Fang Guan

In 734, he was made Jiancha Yushi (監察御史), an imperial censor, but that same year was accused of improper handling of cases and demoted to be the census official at Mu Prefecture (睦州, in modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang).

In 755, he was recalled to the capital Chang'an to serve as a staff member of Emperor Xuanzong's crown prince Li Heng, and subsequently made the deputy minister of justice (憲部侍郎, Xianbu Shilang).

Later in 755, the military governor (jiedushi) An Lushan rebelled, and by summer 756, the forces of his newly established state of Yan was approaching Chang'an.

Emperor Xuanzong fled toward Shu Commandery (蜀郡, roughly modern Chengdu, Sichuan) in panic, leaving most officials behind.

Emperor Xuanzong was pleased, and made him the deputy minister of civil service affairs (文部侍郎, Wenbu Shilang) and gave him the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.

Emperor Suzong was impressed with Fang's fervor for the restoration of Tang authority and gave him the most responsibility, and he followed Fang's recommendations in not executing the generals Wang Sili (王思禮) and Lü Chongbi (呂崇賁), who were part of the Tang army defeated at Tong Pass prior to An Lushan's approach on Chang'an.

This came to Emperor Suzong's attention when Emperor Suzong had decreed that the official Helan Jinming (賀蘭進明) should be made the governor of Nanhai Commandery (南海, roughly modern Guangzhou, Guangdong) and military governor of Lingnan Circuit (headquartered in Guangzhou), and be given an honorary title as chief imperial censor—but Fang instead announced that Helan would be given the honorary title as acting chief imperial censor.

Fang, realizing this, requested that he be commissioned to lead an army to recapture Chang'an, hoping to regain imperial favor by battlefield success.

Fang selected such friends as Wang Sili, Deng Jingshan (鄧景山), Li Ji (李揖), and Liu Zhi to serve on his staff, entrusting the strategies to Li Ji and Liu—despite the fact that neither was learned in military matters, going as far as stating, "Even though the rebels have many strong men, none can rival my Liu Zhi."

He divided his army into three groups and approached Chang'an, and once he was engaging Yan forces there, he used an ancient tactic from the Spring and Autumn period—putting cattle-drawn wagons in the center and cavalry and infantry on the side.

Despite the defeat, though, Fang was still spending most of his day discussing Buddhist and Taoist philosophies with Liu and Li JI, often claiming illness so that he would not need to deal with the affairs of state.

In summer 757, Emperor Suzong removed him from his chancellor position and replaced him with Zhang Gao, making Fang an advisor to the crown prince instead.

Emperor Suzong, displeased, issued a sternly-worded edict rebuking Fang and sending him out of Chang'an to serve as the prefect of Bin Prefecture (邠州, roughly modern Xianyang, Shaanxi).

In 759, Emperor Suzong issued an edict praising him and recalling him to serve on the staff of the new crown prince Li Yu.