Imperial Guards ( Tang Dynasty ) The Imperial Guards of the Tang Dynasty , also known as the Forbidden Troops ( traditional chinese : 禁軍 , simplified Chinese : 禁军 , pinyin : jìn jūn ) , evolved initially from honour bodyguards of the emperor and garrison of the Imperial capitals during its formation in early 7th century , into the only military force that remained under the control of the central authorities after the An Shi Rebellion which lasted from AD 755 to 763 . The Pioneers . The dynasty ' s founder was an aristocrat based in present day Taiyuan , and was an experienced soldier from his tenure as border commander . He launched his bid for power in AD 617 with only 30 , 000 troops , and by the time he defeated his rivals , he commanded more than 200 , 000 troops . About 30 , 000 volunteered to remain in service after general demobilisation , who became the pioneers of the Tang ' s hereditary Imperial Guards , and assigned the fertile lands in the region of Bai irrigation canal , north of the Wei River , which had been abandoned during the turmoils of the Sui - Tang transition wars . This body became known as the Pioneer Forbidden Guards ( 元从禁军 ) . The first body of the Imperial Guards were designated as bodyguards of the emperor , and would garrison the capitals and palaces . The mainstay of the empire ' s defence would be the fubing system , which assigned lands to farmers in return for periods of military service . Introduction of new Guard units . In the beginning of the reign of Emperor Taizong , the monarch stationed a hundred soldiers skilled in archery at the northern gate of the palace . They became known as the " Hundred Riders " ( 百骑 ) , and accompanied the emperor during his hunting excursions . In addition , seven companies of soldiers selected after trials of strength and skills were installed under the Northern Bureau ( 北衙 ) as additional bodyguards . Gradually , other new units were added and stationed around the palace , their members chosen from upper class of societies who met the selection criteria of physical appearance , skills and strengths . Yü Lin ( Feathered Forest ) and Long Wu ( Dragon Martial ) Guards . In AD 662 , Tang ' s third emperor transferred some outstanding horsemen , archers and footmen of the fubing army into the new Yü Lin ( 羽林 , literally " Feathered Forest " ) unit , and assigned them the duties of standing guard during Court sessions as well as imperial processions . The " Hundred Riders " unit was expanded by Empress Wu to " Thousand Riders " ( 千骑 ) , then further increased by Emperor Zhongzong to " Ten Thousand Riders " ( 万骑 ) . This unit was instrumental in the ousting of Empress Wei ' s faction by the Imperial Prince Li LongJi in AD 710 , and subsequently renamed as Long Wu ( 龙武 , literally " Dragon Martial " ) . Only descendants of pioneers of the Tang Empire were selected into the Long Wu Guards . In time , the appeal of serving in the Imperial Guard units waned , and many scions of influential clans resorted to hiring proxies to serve on their behalf . Thus , the quality of the " aristocratic " Long Wu guards levelled with that of the " commoner " Yü Lin guards . Shen Wu ( Divine Martial ) Guards . By the time An Lushan revolted in AD 755 , enrollment in the Imperial Guard units had declined to such an extent that there were only a thousand guardsmen escorting Emperor Xuanzong during his flight from the capital . Emperor Xuanzong officially abdicated in favour of the Crown Prince Li Heng , who had to raise his own army in AD 757 , which became known as the Shen Wu ( 神武 , literally " Divine Martial " ) Guards . Entry requirements had to be lowered when they could not recruit enough men from families of Court officials . Shen Ce ( Divine Stratagem ) Army . During the An Shi rebellion , the loyal jiedushi Geshu Han brought his garrison from the northwestern border with Tibet to the central plains to rally to the emperor . Due to politicking , control of this army came under the eunuch Yu Chao ' En , and was subsequently known as the Shen Ce Army ( 神策军 ) , literally " Divine Stratagem " ) Guards . This unit was instrumental in assisting Emperor Daizong recover the Imperial capital Chang ' an from Tibetan invaders in AD 763 , and thus gained prominence and became the mainstay of the central authorities ' military force . The soldiers enjoyed better remuneration than those from other units . This led to other imperial military units to seek to come under its banner , expanding its numbers greatly . As a result , other Imperial Guard units declined . Control of the Shen Ce Army fell into the hands of the palace eunuchs who used it to control the Tang emperors . Later on , the Shence Army deteriorated into little more than local bullies in the vicinity of the capital . Quality declined sharply as recruitment fell in numbers and they were unable to withstand the rebel forces of Huang Chao in AD 880 . In AD 903 , after Zhu Wen deposed the last Tang Emperor and massacred the eunuchs in Chang ' an , the last of Tang Imperial Guard units came to an end .