Li Heng

Li Heng ascended the throne at Lingwu after his father, Emperor Xuanzong, fled the capital during the An Lushan Rebellion. He assumed command of the loyalist forces and began organizing resistance against the rebel state of Yan.

Li Heng secured a military alliance with the Uyghur Khaganate, who provided cavalry to fight the rebels. The Uyghur forces played a crucial role in recapturing Chang'an and Luoyang, but their looting of the capitals caused resentment.

Tang forces, aided by Uyghur cavalry, recaptured the western capital Chang'an and then the eastern capital Luoyang from the Yan rebels. These victories marked the turning point of the rebellion, though the war continued for years.

Li Heng died in 762, shortly before the final suppression of the An Lushan Rebellion. His reign was entirely consumed by the civil war, and he did not live to see the full restoration of Tang authority.