Dynasties of ChinaSui dynastySui dynasty lineage
Kaihuang · Renshou · Reign 581—604
After the Zhou Dynasty established the Sui Dynasty and destroyed the Chen Dynasty, he unified the N&S, established the system of three provinces, six ministries and the imperial examination, and created the "Kaihuang Rule".
Yang Jian, nicknamed Na Luo Yan, was born in the Yang family of Hongnong. His father, Yang Zhong, was a famous general in the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties and was granted the title of Duke of Sui Dynasty. He was born in Feng Yi Prajna Temple and was raised by the nun Zhixian until he was thirteen years old. In 568, he inherited the title of his father and married Du Gugaluo, the daughter of Du Guxin. The eldest daughter Yang Lihua became Queen Zhou Emperor Xuan. Emperor Xuan died of illness in 580. He was introduced to the palace by his close ministers Liu Fang and Zheng Yi Jiaozhao to quell the rebellion of Yuchi Jiong and other three parties. In February 581, he received Emperor Jingabdication from the Zhou Dynasty and established Sui dynasty, with the title of Kaihuang.
After taking the throne, he abolished the six officials established in the Northern Zhou Dynasty based on the "Li" of Zhou, established the system of three provinces and six ministries, and streamlined local administration to the state and county levels; revised the "Kaihuang Code" to reduce penalties; In 589, the Sui army crossed the Yangtze River and destroyed Chen, ending the N&S division that had lasted for more than 270 years since the end of the Western Jin Dynasty.
He believed in frugality and was diligent in government affairs. His household registration and treasury were quickly enriched, which is known as the "Kaihuang Rule" in history. However, in his later years, he was jealous and harsh. He repeatedly instigated prisons and killed heroes. He also listened to Queen Dugu and Yang Su. In 600, he abolished Crown Prince Yang Yong and established Yang Guang, and abolished schools in various places. He died of illness in Renshou Palace in July 604 at the age of sixty-four. It is said that he was killed by Yang Guang.
Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty ended nearly 300 years of division. He established the three provinces and six ministries, the selection of officials through the imperial examination, the "Kaihuang Law" and the two-level system of prefectures and counties, etc., which laid the basic framework of China's political system for more than a thousand years. The construction of capitals, the establishment of granaries and the rectification of household registration also made the national power of the early Sui Dynasty unprecedentedly strong. However, he had a jealous and critical character. In his later years, he abused punishments, killed meritorious officials, abandoned his studies and worshiped Buddhism, and listened to partial opinions on the issue of successors. He abolished the chief minister and established the throne, which laid hidden dangers for the death of Sui Dynasty Second Emperor.
MilitaryPut down the chaos among the three parties
After the death of Emperor Xuan, Yang Jian assisted in the administration. Yuchi Jiong, the general manager of Xiangzhou, Sima Xiaonan, the general manager of Yunzhou, and Wang Qian, the general manager of Yizhou, successively raised armies to oppose him. Yang Jian sent Wei Xiaokuan, Wang Yi, and Liang Rui to attack separately, and they were all pacified within a few months.
PoliticsOn behalf of Zhou Jian and Sui Dynasties
In February, he received the Emperor Jingabdication from the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He became the emperor in Linguang Hall in Chang'an, and his country was named Sui. Emperor Jing was killed in May, and the Yuwen clan of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was almost wiped out.
Economyunified currency system
A new five-baht coin was minted with clear inscriptions and standardized weights. It was known as the "Five Baht of the Founding Emperor" in history. Since then, the circulation of old money and private coins has been banned one after another, ending the chaotic situation of the currency system since the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
PoliticsEstablishing three provinces and six ministries
The six officials established in the Northern Zhou Dynasty in accordance with the Zhou Rites were abolished. The central government established three provinces: Neishi, Menxia, and Shangshu, which were responsible for decision-making, deliberation, and execution. The Shangshu Province was divided into six departments. In 583, counties were abolished, and local areas were changed to state and county levels to streamline redundant officials.
SocietyBuild Daxing City
Because the Han Chang'an city was small and dilapidated and the water was salty, Gao Jiong was ordered to take charge and Yuwen Kai planned to build a new capital in Longshouyuan, southeast of it. It was named Daxing city after Yang Jian's early title, and he moved in in March 583.
Lasting legacyDaxing City was the predecessor of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. The layout of the palace in the north and the squares dotted the streets laid the urban framework of Xi'an today. The Ming City Wall of Xi'an was expanded on the basis of the Imperial City of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.
PoliticsPromulgate the Kaihuang Law
Su Wei, Niu Hong and others were ordered to revise the law, delete 81 capital crimes and 154 exile crimes, and set them into 500 twelve volumes, establishing the five punishments of flogging, rod, disciple, exile, death and the "Ten Evils".
Lasting legacyThe name of the "Ten Evils" was officially determined in the "Kaihuang Code", and the idiom "The Ten Evils are Unforgivable" originated from this. Since then, the laws of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties have all used the Ten Evils.
EconomyLight corvee and small fortune
The age of adulthood was raised from 18 to 21 years old, the annual service was reduced from one month to 20 days, and the amount of silk required per ding was reduced from one bolt to 20 feet. The burden on farmers was significantly reduced.
DiplomacyDifferentiate Turks
The Turkic Shabolu Khan invaded the south on a large scale, and the Sui army split into separate lanes and counterattacked and won. Emperor Wen adopted Zhangsun Cheng's strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking those close to home, separating the strong and joining the weak, which caused the Turks to split into eastern and western parts, and Shabolue subsequently submitted to the Sui Dynasty.
EconomyDigging Guangtong Canal
Yuwen Kai was ordered to preside over the construction of the Guangtong Canal, which diverted the Wei River from Daxing City eastward to Tongguan, a length of more than 300 miles, to facilitate the transportation of grain from Guandong to Beijing.
SocietyDa Suo Mao Yue
The prefectures and counties were ordered to check the appearance and age of the people one by one according to their household registration. They also adopted Gao Jiong's suggestion to implement sample registration for lost registration, unified household registration, and taxation. A total of more than 440,000 hidden residents and more than 1.64 million new people were detected.
EconomyEstablish a charity warehouse
Adopting Chang Sunping's suggestion, people in various places were ordered to produce millet according to the rich and poor levels during harvest and store it in local charity warehouses to prepare for relief in times of famine. The imperial court also set up official warehouses in important water transportation areas to store sufficient grain.
PoliticsThe beginning of the imperial examination
After the abolition of the nine-grade Zhongzheng system, each state was ordered to pay tribute to three officials to the imperial court each year, and the best candidates would be selected through examinations. This was the beginning of the civil service examination system in which officials were selected based on their talents rather than their family backgrounds.
MilitaryDestroy Chen Tongyun
With Jin Wang Yang Guang as the marching marshal, he sent more than 500,000 troops to attack Chen in eight directions. In the first month of 589, He Ruobi and Han Qinhu crossed the river and invaded Jiankang, captured Chen Last Ruler, and N & S were reunited.
MilitaryFubing household
Under the imperial edict, all soldiers were registered in the state and county household registers. The land cultivation registration account was the same as that of the common people. The government soldiers were integrated with the farmers who shared the land. This was the establishment of the system of integrating soldiers and farmers.
SocietyBuild Renshou Palace
Yang Su was ordered to supervise the construction of Renshou Palace, a palace outside the city. He ordered Ding Fu to push the troops hard, and tens of thousands of people died. Emperor Wen was furious when he first saw the magnificence of the palace, and scolded Yang Su for making the whole world resentful to him.
Lasting legacyRenshou Palace was renamed Jiucheng Palace in the Tang Dynasty. The monument "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Ming" written by Ouyang Xun is still standing in Linyou, Shaanxi Province. It is a classic example of regular script.
Science & technologyBuild Zhaozhou Bridge
Craftsman Li Chun presided over the construction of the Anji Bridge on the Mihe River. The span of a single hole is about 37 meters. There are two small arches on each shoulder of the main arch, which not only reduces its own weight but also facilitates flood discharge.
Lasting legacyZhaozhou Bridge is the oldest existing single-hole open-shoulder stone arch bridge in the world. In 1991, it was named an International Civil Engineering Historical Monument by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
MilitaryFirst Conquest of Goguryeo
Goguryeo and Mohe invaded western Liaoning. Emperor Wen sent Han kings Yang Liang and Wang Shiji to lead an army of 300,000 to conquer. The land route encountered epidemic diseases, and the naval army encountered many sailboats and drifted. Nine out of ten died, and returned without success.
PoliticsAbolition of the Crown Prince
Empress Dugu and Yang Su kept arguing. In October Emperor Wen deposed Crown Prince Yang Yong as a commoner, and in November he appointed Yang Guang, the second son who was good at pretentiousness, as Crown Prince. Gao Jiong, who opposed Yi Chu, had been dismissed from office before.
CultureRenshou abandoned school
In June, on the grounds that there were too many students but not good enough, he ordered the abolition of Taixue, Four Schools, and prefecture and county schools, leaving only 70 students of Guozixue. At the same time, he issued an edict to build pagodas in thirty states across the country to enshrine relics, and the trend of worshiping Buddhism flourished.
Culture"Qie Yun" is published as a book
Based on the records of discussions about phonology with eight people including Yan Zhitui in the early years of Emperor Kaihuang's reign, Lu Fayan compiled "Qie Yun" in five volumes, divided into 193 rhymes, which became the basis of subsequent rhyme books.
Lasting legacyThe original book of "Qie Yun" has been lost, but its phonology has been passed down through "Tang Yun" and "Guang Yun", and it is still the basis for studying the pronunciation of medieval Chinese and the rhythm of classical poetry.
PoliticsChanges in Renshou Palace
In July, Emperor Wen fell seriously ill in Renshou Palace. It is said that he wanted to recall Yang Yong after learning that Crown Prince Yang Guang molested Mrs. Xuanhua. Yang Guang and Yang Su took control of the palace first. Emperor Wen died immediately at the age of sixty-four. One theory is that he was killed by Yang Guang.
Lasting legacyEmperor Wen was buried in Tailing, which is located in today's Yangling, Shaanxi Province. The local old name "Yangling" is generally believed to be derived from this mausoleum.
The daughter of Du Guxin, she made an appointment with Yang Jian to have a son from a different mother. She was known as the "Two Saints" together with Emperor Wen in the palace. Participated in government affairs and urged the abolition of Crown Prince Yang Yong and the establishment of Yang Guang. He died in 602.
He served as assistant to the government for nearly 20 years. He participated in the formulation of the "Kaihuang Law", presided over the construction of Daxing City, proposed the method of losing nationality and establishing the pattern, and destroyed Chen's then-marshal Chang Shi. He was dismissed from office because he opposed the abolition of the Crown Prince, and was killed by Emperor Yang in 607.
During the campaign against Chen, he led his naval forces eastward along the Yangtze River, and then attacked the Turks in the north and quelled the rebellion in the south of the Yangtze River. He supervised the construction of Renshou Palace and assisted Yang Guang in seizing the rightful son, becoming extremely powerful.
The son of Su Chuo, a famous official in the Western Wei Dynasty, he co-managed the government with Gao Jiong, presided over the revision of laws and regulations, and suggested reducing taxes and servitude. He served as Emperor Wen and Emperor Yang in two dynasties, and died after entering the Tang Dynasty.
He was familiar with the situation of the Turks and offered the strategy of separating the strong and uniting the weak. He sent many envoys to the Turks to alienate various tribes and promote the division of the Turks. He also supported Qimin Khan to join Sui Dynasty.
Xianping Chen Shice led his army across the river from Guangling in 589 and defeated the main force of Chen's army at Zhongshan. Later, he and Gao Jiong were executed by Emperor Yang at the same time.
In 589, he led 500 elite troops to cross the Yangtze River at night, broke into Jiankang's Zhuque Gate, and captured Chen Last Ruler.
He presided over the planning of Daxing City, dug Guangtong Canal, and later built the eastern capital Luoyang. He was an outstanding urban planner and architect in the Sui Dynasty.