Shu
Shu (蜀) is a region in southwest China. It is presently the province of Sichuan (四川) in the People's Republic of China with the name Shu as its abbreviation and its capital at Chengdu.[1] During the Tang dynasty, it was organized as one of many prefectures within Jiannan Circuit (劍南道).[2]
History
In the mid-8th century, Shu was a power base for the Yang family, for it was there that they could find local support. Several members of this family were secret members of the Golden Turtles which attempted to control China by manipulating the imperial court. Among them, Yang Guozhong was prime minister at the height of the An-Shi Rebellion, which sprung in 755 from an internal conflict of the Golden Turtles between Guozhong and his rival the jiedushi An Lushan. When Emperor Xuanzong and Crown Prince Li Heng fled the imperial capital of Chang'an before its inevitable fall to Lushan's forces, their intended destination was Shu.[3]
They were accompanied by high-ranking officials and court ladies, like Yang Guifei and the Golden Turtles. Along the way, it quickly became apparent to the Golden Turtles that their influence over the Emperor had dramatically waned; he had finally come to recognize Guozhong's abuses of power and held him complicit in their chain of catastrophes. While their entourage rested at Mawei Station, the Golden Turtles held a secret meeting where Guozhong vented his frustration at the Emperor's displeasure, and Wei Fangjin advised that they needed a scapegoat to divert the wrath of the famished and demoralized soldiers escorting them. Two of Yang Guifei's sisters, the Lady of Han and the Lady of Guo, reassured Guozhong that he need not fear the Emperor's censure because once they moved to Shu, they would be able to reassert control over the government. There, they could also pin the blame on the crown prince and eliminate their chief rival. This last scheme never came to fruition, however, because the meeting was abruptly ended by an attack by the Assassins which instantly annihilated the Golden Turtles. Inspired into a mutiny, the military escort butchered Guozhong; the Yang family was massacred.[3]
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Dynasty (mentioned only)
References
- ↑
Sichuan on Wikipedia
- ↑ Administrative divisions of the Tang dynasty on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Hidden Ones (Part 5)