During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the Fanyang military governor An Lushan rebelled, leading 100,000 troops to invade the Central Plains.
The imperial court dispatched Feng Changqing and Gao Xianzhi to suppress the rebellion, but after years of peace, the soldiers were poorly trained and suffered repeated defeats, forcing them to retreat to Tong Pass. Emperor Xuanzong then summoned the ailing Prince of Xiping and Hexi Military Commissioner Geshu Han, who had been recuperating at home, to confront the formidable enemy.
Geshu Han believed that An Lushan, under the pretext of eliminating the treacherous minister Yang Guozhong, was actually plotting to seize the Tang empire and lacked popular support. Therefore, Geshu Han argued for a cautious strategy: avoid battle initially, wait for internal dissent to weaken An Lushan's forces, and then strike at an opportune moment to annihilate them in one decisive blow.
However, Emperor Xuanzong believed the report that "the rebels were unprepared." Adding to this, Chancellor Yang Guozhong, fearing that Geshu Han's massive army might threaten his own position, repeatedly urged the emperor to order Geshu Han to attack. One imperial messenger after another was dispatched, commanding Geshu Han to march out of the pass and engage the enemy. Left with no choice, Geshu Han led his troops out of Tong Pass. The result was a catastrophic defeat: of his 200,000 soldiers, only one or two in ten survived, and Geshu Han himself was tragically captured.
Later, the idiom "Losing Popular Support" came to describe failing to gain the backing and approval of the people.
Source: *Old Book of Tang*, "Biography of Geshu Han"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "不得人心" came to describe failing to gain the backing and approval of the people.