Yangzhou massacre (760)
| Yangzhou massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Yangzhou |
| Date | 760 |
| Target | Arabs and Persians |
| Deaths | Thousands |
| Perpetrators | Forces under Tian Shengong |
In the Yangzhou massacre, Chinese forces under Tian Shengong killed thousands of foreign merchants in Yangzhou in 760 CE during the Tang dynasty.
Yangzhou, at the junction of the
Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, was a center of commerce, finance and industry, and one of the wealthiest cities in Tang China, with a large population of foreign merchants.[1]
In 760 CE, the Jiedu envoy of Huainan, Liu Zhan (劉展), started a mutiny with his brother Liu Yin. Their army initially defeated the army of the governor, Deng Jingshan (鄧景山), at Xucheng County (modern Sihong, Jiangsu), before crossing the Yangtze River and defeating Li Yao, who fled to Xuancheng. On the advice of famed general
Jinshan on Hangzhou Bay
, and despite initial losses he defeated Liu's army of 8000 elite soldiers at Guangling. Liu Zhan himself was shot through the eye with an arrow and beheaded.
Since Tian had previously fought for the
An Shi Rebellion, he was interested in reingratiating himself with the Tang Emperor. He chose Yangzhou as the ideal target from which to loot gifts for the Emperor. When Tian's forces arrived, they robbed the inhabitants, killing thousands of Arab and Persian merchants.[2]
Tian then travelled to the Tang capital, Chang'an, and presented looted gold and silver to the emperor.[3]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-520-05462-2.
- ISBN 978-603-8206-39-3.
- ISBN 978-1-58834-305-5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
External links
Texts on Wikisource:
- Old Book of Tang 110, containing biography of Deng Jingshan (鄧景山)
- Old Book of Tang 124, containing biography of Tian Shengong (田神功)
- New Book of Tang 141, containing biography of Deng Jingshan (鄧景山)
- New Book of Tang 144, containing biography of Tian Shengong (田神功)
