Battle of Suiyang
757 CE · Suiyang, Henan, China
The Battle of Suiyang was fought in 757 CE in Suiyang, Henan, China between Tang loyalists vs the Yan rebels of the An Lushan Rebellion; Yan victory after a ten-month siege, but the defence held up the rebel advance long enough to save the Tang.
Battle of Suiyang: quick facts
- Date
- 757 CE
- Location
- Suiyang, Henan, China
- Belligerents
- Tang loyalists vs the Yan rebels of the An Lushan Rebellion
- Commanders
- Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan vs Yin Ziqi
- Result
- Yan victory after a ten-month siege, but the defence held up the rebel advance long enough to save the Tang.
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Suiyang?
The Siege of Suiyang was one of the most harrowing defensive stands in military history, fought during the devastating An Lushan Rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. General Zhang Xun and a small garrison held the city for ten months against over 100,000 rebel troops, enduring starvation so extreme it became legendary. Though Suiyang eventually fell and Zhang Xun was executed, the prolonged defense prevented the rebels from advancing into southern China and bought crucial time for the Tang to regroup and ultimately suppress the rebellion.
Did you know?
The defense of Suiyang during the An Lushan Rebellion is estimated to have cost 13 million lives across China overall, making it potentially the deadliest conflict in human history until World War II.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Suiyang on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.