Biography
Family Background and Early Years
An Qingxu was the second son of An Lushan. His exact birth year is not recorded and is estimated by the source to have been in the 730s. His mother, Lady Kang, was An Lushan’s principal wife. An Qingxu was skilled in riding and archery from childhood and was favored by his father. His original name was Renzhi, while Emperor Xuanzong later bestowed the name Qingxu. Before the age of twenty he had already received the title minister of the Court of State Ceremonial and concurrently served as governor of Guangyang, later becoming chief military officer of the Pinglu army. The source describes him as inward, timid, and incoherent in speech. Compared with An Lushan’s other sons he displayed no outstanding political ability, but his equestrian and archery skills and what the source calls his status as the eldest legitimate son gave him an important position in An Lushan’s army.
Rebellion with His Father and Enfeoffment as Prince
In the eleventh month of 755, An Lushan rebelled from Fanyang under the pretext of punishing Yang Guozhong, beginning the An Lushan Rebellion. An Qingxu campaigned with his father and took part in the capture of the eastern capital Luoyang. In the first month of 756, An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor in Luoyang, established Great Yan, and adopted the Shengwu era. An Qingxu was enfeoffed as Prince of Jin. During this phase the source records no major independent campaign commanded by An Qingxu; he appears mainly as the rebel ruler’s son and a military officer accompanying the army.
Killing His Father and Seizing the Throne
In the first month of 757, An Lushan had become blind from eye disease and increasingly violent, often beating or killing attendants. His close eunuch Li Zhuer was repeatedly beaten and came to hate him. Fearing that An Lushan might depose him and make the younger son An Qingen heir, An Qingxu conspired with Central Secretariat Vice Director Yan Zhuang. Yan contacted Li Zhuer, who entered An Lushan’s chamber at night and killed him. An Qingxu was then enthroned by Yan Zhuang, Gao Shang, and others and adopted the Zaichu era.
Because An Qingxu was regarded as weak and disordered in speech, Yan Zhuang feared that others would not submit to him and restricted his contact with outsiders. Yan, holding high censorial and princely titles, monopolized civil and military power and promoted many commanders to secure their loyalty. An Qingxu himself drank, feasted, and paid little attention to government.
Retreat to Yecheng
In the ninth month of 757, the Tang Prince of Guangping Li Yu led combined non-Han and Han forces to recover Chang’an. In the tenth month, Tang forces inflicted another major defeat on the Yan army near Shanzhou, killing more than one hundred thousand according to the source. Yan Zhuang returned to Luoyang with news of the defeat, and An Qingxu fled north with remnants. Desertion reduced his force dramatically; by the time he reached Fuyang, only one thousand exhausted infantry and three hundred cavalry reportedly remained.
In desperate circumstances, An Qingxu led several hundred household retainers in a surprise operation that defeated Li Guangbi, the Tang Military Commissioner of Hedong, while Wang Sili’s forces from Zelu also collapsed. An Qingxu then sent eight groups to spread reports claiming great victories over Li Guangbi and Wang Sili, with tens of thousands killed or surrendered, and ordered scattered rebel troops to reassemble at Xiangzhou by a deadline. Rebel commanders including Cai Xide, Tian Chengsi, and Wu Lingxun returned, and within ten days his force again reached sixty thousand.
An Qingxu renamed Xiangzhou as Cheng’an Prefecture, declared an amnesty, and according to the narrative changed the era name to Tianhe. Internal cohesion nevertheless deteriorated. Neng Yuanhao, Wang Jian, Yuwen Kuan, and others defected to the Tang. An Qingxu executed those suspected of planning to surrender and extended punishment to their tribal or family groups, further alienating his followers. He neglected state affairs, built pavilions and pleasure boats, and held all-night feasts. Cai Xide, whose troops were the most elite and who was known for a forthright character, was slandered by Zhang Tongru and strangled, causing widespread resentment among the army. An Qingxu then appointed the obstinate and eccentric Cui Qianyou as supreme military commander, but the troops did not support him.
Siege of Yecheng and Death
In the ninth month of 758, Emperor Suzong of Tang sent nine military commissioners including Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi with two hundred thousand infantry and cavalry, claimed as six hundred thousand, to attack Xiangzhou. The eunuch Yu Chao’en was appointed supervisory commissioner of the army. Guo Ziyi first used an ambush to inflict a major defeat on An Qingxu’s forces. An then sent Xue Song to seek help from Shi Siming and promised to abdicate in Shi’s favor.
Shi first sent Li Guiren with four thousand infantry and cavalry toward Fuyang, then personally led 130,000 troops south, seized Weizhou, and proclaimed himself Prince of Yan. Tang forces built three concentric walls and three lines of trenches around Yecheng and diverted water to flood the city. The siege lasted from the tenth month of 758 to the second month of 759. Food ran out and the source records cannibalism, with one dou of rice costing more than seventy thousand cash and a rat several thousand.
On the sixth day of the third month of 759, Shi Siming engaged the Tang army. A sudden great wind darkened the sky, the Tang army was defeated and withdrew south, and Shi established camp south of Yecheng. An Qingxu’s men recovered sixty to seventy thousand shi of grain abandoned by the Tang. He then discussed with Sun Xiaozhe and Cui Qianyou a plan to close the city and resist Shi Siming, but his commanders objected to betraying their rescuer. Zhang Tongru, Gao Shang, and Ping Lie went to Shi’s camp, where Shi embraced them, wept with them, gave them generous gifts, and urged them to return to the city.
After three days An Qingxu still had not appeared. Shi secretly summoned An Taiqing and ordered him to lure An Qingxu out. With no alternative, An Qingxu went to meet Shi with three hundred cavalry. Shi ordered the army to stand fully armed. When An Qingxu arrived, he found several of his brothers already detained in the courtyard. He bowed and prostrated himself, saying that he had been unequal to the burden of rule, had lost the two capitals, had long been trapped under siege, and was grateful that Shi had come from afar to rescue him for the sake of the Retired Emperor An Lushan. Shi angrily rebuked him: “Losing the two capitals and failing in war are no great matters. But you, as a son, killed your father and seized the throne. Is that not the greatest treason? I am punishing this traitor on behalf of the Retired Emperor.” Shi ordered An Qingxu dragged away and strangled together with four of his brothers including An Qinghe, as well as Gao Shang, Sun Xiaozhe, Cui Qianyou, and others. Shi absorbed An Qingxu’s army, returned to Fanyang, proclaimed himself emperor of Great Yan, and posthumously titled An Qingxu Prince Li of Jin.