the Tang Dynasty, died in Yecheng City with hatred despite having experienced half a lifetime of military service. However, the legend forged by his passion and loyalty will forever shine through the ages and go down in history.

Looking back on Li Siye's life, Emperor Suzong of Tang once commented that he was "great and unmatched", which was the highest praise for this brave general.

Whether it was the Kaiyuan heyday or the Tianbao crisis, Li Siye repeatedly turned the tide at critical moments, demonstrating his high sense of responsibility and iron-blooded spirit for the Tang Dynasty. These qualities also made him a model for Tang soldiers.

Although every time we read about Li Siye's death, we can't help but sigh, but if we think about it carefully, fighting on the battlefield and dying on the horse's hide may be the best destination for a hero.

——"Li Siyuan, Li Siye, Li Congke, and the descendants of Li Keyong, the Prince of Jin, are all very powerful."

——"It's such a pity for Xiangji Temple. Whoever wins the fight is the orthodox one. Everyone thinks the other side is the rebel."

——"This war destroyed the Tang Dynasty's national destiny. What a pity."

——"General Shentong, that sounds very powerful."