Shi Siming - Under Emperor Xuanzong's Rule

Under Emperor Xuanzong's Rule

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 both he and An Lushan understood six non-Han languages, both of them served in the military market 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 Ge Jie (哥解) and Yu Chengxian (魚承仙), two other generals that An blamed for the defeat, were. In 752, at An's recommendation, Shi was made Bingma Shi (兵馬使), a commanding officer of Pinglu soldiers.