Zhang Xiaojing
Zhang Xiaojing (張小敬) was a Tang cavalryman[1] of the Army of Heavenly Warriors that was created in 755 to put down the An Lushan Rebellion.[2] A survivor of the Defence of Tong Pass, he was one of many soldiers who bore witness to the wrongful executions of their commanders Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing and the numerous other corrupt infractions by Prime Minister Yang Guozhong's clique which sabotaged their resistance against Lushan. He is famous as the soldier who set off the Mawei Station mutiny on 15 July 756 [citation needed] by shooting the arrow that unseated Guozhong from his horse.
Biography[edit | edit source]
A chain of injustices[edit | edit source]
Commanded by General Gao Xianzhi, the Army of Heavenly Warriors proceeded with haste to defend the eastern capital of Luoyang, but it quickly crumpled against the battle-hardened[2] troops of the Yeluohe. Tens of thousands of the young, inexperienced men of the Tang army fled in panic all the way to the strategic and heavily fortified Tong Pass, where Xianzhi decided to dig in. Although Tang forces was able to hold this position, the army supervisor, Bian Lingcheng, urged Xianzhi to leave the safety of the pass to launch an immediate counter-attack. Xianzhi balked at what would be an obvious strategic blunder: the defence of Tong Pass had been but a Pyrrhic victory, and Tong Pass was the last defence for the capital of Chang'an. In the altercation that followed, the humiliated Lingcheng scrambled back to Prime Minister Yang Guozhong vowing vengeance.[3]
Lingcheng followed through with his threat months later in 756. Having accused Xianzhi and his lieutenant Feng Changqing of trumped up charges to Guozhong,[4] he returned with an edict from the imperial court sentencing the two to death by decapitation.[5] Xianzhi submitted to Lingcheng's executioners, but in a final show of defiance, he raised his sword into the air instructing his troops to shout either "Truth" (實) or "Wronged" (枉) to his charges. All of Tong Pass rose in uproar chanting "Wronged!" as Xianzhi was beheaded.[6]
The executions of Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing sabotaged the Tang's hope of relieving the beleaguered loyalist resistance in Hebei,[5][7] Their replacement Geshu Han fell victim to the same corrupt schemes, as Guozhong forced him to leave Tong Pass for a suicidal attack against the Yeluohe that cost an estimated 200,000 Tang lives.[8] The Fall of Tong Pass completely exposed Chang'an to An Lushan's forces,[8] and in July 756, Emperor Xuanzong and his court decided to abandon the capital to seek refuge in the southwest region of Shu.[9] Chang'an was left to the mercy of An Lushan,[1] who was notorious for his wholesale massacres of the cities he captured.[10][11]
Igniting the mutiny[edit | edit source]
By this point, Guozhong's hand in this catastrophic chain-of-events was widely known, and surviving troops from the Army of Heavenly Warriors harboured deep resentment against the injustices he wrought at Tong Pass, never forgetting the last words of their respected commander Gao Xianzhi.[1] These survivors, among them Zhang Xiaojing, merged with the armed escort for the imperial court's flight from Chang'an.[9] On 15 July, [citation needed] while the entourage was resting at Mawei Station, Guozhong and his clique—in truth a secret society known as the Golden Turtles—convened in a forest clearing outside the complex. In the midst of their proceedings, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of Assassins led by the Li E. The Assassins killed almost all the Golden Turtles in the first few moments, dispatching their Feathered Forest guards in the next.[1]
Guozhong, alone, survived the initial onslaught and fled on horseback back to the station. Along the way, he screamed at resting soldiers he passed by to save him against assassins, but they only stared back in bewilderment as they slowly processed what was happening. Bewilderment morphed into realization that ignited the hatred simmering in their hearts since the executions of Changqing and Xianzhi. Zhang Xiaojing was the first to act on the opportunity his comrades had craved for months. He let loose the arrow that shot Guozhong off his horse, uttering only a single word, "Wronged".[1]
His action triggered the mutiny that spread from not just the remainders of the Heavenly Warriors[1] but to the elite royal guard, the Army of Dragon Warriors, as well.[12] Chants of "wronged!" picked up tempo and rapidly engulfed the entire station, as the soldiers closed in on the helpless Guozhong from all sides with swords drawn and furiously hacked and stabbed him to death, thereby avenging their commanders. Locked into their catharsis, they continued to vent themselves on his body long after he had been deceased.[1]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Hidden Ones (Part 5)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Beacon Fire (Part 9)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Golden Turtles (Part 4)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Last Stand of Justice (Part 2)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Last Stand of Justice (Part 5)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Last Stand of Justice (Part 6)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Last Stand of Justice (Part 7)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Hidden Ones (Part 3)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Hidden Ones (Part 4)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Golden Turtles (Part 1)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Golden Turtles (Part 2)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Special)
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