Is “Yan Zhenqing foresaw that An Lushan would rebel and strictly prepared city defenses to resist the rebels.” true?
The Old Book of Tang, Biography of Yan Zhenqing, records that when signs of An Lushan's rebellion appeared, Yan Zhenqing, 'using the continuous rain as an excuse, repaired the city walls and dredged the moats, secretly counted the able-bodied men, and stored grain.' After the rebellion broke out, all of Hebei fell except Pingyuan, which was fully prepared, and the seventeen commanderies recommended Zhenqing as their leader. Chapter 090 of Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties follows the official history, describing Zhenqing as 'having foreseen his inevitable rebellion, and taking advantage of the long rains, he built the city walls, deepened the moats, drilled the able-bodied, and stored provisions, making secret preparations,' which fully matches the historical facts.
In the official history, Yan Zhenqing fortified Pingyuan and became the leader of seventeen commanderies; the novel faithfully dramatizes his city-building and troop-recruiting to resist the rebels.
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