Mawei Station mutiny

The Maweiyi Mutiny was a mutiny that took place at Maweiyi on June 14 ,756, which led to prime minister Yang Guozhong and his cousin Yang Yuhuan were killed.

Escape to the west

After the fall of Tong Pass in the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong fled Chang'an with members of his court, including his favourite concubine Yang Guifei, Crown Prince Li Heng, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, General Commander of the Imperial "Longwu Army" Chen Xuanli and his closest officials.

Meeting of Golden Turtles

When they arrived at Maweiyi, Yang Guozhong secretly held a meeting of Golden Turtles, forming a makeshift rectangle with their wagons in a secluded clearing and using the rear curtains to conceal themselves as they faced one another. They discussed their predicament, recognizing that Guozhong had dramatically lost favour with the Emperor for his abject failures. Fangjin alerted Guozhong that the soldiers escorting them were famished, exhausted, and brimming with rage, and that they needed a scapegoat to divert their wrath. Yang Guozhong put the blame on Bian Lingcheng, and said that he had sent him to stay in Chang'an. Yang Guifei's sisters, the Lady of Han (Lady of Korea) and the Lady of Guo (Lady of Guo), assured him that once they arrived in Shu, where they had local support, they would be able to reassert control over the Emperor. At the same time, the members of the Golden Turtles were surprised that Gao Lishi was often absent from the regular meetings recently. After discussing the progress of the war, Yang Guozhong once again put the responsibility on Geshu Han, Wang Zhongsi and Crown Prince Li Heng. He decided to thoroughly investigate the prince's party after arriving at Shu.

Suddenly, the wind was blowing, Yang Guozhong lifted the curtain to visit, and found that a spear was flying toward him. As he scrambled out of his carriage in panic and confusion, two arrows flew right by him into the wagon on the other side from Wei Fangjin's, felling the Golden Turtle sitting within. The commotion prompted Fangjin and other members to peer out from their own wagons. Before they even had time to react, the entire group were beset on all sides by a hail of arrows and bolts. Hidden Ones led by Li E shooting with bows and crossbows from the bamboo trees above rapidly struck down all the Golden Turtles. Although Guozhong survived the initial wave, Wei Fangjin and its allies Lady of Guo and Lady of Han were killed instantly. He shouted "Assassins" and called out the guards, and hurriedly fled the approaching Li E. Wang Chengye arrived in time to block his attack.

Mutiny

Wang Chengye and other guards were assassinated by Li E with fellow assassins. Yang Guozhong panicked and drove out of the bamboo forest on horseback, asking for help from the Imperial "Longwu Army". However, it had long been dissatisfied with Yang Guozhong and did not act. They indifferently surrounded him, passing the order "Yang Guozhong colluded with foreign enemies to rebel." He was terrified and looked at the figure behind the bamboo forest, trying to order the Imperial "Longwu Army" with the authority of the prime minister. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaojing was the first to attack. He drew his bow on his horse, shot Yang Guozhong, and fell off his horse. Yang Guozhong was hacked to death by the soldiers.

After Yang Guozhong's death, Chen Xuanli asked to kill Yang Guifei. Seeing that the soldiers' anger was difficult to calm, Li Longji could only reluctantly let Gao Lishi hang Concubine Yang Gui to death in front of the Buddhist temple in Maweiyi.