The Dragon Warriors preparing to eliminate Yang Guozhong
The Army of Dragon Warriors (龍武軍; Mandarin: Lóngwǔ Jūn) was an imperial guard unit of the Tang dynasty.[1] It was divided into left and right wings, and they were known together with the left and right wings of the Feathered Forest as the Four Armies of the Northern Gate (北門四軍).[2] Their horses, called dragon breeds, were the finest in the empire and each bore an exorbitant price.[1]
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, it was commanded by General Chen Xuanli. At the height of the An Lushan Rebellion in 756, Xuanli and the Dragon Warriors accompanied the Emperor and his family when they fled Chang'an for Shu ahead of Lushan's march on the capital. The excursion was forlorn and arduous. Everyone from the common soldier to the Emperor himself were famished when they discovered that their expected rest stop, Xianyang Wangxian Palace, had been abandoned by their curators without a single grain of rice left for them. In response, the Emperor ordered that several of the dragon breeds were to be slaughtered to provide relief for the soldiers against the protests of the eunuch Gao Lishi. The plan was aborted when they suddenly encountered rural villagers who were more than happy to feed them with their provisions.[1]
The Dragon Warriors were instrumental in the mutiny that ensued at Mawei Station a few days later, turning on Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong[3] as soon as he and his clique were beset by Assassins.[4]