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Shi Siming

Tang frontier commander who joined An Lushan's rebellion, briefly submitted to the throne, then rebelled again and ruled as emperor of Yan until his son had him killed

Also known as Shi Sugan · Emperor Zhaowu

Shi Siming, originally named Suogan, was a mixed Turkic tribesman of Yingzhou, according to the Old Book of Tang (Jiu Tangshu); a neighbour of An Lushan, he was born one day before him and, like him, spoke six frontier languages. Emperor Xuanzong gave him the name Siming, and he rose to command troops in Pinglu. When An Lushan rebelled in 755 he led the attack on the commanderies of Hebei. After An Qingxu murdered his father, Shi surrendered Fanyang and twelve other commanderies to the Tang in 757 and was made Prince Guiyi, but rebelled again the next year on learning of a court plot against him. In 759 he routed the armies of nine Tang commanders at Xiangzhou, killed An Qingxu, proclaimed himself emperor of Great Yan with the era name Shuntian, and retook Luoyang that autumn. In 761 his son Shi Chaoyi had Luo Yue and others strangle him. The rebellion is named the An-Shi Rebellion after the two men.

Life and times

Dates 703 CE–761 CE

EraTang
  1. 755An Lushan RebellionTook partage 52
  2. 759Nine Commanders Routed at Yeage 56