The Shence Army () was a

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907) army unit established in 754 CE by

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the early ...

, and based in

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

, forming the core of the imperial guards responsible for protecting the emperor. The command of the Shence Army was originally given to Longyou

Military Governor A military government is generally any form of government that is administered by military forces, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue, and whether this government is formed by natives or by an occup ...

(隴右節度使)

Geshu Han Geshu Han () (died December 1, 757), formally Prince Wumin of Xiping (), was a general of Tang China who was of Turgesh extraction. He became a powerful general late in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and in 756 became responsible for defend ...

. Headquartered to the west of

Lintao County Lintao County ) is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. History Until the 20th century, Lintao was known as Didao (). The Battle of Didao was fought in the area in 255 CE, during the Three Kingdoms era. In the 8th c ...

Gansu Province Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibeta ...

at Mohuan Chuan (磨環川) (south east of modern-day

Lintan County Lintan County () is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu. It is part of the Gannan Prefecture. Its postal code is 747500, and in 1999 its population was 148,722 people. Tibetans of ...

), the Shence Army defended the western border close to the capital against the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 38 ...

. The Shence Army played a pivotal role as a tool of the

eunuchs A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

in establishing and keeping control over the Tang court through military clout.

Operational history

During the

An Shi Rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general office ...

(755–763), General

Wei Boyu Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

(卫伯玉/衛伯玉) and 1,000 of his Shence troops were dispatched to assist the embattled central authorities. Thereafter Wei Boyu defended the area around

Sanmenxia Sanmenxia (; postal: Sanmenhsia) is a prefecture-level city in the west of Henan Province, China. The westernmost prefecture-level city in Henan, Sanmenxia borders Luoyang to the east, Nanyang to the southeast, Shaanxi Province to the west and Sh ...

where troops from Tufan had already occupied

. At the same time

Yu Chao'en Yu Chao'en (魚朝恩) (722 – April 10, 770), formally the Duke of Han (韓公), was a eunuch official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was powerful early during the reign of Emperor Daizong and was feared by others, including chancellors ...

was appointed Army Censor (监军/監軍) by the imperial court and later commanded the Shence Army. In 763 CE Tubo attacked Chang'an whereupon

Emperor Daizong of Tang Emperor Daizong of Tang (9 January 727 According to Daizong's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the 13th day in the 12th month of the 14th year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 9 Jan 727 i ...

fled to Sanmenxia. Yu Chao’en’s army and the Sanmenxia armies combined and were collectively referred to as the Shence Army. When Daizong later returned to the capital, the Shence Army became one of the imperial guard units and gradually increased in strength. Because pay and conditions for the soldiers of the Shence Army were relatively good, a gradual succession of other imperial guard units gradually joined its ranks. By the time

Emperor Dezong of Tang Emperor Dezong of Tang (27 May 742According to Li Kuo's biography in the ''Old Book of Tang'', he was born on the ''guisi'' day in the 4th month of the 1st year of the Tianbao era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 27 May 742 in ...

ascended the throne the force had grown to contain 150,000 troops and was the main military power in both Chang'an and the surrounding

Guanzhong Plain Guanzhong (, formerly romanised as Kwanchung) region, also known as the Guanzhong Basin, Wei River Basin, or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region, is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben basin within present-day ce ...

. After

Zhu Ci Zhu Ci (; 742–784) was a Chinese military general, monarch, and rebel during the Tang dynasty. He initially served as military governor (''Jiedushi'') of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing), but later became a general ...

's rebellion in 784 CE, command of the Shence Army was handed over to the court eunuchs for whom it became the emperor’s primary military tool. When Xuānzong ascended the throne Ma Yuanzhi (马元贽/馬元贄) was given command of the Shence Army Under succeeding

Emperor Shunzong of Tang Emperor Shunzong of Tang (February to March 761 – February 11, 806), personal name Li Song, was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty. He was created crown prince in 779 and became emperor in 805 after the death of his father Emperor Dezon ...

, court official

Wang Shuwen Wang Shuwen ( zh, 王叔文; born 753, died 806) was a Chinese economist and politician during the Tang dynasty. He was a close associate of Emperor Shunzong (Li Song) while Li Song was crown prince under his father, Emperor Dezong, and was pow ...

unsuccessfully tried to wrest control of the army from the eunuchs, thereafter in the final years of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

the Shence Army became riddled with corruption and its power declined. Under

Emperor Xizong of Tang Emperor Xizong of Tang (June 8, 862 – April 20, 888), né Li Yan, later name changed to Li Xuan (, changed 873), was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 873 to 888. He was the fifth son of his predecessor Emperor Yizong ...

(r.873–888) the Shence Army was totally routed during the

Huang Chao Rebellion Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty. Huang was a salt smuggler before joining Wang Xianzhi's ...

Whilst the emperor fled to the

Xichuan Circuit Xichuan may refer to these places in China: *Xichuan County (淅川县), a county in Henan * Xichuan, Gansu (西川镇), a town in Qin'an County, Gansu * Xichuan Township (西川乡), a township in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan *Xichuan Cir ...

(西川路) headquartered in modern-day

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

, Sichuan Province, eunuch

Tian Lingzi Tian Lingzi (田令孜) (died 893), courtesy name Zhongze (仲則), formally the Duke of Jin (晉公), was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang. During most of Emperor Xizong's reign, he had a stranglehold on power due to hi ...

raised a new Shence Army. The unit was finally disbanded in 903 CE when

Zhu Wen Emperor Taizu of Later Liang (), personal name Zhu Quanzhong () (December 5, 852 – July 18, 912), né Zhu Wen (), name later changed to Zhu Huang (), nickname Zhu San (朱三, literally, "the third Zhu"), was a Chinese military general, mona ...

, founder of the Later Liang murdered all the palace eunuchs in Chang’an.

References

Sources

* {{Tang dynasty topics Military history of the Tang dynasty Military units and formations of the Tang dynasty Military units and formations established in the 8th century Army units and formations of China