Shi Siming
| Shi Siming | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Yan Dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 9 May 759 - 18 April 761 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | An Qingxu | ||||||||
| Successor | Shi Chaoyi | ||||||||
| Born | 703 | ||||||||
| Died | 18 April 761 (aged 58) | ||||||||
| Empress | Empress Xin | ||||||||
| Issue | Shi Chaoyi | ||||||||
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| House | Yan | ||||||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
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Family name: Shǐ (史) Given name: Originally Sùgān (窣干), later Sīmíng (思明) |
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| Era dates | |
| Shùntiān (順天) 759-761 Yìngtiān (應天) 761 |
Shi Siming (史思明) (703 – 18 April 761), or Shi Sugan (史窣干), was a general of the Chinese Tang Dynasty who followed his childhood friend An Lushan in rebelling against Tang, and who later succeeded An Lushan's son An Qingxu as emperor of the Yan state that An Lushan established.
It is not known when Shi Sugan was born, other than that he was born one day before his friend An Lushan and that they grew up together. He was of Tujue extraction, and was said to be thin with smooth skin, with an impatient disposition. After both he and An grew up, they were both known for their bravery. However, he was poor and of low social station, and was looked down by the people of his locale. However, a Lady Xin, a daughter of local gentry, insisted on marrying him despite her family's opposition, and she was eventually successful in doing so.
Shi Sugan first served under the Tang Dynasty general Wu Zhiyi (烏知義), and it was said that whenever Wu ordered him to attack, he would be able to capture enemy soldiers and return with them. As he and An Lushan each understood six non-Han languages, they both served in military interrogation as interpreters. He later served under the general Zhang Shougui (張守珪), along with An. Early in Emperor Xuanzong's Tianbao era (741-756), because of Shi's repeated military accomplishments, he was made a general at Pinglu Army (平盧, headquartered in modern Chaoyang, Liaoning). Once, when he was in the capital Chang'an to make reports to Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor Xuanzong was impressed with him and patted his back, stating, "You, Lord, will one day be honored. Keep this in mind." He had Shi change his name to Siming (literally meaning, "thinking of brightness"). Shi later served as the governor of Beiping Commandery (北平, roughly modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei). In 751, after a major defeat that An, who was then the military governor (jiedushi) of Pinglu (then converted into a military circuit) as well as Fanyang (范陽, headquartered in modern Beijing) and Hedong (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) Circuits, suffered at the hands of the Xi, Shi reorganized the collapsed troops to prevent further disaster, drawing accolades from An—although Shi commented that if he had met An just slightly earlier after the defeat, he would have been executed, as were Ge Jie (哥解) and Yu Chengxian (魚承仙), two other generals that An blamed for the defeat. In 752, at An's recommendation, Shi was made Bingma Shi (兵馬使), a commanding officer of Pinglu soldiers.
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