Pang Huang, style name Yuan Xian, is from Yulin. His father, Pang Qiu, was the Grand General of the Cavalry of the Zhou Dynasty. Pang Huang came from a good family background since he was young. Governor Du Da took a liking to him and appointed him as the provincial governor. After Zhou Taizu took control of Guanzhong, he appointed Pang Huang as the Grand Commander, entrusting him to lead a loyal army and often accompany Taizu. As a result, Pang Huang moved to Guanzhong. Later, he was promoted to the General of the Cavalry and inherited the title of Marquis Biyang.
When Prince Wei, Yu Wen Zhi, was stationed in Xiangzhou, Pang Huang followed him with his original position. Not long after, he and Lord Changhu, Yuan Ding, launched an attack on Jiangnan together and met his end in battle. Several years later, Prince Wei sent Pang Huang's younger brother, General of Chariots and Cavalry, Pang Yuanjun, to bring back 800 pieces of silk to redeem Pang Huang's body. Pang Huang then returned to the court. The court conferred upon him the title of Upper Yitong, rewarded him with 200 pieces of colored silk, and he continued to serve Prince Wei.
When Gaozu was first appointed as the Governor of Suizhou, he passed through Xiangyang, where Prince Wei, Li Huang, came to visit him. Li Huang felt that Gaozu was not an ordinary person and befriended him. Later, when Gaozu retired and returned to the capital, Li Huang welcomed him in Xiangyi. Gaozu was delighted, and Li Huang remarked, "You possess an extraordinary presence and are destined to be remembered in history. When you become emperor in the future, please don't forget me!" Gaozu laughed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Later, a rooster crowed in the courtyard, and Gaozu asked Li Huang to shoot it, saying, "If you hit it, there will be a reward. When I become wealthy and noble, I will take this as an omen." Li Huang hit the rooster, and Gaozu clapped and laughed, saying, "This is fate; your hitting it signifies that you are in harmony with heaven and earth!" He then gifted him two maids, and their bond grew very close.
During the reign of Emperor Wu, Li Huang was the Governor of Changshan, while Gaozu served as the Commander of Dingzhou. The two of them often interacted with each other. Shortly after, Gaozu was transferred to be the Commander of Bozhou, and he felt quite discontented. Li Huang advised him, "The regions of Yan and Dai are known for their elite troops. If we mobilize the army now, it will be difficult to control the situation." Gaozu held Li Huang's hand and said, "The time isn't right yet." Later, Li Huang was also promoted and became the General of Chariots and Cavalry.
When Gaozu became the Commander of Yangzhou, he requested Li Huang to join him. Later, when Gaozu became the Prime Minister, he promoted Li Huang to the position of Palace Supervisor, demonstrating significant trust in him. After Gaozu ascended the throne, he said to Li Huang, "The tale of shooting the heroic rooster has now come true, hasn't it?" Li Huang thanked him, saying, "Your Majesty, by aligning with the will of heaven, caring for the people, and unifying the world, and remembering what you said before, I am truly delighted!" Gaozu smiled and said, "How could I forget those words you said!"
Furthermore, Gaozu granted Li Huang the title of Palace Supervisor, appointed him as the General of the Right Guard, elevated him to a duke, and bestowed upon him a fief of 1,500 households. When Prince Li Hong of Hejian attacked the Turks, Li Huang accompanied him as the March Commander. They took an alternate route through the Helan Mountains and defeated the enemy, killing over a thousand of them.
Li Huang was known for his strong character. At that time, Prince Li Xiong of Guangping held great power, and Li Huang was consistently confrontational with him. Once, when Li Huang was sleeping in the military camp, Li Xiong came by, but Li Huang did not get up, which fostered resentment in Li Xiong. Li Huang also had conflicts with Gao Feng, and these two often spoke ill of Li Huang in front of the Emperor. Therefore, Li Huang served as a palace guard for over ten years without a promotion. Later, he was sent to serve as the Inspector of Huaizhou, and a few years later, he was promoted to be the Commander of Yuanzhou. During the Reign of Renshou, Li Huang died in office at the age of seventy-two. Gaozu mourned his passing, granting him three hundred bolts of cloth, three hundred shi (a traditional unit of measure for rice) of rice, and posthumously honored him with the title Jing. His son, Li Changshou, also became famous and eventually attained the rank of General of the Agile Cavalry.
Li An, styled Xuande, was from Dadao in Gansu. His father, Li Wei, served as an official in the Northern Zhou dynasty, acting as governor of the three provinces: Shuozhou, Yanzhou, and Hengzhou, and was granted the title of Duke of Xiangwu. Li An was handsome and skilled at horseback riding and archery. During the Tianhe period of the Northern Zhou dynasty, Li An renounced his commoner status to become a senior attendant, inheriting his father's title as Duke of Xiangwu. Not long after, he was promoted to Yitong and Right Senior Master. Later, when Yang Jian became Chancellor, he summoned Li An to serve him and promoted him to a high-ranking official position. Yang Jian also promoted Li An's brother, Li Che, to the position of Yitong. At that time, Li An's uncle, Li Zhang, served as the governor of Liangzhou and conspired with Prince Zhao of Northern Zhou in the capital against Yang Jian, even coercing Li Che into becoming an accomplice.
Li Che told Li An, "If we say nothing, we are disloyal; if we speak up, we are unjust. If we lose loyalty and righteousness, how can we stand in the world?" Li An replied, "Yang Jian is our Chancellor; how can we betray him?" Thus, Li An discreetly informed Yang Jian of the plot. When Prince Zhao and his followers were executed, Yang Jian was about to reward Li An with a promotion, but Li An quickly knelt and said, "My brother and I have done nothing to deserve such promotion. My whole family has strived to repay your kindness, but it will never suffice. I never expected my uncle to be so foolish and be deceived by evil people, almost leading to the extinction of our family. It is more distressing than eating bitter herbs! You have spared our lives, which is already a tremendous blessing. How can I possibly seek a promotion due to my uncle's actions?" With that, Li An collapsed to the ground in tears, overcome with grief.
Yang Jian was touched by his words; his expression shifted, and he said, "For your sake, I have spared your cousin's life." He then ordered punishment solely for Li Zhang, and Yang Jian kept this incident confidential. Later, Yang Jian appointed Li An as a palace official, bestowing upon him the title of Duke of Zhaojun, and promoted Li Che to Yitong and conferred upon him the title of Lord of Huangtai County.
After the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty ascended the throne, he arranged official positions for the An brothers. The elder An brother was first appointed as the Deputy Minister of the Interior, then promoted to Deputy Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Chamberlain of the Yellow Gates. In the battle against the Chen Dynasty, he was appointed as the deputy general under Yang Su, also serving as the overall commander, leading the troops from Shu down the river. At that time, the Chen Dynasty's troops were stationed at Baisha. The elder An brother addressed the other generals, saying, "Water battles are not our specialty as northerners. The Chen troops are currently anchored in a strategic location; they are likely underestimating us and are unprepared. If we attack them at night, we can defeat the enemy!" Everyone thought he made sense.
So, the elder An brother led the vanguard troops and soundly defeated the Chen troops. Emperor Wen of Sui was very pleased and issued a decree praising him, stating, "The Chen rebels thought they were skilled in water battles, and in a strategic location, they believed that the official army would not dare to attack easily. You led the imperial guards, launched a night attack with the navy, defeated the enemy, captured many prisoners, greatly boosted the morale of our army, and struck fear into the enemy. You have completely fulfilled the task I assigned to you, and I am very pleased to hear this news!" Afterwards, he was promoted to Grand General and transferred to the post of Governor of Yingzhou. Not long after, he was transferred to the post of Governor of Dengzhou. The elder An brother requested to return to the court for an internal position, but Emperor Wen of Sui valued him greatly and did not agree to his request. Instead, he appointed him as the General of the Left and Right Flanks. Shortly after, he was promoted to General of the Right-Leaning Army and was once again appointed as Palace Attendant of Equal Rank and General of the Guard. Both An brothers were in charge of the Imperial Guards, and the emperor held them in high regard and trusted them deeply.
Eight years later, the Turks invaded the borders. An Shi's elder brother was appointed as the military commander and joined Yang Su in resisting the Turks. An Shi's elder brother took an alternate route, setting out from Changchuan, and unexpectedly encountered the Turkish army crossing the river. They engaged in battle and emerged victorious. In the first year of the Renshou period, An Shi's elder brother became the governor of Ningzhou, and his younger brother became the governor of Weizhou. An Shi's son, Qiong, and An Shi's brother's son, Wei, grew up in the palace since they were little, and it wasn't until they were about eight or nine that they were finally allowed to return home. It can be seen how thoughtful the emperor was in looking after the An brothers.
The Emperor Gaozu once recalled his time as Prime Minister, remembering how the Li An brothers sacrificed their own uncle for the greater good of the country. He issued a decree saying: "The rule set by our ancestors is to resolve personal matters with righteousness, to sacrifice family ties for the sake of the country. This is the principle of loyalty to the monarch, which promotes noble integrity and demonstrates selflessness. The Zhou Dynasty has come to an end, and the mandate of heaven is now with our family. I have just taken office, and the royal business is just beginning, and this chaotic era is rife with treacherous villains. General Li An of Ningzhou and Duke of Zhao County, his uncle Li Zhang conspired to deceive Li An's son, plotting mischief and unrest. Li An and his brother, Li Jie, Governor of Weizhou and Lord of Huangtai County, had a deep understanding of righteousness, were loyal, and exposed Li Zhang's conspiracy, which led to the capture of the criminals. I have always admired their loyalty and have been considering rewarding them generously, but because this matter involves their relatives, I hesitated, hoping they would find a suitable solution within the bounds of propriety. I have been carefully contemplating this for several years. Now, after reviewing the classics and past cases, I have come to realize that sometimes filial piety and loyalty cannot coexist, especially in uncle-nephew relationships. Family ties are less significant than those between a father and son, and putting aside personal feelings for the sake of the country is the right course of action. Their merits deserve commendation, and they should be generously rewarded."
Therefore, the emperor conferred the titles of Grand Generals of the Pillar State upon the brothers Li An and Li Zhen, rewarding them with 5,000 bolts of silk, 100 horses, and 1,000 sheep each. Li Zhen was also promoted to General of the Bodyguard and granted the title of Duke of Shunyang County. Li An told his relatives, "Although our entire family has been saved, my uncle has suffered as a result. Now that I have received the imperial decree, my heart is filled with mixed feelings of guilt and sadness." As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, and he was overwhelmed with grief. He had long been suffering from edema, and his condition worsened, leading to his death at the age of 53. He was posthumously given the title "Huai." His son Li Qiong succeeded his title. Li An's youngest son, Li Xiaogong, was the most renowned. Li Zhen was later removed from his position for misconduct and exiled to Lingnan, where he died of illness on the way.
Historical records state: These people, such as Yuwen Qing, had close relationships with Yang Guang; some were old friends, and some had entrusted their lives to each other in their early years. They benefited from the power and influence of Yang Guang, enjoying wealth and prosperity, rising through the ranks alongside him. They held high positions, enjoyed generous salaries, and they truly enjoyed the envy of others! However, Yuwen Hao grew up in the palace since childhood and did not receive a formal education. Yang Guang favored him greatly, but this favoritism came without discipline, which limited Yuwen Hao's abilities. Who is to blame for this? Think about it: the brothers An and Zhen had no master-servant relationship with Yang Jian (the founder), yet he killed them; this is what one would call "justified extermination of kin"! This is completely different from the stories we have heard. Although we feel sorrow for them, can that change any of the historical facts? "Although there is mourning, what harm does it do to the truth?"
