Before his troops had even reached the capital, An Lu shan, greedy for power, had declared himself Emperor in Luoyang. He renamed himself and the nation Emperor Xiongwu of Grand Yan.
After he declared himself Emperor, General An led his army throughout the country killing anyone who stood in his way, and looting homes and business alike. The nation was in chaos and the common people were terrified and angry. They prayed for the royal government to send troops to stop the rebel army as soon as possible.
An Lushan had put together a court of officials as well but they were just as chaotic as the nation. Internal strife multiplied. His own people fought and killed one another and his servants were constantly scolded or beaten. Some were even beheaded for doing things against his will. And the eunuchs in his court disapproved of the ways he ruled the country.
Lady Duan, An’s favorite concubine had given birth to a son named An Qing’en who he adored. He hoped to make the young boy crown prince. However, his oldest son and senior general, An Qingxu, along with An Lushan’s fostered son, Li Zhu’er did not approve of this decision.
Li Zhu’er had lived with An Lushan since he was a small child, and loved him like a father. But when An Qingxu approached him with a plan to assassinate An Lushan, Li Zhu’er agreed. An Qingxu easily bribed him with the promise of a high position in the court along with a large sum of money. One dark and windy night Li Zhu’er snuck into the palace in which his step- father had taken over.
An Lushan returned from a grand dinner. He was noticeably drunk, having tried to ease his anxiety with wine. He was worried about the way things were going. Guo Zixing, a senior general dispatched by Tang dynasty emperor led an army of punitive expedition against him and defeated his army in several battles. And the news of Lady Duan’s son being named the crown prince received nothing except angry complaints. An Lushan was still frustrated upon his return to the palace. He retired to his bed, breathing heavily.
At midnight, Li Zhu’er crept into An Lushan’s bedroom and stabbed him. The eunuchs found him dead the next morning, lying in a pool of blood. The eunuchs and the guards, blaming one another for his death, sent for General An Qingxu.
“His Majesty was assassinated under the orders of Guo Ziyi of the Tang dynasty,” An Qingxu declared. He then ascended the throne and became Emperor of Grand Yan, succeeding his father whose death he himself had planned.
Two years after the revolt, in the autumn of 757 A.D., General Guo Ziyi recovered the cities of Chang’an and Luo Yang. An Qingxu withdrew his army to Henan. Before long, General Shi Siming, who had revolted together with An Lushan, killed An Qingxu. Shi Siming went back to Fanyang at frontier and declared himself Emperor of Grand Yan but very soon was assassinated by his son, Shi Chaoyi, who ascended the throne and became the last Emperor of Grand Yan.
The rebellious army fell apart as the royal government tightened its encirclement. Seven years after his revolt Shi Chaoyi committed suicide after he lost his last battle. Finally, the rebel forces were conquered and the revolt was suppressed.
