Editing Taiyuan

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'''Taiyuan''' (太原) is a major city in north [[China]]. It lies in the centre of a valley formed by the [[Taihang Mountains]] to the east and the {{wiki|Lüliang Mountains}} to the west.<ref name="Wikipedia">{{WP|Taiyuan}}</ref> Under the [[Tang dynasty]], it was honoured with the status of tertiary capital after [[Chang'an]] and [[Luoyang]]<ref name="Taiyuanfu zh">{{WP|zh:太原府|太原府}}</ref> as a result of being the original base for the ruling Li family prior to their ascent to power.<ref name="Old Book of Tang">{{wiki|Liu Xu}}. (945). ''{{wiki|The Old Book of Tang}}''. "Royal Annals 1 Gaozu". Scroll 1. Accessed 18 April 2023. https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=582092#p4.</ref> For this reason, it was then also known as the '''North Capital''' (北都), and it was the administrative centre for the '''Taiyuan Prefecture''' (太原府).<ref name="Dynasty map promo">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [https://assassinscreed.fandom.com/wiki/Assassin's_Creed:_Dynasty#Gallery True History Restored (promotional map)]</ref><ref group="note" name="note1">In the Tang, ''prefectures'' (府, Mandarin: ''fǔ'') were on the same administrative tier as ''commanderies'' (郡, Mandarin: ''jùn'') and ''provinces'' (州, Mandarin: ''zhōu''), all of which were organized under circuits (道, Mandarin: ''dào''). The name ''prefecture'' was granted to particularly significant provinces or commanderies.</ref>

==History==
In the opening stages of [[An Lushan]]'s [[An Lushan Rebellion|rebellion]], the ''[[jiedushi]]''{{'}}s march from [[Beijing|Fanyang]] southward towards the secondary capital of [[Luoyang]] was inexorable. All the commanderies of [[Hebei|Hebei Circuit]] either submitted nominally<ref name="Dynasty 12">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Beacon Fire (Part 5)]]</ref> or were destroyed.<ref name="Dynasty 15">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Beacon Fire (Part 7)]]</ref> On 8 January 756, Lushan's army crossed the [[Yellow River]], and Luoyang [[Fall of Luoyang|fell]] on the 18th.<ref name="Timeline">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Record of Major Events in Tianbao Year 14]]</ref><ref name="Sinica converter">兩千年中西曆轉換 [Western Calendar Converter for Two Thousand Years] Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures. Accessed 18 Aprl 2023. https://sinocal.sinica.edu.tw/</ref> His elite [[Yeluohe]] led by [[Sun Xiaozhe]] then threatened [[Tong Pass]], the last line of defence for the imperial capital of Chang'an.<ref name="Dynasty 20">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Golden Turtles (Part 4)]]</ref> To protect his flank, Lushan had dispatched five thousand troops under Yeluohe generals [[Gao Miao]] and [[Li Qincou]] to occupy [[Tumen Pass]] in Taiyuan Prefecture.<ref name="Dynasty 12">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Beacon Fire (Part 5)]]</ref> Unbeknownst to Lushan, a counter-rebellion movement was brewing back in Hebei, where [[Grand protector|Grand Protector]] [[Yan Gaoqing]] of [[Changshan Commandery]] was planning a surprise attack on Tumen Pass with the help of the [[Hidden Ones|Hidden One]] [[Li E]], thereby allowing his loyalist forces to link up with the garrison at Tong Pass under the command of [[Gao Xianzhi]].<ref name="Dynasty 21">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Golden Turtles (Part 5)]]</ref>

On the night of either 27<ref name="Sinica converter" /><ref name="Dynasty 22">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Golden Turtles (Part 6)]]</ref> or 28 January,<ref name="Timeline" /><ref name="Sinica converter" /> Yan Gaoqing and his son [[Yan Jiming]] approached Gao Miao's [[fort]] at Tumen Pass with pots of [[wine]] as though to offer a feast as a gesture of goodwill.<ref name="Dynasty 22" /> Gao Miao saw through Gaoqing's ruse to sneak in [[soldier]]s, but this did not save him from Li E.<ref name="Dynasty 23">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Golden Turtles (Part 7)]]</ref> The Hidden One [[assassination|assassinated]] Gao Miao and Li Qincou,<ref name="Dynasty 23" /> following which Changshan forces seized control of Tumen Pass before Yeluohe reinforcements under [[He Qiannian]] could arrive.<ref name="Dynasty 24">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Golden Turtles (Part 8)]]</ref> This permitted them to launch an ambush on the unwitting Qiannian.<ref name="Dynasty 24" /> Taiyuan Prefecture now appeared to be fully under control of Tang loyalists. Having slain three Yeluohe generals in a single night as promised, Li E travelled alone to Taiyuan to rendezvous with a detachment from Tong Pass.<ref name="Dynasty 24" /> However, the general who had volunteered to meet with Li E was [[Wang Chengye]],<ref name="Dynasty 21" /> the commander of the [[Feathered Forest]] unit of royal guards aligned with Chancellor [[Yang Guozhong]] and the [[Golden Turtles]].<ref name="Dynasty 26">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 2)]]</ref>  Wary of losing power should other parties take credit for putting down the rebellion, the Golden Turtles decided to thwart Xianzhi and Li E's efforts.<ref name="Dynasty 26" /> 

At the Taiyuan city gates, Chengye ordered his troops to surround Li E and take him captive.<ref name="Dynasty 27">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 3)]]</ref> He was brought to the [[Mengshan Giant Buddha]] in the city, which had been configured as a secret prison<ref name="Dynasty 32">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 8)]]</ref> and where he awaited execution.<ref name="Dynasty 27" /> In the meantime, Gao Xianzhi and his lieutenant [[Feng Changqing]] were executed under false charges brought by the [[eunuch]] [[Bian Lingcheng]],<ref name="Dynasty 29">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 5)]]</ref><ref name="Dynasty 30">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 6)]]</ref> so that no reinforcements from Tong Pass to Changshan or vice versa would be forthcoming.<ref name="Dynasty 31">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Last Stand of Justice (Part 7)]]</ref> By the time Li E escaped from the prison by [[Leap of Faith|leaping]] into the river outside from the Buddha,<ref name="Dynasty 33">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Hidden Ones (Part 1)]]</ref> he had already been too late to save Changshan and his friend Jiming from a massive retaliatory attack conducted by Lushan's lieutenant [[Shi Siming]] on 12 February 756.<ref name="Dynasty 32" /><ref name="Timeline" />

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]''

==Notes==
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Cities in China]]