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130-609: Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan , courtesy name Shude , was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty , Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi , and was based in Taiyuan . In 615, Li Yuan was assigned to garrison Longxi. He gained much experience by dealing with the Göktürks of

260-489: A daughter of his vassal Emperor Ming of Western Liang ( Xiao Kui ) to be Yang Guang's wife and princess. It was said that Yang Guang loved and respected her. In 584, after some Sui military and diplomatic victories, Tujue 's Shabolüe Khan Ashina Shetu submitted to Sui. Yang Guang suggested to Emperor Wen that he rejected Ashina Shetu's overture and launch a major attack on Tujue, but Emperor Wen refused. In 585, with Ashina Shetu under attack from one of his subordinate khans,

390-598: A base of operations, but on the way was again defeated, and he had his brother Yang Jishan ( 楊積善 ) kill him, to avoid capture. At Emperor Yang's orders, the officials Fan Zigai ( 樊子蓋 ) and Pei Yun ( 裴蘊 ) carried out mass-scale reprisals, executing a large number of people who had followed Yang Xuangan. Around the new year 614, by Emperor Yang's orders, Yang Jishan and Yang Xuangan's strategist Wei Fusi ( 韋福嗣 ) were publicly executed in exceedingly cruel manners—the officials all fired arrows at them, and then they were further drawn and quartered , and then their bodies were burned and

520-498: A campaign against Wang's Zheng state in fall 620. He initially could not decisively defeat Zheng, but by spring 621 had put the Zheng capital Luoyang under a tight siege, although he was not able to capture it. Wang sought aid from Dou. The latter agreed, concerned that a Tang victory over Zheng would also mean his own demise, but at the same time was eager to exploit the weakness of the Zheng and claim its domains for himself. Emperor Gaozu

650-481: A clansman of Emperor Yang). Emperor Yang agreed. Also in 609, Emperor Yang, jealous of the literary talent of the official Xue Daoheng ( 薛道衡 ), he falsely accused Xue of defaming the emperor and had Xue strangled. By this time, it was said that Emperor Yang's lifestyle had become particularly wasteful, and that he no longer felt bound by moral principles. In 610, Emperor Yang visited Jiangdu again, and this time elevated Jiangdu's importance so that it effectively became

780-534: A coherent plan as to whether to try to challenge Emperor Yang for the control of the entire empire, or just the region north of the Yellow River . After some initial successes, Yang Liang's offenses stalled. Emperor Yang sent Yang Su against him, and Yang Su proceeded quickly to Yang Liang's headquarters at Bing Province, capturing Xiao and forcing Yang Liang to surrender. Emperor Yang did not execute Yang Liang, but reduced him to commoner rank and imprisoned him for

910-464: A daughter of Dou Yi ( 竇毅 ) the Duke of Shenwu and Northern Zhou's Princess Xiangyang (Yuwen Tai's daughter) as his wife and duchess. During Emperor Wen's reign (581–604), Li Yuan served three terms as a provincial governor. Early in the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang , Li Yuan served as commandery governor (as Emperor Yang converted provinces into commanderies), but was later recalled to serve as

1040-533: A daughter of a clansman, whom he created the Princess Huarong, to Qu Boya ( 麴伯雅 ) (the king of Gaochang ) in marriage In spring 613, Emperor Yang again ordered that soldiers be gathered at Zhuo Commandery, as he prepared a second campaign against Goguryeo. He also selected the most elite of the soldiers into a specialized corps, the Xiaoguo Army (驍果, meaning, "the strong and brave"). Thereafter,

1170-644: A deep friendship with Heruo Bi, and there had been rumors that the Xiaos would rise again, the superstitious Emperor Yang also removed Xiao Cong from his post. Qimin visited Yangdi at Yulin. Also in 607, at the instigation of Pei Ju , Emperor Yang reopened relations with Xiyu states. In spring 608, Emperor Yang conscripted over a million men to construct the Yongji Canal ( 永濟渠 ), from the Yellow River to Zhuo Commandery (涿郡, roughly modern Beijing ). It

1300-478: A dragon and hold onto the wing of a phoenix, and I hope that you, my younger brother, will soon, in accordance with the prophecy, pacify all who are on this earth. You are the leader among the Li, and I hope that you will be gracious and accept me, and to give me again the domain of Tang; that will be enough glory for me. I do not have the heart to hear such commands as killing Xin of Shang at Muye, nor do I dare to listen to

1430-570: A general cultural tendency to regard names as significant , the choice of what name to bestow upon one's children was considered very important in traditional China. Yan Zhitui of the Northern Qi dynasty asserted that whereas the purpose of a given name was to distinguish one person from another, a courtesy name should express the bearer's moral integrity. Prior to the twentieth century, sinicized Koreans , Vietnamese , and Japanese were also referred to by their courtesy name. The practice

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1560-452: A great accomplishment? Li Yuan was dismayed but, not wanting to make another enemy, wrote back humbly: Although I am ordinary and foolish, but I have had the opportunity to, by my ancestors' largess, receive the opportunity to be an imperial messenger when leaving the capital and a guard leader in the capital. If the administration falls and I am unable to help it, even the most understanding wise man will rebuke me. Therefore, I have organized

1690-555: A hostage, as Tuyuhun's new khan, but the Tuyuhun people would not accept him, and Murong Shun was forced back to Sui territory. Emperor Yang also received 27 rulers of Xiyu kingdoms in an audience at Zhangye (張掖, in modern Zhangye , Gansu ). Later in the year, Ashina Rangan died, and was succeeded by his son Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi. Pursuant to Tujue customs, Ashina Duojishi requested permission from Emperor Yang to marry Ashina Rangan's wife Princess Yicheng ( 義成公主 ) (the daughter of

1820-589: A junior minister within Emperor Yang's administration. When Emperor Yang carried out his second campaign against Goguryeo in 613, Li Yuan was in charge of part of the logistics operation. When the general Yang Xuangan rebelled near the eastern capital Luoyang , Emperor Yang commissioned Li Yuan as a general and made him be in charge of the operations west of the Tong Pass , although Yang Xuangan's rebellion eventually did not involve that region. Li Yuan took

1950-463: A lack of direct evidence, believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang (see below). Yang Guang, after sending Yang Yue to kill Yang Yong, announced Emperor Wen's death and took the throne as Emperor Yang. An immediate challenge that Emperor Yang faced was a rebellion by his brother Yang Liang, then the commandant at Bing Province, who was encouraged by the generals Wang Kui ( 王頍 ) and Xiao Mohe . Yang Liang received support from 19 provinces, but lacked

2080-781: A large number of men to build the Tongji Canal ( 通濟渠 ), connecting Luoyang with the Yellow River and connecting the Yellow River with the Huai River , as well as to rebuild the Han Canal ( 邗溝 ), connecting the Huai River and the Yangtze River. The two canals, which would eventually become parts of the Grand Canal of China , were said to be constructed within five months, but at substantial cost of life—40% to 50% of

2210-508: A major challenge from Xue Ju , an agrarian leader who had declared himself the Emperor of Qin. During the fall of 618, Xue took advantage of Li Shimin's illness to defeat an army commanded by Li Shimin and Liu Wenjing at Qianshui Plain (in modern Xianyang , Shanxi ) and approach Chang'an. In response, Gaozu tried to enter an alliance with Li Gui , the Prince of Liang, between whose domain and

2340-464: A major general under Western Wei 's paramount general Yuwen Tai , and was created the Duke of Longxi and given the Xianbei surname Daye ( 大野 ). Li Hu died before Yuwen Tai's son Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou founded Northern Zhou , but was posthumously created the Duke of Tang after Northern Zhou's founding. His son and Li Yuan's father Li Bing ( 李昞 ), of Han ethnicity, inherited the title of

2470-428: A man – as the first character of the disyllabic courtesy name. Thus, for example, Gongsun Qiao 's courtesy name was Zichan ( 子產 ), and Du Fu 's was Zimei ( 子美 ). It was also common to construct a courtesy name by using as the first character one which expresses the bearer's birth order among male siblings in his family. Thus Confucius , whose name was Kong Qiu ( 孔丘 ), was given the courtesy name Zhongni ( 仲尼 ), where

2600-585: A murder ordered by Yang Guang, he ascended the Sui throne. Emperor Yang, ruling from 604 to 618, committed to several large construction projects, most notably the completion of the Grand Canal , and the reconstruction of the Great Wall . He also ordered several military expeditions that brought Sui to its greatest territorial extent, one of which, the conquest of Champa , resulted in the death of thousands of Sui soldiers from malaria . These expeditions, along with

2730-865: A number of Yang Jian's associates, but he did not depose Yang Jian, although from this point on Yang Jian did not exert much influence on the political scene. In 608 as well, Pei Ju persuaded the Tiele tribes to attack Tuyuhun , forcing Tuyuhun's Busabuo Khan Murong Fuyun to flee. Murong Fuyun initially considered submitting to Sui, and Emperor Yang sent Yuwen with an army to welcome him. However, when Murong Fuyun changed his mind, Yuwen attacked him and seized much of Tuyuhun's people. When Murong Fuyun fled further, Emperor Yang had his forces seize Tuyuhun's territory, establishing four commanderies, to be populated with exiles. In spring 609, Ashina Rangan made another visit to Emperor Yang, and Emperor Yang again rewarded him with much treasure. Also in spring 609, Emperor Yang ordered

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2860-505: A number of changes that Emperor Yang made. He created Yang You the Duke of Xi, Li Jiancheng, his oldest son, was named crown prince , while Li Shimin was made the Prince of Qin and Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi. Meanwhile, the Sui officials at Luoyang declared another grandson of Emperor Yang, Yang You's brother Yang Tong , the Prince of Yue, as emperor, and refused to recognize the regime change in Chang'an. Emperor Gaozu's rule immediately faced

2990-691: A number of conscripted soldiers deserted and became agrarian rebels. Also in 611, angry that Western Tujue's khan Ashina Daman, while nominally submissive, had refused to visit him, Emperor Yang had Pei Ju persuade Ashina Daman's subordinate khan Ashina Shegui ( 阿史那射匱 ) to rebel against Ashina Daman, promising to give him a Sui princess in marriage. Ashina Shegui thus rebelled against Ashina Daman, forcing Ashina Daman to flee, first to Gaochang , then to Sui. Emperor Yang accepted Ashina Daman's submission, and thereafter divided his people into three groups, while leaving Ashina Daman as titularly khan, although he never allowed Ashina Daman to return to his people. By 612,

3120-451: A redistribution of the farming land throughout the empire. Later in spring 609, Emperor Yang conducted a tour of the newly conquered Tuyuhun territory, and sent several generals to chase down Murong Fuyun. The Sui forces engaged Murong Fuyun's remaining forces, with mixed success, but Murong Fuyun was forced to flee to Dangxiang tribes. Emperor Yang tried to impose Murong Fuyun's son Murong Shun , whom Murong Fuyun had earlier sent to Sui as

3250-401: A righteous army and sought peace with the barbarians to the north [i.e., Tujue] to try to calm the earth and to protect Sui. However, for the people under the heavens, there must be someone to rule over them, and other than you, who can be that person? I am too old – over 50 – and that is not my intent, but I am happy to support you, my younger brother. I hope to be able to climb onto the scale of

3380-464: A series of disastrous campaigns against Goguryeo , left the empire bankrupt and the populace in revolt. With northern China in turmoil, Emperor Yang spent his last days in Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ), where he was eventually strangled in a coup led by his general Yuwen Huaji . Despite his accomplishments, Emperor Yang is generally considered by traditional historians to be one of

3510-560: A sizable army and capture some cities. She joined forces with Li Shimin and her husband Chai Shao. Soon, Li Yuan reconsolidated his forces and put Chang'an under siege. In winter 617, he captured Chang'an and declared Yang You emperor (as Emperor Gong). He had himself made regent (with the title of grand chancellor) and created the Prince of Tang. (Meanwhile, most of Sui territory did not recognize Yang You as emperor and continued to recognize Emperor Yang as emperor and not as retired emperor.) He sent his nephew Li Xiaogong south, and Li Xiaogong

3640-417: A third capital. When Emperor Yang was visiting Ashina Rangan in 607, a messenger from Goguryeo 's King King Yeong-yang to Ashina Rangan happened to be present, and Ashina Rangan introduced him to Emperor Yang. Emperor Yang ordered King Yeong-yang to come visit him, offering to reward him if he did so and to punish him if he did not do so. King Yeong-yang did not respond, and by 611, Emperor Yang, insulted by

3770-523: A tour of the northern provinces with the Empress Xiao and much of the imperial court. Shibi Khan , angered that the imperial advisor Pei Ju had promised a princess to his brother Ashina Chiji ( 阿史那叱吉 ) and had executed his close advisor Shishu Huxi ( 史蜀胡悉 ) under false pretenses, launched a surprise attack on Yanmen Commandery . In accordance with Turkish customs, Princess Yicheng had married him as her husband's successor; having been well treated by

3900-488: Is widely believed that Yang Guang also continued to scheme to secure his status as the crown prince. Such commonly believed tales include the following: By 602, his brother, Yang Xiu the Prince of Shu, who, was commandant of Yi Province (roughly modern Chengdu , Sichuan ), and had great resources at his disposal. Yang Guang collected evidence of Yang Xiu's wrongdoing, particularly wastefulness, and had Yang Su submit them to Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen summoned Yang Xiu back to

4030-495: The Datou Khan Ashina Dianjue, Emperor Wen in fact sent Yang Guang to aid Ashina Shetu. In 588, Emperor Wen moved Yang Guang's headquarters to Shouchun (壽春, in modern Lu'an , Anhui ), and made him the commandant there as well as the head the branch of the executive bureau established there. In winter 588, Emperor Wen launched a major attack on the rival Chen dynasty . Yang Guang, his brother Yang Jun , and

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4160-694: The Eastern Turks (Tujue) and the growing strength of agrarian rebels—particularly the Turk-supported Liu Wuzhou , the Dingyang Khan, who soon rose against Wang and killed him and captured Emperor Yang's secondary palace near Taiyuan. Li Yuan also became fearful due to prophecies circulating throughout the empire that the next emperor would be named Li—and because Emperor Yang had killed another official, Li Hun ( 李渾 ) and his clan over his fears that Li Hun's nephew Li Min ( 李敏 ,

4290-710: The Qimin Khan Ashina Rangan, whom Sui supported, from Ashina Dianjue's attack. By 600, Yang Guang's older brother Yang Yong had lost the favors of Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu—over his wastefulness (which displeased Emperor Wen) and his having many concubines (which displeased Empress Dugu). Yang Guang, by contrast, pretended to be frugal and loving only Princess Xiao. (It was written that Yang Guang did have concubines, but he pretended that he did not, and that he forced his concubines to have abortions if they became pregnant.) Yang Guang further inflamed Empress Dugu by informing her that she believed that Yang Yong

4420-493: The Turks were under attack from the north and relief troops from Luoyang and the other commanderies began arriving, so the khan lifted the siege. With the danger passed and credit muddled, Emperor Yang followed the advice of Su and Yuwen to renege on most of his promises: he did not return to the capital Chang'an, but went to Luoyang instead; he continued to prepare a campaign against Goguryeo; he did not bestow any monetary rewards on

4550-471: The Yellow River into Guanzhong (i.e., the Chang'an region). Once he did, he headed for Chang'an himself, while sending Li Jiancheng to capture the territory around the Tong Pass region to prevent Sui forces at Luoyang from reinforcing Chang'an and Li Shimin north of the Wei River to capture territory there. Meanwhile, his daughter had also risen in rebellion in support of him, and she was able to gather

4680-848: The Chen general Xiao Mohe , Jiankang fell, and the Chen emperor Chen Shubao was captured. Yang Guang, apparently fascinated by Chen Shubao's favorite concubine Consort Zhang Lihua , sent Gao Jiong's son Gao Dehong ( 高德弘 ) to order Gao Jiong to hold Consort Zhang. Instead, Gao Jiong, comparing Consort Zhang to Daji (the wicked wife of King Zhou of Shang ), beheaded her. Yang Guang thereafter resented Gao greatly, stating sarcastically, "It has been said, 'You should repay every good deed done to you.' I will repay Duke Gao later." By Yang Guang's orders, several of Chen Shubao's favorite officials, who were considered reasons for Chen's downfall, including Shi Wenqing ( 施文慶 ), Shen Keqing ( 沈客卿 ), Yang Huilang ( 陽慧朗 ), Xu Xi ( 徐析 ), and Ji Huijing ( 暨慧景 ), were executed. It

4810-791: The Crown Prince became ill while visiting Luoyang, and soon died. Emperor Yang would not create another crown prince for the rest of his reign, creating Yang Zhao's sons Yang Tan ( 楊倓 ), Yang Tong , and Yang You imperial princes, while initially apparently tacitly considering his second son, Yang Jian the Prince of Qi (note different character than Emperor Wen) the de facto successor, leaving Yang Jian in charge of Luoyang whenever he would be away from Luoyang. Yang Su, whom Emperor Yang pretended to respect but actually feared, also died in summer 606. Also in 606, Emperor Yang ordered that two massive food storages—the Luokou Storage ( 洛口倉 ) and

4940-461: The Duke of Sui, and Yang Jian's wife Duchess Dugu Qieluo ; his maternal grandfather was Dugu Xin , a prominent military general and official. He was his parents' second son, after Yang Yong , and he had at least one older sister, Yang Lihua , who became the wife of Emperor Wu's crown prince Yuwen Yun (the later Emperor Xuan) in 573. He was considered handsome and intelligent in his youth, and of Yang Jian's and Duchess Dugu's sons, they favored him

5070-542: The Duke of Tang and married one of the Dugu sisters and daughter of the prominent Xianbei general Dugu Xin . Li Bing died in 572, and Li Yuan inherited the title of Duke of Tang, a title he continued to hold after the Northern Zhou throne was seized by Emperor Wen of Sui (Yang Jian) in 581, establishing the Sui dynasty , as Emperor Wen's wife, Empress Dugu , was an aunt of his. At some point, he married Lady Dou ,

5200-900: The Eastern Turkic khaganate was making another attack, and under Li Jiancheng's suggestion, Emperor Gaozu, instead of sending Li Shimin to resist the Turks as he first was inclined, decided to send Li Yuanji instead. Li Yuanji was given command of much of the army previously under Li Shimin's control, further troubling Li Shimin, who believed that with the army in Li Yuanji's hands, he would be unable to resist an attack. Li Shimin had Yuchi summon Fang and Du back to his mansion secretly, and then on one night submitted an accusation to Emperor Gaozu that Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were committing adultery with Emperor Gaozu's concubines. Emperor Gaozu, in response, issued summonses to Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji for

5330-564: The Eastern Turks, but Liu Heita soon returned with Turkic reinforcements and killed Emperor Gaozu's nephew Li Daoxuan ( 李道玄 ) the Prince of Huaiyang in battle, again seizing former Xia territory, although by this point Li Shimin and Li Yuanji had also defeated Xu Yuanlang and reduced his territory to a few cities. Meanwhile, an intense rivalry had developed between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, as while Li Jiancheng had some contributions toward Tang's reunification of China, Li Shimin had been

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5460-464: The Eastern Turks, but was ambushed and captured by his own official Zhuge Dewei ( 諸葛德威 ), who delivered him to Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng executed Liu. Around the same time, Xu was killed in flight. Meanwhile, Lin Shihong the Emperor of Chu, who had one point controlled modern Jiangxi and Guangdong , had died, and his followers scattered. China was by this point completely unified by Tang except for

5590-480: The Goguryeo forts and cities were able to withstand Sui forces and thus there was not much chance of Manchuria being successfully conquered. Emperor Yang, however, made a new plan to keep the Goguryeo forts at bay while sending another army, alongside the navy. to siege the Goguryeo capital. The navy arrived first and with a haste order, the navy attacked the capital but were defeated by ambush. The navy then waited for

5720-488: The Huiluo Storage ( 回洛倉 ) – be constructed near Luoyang. In spring 607, Ashina Rangan visited Emperor Yang at Luoyang. Also in spring 607, at the instigation of Yuwen Shu, Emperor Yang had Yang Yong's eight sons put to death. In summer 607, Emperor Yang abolished provinces and changed them to commanderies. At the same time, he reorganized his father's governmental system of having five main bureaus, keeping four of

5850-513: The Minister of Feasts, a post that Li Mi viewed as below his stature. Around New Year 619, Li Mi requested Emperor Gaozu's permission to head east to persuade some of his former subordinates to submit to Tang, but once he left Chang'an, planned to restore his independence. He was ambushed and killed by the Tang general Sheng Yanshi ( 盛彥師 ). In spring 619, Wang Shichong at Luoyang had Yang Tong yield

5980-404: The Sui officials at Hedong arrested Li Zhiyun and delivered him to Chang'an, where he was executed. His daughter Pingyang sold her possessions to raise an army for him. She persuaded several other leaders to fight under her banner. They took several towns and her army swelled until she had 70,000 troops under her command. Meanwhile, Li Yuan wrote another rebel leader, Li Mi the Duke of Wei, who

6110-551: The Tang Xue's Qin state was located, writing Li Gui and referring to him as cousin. Li Gui briefly submitted to Gaozu. Meanwhile, before he could attack Chang'an, Xue Ju died of illness and was succeeded by his son Xue Rengao , who was a capable commander but who had alienated his generals because of his cruelty. Li Shimin was soon able to attack Xue Rengao at Gaozhi ( 高墌 , in modern Xianyang as well), and force Xue Rengao to surrender. Meanwhile, Li Mi, having been defeated earlier in

6240-424: The Tang dynasty had succeeded in uniting all of China. On the home front, he recognized the early successes forged by Emperor Wen of Sui and strove to emulate most of Emperor Wen's policies, including the equal distribution of land amongst his people, and he also lowered taxes. He abandoned the harsh system of law established by Emperor Yang of Sui as well as reforming the judicial system. These acts of reform paved

6370-400: The Tang dynasty in 618 with himself as emperor. His son and successor Li Shimin honoured him as Gaozu ("high founder") after his death. Emperor Gaozu's reign was concentrated on uniting the empire under the Tang. Aided by Li Shimin, whom he created the Prince of Qin , he defeated all the other contenders, including Li Gui , Dou Jiande , Wang Shichong , Xue Rengao and Liu Wuzhou . By 628,

6500-807: The Turkic khagan , Shibi Khan (Ashina Duojishi), and had them executed. He sent secret messengers to Hedong to recall his sons Li Jiancheng , Li Yuanji (both by Duchess Dou) and Li Zhiyun ( 李智雲 , by his concubine Lady Wan), whom he had left there to watch over his household, and the capital Chang'an (modern Xi'an) to recall his daughter (the future Princess Pingyang ) and her husband Chai Shao ( 柴紹 ). Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, leaving Li Zhiyun at Hedong, soon met with Chai, and they arrived together at Taiyuan. Li Yuan's daughter, believing it would be difficult for her to flee with Chai, chose to hide instead. Once Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and Chai arrived at Taiyuan, Li Yuan formally declared his rebellion, but maintained

6630-423: The Turkic khagan Jiali Khan (Ashina Duobi), commented, " Gaozu of Han was trapped [at Baideng ( 白登 , in modern Datong , Shanxi ) in 200 BCE by Xiongnu forces] and could not avenge himself. Now my son can destroy Tujue. I have entrusted the empire to the right person, and what do I have to worry about?" He subsequently summoned a number of princes and princesses, along with high level officials, to celebrate

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6760-405: The Xiaoguo Army became his own personal guards. In response to the conscription order, even more men deserted and joined the agrarian rebels, throwing the northern central part of the empire into a state of confusion. With the officials on command having little military training, the rebels went largely unchecked. One notable exception was general Zhang Xutuo ( 張須陀 ), who was able to defeat some of

6890-438: The Zheng territory was seized by the Tang. Xia territory was also seized by Tang, but after Emperor Gaozu executed Dou, Dou's general Liu Heita rose against the Tang and seized most of the former Xia territory, while Xu Yuanlang , a rebel leader who had previously submitted to Zheng, also rose in revolt, occupying the modern Shandong region. Also in 621, Li Xiaogong defeated Xiao Xian the Emperor of Liang, who had controlled

7020-608: The actual capital, and he left his oldest son, Yang Zhao the Prince of Jin, in charge of Chang'an. He conscripted several hundred thousands of young men to dig a lengthy trench to surround the Luoyang region, intending that it serve as a defense perimeter. He also ordered that women and servants be exempted from head taxes , and that men would only be considered adults (i.e., subject to conscription) when they turn 21. In spring 605, Emperor Yang created his wife Crown Princess Xiao empress , and Yang Zhao as crown prince. He also abolished

7150-450: The age of 20 sui , marking their coming of age . It was sometimes given to women, usually upon marriage. The practice is no longer common in modern Chinese society. According to the Book of Rites , after a man reached adulthood, it was disrespectful for others of the same generation to address him by his given name . Thus, the given name was reserved for oneself and one's elders, whereas

7280-658: The ashes scattered. Around the same time, there were also rebellions south of the Yangtze River, and Emperor Yang sent the official Wang Shichong against the rebels. Wang was able to suppress the rebellions, for the most part, and thereafter began to rise in prominence at Emperor Yang's court. Meanwhile, Emperor Yang ordered that rebels' possessions could be confiscated at will. The local officials, however, used this as an excuse to execute and confiscate properties of those they did not like. In spring 614, Emperor Yang again proposed another campaign against Goguryeo. Although his officials did not approve, none dared to oppose him. Many of

7410-548: The capital and had Yang Su investigate, and both Yang Guang and Yang Su further manufactured evidence against Yang Xiu. Emperor Wen reduced Yang Xiu to commoner rank and put him under house arrest. Also in 602, Empress Dugu died. It was said that Yang Guang pretended to mourn greatly, refusing most foods, but in private continued to dine normally. In 604, while Emperor Wen was at his vacation palace Renshou Palace (仁壽宮, in modern Baoji , Shaanxi ), he fell ill and then died—a death, however, that traditional historians, while admitting

7540-661: The cities that had submitted to Tang in modern Hebei and Henan , north of the Yellow River, seizing nearly all of them and taking Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Shentong ( 李神通 ) the Prince of Huai'an, Emperor Gaozu's sister the Princess Tong'an, and Li Shiji's father Li Gai ( 李蓋 ) captive. With Li Gai in Dou's custody, Li Shiji surrendered to Dou as well. In 620, Li Shiji, in association with another Tang general who surrendered to Dou, Li Shanghu ( 李商胡 ), plotted to ambush Dou, but

7670-601: The courtesy name would be used by adults of the same generation to refer to one another on formal occasions or in writing. Another translation of zi is "style name", but this translation has been criticised as misleading, because it could imply an official or legal title. Generally speaking, courtesy names before the Qin dynasty were one syllable, and from the Qin to the 20th century they were mostly disyllabic , consisting of two Chinese characters . Courtesy names were often relative to

7800-420: The domain of Liang Shidu the Emperor of Liang, who controlled modern northern Shaanxi and western Inner Mongolia , although, with Li Fuwei at Chang'an, Fu Gongshi rebelled in 623 and declared himself the Emperor of Song. Fu's rebellion, however, was quelled by Li Xiaogong in 624. Meanwhile, the rivalry between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin intensified. In 624, Li Jiancheng requisitioned a number of soldiers from

7930-502: The empire, going to Jiangdu—the capital of Yang Province , where he had been commandant previously—on an imperial ship that was said to be sufficiently large and luxurious to serve as floating palaces. Also in 605, when Khitan tribes attacked Ying Province (營州, roughly modern Zhaoyang , Liaoning ), Emperor Yang had the official Wei Yunqi ( 韋雲起 ) requisition Tujue troops under Ashina Rangan to attack Khitan. The Khitan forces were caught by surprise and defeated. In summer 606, Yang Zhao

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8060-458: The empress during an earlier visit, though, she sent a secret warning of his plans to the emperor and his wife. The imperial train sought refuge at the commandery seat in present-day Daixian , Shanxi , which Shibi Khan and his army put under siege on 11 September. It was said that Emperor Yang became so fearful that he cried all day long while holding onto his youngest son Yang Gao , the Prince of Zhao. Yuwen Shu suggested that Emperor Yang take

8190-472: The first character zhong indicates that he was the second son born into his family. The characters commonly used are bo ( 伯 ) for the first, zhong ( 仲 ) for the second, shu ( 叔 ) for the third, and ji ( 季 ) typically for the youngest, if the family consists of more than three sons. General Sun Jian 's four sons, for instance, were Sun Ce ( 伯符 , Bófú), Sun Quan ( 仲謀 , Zhòngmóu), Sun Yi ( 叔弼 , Shūbì) and Sun Kuang ( 季佐 , Jìzuǒ). Reflecting

8320-472: The garrison or its reinforcements; and he was sparing in the promotion of the officers involved. When Fan and Xiao Yu reminded him of the promises, Emperor Yang rebuked Fan and demoted Xiao Yu. Emperor Yang only appeared to begin to be concerned about rebels when, at the lunar new year imperial gathering in 616, 20 odd commanderies' messengers did not arrive—either because they had fallen into rebel hands, or because their messengers were intercepted or killed on

8450-445: The general Li Yi the Prince of Yan, to supplement his guard corps, against Emperor Gaozu's regulations. When this was revealed to Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Gaozu rebuked Li Jiancheng and exiled his guard commander Keda Zhi ( 可達志 ). When, subsequently, Li Jiancheng nevertheless requested the commandant at Qing Prefecture ( 慶州 , in modern Qingyang , Gansu ), Yang Wen'gan ( 楊文幹 ), to conscript troops, presumably to guard against Li Shimin,

8580-479: The general Yang Su were in command of the three main prongs of the operation, with Yang Guang in command of the eastern prong as well as the overall operation. The key official Gao Jiong served as Yang Guang's assistant. In spring 589, the generals Han Qinhu ( 韓擒虎 ) and Heruo Bi ( 賀若弼 ), both under Yang Guang, crossed the Yangtze River and approached the Chen capital Jiankang . Soon, after Heruo defeated

8710-494: The guise of a Sui loyalist and declared that his intention was simply to install on the throne Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You , the Prince of Dai, who was then at Chang'an, and honor Emperor Yang as Taishang Huang (retired emperor). Li Yuan first secured his northern flank by contacting Shibi Khan, offering tribute, and received men and horses in exchange. He put Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin in charge of his army and, leaving Li Yuanji in charge at Taiyuan, advanced south. Meanwhile,

8840-416: The initiative for the revolt came from Li Yuan himself. Li Yuan began to gather forces from the region, claiming that they were necessary to defend against the Turks, which drew suspicions from his deputies Wang Wei ( 王威 ) and Gao Junya ( 高君雅 ). Li Yuan, afraid that Wang and Gao would act against him first, then used a Turkic attack as an excuse to falsely claim that Wang and Gao were working in concert with

8970-476: The lack of response, prepared a campaign against Goguryeo. With Sui appearing to be in its prime, both governmental officials and the people were initially in support of a campaign to conquer Goguryeo. In spring 611, Emperor Yang went to Zhuo Commandery and announced the campaign against Goguryeo. Several hundred men were conscripted, and it was said that even before they could get to Zhuo Commandery, disease and fatigue had already caused much loss of life. In response,

9100-549: The land army to arrive. The supply of food had also been greatly delayed and many Sui soldiers died of famine. Then the Goguryeo General Eulji Meundeok rallied Goguryeo forces, and constantly harassed them with ambushes and feigned retreats. The Sui army had come to the Salsu River, but Eulji and the Goguryeo forces were waiting in ambush. A dam was made at the Salsu River to make the river seem it

9230-531: The main bureaus—the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng ), the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng ), the legislative bureau (內史省, Neishi Sheng ), the Palace Library – while abolishing the eunuch bureau and replacing it with the palace bureau (殿內省, Diannei Sheng ). He established three additional independent agencies and five independent departments. He also organized the imperial army into 16 corps. He abolished three levels of noble titles—the counts,

9360-402: The main palace, Taiji Palace ( 太極殿 ) to the subsidiary Hongyi Palace ( 弘義宮 ), which was then renamed Da'an Palace ( 大安宮 ). Only then was Emperor Taizong able to move from the crown prince's palace to Taiji Palace. In 630, when Emperor Gaozu, who had been submitting tribute to the Eastern Turks throughout his reign, heard that Emperor Taizong had sent the general Li Jing to defeat and capture

9490-457: The majordomo of Emperor Yang's secondary palace, and with Liu Wenjing , the magistrate of Jinyang County ( 晉陽 , i.e., Taiyuan), but at first did not reveal their plans to Li Yuan. At Li Shimin's urging, Pei Ji, who had also earlier, against regulations, allowed Li Yuan to have sexual relations with some of late Emperor Wen's imperial concubines, persuaded Li Yuan that it was necessary for him to rebel. Modern researchers, however, have concluded that

9620-491: The meaning of the given name or use homophonic characters, and were typically disyllabic after the Qin dynasty . The practice also extended to other East Asian cultures, and was sometimes adopted by Mongols and Manchus during the Qing dynasty . The choice of a courtesy name was significant, intended to express moral integrity and respect within the cultural context. A courtesy name is a name traditionally given to Chinese men at

9750-419: The meaning of the person's given name, the relationship could be synonyms, relative affairs, or rarely but sometimes antonym. For example, Chiang Kai-shek 's given name ( 中正 , romanized as Chung-cheng) and courtesy name ( 介石 , romanized as Kai-shek) are both from the yù (豫) hexagram 16 of I Ching . Another way to form a courtesy name is to use the homophonic character zi ( 子 ) – a respectful title for

9880-504: The men employed. Emperor Yang also ordered that some 40 secondary palaces be built around the empire, so that he could visit the various provinces, arguing that he needed to do so to see the conditions of the empire so that he could govern effectively. In fall 605, after the completion of the Tongji and Han Canals, Emperor Yang carried out the first of 11 (counting military campaigns) tours that he would eventually undertake of various parts of

10010-581: The modern Hubei , Hunan , and Guangxi region, forcing Xiao Xian to surrender. On another front, Li Fuwei's lieutenant Fu Gongshi defeated Li Zitong, forcing him to surrender as well. Liang and Wu territory were seized by Tang. Meanwhile, while not as noted as Emperor Gao of Han 's killing of Han Xin and Peng Yue , historians have nevertheless noted that some contributors to Emperor Gaozu's establishment of Tang were wrongly killed by him or killed based on fairly little evidence of wrongdoing: In spring 622, Li Shimin defeated Liu Heita, forcing him to flee to

10140-478: The modern Sichuan region.) Once Li Shimin left, however, Li Yuanji, Emperor Gaozu's concubines, and the chancellor Feng Deyi , all spoke on Li Jiancheng's behalf, and Emperor Gaozu changed his mind, released Li Jiancheng, and allowed him to return to Chang'an and remain as crown prince. Instead, Emperor Gaozu only blamed the discord between his sons on Li Jiancheng's staff members Wang Gui and Wei Ting ( 韋挺 ), and Li Shimin's staff member Du Yan , exiling them. Yang

10270-475: The most elite guards and try to fight out of the siege, but Su Wei and Fan Zigai opposed this. Empress Xiao's brother Xiao Yu suggested seeking further help from Princess Yicheng, and Emperor Yang did so. Meanwhile, at Yu Shiji 's advice, Emperor Yang also personally visited the soldiers defending the city, raising morale by promising to end the campaigns against Goguryeo and to reward them with honors and treasure. Princess Yicheng falsely informed Shibi Khan that

10400-489: The most. Sometime during Northern Zhou , on account of Yang Jian's achievements, he was created the Duke of Yanmen . In 580, Yang Jian seized power as regent after Emperor Xuan's death. In 581, he had Emperor Xuan's son (by the concubine Zhu Manyue ), Emperor Jing , yield the throne to him, ending Northern Zhou and establishing the Sui dynasty as its Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen created Yang Yong crown prince and created his other sons imperial princes. Yang Guang thus received

10530-400: The next morning, convening the senior officials Pei Ji, Xiao Yu , and Chen Shuda to examine Li Shimin's accusations. As Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji approached the central gate leading to Emperor Gaozu's palace, Xuanwu Gate ( 玄武門 ), Li Shimin carried out the ambush he had set. He personally fired an arrow that killed Li Jiancheng. Subsequently, Yuchi killed Li Yuanji. Li Shimin's forces entered

10660-476: The north and was able to pacify them. Li Yuan was also able to gather support from these successes and, with the disintegration of the Sui dynasty in July 617, Li Yuan – urged on by his second son Li Shimin ( 李世民 , the eventual Emperor Taizong) – rose in rebellion. Using the title of "Great Chancellor" ( 大丞相 ), Li Yuan installed a puppet child emperor, Yang You , but eventually removed him altogether and established

10790-419: The officers Erzhu Huan ( 爾朱煥 ) and Qiao Gongshan ( 橋公山 ) informed Emperor Gaozu that Li Jiancheng was encouraging Yang to start a rebellion so that they could seize power together. Emperor Gaozu, then at Renzhi Palace ( 仁智宮 , in modern Tongchuan , Shaanxi ), was incensed, and summoned Li Jiancheng, then at Chang'an, to Renzhi Palace. Li Jiancheng briefly flirted the idea of occupying Chang'an and not accepting

10920-478: The offices of military commandants. He, at this time, trusted Empress Xiao's brother Xiao Cong the Duke of Ju ( Western Liang 's last emperor) and made him, as well as many of her other relatives, important officials, creating him the greater title of Duke of Liang. Starting in 605, Emperor Yang also started a massive number of construction projects—including the building of the imperial palace at Luoyang, described to be particularly luxurious. Further, he conscripted

11050-653: The official genealogy of the Tang ruling house, Li Yuan's seventh-generation ancestor was Li Gao , the Han Chinese founder of the Dunhuang -based Sixteen Kingdoms state of Western Liang . After Western Liang's destruction by the Northern Liang , Li Gao's grandson Li Zhong'Er ( 李重耳 ) served as a Northern Wei official, but for several generations after that, Li Yuan's ancestors had only minor military titles. Li Yuan's paternal grandfather Li Hu ( 李虎 ) served as

11180-831: The one defeating and capturing the major rivals Xue Rengao, Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong, causing him to possess the greater reputation among the army. Li Yuanji, who was also often relied on by Emperor Gaozu as a general, supported Li Jiancheng in this rivalry, and often pushed Li Jiancheng toward a more hardline position against Li Shimin, wanting to be crown prince when Li Jiancheng would become emperor. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji had better relations with Emperor Gaozu's favored young concubines than Li Shimin did (as their mother Duchess Dou had died before Tang's establishment), and those concubines helped rehabilitate Li Jiancheng's standing before Emperor Gaozu, causing him to no longer consider making Li Shimin crown prince instead, as he considered at one point. By winter 622, Liu Heita posed

11310-582: The only remaining major threat against Tang rule. At the suggestion of his staff members Wang Gui and Wei Zheng , who argued that Li Jiancheng needed some victories himself to establish his reputation, Li Jiancheng volunteered to command the army against Liu Heita. Emperor Gaozu thus sent Li Jiancheng, assisted by Li Yuanji. Around the new year 623, with Liu's forced bogged down while attacking Tang's Wei Prefecture ( 魏州 , in modern Handan , Hebei ), Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji engaged him at Guantao ( 館陶 , in modern Handan as well), crushing him. Liu fled north toward

11440-482: The operations against agrarian rebels in the Hedong ( 河東 ) region (roughly modern Shanxi ), but recalled him in 616. Later that year, Emperor Yang put him in charge of the key city of Taiyuan ( 太原 , in modern Taiyuan , Shanxi ). Emperor Yang grew dissatisfied with Li Yuan and Wang Rengong ( 王仁恭 ), the governor of Mayi Commandery ( 馬邑 , roughly modern Shuozhou , Shanxi ), over their inability to stop incursions by

11570-456: The opportunity to recruit talented people to his staff. Later that year, when Emperor Yang summoned him to his presence, he declined, citing ill health—an excuse that Emperor Yang did not believe, as he questioned Li Yuan's niece, Consort Wang (Emperor Yang's concubine ), "Will he die?". In fear, Li Yuan took up drinking and receiving bribes to try to show Emperor Yang that he did not have great ambitions. In 615, Emperor Yang placed him in charge of

11700-669: The order of capturing Ziying at Xianyang. Also, the Fen and Jin region [i.e., modern Shanxi] requires pacification right now, and I am not yet able to arrange a time for the meeting at Mengjin [( 盟津 , in modern Zhengzhou , Henan , where King Wu of Zhou met his supporters before attacking Shang's King Zhou)]. Li Mi was pleased with Li Yuan's response, believing that Li Yuan was willing to support him, and from that point on, Li Mi and Li Yuan often exchanged messengers. Li Yuan's campaign against Chang'an thus went without opposition from Li Mi. Meanwhile, however, when Li Yuan arrived near Hedong, his army

11830-412: The order, but eventually reported to Renzhi Palace to request forgiveness. Emperor Gaozu put him under arrest. When Yang heard this, Yang rebelled, and Emperor Gaozu, after promising Li Shimin that he would be made crown prince, sent Li Shimin to attack Yang. (Under Emperor Gaozu's promise, Li Jiancheng would be removed as crown prince and created the Prince of Shu instead. He would then send Li Jiancheng to

11960-501: The palace and, under the intimidation of Li Shimin's forces, Emperor Gaozu agreed to create Li Shimin crown prince. Meanwhile, Li Shimin accused the late Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji of plotting treason, posthumously demoted them to commoners and had their sons all executed as well, with Emperor Gaozu unable to oppose the action. Two months later, Emperor Gaozu passed the throne to Li Shimin (as Emperor Taizong). Emperor Gaozu, as retired emperor, did not appear to try to exert much influence in

12090-560: The palace first, and Emperor Wen bestowed on Yang Guang decorated wagons, horses, clothing, and jade. Afterwards, Yang Jun was given the Yang Province (then moved to modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) commandant post, and Yang Guang was returned to Bing Province. In 590, Emperor Wen swapped the defense posts of Yang Jun and Yang Guang, returning Yang Guang to Yang Province. In 594, Yang Guang urged Emperor Wen to offer sacrifices to Mount Tai —a traditional ceremony for emperors, but one that

12220-594: The plan. By 626, Li Shimin was fearful that he would be killed by Li Jiancheng, and his staff members Fang Xuanling , Du Ruhui , and Zhangsun Wuji were repeatedly encouraging Li Shimin to attack Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji first—while Wei Zheng was encouraging Li Jiancheng to attack Li Shimin first. Li Jiancheng persuaded Emperor Gaozu to remove Fang and Du, as well as Li Shimin's trusted guard officers Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie ( 程知節 ), from Li Shimin's staff. Zhangsun, who remained on Li Shimin's staff, continued to try to persuade Li Shimin to attack first. In summer 626,

12350-423: The plot was discovered; Li Shanghu was killed, and Li Shiji fled back to Tang. In 620, Li Fuwei captured much of the territory of another agrarian ruler, Li Zitong , the Emperor of Wu, in the lower Yangtze River region, in the name of the Tang dynasty. Li Zitong, in turn, defeated and took over the territory of Shen Faxing the Prince of Liang, roughly modern Zhejiang . After Li Shimin defeated Liu, he started

12480-466: The rebels, but even he was not able to succeed in suppressing them. In summer 613, Emperor Yang crossed the Liao River again and put Manchuria under siege. However, at this time, news arrived that Yang Su's son Yang Xuangan had rebelled near Luoyang. With the people disaffected by the Goguryeo campaigns, Yang Xuangan received much popular support and threatened Luoyang. Emperor Yang, in fear, lifted

12610-628: The reign of his son Emperor Taizong, and not much was recorded about his activities. Indeed, Emperor Taizong, almost immediately, began reversing some of his policies, including his policies of creating many relatives to be imperial princes (which Emperor Taizong reversed later in 626, reducing the ranks of most of those princes to dukes) and Emperor Gaozu's gathering of many ladies in waiting (which Emperor Taizong reversed in 628, releasing about 3,000 ladies in waiting from service, although Emperor Taizong himself, later in his reign, appeared to have gathered as many if not more). In 629, Emperor Gaozu moved from

12740-407: The rest of his life. In winter 604, believing in the words of the sorcerer Zhangchou Taiyi ( 章仇太翼 ) that the geography of Chang'an was not conducive to his health, Emperor Yang went to Luoyang , designating it as the eastern capital, and would rarely return to Chang'an thereafter. He ordered that major construction projects be carried out at Luoyang, commensurate with the necessities of having it as

12870-520: The same time, the rebel leader Du Fuwei , who controlled the modern southern Anhui , submitted to Tang, and Gaozu also bestowed the imperial surname of Li on him, creating him the Prince of Wu. Similarly, Luo Yi , who controlled the modern Beijing region, submitted, was bestowed the imperial surname of Li, and was created the Prince of Yan. Meanwhile, Tang was facing another serious threat—Liu Wuzhou, now determined to march south against Tang. Emperor Gaozu sent Pei Ji against Liu's advancing army, but Pei

13000-410: The senior officials Gao Jiong, Yuwen Bi ( 宇文弼 ), and Heruo Bi privately expressed disapproval, Emperor Yang discovered their criticism and put all of them to death, while removing Su Wei , who also discouraged him from giving excessive rewards to Ashina Rangan, from his post. (Traditional historians attribute Gao's death to Gao's refusal to keep Chen Shubao's Consort Zhang alive in 589.) As Xiao Cong had

13130-419: The siege on Liaodong and also ordered the southern offensive to be terminated, returning to Zhuo Commandery while sending Yuwen and Qutu Tong ( 屈突通 ) south to aid Luoyang. The general in charge of defending Chang'an, Wei Wensheng ( 衛文昇 ), also came to Luoyang's aid. Together, these forces outnumbered Yang Xuangan's and dealt him several defeats. Yang Xuangan decided to try to advance west to capture Chang'an as

13260-632: The situation was deteriorating for the welfare of the Sui state at large. In spring 615, believing in accusations by Yuwen Shu that the official Li Hun ( 李渾 ) was intending to carry out a coup to replace Emperor Yang with his nephew Li Min (李敏, son-in-law of Emperor Yang's sister Yang Lihua the Princess Leping) and worried about prophecies that someone named Li would become the next emperor, Emperor Yang had Li Hun, Li Min, and their clansmen executed, and further poisoned Yang Lihua's daughter Yuwen Eying ( 宇文娥英 ). Later in 615, Emperor Yang carried out

13390-461: The soldiers had been gathered at Zhuo Commandery, and Emperor Yang launched his attack, attacking a number of cities in Goguryeo territory, but targeting mainly at the important city of Liaodong (遼東, in modern Liaoyang , Liaoning ) and Goguryeo's capital Pyongyang . However, contrary to the desires of the generals, Emperor Yang ordered that their tactical decisions must first be submitted to and approved by him before they could be carried out. Thus all

13520-464: The soldiers ordered to report to Zhuo Commandery deserted. Emperor Yang tried to stop desertions by executing those who deserted, but still could not stem the tide of desertions. Goguryeo forces had also been constantly ambushing the Sui army and the Sui supply line. Goguryeo offered peace, for Goguryeo had also been exhausted. Goguryeo also returned Yang Xuangan's associate Husi Zheng ( 斛斯政 ), who had fled to Goguryeo after his association with Yang Xuangan

13650-465: The son-in-law of Emperor Yang's sister Yang Lihua , the Princess Leping) had imperial ambitions. Traditional accounts, compiled during the reign of Li Yuan's second son by the Duchess Dou, Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong), emphasize the latter's initiative and major role in instigating his father's rebellion. According to these, Li Shimin was secretly planning rebellion against Sui rule with Pei Ji ,

13780-747: The sun rises, to the Son of Heaven where the sun sets, may good health be with you." Displeased by what he saw as insolence, he ordered that in the future, "insolent" letters from other states not be submitted to him. Also in 608, initially over disputes over women (Yang Jian's having taken a concubine that Emperor Yang himself wanted) and hunting (Yang Jian's guards having been much more successful than Emperor Yang's guards at hunting), Emperor Yang's relationship with Yang Jian began to deteriorate. He ordered investigations into Yang Jian's violation of laws, and discovered that Yang Jian had used witchcraft to curse Yang Zhao's three sons. In anger, Emperor Yang executed and exiled

13910-471: The throne to him, ending the Sui dynasty and establishing a new state of Zheng. Around the same time, Li Gui, while stating that he wished to be a Tang subject, refused the Tang creation of Prince of Liang, instead declaring himself the Emperor of Tang. In summer 619, Li Gui's official An Xinggui ( 安興貴 ), formerly a Tang official, rebelled against Li Gui and captured him, submitting to Tang. Gaozu executed Li Gui and incorporated his domain into Tang. Also around

14040-466: The title of Prince of Jin. Also in 581, Emperor Wen made Yang Guang the commandant at Bing Province (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan , Shanxi ), in charge of the provinces north of the Yellow River . In 582, Emperor Wen set up a branch of the executive bureau of his government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng ) at Bing Province and made Yang Guang its head. He made the official Wang Shao ( 王韶 ) the deputy head and had him assist Yang Guang. Later in 582, Emperor Wen took

14170-639: The victory, playing the pipa himself at the celebration and having the guests dance to it. As Chang'an was often hot during the summer, Emperor Taizong often invited Emperor Gaozu to go with him to Jiucheng Palace ( 九成宮 , in modern Baoji , Shaanxi ), to avoid the heat during the summer. However, as Sui's Emperor Wen had died there (which was named Renshou Palace ( 仁壽宮 ) during the Sui dynasty), Emperor Gaozu did not want to visit Jiucheng Palace. Rather, in 634, Emperor Taizong began to construct another summer palace, Daming Palace ( 大明宮 ), to serve as Emperor Gaozu's summer palace, but Emperor Gaozu fell ill before it

14300-425: The viscounts, and the barons—keeping only the princes, the dukes, and the marquesses. Also in summer 607, Emperor Yang embarked on a tour of the northern provinces, building an imperial highway from Chang'an to Jinyang (晉陽, the capital of Bing Province). He then personally visited the imperial tent of Ashina Rangan, whose display of submission and loyalty caused Emperor Yang to bestow much honor and wealth on him. When

14430-455: The way for the reign of Emperor Taizong, which ultimately pushed Tang to the height of its power. In 626, Li Shimin, in a dispute with his brothers Li Jiancheng , the Crown Prince, and Li Yuanji , the Prince of Qi, ambushed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate , killing them. Fearful of what Li Shimin might do next, Emperor Gaozu passed the throne to him and became Taishang Huang (retired emperor). He died on 25 June 635. According to

14560-485: The way. Only then did Emperor Yang begin talking about suppressing the rebels. Apparently beginning to consider the idea of evacuating to south of the Yangtze River, he ordered that a major palace be built at Piling Commandery (毗陵, roughly modern Changzhou , Jiangsu ), and that another palace be built in Kuaiji Commandery . However, he did not like to hear news about rebels, and when Su expressed concerns about

14690-492: The worst tyrants in Chinese history and the reason for the Sui dynasty's relatively short rule. His failed campaigns against Goguryeo, and the conscriptions levied to man them, coupled with increased taxation to finance these wars, and civil unrest as a result of this taxation, ultimately led to the downfall of the dynasty. Yang Guang was born in 569, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou . His parents were Yang Jian ,

14820-454: The year in a surprise attack (at the Battle of Yanshi ) by the Sui general Wang Shichong , fled to Tang territory and submitted to Gaozu. Li Mi's general Xu Shiji , who controlled a major part of Li Mi's former territory, also submitted, and Emperor Gaozu, impressed with Xu's faithfulness to Li Mi, bestowed the imperial surname of Li on Xu. Gaozu created Li Mi the Duke of Xing, but only made him

14950-447: Was able to persuade the Sui cities in modern southern Shaanxi , Sichuan , and Chongqing to submit. In spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu ( 江都 , in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji . When the news reached Chang'an, Li Yuan had Yang You yield the throne to him, becoming Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty . He restored much of the institutions of Sui's first ruler, Emperor Wen, reversing

15080-523: Was also adopted by some Mongols and Manchus after the Qing conquest of China. Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618 ), personal name Yang Guang ( 楊廣 ), alternative name Ying ( 英 ), Xianbei name Amo ( 阿摩 ), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was renamed by his father Emperor Wen , after consulting with oracles, to Yang Guang. Yang Guang

15210-402: Was bogged down by the weather, and with food running out, there were rumors that Eastern Tujue and Liu Wuzhou would attack Taiyuan. Li Yuan initially ordered retreat, but at the earnest opposition by Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, continued to advance. After defeating Sui forces at Huoyi (霍邑, also in modern Yuncheng), he decided to leave a small contingent to watch over Hedong while advancing across

15340-513: Was completed, and he never visited Daming Palace. He died in June 635. Consorts and Issue: Courtesy name Unlike art names , which are more akin to pseudonyms or pen names , courtesy names served a formal and respectful purpose. In traditional Chinese society, using someone’s given name in adulthood was considered disrespectful among peers, making courtesy names essential for formal communication and writing. Courtesy names often reflect

15470-405: Was defeated by Liu, who then put Taiyuan under siege. Li Yuanji fled back to Chang'an, and much of modern Shanxi was seized by Liu. Emperor Gaozu then sent Li Shimin against Liu, and by summer 620, Li Shimin had defeated Liu, forcing him to flee to the Eastern Turks. Liu's territory was incorporated into Tang. Around the same time, however, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia made a major offensive against

15600-764: Was determined to kill him eventually. Empress Yang thus resolved to remove Yang Yong. Yang Guang further had his associate Yuwen Shu persuade Yang Su's brother Yang Yue ( 楊約 ) that, because Yang Su's relationship with Yang Yong was not good, that their family would be in peril should Yang Yong succeed Emperor Wen. Finally, Yang Guang also had Yang Yong's associate Ji Wei ( 姬威 ) accuse Yang Yong of plotting treason. Emperor Wen had Yang Su investigate, and Yang Guang and Yang Su manufactured evidence against Yang Yong. Emperor Wen deposed Yang Yong and replaced him with Yang Guang on 13 December 600, putting Yang Yong under house arrest under Yang Guang's watch. Yang Guang later prevented Yang Yong from all attempts of seeing his parents again. It

15730-565: Was discovered. Lai initially opposed ending the campaign, but did finally withdraw after ordered by Emperor Yuan. Emperor Yang executed Husi using the same kind of cruelty that he employed against Yang Jishan and Wei Fusi, but afterwards, when he again summoned Goguryeo's King Yeong-yang to meet him, King Yeong-yang again ignored him. Emperor Yang declared a fourth campaign against Goguryeo—but he never actually launched it. Meanwhile, agrarian rebellions continued to rise. While generals such as Zhang Xutuo and Wang Sichong enjoyed victories here and there,

15860-495: Was initially fearful that Dou and Wang would be able to sandwich Li Shimin's forces between them and ordered Li Shimin to retreat, but upon Li Shimin's petition changed his mind and permitted Li Shimin to remain in the Luoyang region. Li Shimin, leaving Li Yuanji in charge of the siege of Luoyang, advanced and took up position at Hulao Pass . In summer 621, the Tang and Xia forces engaged at Hulao , and Li Shimin defeated Dou, capturing him. Despairing, Wang also surrendered, and most of

15990-540: Was made the Prince of Jin after Emperor Wen established the Sui dynasty in 581. In 588, he was granted command of the five armies that invaded the Chen dynasty in southern China and was widely praised for the success of this campaign. These military achievements, as well as his machinations against his older brother Yang Yong , led to him becoming crown prince in 600. After the death of his father in 604, generally considered, though unproven, by most traditional historians to be

16120-527: Was near Luoyang, trying to see if Li Mi would be willing to follow him, but Li Mi, believing in his own strength, had his secretary Zu Junyan ( 祖君彥 ) write Li Yuan for him in this way: Although I and you, my older brother, are of different branches, but we are both Lis. I know that I do not have sufficient strength, but by the love of the men on this earth, I have been made the leader. I hope that you will support and help me. Let us capture Ziying at Xianyang, and let us kill Xin of Shang at Muye; would it not be

16250-667: Was not carried out. Meanwhile, Li Shimin himself was sending his confidants to Luoyang to build up personal control of the army there. After an incident in which Li Shimin suffered a severe case of food poisoning after feasting at Li Jiancheng's palace—an event that both Emperor Gaozu and Li Shimin apparently interpreted as an assassination attempt—Emperor Gaozu considered sending Li Shimin to guard Luoyang to prevent further conflict, but Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, after consulting each other, believed that this would only give Li Shimin an opportunity to build up his personal power there, and therefore opposed it. Emperor Gaozu therefore did not carry out

16380-465: Was rarely carried out. Emperor Wen rejected the elaborate traditional ceremonies, but did carry out a reduced ceremony at Mount Tai. In spring 600, with Ashina Dianjue, who had by now become Tujue's khan, attacking the borders, Emperor Wen sent Yang Guang, Yang Su the Duke of Yue, Yang Guang's brother Yang Liang the Prince of Han, and Shi Wansui ( 史萬歲 ) the Duke of Taiping, against Tujue, and they were largely successful against Ashina Dianjue, protecting

16510-440: Was said that the people praised Yang Guang for his actions. Chen Shubao and his own clan members, however, were treated with kindness, and at Yang Guang's request, Chen Shubao sent letters to Chen generals who had not yet surrendered to persuade them to do so, and they largely did. Later that year, Yang Guang's forces escorted them to the capital Chang'an . At the ceremony to present Chen Shubao to Emperor Wen, Yang Guang marched into

16640-633: Was said that there were not enough men, and he started conscripting women as well. In 608, after persuasion by the Sui official Cui Junsu ( 崔君肅 ), the Western Tujue khan (Ashina Rangan's western rival), the Heshana Khan Ashina Daman, whose mother was Han , submitted to Sui as a vassal. However, also in 608, Emperor Yang received a letter claiming to be from the Emperor of Japan, Duolisibigu (多利思比孤, now commonly believed to be Prince Shōtoku ), stating, "The Son of Heaven where

16770-470: Was shallow. When the Sui army was in the middle of the River, the dam was opened and many Sui soldiers drowned. Out of the 305,000 men that entered the river, only 2,700 soldiers escaped death. Thus the Sui army, or what was left of it, retreated back to Sui. This war had, however, resulted in devastating losses for the Sui in terms of soldiers, money and support from the people. In winter 612, Emperor Yang gave

16900-401: Was subsequently assassinated by his own subordinates. Another problem that Emperor Gaozu faced was constant Eastern Turkic incursions. Emperor Gaozu seriously considered burning Chang'an to the ground and moving the capital to Fancheng ( 樊城 , in modern Xiangfan , Hubei ), a suggestion that Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and the chancellor Pei Ji agreed with. Li Shimin opposed, however, and the plan

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