Du Fu had planned to go back to his
homeland Henan
from Shu after hearing that the government troops had recaptured the region. But
later he cancelled the trip and never returned to Luoyang until his death. Why? Because just
before he was leaving for his hometown, his patron General Yan died, who was
commissioner of Jiannan military prefecture. For Yan had recommended Du to the
imperial court as assistant to him when he was transferred to the prefecture
near the capital. Moreover Du couldn’t stay in Shu any longer for a military rebellion
broke out there just after Yan’s death. Now he reluctantly departed sailing down the Yangtze River with his family.