Wei Fangjin (魏方進; died 756) was a Tang dynasty official who served as a Grand Censor (御史大夫) during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.[1] He was a relative of Yang Guozhong, [citation needed] who led the Golden Turtles of which he was also a member.[1]
Biography[]
After the fall of Tong Pass in the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong fled Chang'an with members of his court, including his favourite concubine Yang Guifei, Crown Prince Li Heng, Prime Minister Yang Guozhong, and his closest officials.[2] After arriving at Mawei Station, Yang Guozhong secretly held a meeting of Golden Turtles, forming a makeshift rectangle with their wagons in a secluded clearing and using the rear curtains to conceal themselves as they faced one another. They discussed their predicament, recognizing that Guozhong had dramatically lost favour with the Emperor for his abject failures. Fangjin alerted Guozhong that the soldiers escorting them were famished, exhausted, and brimming with rage, and that they needed a scapegoat to divert their wrath.[1]
At first, Guozhong blamed Bian Lingcheng, a member of their order who had convinced him to execute the commanders defending Tong Pass, but he had already left Lingcheng behind in Chang'an to be murdered by An Lushan. Yang Guifei's sisters, the Lady of Han (韓國夫人) and the Lady of Guo (虢國夫人), assured him that once they arrived in Shu, where they had local support, they would be able to reassert control over the Emperor. Meanwhile, other Golden Turtles pointed out that the surviving troops from Tong Pass had merged with the imperial guards accompanying them. Their commander Geshu Han had surrendered to Lushan after being forced into a suicidal attack against him, and via Geshu Han's ties with the crown prince, Guozhong was suddenly reminded of Li Heng's enmity for him. Then at last, Guozhong arrived at an answer to Fangjin's question: Crown Prince Li Heng shall be their scapegoat.[1]
Arrows fatally piercing Wei Fangjin in his wagon
They never had a chance to bring this scheme to light, for at that moment a spear plunged down into Guozhong's carriage, narrowly missing the head of the Golden Turtles. As Guozhong scrambled out of his carriage in panic and confusion, two arrows flew right by him into the wagon on the other side from Wei Fangjin's, felling the Golden Turtle sitting within. The commotion prompted Fangjin and other members to peer out from their own wagons. Before they even had time to react, the entire group were beset on all sides by a hail of arrows and bolts. Assassins led by Li E shooting with bows and crossbows from the bamboo trees above rapidly struck down all the Golden Turtles. Although Guozhong survived the initial wave, Wei Fangjin was killed instantly.[1]
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