Xue Ne - During Emperor Xuanzong's Reign

During Emperor Xuanzong's Reign

Later in 712, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to his son Li Longji the Crown Prince, and Li Longji took the throne as Emperor Xuanzong. In 713, during a major examination of troops, after Emperor Xuanzong ordered the chancellor Guo Yuanzhen exiled and the official Tang Shao (唐紹) for failing to get the armies into proper order during the examination, the generals were shocked and panicking, with the exception of Xue Ne and Jie Wan (解琬). Emperor Xuanzong was impressed with them and praised them greatly.

In 714, Xue proposed an ambitious plan to get Khitan, Xī, and Xí to resubmit to Tang—believing that it could be accomplished by defeating the Khitan and reestablishing Liucheng (柳城, in modern Chaoyang, Liaoning). Emperor Xuanzong himself wanted to take vengeance for Sun Quan's defeat, and despite opposition by the chancellor Yao Chong, Emperor Xuanzong approved of Xue's plan. Further, he granted Xue the status of Tong Ziwei Huangmen Sanpin (同紫微黃門三品), making him a chancellor de facto, and commissioned him with 60,000 men to attack the Khitan, assisted by Du Binke (杜賓客) and Cui Xuandao (崔宣道). Xue launched the attack in summer 714, despite Du's warnings that the summer heat made it a difficult time for soldiers to be wearing armor and bearing heavy food burdens. As Xue advanced, he fell into a Khitan trap, and Khitan forces crushed Tang forces, at a 80-90% casualty rate. Xue was able to flee with some cavalry soldiers, and Khitan soldiers insulted him by referring to him as "Grandmother Xue." After the defeat, Xue blamed the defeat on Cui and eight non-Han officers; Emperor Xuanzong ordered them executed at You Prefecture, but spared Xue and only removed him from all of his offices. Only Du was not punished.

In fall 714, Tufan forces under the generals Ben Dayan (坌達延) and Qi Lixu (乞力徐) attacked Lan Prefecture (蘭州, roughly modern Lanzhou, Gansu). Emperor Xuanzong commissioned Xue as an acting general and had him defend against the Tufan attack, assisted by the general Guo Zhiyun (郭知運) and the official Wang Jun. Xue engaged Tufan forces at Wujie (武街, in modern Dingxi, Gansu), and defeated Tufan forces. Emperor Xuanzong restored Xue's general rank and created him the Duke of Pingyang. In 715, Emperor Xuanzong further made Xue the commandant at Liang Prefecture (涼州, roughly modern Wuwei, Gansu), to prepare for potential attacks from Ashina Mochuo. Emperor Xuanzong soon also commissioned Xue as the commanding general of the soldiers in the Shuofang region (朔方, roughly modern Yinchuan, Ningxia), assisted by Du and the official Lü Yanzuo (呂延祚), to attack Eastern Tujue, although whether the army was actually launched or not was unclear.

After Ashina Mochuo was killed in an attack against the Bayegu tribe (拔野古) in 716, many Eastern Tujue vassals surrendered to Tang, and Eastern Tujue fell into a state of confusion. Thereafter, however, Ashina Mochuo's nephew Ashina Mojilian became khan (as Piqie Khan), and he tried to restrengthen Eastern Tujue. In winter 716, some of the Eastern Tujue people who surrendered to Tang rebelled and fled back north, under the leadership of Xiedie Sitai (part of name not in Unicode) and Axilan (阿悉爛). Emperor Xuanzong commissioned Xue to give chase, but before Xue could arrive, Wang and Guo already defeated the rebels in battle, although the rebels were nevertheless able to disengage and get back to Eastern Tujue. Soon thereafter, Xue retired. He died in 720.