Case of Cui Guangyuan Memorializing the Trial of Surrendered Officials

During the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang capital Chang'an fell to rebel forces, leading many court officials to surrender and accept posts in the rebel regime. After Tang forces recaptured Chang'an in 757 AD, Cui Guangyuan, the Defender of the Western Capital, memorialized the throne to request the trial of these disloyal officials. Emperor Suzong ordered a sweeping purge, resulting in the adjudication of hundreds of surrendered officials.

Emperor Suzong decreed punishments in six degrees of severity. Eighteen individuals, including Daxi Xun, were publicly executed; seven, including Chen Xilie, were ordered to commit suicide; the rest were subjected to severe floggings, exile, or demotion.

The central issue was how to adjudicate the act of surrendering to the rebels—whether to uniformly execute all collaborators to uphold strict law, or to distinguish between degrees of culpability, such as voluntary defection versus forced cooperation.

This case served as a landmark event in restoring political order and moral authority after the An Lushan Rebellion. By harshly punishing disloyalty, it established the bottom line of political ethics regarding allegiance to the sovereign, shocked the bureaucracy, but also attracted criticism for its excessive scope, profoundly influencing the concept of "loyalty" in later periods.