Dynasties of ChinaSui dynastySui dynasty lineage
Daye · Reign 604—618
He built the Eastern Capital, dug the Grand Canal, and established the Jinshi Department, but he abused the people's power. After the three conquests of Goguryeo, the world was in chaos, and he died and the country was destroyed.
Yang Guang is the second son of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, and his mother is Queen Dugu. In 581, he was granted the title of King of Jin. In 588, he led the army of Chen as a marching marshal and destroyed Chen the following year. After that, he stayed in Yangzhou for nearly ten years, paying courtesy to Jiangnan scholars and eminent monks, and appeasing the south. He deliberately showed frugality, benevolence and filial piety, befriended Yang Su, and won the favor of Queen Dugu. In 600, he replaced his brother Yang Yong as Crown Prince.
After taking the throne, he built the eastern capital of Luoyang, excavated the Grand Canal with Luoyang as the center and reached Zhuojun in the north and Yuhang in the south. He built the Great Wall, established the Jinshi Department, and promulgated the "Daye Law". He also patrolled the Turks in the north and Zhangye in the west, managed the Western Regions, and received envoys and business travelers from various countries. The country was at its peak. But he was so happy about his achievements that he visited frequently, built projects and wars one after another, and used the people's power almost endlessly.
From 612 to 614, he personally conquered Goguryeo three times, and lost more than 300,000 people in the first time. Civil uprisings broke out in various places. In 613, Yang Xuangan raised an army and the ruling group began to split. In 615, he was besieged by the Turks in Yanmen. In 616, he went south to the Yangtze River and never returned north, and the heroes in various places separated themselves. In March 618, the Xiaoguo army accompanying him, led by Yuwen Huaji and others, launched a mutiny and hanged him until he was fifty years old.
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was a talented monarch. He built the Eastern Capital, dug the Grand Canal, improved the imperial examinations, and managed the Western Regions. Many of his actions met the needs of N&S exchanges after unification. The Grand Canal benefited future generations for more than a thousand years. However, he was so overjoyed at his achievements that he did not care about the power of the people. For more than ten years, he put huge projects, frequent patrols and expeditions on the people at the same time. Three expeditions to Goguryeo eventually led to chaos in the world. The Sui Dynasty Second Emperor, who was in great power for a while, died, which became a warning for the emperors and ministers in the early Tang Dynasty.
MilitaryCommander-in-Chief destroys Chen
As a marching marshal, he led an army of more than 500,000 to attack Chen. After entering Jiankang, he killed Chen's last ruler Shi Wenqing and others, sealed up the treasury, and did not take any property, thus gaining reputation in the south.
CultureTake the Bodhisattva Precepts
While he was in Yangzhou, he invited Zhi Yi, the founder of the Tiantai Sect, to confer Bodhisattva vows on him, respectfully calling him "Master Wise", and vigorously supported Jiangnan Buddhism.
Lasting legacyGuoqing Temple in Tiantai Mountain was built by Yang Guang in accordance with Zhi Yi's last wish. It was named Guoqing in 605 and is still revered as the ancestral temple of the Tiantai Sect in Japan and South Korea.
PoliticsSeize the direct descendant
Yang Guang pretended to be frugal and aloof, and made friends with Yang Su and other important ministers. He also complained about his brother's faults in front of Queen Dugu. In October, Crown Prince Yang Yong was deposed, and in November, Yang Guang was established as Crown Prince.
PoliticsAscended to the throne as King Pinghan
Emperor Wen died in July, Yang Guang came to the throne, and issued an imperial edict to confer the death of his brother Yang Yong. In August, King Yang Liang of Han Dynasty raised troops in Bingzhou, and Yang Su led his army to seek peace.
SocietyBuild the Eastern Capital
In March, Yang Su and Yuwen Kai were ordered to build Tokyo and Luoyang, employing two million people every month. It was completed in the first month of the following year and was later renamed Dongdu. After that, Emperor Yang mostly lived in Luoyang and Jiangdu, and his political center of gravity moved eastward.
Lasting legacyThe Dingding Gate site in Luoyang City during the Sui and Tang Dynasties was included in the World Heritage List in 2014 as part of the "Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Network" of the Silk Road.
EconomyDigging Tongji Canal
More than one million people were recruited from Henan and Huaibei to dig the Tongji Canal, which diverted Valley Water and Luoshui River from Luoyang Xiyuan into the Yellow River, and then diverted Yellow River water from Banzhu into the Huaihe River; more than 100,000 people from Huainan were also recruited to dredge the Han ditch and lead directly to Jiangdu.
SocietyDragon Boat Festival in Jiangdu
In August, I took a dragon boat tour to Jiangdu for the first time. The dragon boat was four stories high and the fleet was more than 200 miles from end to end. Prefectures and counties along the way were forced to donate food, which cost a lot of money.
EconomyBuild granary
Luokou Cang was built in the southeast of Gong County, with a circumference of more than 20 miles, and three thousand cellars, each with a capacity of 8,000 stones. A back Luocang was built in the north of Luoyang City to store the rented grain transported through the canal.
Lasting legacyLuoyang Huiluocang ruins and Hanjiacang No. 160 Cangjiao ruins were included in the World Heritage List in 2014 as Grand Canal heritage sites.
DiplomacyNorthern Patrol Turks
He led an army of more than 500,000 people to patrol the north to the tent of the Turkic Qimin Khan, and hosted a banquet for the leaders of various tribes in the Guanfengxing Hall built by Yuwen Kai. The Turkic tribes were shocked and convinced. In the same year, more than one million young men were recruited to build the Great Wall, and 56 out of 10 died.
PoliticsPromulgate the Law of Great Industry
The "Daye Law" was promulgated, and the penalties were more lenient and simpler than the "Kaihuang Law". At the same time, the prefecture was changed to a county, and a two-level system of county and county was implemented in the local area. However, torture was used indiscriminately in the later period of Daye, and the laws and regulations were in vain.
PoliticsEstablish Jinshi Department
Emperor Yang established the Jinshi Department during the Daye period to select talents through trials. The specific year is unknown in history, but it is said to be 605. Together with the civil service examination scholars of Emperor Wen, the civil service examination system was officially born.
Lasting legacyThe imperial examinations used public examinations to select outstanding officials, which lasted until 1905. The British civil service examination system established in the mid-19th century is generally considered to be inspired by it and became one of the sources of the modern civil service examination.
DiplomacySend envoys from the Sui Dynasty to China
The Japanese envoy Ono Meizi came to the Sui Dynasty. The letter of credence stated that "the emperor wrote to the emperor where the sun rises to the emperor where the sun disappears." Emperor Yang was displeased. Pei Shiqing was sent for a return visit the following year. Since then, Japan has sent many missions and overseas students to study in China.
EconomyExcavation of Yongji Canal
More than a million men and women from Hebei Province were recruited to dig the Yongji Canal, which would lead the Qinshui River to the Yellow River in the south and Zhuo County in the north, so as to transport soldiers and grain for future military campaigns in Liaodong.
DiplomacyWestern Inspection to Zhangye
He personally led an army to patrol the west, defeated Tuyuhun, and established the four counties of Xihai, Heyuan, Shanshan, and Qiemo. In Zhangye, he met with King Qu Boya of Gaochang and envoys from the 27 countries in the Western Regions. The management of the Western Regions presided over by Pei Ju reached its climax.
EconomyThe canal is fully connected
In December, the Jiangnan River was dug, from Jingkou to Yuhang, more than 800 miles long. At this point, the Grand Canal reaches Zhuojun in the north and Yuhang in the south, connecting the five major water systems of the Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River, and Qiantang River.
Lasting legacyThe Grand Canal was included in the World Heritage List in 2014. The remains of Sui Dynasty river sections such as Tongji Canal and Yongji Canal are important parts of it. Some sections of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal are still navigable today.
SocietyThe beginning of the civil uprising
In order to conquer Goguryeo, soldiers, horses and food were gathered in Zhuojun. Shandong and Hebei were hit by floods, and the people were in dire straits. Wang Bo wrote "Wuxiang Liaodong Wandering Death Song" in Changbai Mountain and gathered people to revolt, causing civil unrest in various places.
MilitaryAn expedition to Goguryeo
He sent 1.13 million troops, claiming to be two million, to personally conquer Goguryeo, and continued to attack Liaodong City for a long time. Yuwen Shu and others led 35,000 people to cross the Liao Dynasty and go deep into the Liao Dynasty. They were defeated in Sashui, and only 2,700 people survived.
MilitaryEr Zheng and Yang Xuangan raised troops
When Goguryeo was again conquered and Liaodong City was besieged, Yang Xuangan, the Minister of Rites who oversaw the transportation of grain and grass, raised troops in Liyang and advanced to Luoyang. Emperor Yang hurriedly withdrew his troops to return reinforcements. Yang Xuangan was defeated and died, and Emperor Yang was heavily implicated.
MilitaryThree Conquests of Goguryeo
The third time it sent troops, Goguryeo was suffering from the disadvantages of successive wars, so it sent an envoy to ask for surrender and returned the defected Minister of War Hu Sizheng. Emperor Yang used this to teach the army, but the King of Goguryeo never entered the court.
MilitarySiege of Yanmen
During the northern patrol in August, hundreds of thousands of Turkic Shibi Khan's cavalry surrounded Yanmen, and thirty-nine of the forty-one cities in Yanmen County were captured. After Princess Yicheng called the police and reinforcements from various places arrived, the siege was rescued. Young Li Shimin was also recruited to participate in the rescue.
PoliticsThree visits to Jiangdu
In July, despite the dissuasion of the officials, he went to Jiangdu again, leaving King Yue Yang Dong to guard Dongdu and King Yang You to guard Chang'an. After that, the Wagang Army, Dou Jiande and other heroes separated themselves, and roads in various places were cut off. Emperor Yang never returned north again.
PoliticsJiangdu Incident
Guanzhong Xiaoguo who accompanied him was homesick and fled. In March, Yuwen Huaji, Sima Dekan and others launched a mutiny. Emperor Yang asked to drink poisoned wine but was not allowed, so he was hanged with a turban. He was fifty years old.
Lasting legacyIn 2013, the tombs of Emperor Yang and Xiaohuanghou of the Sui Dynasty were discovered in Caozhuang, Xihu Town, Yangzhou, Jiangsu. Epitaphs and thirteen-ring gold and jade belts were unearthed, confirming their final burial places.
The daughter of Emperor Ming Xiao Kui of Xiliang, she married Yang Guang and became the princess of Jin Dynasty. She was gentle and talented. After the Jiangdu Incident, he fell into the hands of Yuwen Huaji and Dou Jiande, and later entered the Turks. He returned to the Tang Dynasty in 630, and was buried in Yangzhou with Emperor Yang after his death.
He assisted Yang Guang in seizing his legitimate son. After Emperor Yang came to the throne, he pacified the Han king Yang Liang and supervised the construction of the Eastern Capital. He became an official and became Situ. However, he gradually became jealous and died of illness in 606.
He assisted Yang Guang in seizing the throne and was deeply favored. In 612, he led an army of 300,000 to cross the Liao Dynasty. He was defeated in Sashui and was expelled as a citizen. He was reinstated the following year.
In Zhangye, he presided over the exchanges with various countries in the Western Regions, compiled "Illustrated Records of the Western Regions", recruited envoys and merchants from various countries in the Western Regions, and promoted Emperor Yang's Western Inspection. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he became an official and became the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
He presided over the construction of Luoyang, the eastern capital, and designed the Guanfengxing Hall that could accommodate hundreds of people and a large tent that could seat thousands of people for Emperor Yang, and made wooden samples of the Mingtang.
He has outstanding literary talent, specializes in secrets, is good at figuring out Emperor Yang's thoughts, conceals incidents in various places, and was killed during the Jiangdu Incident.
The son of Yang Su, in 613, he took advantage of Emperor Yang's second expedition to Goguryeo to raise troops in Liyang. The attack on Dongdu failed and he was defeated and died.
The son of Yuwen Shu, he launched a rebellion in Jiangdu in 618, hanged Emperor Yang, and established King of Qin Yang Hao as emperor. Later, he poisoned Yang Hao and established himself as the king. In 619, he was captured and killed by Dou Jiange.