Lu Xie

About

Lu Xie (盧攜), courtesy name Zisheng (子升), was a politician of the late Tang dynasty, serving twice as chancellor under Emperor Xizong. After advancing progressively through the civil bureaucracy, Lu aligned himself with the powerful palace eunuch Tian Lingzi and the influential military commander Gao Pian to become the imperial court's preeminent minister in the early years of Huang Chao's rebellion. Hampered by Gao Pian's unreliability in the field and by Lu's own declining health, the court proved unable to organize successful resistance to the rebel forces. As the rebel army advanced on the imperial capital of Chang'an, Lu was blamed for the disaster and deprived of his office. He committed suicide by poison in the hours before the city fell to the rebels.