Chapter 170 Emperor Yang of Sui

(Discarded Chapter)
A few days later...

[Ding, welcome to watch the historical live broadcast]

[Our protagonist in this issue is Emperor Yang of Sui]

Sui Dynasty, Kaihuang

When we talked about Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, Yang Jian and Dugu Qieluo knew that his Sui Dynasty, like the Qin Dynasty, would perish in the second generation.

The couple looked at the sky seriously to see how this evil creature Yang Guang would cause the fall of their Sui Dynasty.

"The one who goes against heaven and oppresses the people is called Yang, the one who is fond of big and dangerous politics is called Yang, the one who is against virtue and ruins the country is called Yang, Yang Guang, oh Yang Guang." Yang Jian brought the propaganda of Yang Guang, who was punished in Jin Wang Mansion to reflect on his mistakes facing the wall, into the palace. Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo were ready for the doubles of parents.

【The political and economic reforms carried out by Emperor Wen of Sui strengthened the feudal centralized rule, promoted the development of social economy, and brought the prosperity of the Sui Dynasty to the "Kaihuang Reign". Emperor Wen of Sui can be ranked among the top ten emperors of China, but his successor Emperor Yang of Sui was completely the opposite. Some people called Emperor Yang of Sui.

Emperor Yang Guang of Sui was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui. He was not supposed to inherit the throne, but his elder brother, Crown Prince Yang Yong. Yang Guang ascended the throne through a series of despicable means.

After Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian became emperor, he appointed his eldest son Yang Yong as the crown prince, his second son Yang Guang as the Prince of Jin, his third son Yang Jun as the Prince of Qin, his fourth son Yang Xiu as the Prince of Yue, and his fifth son Yang Liang as the Prince of Han. The order of the five sons was clear, and Yang Yong was the successor.
Class people.

Yang Yong had a certain talent for governing the country. After being appointed as the crown prince, he had been involved in military and national affairs and was trusted by Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu. In 586 (the sixth year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty), there were constant refugees from all over Shandong and frequent wars in the northern border. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty planned to move some of the people of Shandong to the north. Yang Yong thought it was inappropriate and wrote to Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, saying: "I think that guiding customs should be gradual and should not be changed suddenly. It is human nature to be nostalgic for the land. People will only flee when they can't survive. Although there are many wars in the north, as long as we strengthen our defense, we will be able to survive."

To avoid any accidents, please do not relocate the people at will.
"The Emperor Wen read Yang Yong's memorial and was very impressed, so he gave up his original idea.
But Yang Yong is also a noble son who likes luxury, music and show.
His armor was made by a skilled craftsman from Shu, and it was already very fine.
history

Yang Yong was very beautiful, but he was not satisfied and decorated it again. He had many concubines that he favored, but Yuan, the legitimate wife specially selected by Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu, was neglected. He especially favored Yun Zhaoxun and regarded her as the apple of his eye. Yun was not a legitimate wife, but the etiquette used in daily life was the same as that of a legitimate wife. He had many children with Yun Zhaoxun and other concubines, but no children with Yuan, which caused great dissatisfaction to Empress Dugu. Coincidentally, the unfavored Yuan suddenly suffered from a heart disease and passed away within two days. Empress Dugu believed that there must be other reasons and that she was probably killed by the conspiracy of the prince and Yun Zhaoxun. Therefore, she became more dissatisfied with Yang Yong and scolded him from time to time.

While Yang Yong was gradually losing the favor of his parents, his second son, Prince of Jin Yang Guang, was doubly careful to disguise himself and cover up his faults in order to win his parents' favor.

Yang Guang knew that his father advocated frugality and his mother opposed men having multiple wives and concubines. Therefore, in public, he only lived with his wife, Princess Xiao. Whenever he had children with a woman in the harem, he would kill them to show that he only had children with his wife. When the emperor and the empress visited his house, Yang Guang would hide the young and beautiful concubines and let the old and ugly ones wear plain clothes to serve him. He changed the curtains to ordinary white silk and deliberately broke the strings of musical instruments to prevent people from brushing away the dust to show that he did not like music. Sometimes, when his parents sent people to visit, Yang Guang and Concubine Xiao would always go to the door to greet them, regardless of their status, and entertain them with rich food and wine, and give them heavy gifts when they left. These people got benefits and praised Yang Guang's benevolence and filial piety in front of Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu.

Yang Guang also used the same method to receive court officials respectfully and humbly. Therefore, the ministers also praised him. He had a great reputation both inside and outside the court and was ranked first among the kings.

In order to seize the position of crown prince, Yang Guang summoned his trusted Shouzhou governor Yuwen Shu and general Sima Zhang Heng to jointly plan a conspiracy. They used a lot of gold and silver to bribe the powerful ministers around Emperor Wen, Yang Su and his brother Yang Yue, and asked Yang Su to suggest to Emperor Wen that Crown Prince Yang Yong be abolished and Yang Guang be made the crown prince. Empress Dugu also disliked Yang Yong and supported Yang Guang. As a result, Emperor Wen believed the slander and issued an edict in 600 (October of the th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty) to officially abolish Yang Yong's position as crown prince. In November, Yang Guang was officially canonized as crown prince.

In 604 (the fourth year of Sui Renshou), Emperor Wen was recuperating in Renshou Palace. Yang Guang and Shangshu Zuo Pushe Yang Su stepped up their efforts to usurp power. Yang Guang wrote a secret letter to Yang Su, who was serving Emperor Wen in Renshou Palace, to learn about Emperor Wen's condition. Yang Su then recorded Emperor Wen's condition item by item and reported it to the crown prince. At the same time, he also proposed a plan to the crown prince.
The emperor sent some specific suggestions to the emperor, but Yang Su's reply to Yang Guang was mistakenly sent to
Emperor Wen discovered their plot. At this time, Yang Guang attempted to

history

The incident of forcing Emperor Wen to have sex with his favorite concubine, Lady Xuanhua Chen, made Emperor Wen see Yang Guang's true colors more clearly, and he could not help but feel remorseful. He pounded the bed and cursed Yang Guang: "Beast! How could I hand over the world to him! Empress Dugu has misled me." He hurriedly called two close ministers, Liu Shu and Yuan Yan, and told them to go out immediately to write an edict to depose Yang Guang and re-establish Yang Yong as the crown prince, and summoned Yang Yong to Renshou Palace to entrust him with important matters.

When Yang Su saw Liu Shu and Yuan Yan drafting the imperial edict, he knew that the situation had changed and immediately informed Yang Guang. The two acted decisively, and Yang Guang falsely conveyed the imperial edict of Emperor Wen and arrested Liu Shu and Yuan Yan. Then, he ordered his Eastern Palace Guards to take over the defense of Renshou Palace and block the palace gates. The entrance and exit were all controlled by the generals Yuwen Shu and Guo Yan. Then, he ordered the right son Zhang Heng to enter the bedroom and drive Lady Xuanhua, Lady Ronghua and other palace maids who were attending to the emperor to other rooms, and put Emperor Wen alive.
In 604 (July of the fourth year of Sui Renshou), Yang Guang ascended the throne with the support of Yang Su and others. He was the tyrant Emperor Yang of Sui, who was 36 years old at the time.

After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne, he built a series of huge projects to consolidate his rule and satisfy his extravagant and licentious life. The first thing he did was to build Tokyo and move the capital to Luoyang.

In 605 (March of the first year of the Sui Dynasty), Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Yang Su to be the chief supervisor of the Eastern Capital, and Yang Da, the Minister of State Affairs, and Yuwen Kai, the chief architect, to be deputy supervisors, and the great
The large-scale construction of the Eastern Capital employed two million laborers every month.

From a geographical point of view, Luoyang is known as the "center of the world".
Center. If we look at the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, it is roughly the same distance from Yan and Bing in the north, Guan and Long in the west, Hai and Dai in the east, and Jiang and Huai in the south, making it easy to control the whole country. However, Chang'an, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, was located in the northwest, and it was not easy for government orders to reach the four borders, especially the control of the east was out of reach.

From an economic point of view, although Chang'an, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, was located in Guanzhong, an important agricultural area in ancient China, the local products could not meet the needs due to the limited area suitable for farming in Guanzhong, the massive population growth, and the continuous increase in officials and troops. A large amount of food and materials had to be transported from Guandong and the south through the canal. In terms of the transportation of food and materials, the middle section of the Yellow River west of Luoyang was difficult and dangerous, especially in the Dizhu area, where the water flow was turbulent and there were many reefs, and ships often got into trouble there. Therefore, water transportation was very difficult. Land transportation was also difficult. Too many vehicles and people were needed for land transportation, and the cost was too high. In addition, it had to pass through the areas of Yushan and Hangu Pass, which were full of deep gullies and dangerous ravines, making it difficult for vehicles to travel. In this way, food had to be stored in Luoyang, and the problem of food shortage in Chang'an could not be solved. If Luoyang, the eastern capital, was built, there would be no difficulty in transporting food and materials.

Luoyang's land and water transportation is much more convenient than Chang'an. As for the waterway, although there are many obstacles in Guanzhong to the west, you can reach the sea by following the Yellow River to the east, and you can reach Huanzhou by following the Qinshui River to the north. In the southeast, there are many waterways that have been dug. As long as they are repaired, you can reach Huai and Si. There are also rivers such as Yi, Luo, Zhan, and Jian around Luoyang, and the water transportation industry is developed. Land transportation is also very convenient, and the roads to the east, west, south, and north have always been unobstructed.

From the perspective of the military situation, moving the capital to Luoyang can strengthen control over the east. The Guandong region has always been a place where the power of the gentry is entrenched. The main struggle between the clans in the Zhou and Sui dynasties was the struggle between the Guanlong gentry and the Guandong gentry. In the late Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yang Jian replaced the Zhou Dynasty and established the Sui Dynasty. He was immediately resisted by Yuchi Jiong, the governor of Xiangzhou, and Yuchi Qin, the governor of Qingzhou. They led hundreds of thousands of troops to fight against Yang Jian, and representatives of the Northern Zhou forces in Guandong responded one after another. Most of these rebellious areas were areas that had been ruled for a long time by the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi regimes, and were the bases of the Guandong gentry. The capital of the Sui Dynasty was in Chang'an, and most of the government soldiers were concentrated in the Guanzhong region. When they encountered military rebellions in the Guandong region, they naturally felt out of reach. Moving the capital to Luoyang can control it nearby. At the same time, moving the capital to Luoyang can also strengthen the rule over the vast Jiangnan region. The Sui Dynasty was a feudal dynasty established after the long-term division between the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The remnants of feudal separatist forces in the local areas, especially in the south, still had a certain influence. In order to eliminate the hidden dangers posed to the Sui Dynasty by the Jiangnan region and to rule the south more effectively, the capital had to be moved to Luoyang.

Therefore, Emperor Yang of Sui decided to build the eastern capital Luoyang mainly because of the
The economic, political and military situation at that time required development.
In the first month of the following year, after ten months of development, a huge capital city appeared on the banks of Yi and Luo rivers.

According to relevant records, the circumference of the Eastern Capital City was more than 73 li, and it consisted of three parts: the Palace City, the Imperial City, and the Outer City. The Palace City was located in the northwest of the city, where the palaces were located, and luxurious palaces were lined up one after another. To the south of the Palace City was the Imperial City, where civil and military offices were located. The Outer City was where officials’ private residences and civilians lived. According to underground archaeological excavations and field surveys in the 20s, the Outer City was a total of more than 60 li, and there were remains of the city gates and sewers. The streets in the city were neat and tidy, and each of the residential quarters was 50 li in circumference, with 4 gates facing the main street, and high-rise buildings decorated with cinnabar powder and gorgeous decorations. There were 4 quarters to the south of the Luo River and 96 quarters to the north of the Luo River, with streets and alleys facing each other in all directions. Bridges such as the Tianjin Bridge were also built over the Luo River.
For communication.

The construction of the Eastern Capital by Emperor Yang of Sui was a huge project. Due to the tight schedule, poor working conditions, and strict and urgent supervision of labor by officials, four to five out of ten people who served died. Every month, vehicles carrying corpses were everywhere on the road, from Chengfu in the east to Heyang in the north.

After the construction of Luoyang City, Emperor Yang of Sui built granaries around Luoyang to store grain. In October 606, Emperor Yang ordered the construction of granaries in Gong County near Luoyang.

The Xingluo Granary was built with a granary city of more than 20 li around it, with 3000 cellars in the city, each of which could hold 8000 dan of grain. In December, Emperor Yang ordered the construction of the Huiluo Granary City in the north of Luoyang City, with a granary city of more than 10 li around it and 300 cellars inside. In addition, there was also the Hanjia Granary City in Luoyang, which stored no less than million dan of grain. In this way, Luoyang's grain reserves were very abundant, laying a solid material foundation for controlling the entire country.

Emperor Yang of Sui's construction of the Eastern Capital Luoyang has always been regarded as one of his tyrannies, and many people hold a negative attitude. However, Emperor Yang's construction of the Eastern Capital and the relocation of the capital to Luoyang strengthened the Sui Dynasty's control over the east and south, which was conducive to the exchange and development of the economy and culture of the whole country. It was indeed a wise move to adapt to the historical trend. Of course, in the process of building the Eastern Capital, the palaces were painted with carved beams and were luxurious and extravagant, which was completely undesirable. The forced labor of civilians, which led to the deaths of the people, is even more worthy of criticism. However, if we deny the necessity of its establishment because of this, we will miss the point.

The construction period was just a few days after Emperor Yang of Sui started to build Dongdu, a huge project.
People began to die again, and this was the construction of the Grand Canal that connected the north and the south.

The Grand Canal, with Luoyang as its center, starts from Zhuojun in the north and ends at Yuhang in the south. With a total length of more than 5000 miles, it was finally built after six years of hard work by millions of people.

This Grand Canal that runs through the north and south is a great creation of the Chinese working people in the early seventh century. They used their labor, wisdom and creativity to complete this world-famous great project.

There has always been a lot of criticism about Emperor Yang of Sui's use of a large amount of manpower and material resources to dig the canal. In fact, the construction of the canal was a requirement of the situation at the time and the need for economic development. Emperor Yang of Sui did a great thing that followed the historical trend and adapted to the needs of productivity development. The opening of the Grand Canal connected the five major water systems of Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River and Qiantang River, greatly shortening the distance between the north and the south. The Grand Canal became a major artery for communication between the north and the south.

After the completion of the Grand Canal, it was conducive to the transportation of materials from all over the world. Public and private ships traveled constantly on the canal, and the exchange of goods between the north and the south had a smooth channel, which played a significant role in economic development. The navigation of the canal also promoted the development of cities on both sides of the canal. Bianzhou, where the canal meets the Yellow River, Chuzhou, where the canal meets the Huai River, and Jingkou and Yangzhou, where the canal meets the south and north banks of the Yangtze River, all developed rapidly into commercial cities, especially Yangzhou, which is located at the southern end of Shanyangdu and the intersection of the canal and the Yangtze River. It developed rapidly and became the economic and political center of the southeast region of the Sui Dynasty, prosperous and rich, with a rich cultural heritage. The opening of the canal further strengthened the economic and cultural ties between the north and the south, and strengthened the unification of the country. It played a positive role in consolidating the centralized state economically and politically, both at that time and later.

Of course, we must also see that the excavation of the Grand Canal was completed quickly under the supervision of officials, which brought great suffering to the people. The laborers who dug the canal worked for a long time, suffered from cold and hunger, and were attacked by diseases. More than half of them died. Emperor Yang of Sui also excavated the canal with his personal motive of touring and enjoying himself in the south of the Yangtze River, and to strengthen his rule and exploitation of the people in the south of the Yangtze River. After the canal was opened, the burden on the people became heavier. While we affirm Emperor Yang of Sui's excavation of the canal, we must also see his exploitation of the people's blood and sweat.

Although Emperor Yang of Sui built the Eastern Capital and dug the Grand Canal, which are commendable, he was a cruel monarch who never forgot to enjoy himself. The palace city of the Eastern Capital was originally designed with many palaces and gardens, but Emperor Yang of Sui still felt that it was not enough, so he ordered Yuwen Kai to build the magnificent Xianren Palace in the west of the city. In May of the same year (605), he also built a huge garden with a circumference of miles - the Western Garden.

In order to build the Xianren Palace and the Western Garden, Emperor Yang of Sui sent people to Yuzhang (now Suizhou, Jiangxi) to build the
Emperor Yang ordered the transportation of all the rare materials and stones that could be found south of the Yangtze River and north of the Five Ridges to Luoyang. He also sought the most beautiful trees, rare leathers, and precious and rare animals in the country to enrich his gardens and parks.

Xianren Palace was the temporary palace of Emperor Yang. It was connected to Zaojian in the south and Luobin in the north. It was more than 10 miles wide and full of buildings, exquisite carvings and magnificent scenery. One or two miles away from Xianren Palace was Xiyuan, also known as Fanghuayuan. The garden was 200 miles long and had a sea inside. It was 10 miles around. Three sacred mountains, Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, were built in the sea, more than 16 feet above the water. Pavilions and halls were built on the mountains. There was a Longlin Canal in the north of the sea, which was winding and flowing into the sea. Along the banks of the Longlin Canal, 16 palaces and courtyards were built, including Yanguang, Mingcai, Hexiang and Chenghua. Each courtyard was presided over by a fourth-rank lady, and was equipped with palace maids and beauties. The halls, towers, gates and houses were magnificent and luxurious. When the flowers and trees in the garden and the lotus in the water withered in autumn and winter, they would be replaced by colorful satins. When the colored satins faded, they would be replaced by new ones, making the West Garden always like spring, with a beautiful scene of red and green. Emperor Yang often took advantage of the moonlight to lead thousands of palace maids to ride horses to tour the West Garden at night. In order to win the favor of Emperor Yang of Sui, the ladies offered fine wine, delicacies, sang erotic songs, and served him attentively.

In order to build more places for entertainment, repairing palaces and gardens became one of his important political affairs. He was tired of living in the palaces and gardens in Chang'an, the capital, and Luoyang, the eastern capital, and wanted to travel around the country. He asked his subordinates to prepare many maps of mountains and rivers in the world, and he personally looked at them, looking for places with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate all over the country, and built various palaces and villas. As a result, luxurious palaces were built one after another.

In order to enjoy himself in Jiangdu, he built more than 40 palaces along the way from Chang'an to Jiangdu. In 605, Emperor Yang ordered the construction of Liang Palace in Linhuai (now Linhuai, Anhui) and Linjiang Palace in Yangzi (now southeast of Yizheng, Jiangsu), which contained more than ten pavilions such as Ninghui Palace. In 607 (August of the third year of Daye), he built Jinyang Palace in Jinyang (now Taiyuan, Shanxi).

In 608 (April of the fourth year of Daye), he saw Guancen Mountain in Fenzhou (now southwest of Ningwu County, Shanxi Province), with a Tianchi Lake on the mountain and a cool climate, making it a holy place for recuperation in summer, so he built a Fenyang Palace there.

In 616 (the first month of the 10th year of Daye), he ordered Lu Dede, the governor of Piling County (now Changzhou, Jiangsu), to gather more than 12 county soldiers to build Piling Palace in the southeast of the county. Piling Palace imitated the Western Garden, with a circumference of 16 li and palaces inside, but it was more beautiful than the Western Garden.

Emperor Yang also built Changfu Garden, Shanglin Garden, Jiangdu Palace, etc. in Yangzhou, which were the largest and most beautiful in all places. Jiangdu Palace was especially magnificent and large in scale, with Huiyan Palace, Huiliu Palace, Jiuli Palace, Songlin Palace, Dalei Palace, Xiaolei Palace, Chuncao Palace, Jiuhua Palace, Guangfen Palace, Fenglin Palace, Chengxiang Hall, Shuijing Hall, Yongxiang, Liuzhu Hall, etc. The palaces and pavilions were lined up one after another, hidden among the green trees and red flowers, and the pavilions were scattered and dotted on the winding streams and flowing springs.

In addition, Zhuo County (now Zhuo County, Hebei) built Linshuo Palace, Weinan (now Weinan County, Shaanxi) built Chongye Palace, Huxian (now Huxian County, Shaanxi) built Taiping Palace and Ganquan Palace, Danyang (now Nanjing City, Jiangsu) built Danyang Palace, etc. There was also a plan to build a palace in Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), but it was not completed because the Sui Dynasty was in turmoil.

Emperor Yang of Sui also built an extremely exquisite, beautiful and unique maze tower. The towers are undulating, high and low, magnificent and ingenious. If someone accidentally enters it, they will not be able to find their way out in a day. This project took tens of thousands of people and a whole year to complete. After seeing it, Emperor Yang of Sui was very happy and praised it, saying: "Even if a god went there, he would probably be lost. Let's name this tower the maze tower!" He asked many concubines to move in and live there, and he himself lived a life of luxury and extravagance.

Emperor Yang of Sui had numerous palaces, including those for his imperial family. Each palace had a general supervisor, and was divided into three levels: the upper palace, the middle palace, and the lower palace. The upper palace was of the fifth rank, the middle palace was of the fifth rank, and the lower palace was of the seventh rank.

This clear hierarchy and rank system can also explain the
At that time, there were many palaces and imperial palaces throughout the country. Some people say that Emperor Yang of Sui "built palaces every day", although this is exaggerated, but in Chinese

Among the emperors in Chinese history, it is not an exaggeration to say that Emperor Yang of Sui built the most palaces.
In pursuit of personal enjoyment, millions of people are forced to work, wasting
Countless manpower and material resources. These palaces and gardens were built with the bones of the people. Emperor Yang's actions were truly tyrannical.

Emperor Yang was active by nature and liked to travel everywhere. In August 605, the first year after he ascended the throne, he took a dragon boat to visit Jiangdu, and did not return to Luoyang until April of the following year. He visited Jiangdu twice and three times afterwards. Emperor Yang also toured north to Yulin, the Great Wall and the frontier, and west to the Hexi Corridor and Qinghai. He toured everywhere almost non-stop. Some people have calculated that in the more than ten years from his accession to the throne to his demise, he spent less than a year in the capital. He toured frequently, and the cost of each tour was astonishing. The first time he visited Jiangdu, he built thousands of dragon boats, tower ships and other large and small ships. Emperor Yang took the Sui Dynasty's
The dragon boat was pulled by 1080 civilians with large blue silk ropes, and the boatmen wore gorgeous brocade robes. The boat that the queen rode was called Xiangchi Boat, which was slightly smaller than the dragon boat but had the same decoration. The concubines rode Fujing Boat, which had nine boats in total, with three floors above and below. The nobles, beauties and the 16 wives of the 36 courtyards rode Yangcai Boat, which had 8 boats in total. There were also thousands of boats such as Zhuniao, Cangchi, Baihu, Xuanwu, Feiyu, Qingfu, Lingbo, Wulou, Daochang, Xuantan, Banjian, Huangmiao, etc., which were used by the harem, kings, princesses, officials, monks, nuns, Taoists, foreign envoys, etc., and loaded with things used by officials inside and outside the court. There were more than 12 people pulling the boats alone. There were also thousands of Pingcheng, Qinglong, Tannuan, Tanchong, Bagui, Dingge, etc., all of which were used by guards and loaded with weapons and tents. The soldiers pulled the boats themselves.

This mighty fleet was connected to each other for more than 200 miles along the way. When the first ship had set out for more than 50 days, the last ship had just left Luoyang. The fleet's sails were full and colorful flags were flying, illuminating the entire mountain and land. More than 20 cavalrymen led by Guo Yan escorted along both sides of the canal, with flags covering the sky. Emperor Yang of Sui ordered that residents within 500 miles of the prefectures and counties where the dragon boat passed should contribute delicacies from mountains and seas, and the most in one prefecture even used 100 vehicles to transport them. The concubines could not finish the food, so they buried it when they set out.

In March of the following year, Emperor Yang returned to Luoyang from Jiangdu. He had had enough of the grandeur of the sea route, so he decided to return by land. Emperor Yang ordered the Minister of Personnel Niu Hong to discuss the system of carriages, clothing and guards for the land route, and ordered He Chou, the Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, to be responsible for the construction and delivery to Jiangdu. In order to please Emperor Yang, He Chou read a lot of books and classics, combining ancient and modern styles, and spent day and night studying.
golden flower
The emperor's carriage, the empress's guards of honor, and the officials' ceremonial robes were all made to be gorgeous and magnificent. To make these carriages and ceremonial robes, a large amount of bones, horns, teeth, leather, feathers, etc. were needed, all of which were collected from the people. In order to get the job done, the people went all over the land and water, and almost killed all the useful birds and beasts. If people couldn't catch the bird feathers required by the government, they had to buy them from the rich and wealthy. The price of feathers was so high that one pheasant tail was worth 3 pieces of silk, and one egret feather was worth 6 pieces of silk. People lost their fortunes for this. There were more than 10 people who participated in this labor, and the gold, silver, and silk spent were calculated in billions. After these ceremonial robes were sent to Jiangdu, Emperor Yang left Jiangdu with these ceremonial robes and a large group of people and horses, and began to return to Luoyang. Every time he set out on the journey, the streets were filled with guards, and the procession stretched for more than 5 miles. In April, Emperor Yang returned to Luoyang in triumph.

Every time Emperor Yang went on tour, he ordered the people of the country to prepare luggage and contribute food for him. There were three large-scale tours of Jiangdu. During the third tour of Jiangdu, the Dragon Boat Water Palace was burned down due to Yang Xuangan's uprising. Emperor Yang also ordered it to be rebuilt on a larger scale. Along the way, officials from all over the country competed to ask the people to contribute to Emperor Yang in order to seek promotion, causing the people to peel tree bark, pick leaves, or boil soil and eat, and even cannibalism. Emperor Yang's tours brought huge burdens and disasters to the people.

In order to show off his military power, Emperor Yang of Sui launched three wars against Goryeo, which brought even more serious disasters to the people of the country. In order to prepare for this war, Emperor Yang ordered Yuan Hongsi, the governor of Youzhou, to supervise the construction of 300 large sea ships in Donglai County (now Laizhou, Shandong). Hongsi's urging was extremely cruel. The boatmen stood in the water day and night, not daring to stop for a moment. Maggots grew from the waist down, and three or four out of ten died in service. In terms of military affairs, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the construction of weapons and armor since 608 (the fourth year of Daye), and those who were incompetent were executed immediately. He also ordered the rich people in the world to buy horses according to their assets, and the price of a horse was up to 611 coins. He also ordered the establishment of a military office in Shandong, and the sweepers became soldiers. In 1 AD (April of the seventh year of Daye), Emperor Tang took a dragon boat from Jiangdu directly to Zhuo County and stayed at Linshuo Palace. He ordered the land forces from all over the country, regardless of distance, to gather in Zhuo County. He also recruited 3 sailors, 3 crossbowmen from south of the Yangtze River and Huai River, and lance-barreled soldiers from south of the Lingnan region to serve as the navy.

In 621 (the first month of the eighth year of Daye), Emperor Yang issued an edict to march in a big way. The Sui army had 113 million soldiers, claiming to have 200 million soldiers, divided into 24 armies, and 6 armies led by Emperor Yang himself, a total of 30 armies. The number of civilians transporting food and wages was doubled by the number of soldiers. After the first army set out, one army set out every day, 40 miles apart, and it took 40 days for the whole army to set out. The armies were connected head to tail, drums and horns could be heard, and flags could be seen, stretching for 960 miles. This was the main force to attack Goryeo. Another navy, led by General Lai Huer of the Right Guard, set out from the mouth of Donglai Sea, crossed the sea and headed straight to Pingliang to meet the main force. Lai Huer's navy entered 60 miles from Pyongyang and won a victory. Without waiting for all the armies to arrive, they went straight into the city. As a result, they encountered a Goryeo ambush, and only a few thousand of the 4 people escaped back to the ship. Under the leadership of General Yuwen Shu, the land army had 30 soldiers crossing the Yalu River. The soldiers were too burdened with weapons and food, and many of them secretly threw away food. Halfway through the journey, the food ran out and they were starving. Although the Sui army later attacked to a place 5 miles away from Pyongyang, they were exhausted and had no food. They were beaten by the Goryeo army and fled for their lives. They traveled 30 miles in one day and one night before they fled to the Yalu River. Only 450 of the 30 soldiers survived, and a huge amount of military supplies and equipment were lost. The first expedition to Goryeo was a failure.

Later, Emperor Yang launched a second and third war against Goryeo, but failed to win. Emperor Yang's tours, extravagant spending, and warlike wars consumed countless manpower and money, leaving the country exhausted and the people in dire straits. The people could not survive, so they had no choice but to take risks and rise up in resistance. People in various places rose up in rebellion. The ruling class also split. Yang Xuangan, the son of the noble Yang Su, launched a rebellion, and many noble bureaucrats of the Sui Dynasty rebelled.

Although Emperor Yang of Sui suppressed the rebellion, the ruling group Tang
The interior began to disintegrate from then on.
In the face of internal and external rebellion, Emperor Yang of Sui still did not repent. In July of the 616th year of Daye, he led a huge dragon boat fleet to visit Jiangdu three times. When Emperor Yang of Sui arrived in Jiangdu, local officials from Jiang and Huai who went to pay homage to him were promoted as long as they offered generous gifts, and those who offered small gifts were dismissed. Therefore, all local officials were stingy with the money and goods of the common people and prepared gifts to present to Emperor Yang of Sui. In Jiangdu, Emperor Yang continued to live a decadent and corrupt life. Wang Shichong, who was promoted to the governor of Jiangdu because of his generous donations, secretly ordered the people of Jianghuai to select beautiful women and present them to Emperor Yang for his pleasure. Wang Shichong searched everywhere and selected so many that the Jiangdu Palace could not accommodate them, bringing great misfortune and disaster to the women and people of Jianghuai.

In Jiangdu, Emperor Yang of Sui also felt that the end was approaching, but he still wanted to enjoy himself. There were more than 100 rooms in the palace, all decorated magnificently and filled with beauties. Every day, a beauty in one room would be the host. Emperor Yang, Empress Xiao and his concubines would take turns to drink and have fun in each room. Emperor Yang never put down his glass and was often drunk. He said to Empress Xiao: "Now many people outside want to overthrow me, but I am still the Duke of Changcheng, and you are still Empress Shen (referring to Chen Shubao and Shen after the fall of the country). Don't worry about it, just drink happily!"

While Emperor Yang was still living a life of luxury in the Jiangdu Palace, a palace rebellion plot was rapidly underway. Since Emperor Yang's imperial guards in Jiangdu were all from Guanzhong, they had lived in a foreign land for a long time and missed their hometown. At this time, there was very little food in Jiangdu, and the supply became a big problem. Seeing that Emperor Yang had no intention of returning to the west, many of them planned to rebel and return home. The Tiger Guards Sima Dekan and Yuan Li conspired with the Zhige Pei Qiantong, taking advantage of the guards' resentment of missing their hometown, and pushed Yuwen Shu's son Yuwen Huaji to lead the mutiny, strangling Emperor Yang to death with a scarf, at the age of 50. After Emperor Yang died, there was not even a decent coffin, so Empress Xiao and the palace people had to remove the bed board, make a small coffin, and hastily bury him under the Liuzhu Hall of Jiangdu Palace.

When the illustrious and arrogant Emperor Yang of Sui died, there was no national mourning funeral, no tall mausoleum, and even no decent burial site. As a famous tyrant in history, Emperor Yang of Sui left many useful inspirations for future generations.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, in order to resist the brutal rule of Emperor Yang of Sui, the masses of people rose up one after another, and an unprecedented peasant uprising broke out. It is correct to say that the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty was caused by the brutal rule of Emperor Yang of Sui. But it is not complete. Some problems already existed during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the contradictions had a process of accumulation.

The economic measures adopted after the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, although they restricted and cracked down on the powerful landlords, also took care of their interests. In particular, the bureaucratic landlord class was given more preferential treatment than restrictions. For example, the equal-field distribution law stipulated that cattle and slaves could be allocated land, which were actually only owned by bureaucrats and powerful landlords, which enabled them to occupy more land. The law also stipulated that officials owned land according to their ranks, and kings to governors could be allocated 100 to 30 hectares of permanent land. High officials were big landlords, and low officials were small landlords, forming a huge bureaucratic landlord group. The amount of land they received was much larger than that of ordinary farmers. As for the land they annexed with their power and financial resources, it was even more incalculable.

The Sui Dynasty often awarded a large amount of land and houses to meritorious officials under various names. For example, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty awarded 130 hectares of land to the meritorious official Yang Su twice. A large amount of land was concentrated in the hands of the landlord class, which affected the farmers' land. Taichang Qing Su Wei once suggested to Emperor Wen that the land of meritorious officials be reduced and distributed to the people, but was opposed by the big bureaucrat Wang Yi. Wang Yi said: "Officials have made contributions for many years, and it may not be appropriate to reduce their land. In my opinion, I am afraid that the court officials will not make achievements, even if the people do not have enough land." Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty actually believed Wang Yi's words and did not adopt Su Wei's suggestion. It can be seen that the bureaucrats' possession of a large amount of land is the main reason for the people's lack of land, and Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty did not want to restrict it. Although Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty implemented the equal field system and had a certain positive effect, it still failed to fundamentally solve the problem of insufficient land for farmers. In 592 (the 20th year of Emperor Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty), because there were too many people and too little land in Guannei, Hedong, Henan, Hebei and other regions, and people were not able to get enough food and clothing, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty sent envoys to various places to distribute land equally. In the narrow rural areas, each adult could only receive mu of land, which was far from the amount stipulated by the equal-field system. It can be seen that the implementation of the equal-field system was compromised in some places.
At that time, there were oppressed people whose status was lower than that of peasants and whose life was more miserable, namely, soldiers and slaves. Slaves were slaves without property, identity and freedom. The status of soldiers was slightly higher than that of slaves, but they also had no independent economy and identity. Slaves and soldiers were all dependent on their masters, and were directly oppressed and exploited by bureaucrats and landlords, and were even used as property rewards. For example, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty gave Dou Rongding 3000 horses and 80 soldiers, and gave Zhou Fashang 800 slaves several times. The big bureaucrat Yang Su had thousands of servants. These people who were oppressed at the bottom of society were also the most dissatisfied and actively resisted the rule of the Sui Dynasty.

The state warehouses of the Sui Dynasty were so full that they were rare in history. However, national wealth does not mean people's wealth. Peasants who depended on the aristocratic landlords had to pay more than half of the rent and taxes, and the situation of the farmers in the equal-land distribution system became increasingly difficult. In addition to paying three shi of millet in rent every year as required, they also had to pay various other disguised levies. When there was a famine, the rulers were unwilling to open the warehouses to provide relief, so that people had a hard life.

Among the emperors of all dynasties in China, Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty was famous for his frugality, but his frugality was not always implemented. In 593 (the 598th year of Kaihuang in Sui Dynasty), he ordered his minister Yang Su to build Renshou Palace in Qizhou (now south of Fengxiang, Shaanxi). Yang Su forced the laborers to level the mountains and fill the valleys to build the palace. The urgent construction killed tens of thousands of people. Yang Su pushed the dead into the ditch and covered them with earth and stones to build the foundation of the palace. It took a full two years for Renshou Palace to be completed on the bones of the laborers. When Yang Jian went to visit, he heard that Yang Su buried a large number of dead laborers here. At first, he was very unhappy and thought that it hurt his benevolent face. But after entering the new palace to tour, he was very happy and called Yang Su a loyal minister. In 12 (the th year of Kaihuang in Sui Dynasty), Yang Jian went from the capital to Renshou Palace to set up temporary palaces for his own rest and entertainment.

Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty formulated the Kaihuang Code, which reduced the punishment compared with previous dynasties. In the early days, the punishment was generally in accordance with the law, but in his later years, he was often moody and did not follow the law. He also made some harsh and detailed provisions, such as stipulating that anyone who stole more than one penny, four people who stole a corner of a beam, and three people who stole a melon would be executed. This made people all over the world panic.

The above is not to deny the historical contribution of Emperor Wen of Sui. In many aspects, such as unifying the north and the south, consolidating the centralization of power, and promoting social and economic development, Emperor Wen of Sui made great contributions. However, we should also see that under the seemingly peaceful scene of Emperor Wen of Sui, there were gradually accumulated and increasingly acute social contradictions. The arrogance, debauchery, and perverse behavior of Emperor Yang of Sui led to the total outbreak of these contradictions.

If Emperor Wen of Sui had a reputation for frugality, working hard to save up what he had earned, and was a miser, then Emperor Yang of Sui was extremely wasteful and extravagant, a famous extravagant and tyrant emperor in history, and a complete prodigal. After killing his father and usurping the throne, Emperor Yang of Sui implemented a series of tyrannical policies.

In the years after Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne, he conducted an unprecedented large-scale mobilization across the country to build civil engineering projects. He dug long trenches, built the Great Wall, repaired the highway, dug canals, built the Eastern Capital and the Western Garden, and built palaces and villas. The number of civilians mobilized each time ranged from 607 to 20, and as many as 608 to million. In (the third year of Sui Daye), Emperor Yang of Sui mobilized million men to build the Great Wall from Yulin to Zihe (now west of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia), which stretched for more than a thousand miles. The deadline for completion was days, but most of the men died of exhaustion. In (the fourth year of Sui Daye), Emperor Yang of Sui mobilized more than million civilian workers from various counties in Hebei to open the Yongji Canal. There were not enough men, so women were also recruited. Frequent mobilization exceeded the people's capacity to bear the burden, so that the people could not survive.

Emperor Yang of Sui was fond of grandiose achievements and indulged in extravagance. In order to show off the prestige and power of the Sui Dynasty, starting from 610 (the sixth year of the Sui Dynasty), every year in the first month of the year, when the leaders of ethnic minorities and merchants from the Western Regions gathered in Luoyang, Emperor Yang ordered a grand performance of a hundred plays at Duanmen. The theater was 5000 steps around, and there were tens of thousands of musicians and dancers recruited from all over the country. They all wore brocade and colorful clothes, wore colorful jewelry, and used colorful feathers as decorations. Almost all the silk in the East and West Capitals was taken by them to make clothes. The acrobatics lasted all night long, and the sound could be heard for dozens of miles. The lights illuminated the sky and the earth, and the show lasted for a month. This happened every year, and it became more and more intense. The country spent hundreds of millions of yuan on this alone every year. When merchants from the Western Regions came to Fengdu City in Luoyang to trade, Emperor Yang ordered the city to make a grand show, decorate the shops, make the eaves uniform, set up curtains, and store precious goods. Even the vegetable vendors used expensive dragon beard mats to spread the ground and tied silk around trees to show their luxury. When merchants from the Western Regions passed by a restaurant, they were invited in to eat and drink as much as they wanted without paying a penny. They were also told: "The Central Plains is rich, and food and wine are never free."

Not only was Emperor Yang of Sui so extravagant and wasteful, but the entire ruling group was also corrupt and abused their power to exploit the people. They occupied a large amount of land, slaves, servants, countless cattle, sheep, horses, gold, silver and silk. The noble Yang Su had thousands of concubines and prostitutes in his backyard who wore silk and brocade. He had magnificent houses in the two capitals of the East and the West, which he destroyed and rebuilt every day, and he never stopped repairing. He also occupied thousands of mansions, shops, saltpeter and fields in various places. The nobles Yuwen Shu, Yu Shiji, Pei Yun and others were also very greedy and corrupt. Yuwen Shu knew that others had rare and precious things, so he had to find a way to get them. He had hundreds of concubines and prostitutes in his backyard, all dressed in brocade, gold and silver, and thousands of servants who rode good horses. He also colluded with merchants and harassed the people. Local officials were also generally corrupt and abused their power. All officials were corrupt. The entire ruling group was extravagant and corrupt.

The disaster suffered by the people at that time was quite severe. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there was a poem called "Song of the Boatman", which reflected the disaster brought to the people by Emperor Yang of Sui's touring and wanton squandering.

"My brother went to Liaodong and died of starvation under the green mountains. Now I am pulling the dragon boat and am trapped on the Sui embankment. The world is hungry today and there is no food on the road. If I go three thousand miles, how can I protect myself?
Cold bones lie on the desert sand, ghosts weep on tobacco. Sui Dynasty
I am saddened by the loss of my wife, and I am desperate to see my old family. How can I find a righteous man to burn this ownerless corpse?

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Lead the lonely soul back, and carry its bones back!"

Starting from 612 (the eighth year of Sui Daye), Emperor Yang of Sui launched three consecutive wars against Goryeo, which brought even greater disasters to the people of the country and directly became the front line of the Sui peasant uprising. In advance, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered the establishment of a military office in Shandong and supervised the construction of warships. Because of the need for land transportation tools, he also ordered Henan, Huainan, Jiangnan and other places to manufacture 5 military vehicles and send them to Gaoyang (now Gaoyang, Hebei) for soldiers to load clothes, armor and tents. He also mobilized civilians from Henan and Hebei to transport military supplies. For water transportation, civilians and ships from the south of the Yangtze River and Huai River were mobilized to transport rice and weapons from granaries in Liyang, Luokou and other places, and sent them to Zhuo County along the canal. The ships were connected end to end and were more than a thousand miles long. At that time, there were often hundreds of thousands of people carrying food, troops, weapons and war tools, traveling back and forth between the canal and the land, day and night, and countless deaths, filling the road and stinking.

In order to ensure the food reserves at the front, Emperor Yang also requisitioned carts and cattle from Shandong to transport rice and store it in the two towns of Luhe (now northeastern Hebei) and Huaiyuan (now east of Chaoyang, Liaoning). The civilians transported rice, but the carts and cattle could not return. A large number of males died, and most of the fields were barren. The price of rice soared. In the northeastern border area, a bucket of rice cost hundreds of coins. After the ox carts were requisitioned, deer carts were requisitioned. There were more than 60 deer cart drivers alone. Two people worked in a group and pushed a cart, carrying 3 shi of rice. The road was long and dangerous, and 3 shi of rice was not enough for the road. When they arrived at the town, there was no food to hand over, so they had to flee. However, the officials took the opportunity to be greedy and exploited as much as possible. The people were in poverty, financially exhausted, and had no hope of survival. They all took the road of resistance.

As early as 610 (the sixth year of the Sui Dynasty), the people rose up in rebellion. On the first day of the first lunar month of that year, before dawn, dozens of people in Luoyang City, wearing white hats and white clothes, burning incense and holding flowers, claimed to be Maitreya Buddha, broke into the Jianguo Gate, suddenly seized the weapons of the guards, and tried to attack the palace, but were killed by the guards of Qi Wang Yang Chen. This uprising shocked the capital, and the Sui Dynasty searched the capital and implicated more than 1000 families.

In 611 AD (the seventh year of Sui Dynasty), that is, in the autumn of the year before Emperor Yang of Sui launched the first war against Goryeo, a major flood occurred in Shandong and Henan, submerging more than 30 counties. However, the rulers of the Sui Dynasty were busy levying heavy taxes on the people for the conquest of Goryeo, pushing the peasants into a dead end. In October of that year, Wang Bo led the peasants to raise the banner of rebellion in Changbai Mountain, Shandong (now in Zhangqiu County, Shandong). Wang Bo called himself "Zhi Shi Lang", which means that he could foresee that the world would change, the dynasty would change, and the Sui Dynasty would perish. He wrote a song "No Death in Liaodong", calling on the people to join the uprising and not to die for Emperor Yang of Sui. The lyrics read:
"In front of Changbai Mountain, Zhishilang,
She wore a red silk brocade back crotch. It was a little longer than the sky.

The wheel knife shines in the sunlight.
Going up the mountain to eat deer, going down the mountain to eat cattle and sheep. Suddenly hearing that the government troops are coming, I raised my sword and rushed forward. It's like dying in Liaodong, what's the harm in beheading it!"

People who were avoiding conscription all over the country flocked to him. Wang Bo used Changbai Mountain in the south of Zouping County as his base and attacked Qi County and Jibei County.

Then, Liu Badao, a wealthy man in Pingyuan County, raised an army in Douzihang (now Huimin County, Shandong Province), and people from far and near came to join him. His army numbered more than 100,000, and they were called the Uncle Army. An uprising army led by Zhang Jincheng gathered in Hezhu in Yu County (now Xiajin, Shandong Province), and an uprising army led by Gao Shida was active in Xiu County (now Jing County, Hebei Province). Sun Anzu, a native of Zhangnan (now Pingyuan, Shandong Province), was forced by the Sui Dynasty government to serve as a soldier to fight against Goryeo because of the great flood in Shandong that year, which caused his house to be washed away by the water and his wife and children to starve to death. Therefore, he assassinated the county magistrate and, with the help of Dou Jiande, a fellow county resident, he started an uprising in Gaojipo (now Pingyuan, Shandong Province). Uprising armies rose up in various places, and their momentum grew day by day.

The peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty first broke out in Shandong (the area east of Tongguan). This was mainly because Shandong was the most important economic region in the Sui Dynasty, with a high population density, accounting for more than 40% of the national population. There were one million households in Jizhou alone. The economic power of the powerful aristocratic landlords was still very strong.

In order to gain power, land annexation was very serious, resulting in a high concentration of land.
A large part of the labor service fell on the people in this area. This was also the military base for the attack on Goryeo, so the people were heavily burdened and suffered greatly. In addition, a major flood occurred in the autumn of 611, flooding more than 30 counties in Shandong and Henan. Most farmers were short of food and clothing, and the frequent conscriptions for military service and labor service made the people suffer and the people were full of resentment. Therefore, Shandong became the source of the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

The rulers of the Sui Dynasty brutally suppressed the peasant uprising. Emperor Yang ordered the commanders, yingyang (the title of a general) and the counties to cooperate with each other to hunt down the peasants. Once caught, they were executed immediately and their homes were confiscated, but it still could not be stopped. In 613 (the ninth year of the Sui Dynasty), Emperor Yang launched the second war against Goryeo, which further intensified social contradictions. The peasant uprising spread like wildfire. There were more than 10 people and tens of thousands of people. They captured cities, seized food, and killed Sui officials and landlords. Under such circumstances, the internal contradictions of the ruling class also developed rapidly. In June of that year, Yang Xuangan, the son of Yang Su, a great official of the Sui Dynasty and the Minister of Rites, saw that the peasants were generally uprising, and took the opportunity to launch a mutiny in Liyang (now Jun County, Henan Province) and rise up against the Sui Dynasty.

Yang Xuangan's rebellion caused a strong shock within the ruling class and caused a great split. Many children of nobles and bureaucrats joined in. For example, Yang Gongdao, son of Guan Wang Yang Xiong, Yu Rou, son of Yu Shiji, Lai Yuan, son of Lai Huer, Pei Shuang, son of Pei Yun, Zheng Yan, son of Zheng Shanguo, Zhou Zhong, son of Zhou Luohou, Han Shigao, son of Han Qinhu, and more than 40 others joined Yang Xuangan's army. Li Zixiong, general of the Right Wuhou, also came to surrender. Zhao Yuanshu, the doctor of Guanglu, and Hu Sizheng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, conspired with Yang Xuangan. Li Mi, son of Li Kuan, a famous general of the Sui Dynasty, a pillar of the country, and the Duke of Pushan, became Yang Xuangan's chief adviser. Although this uprising failed after only two months under the brutal suppression of Emperor Yang of Sui, it weakened the power of the ruling class and prompted the peasant uprising army to further launch. The number of uprising teams increased and the area became wider and wider. From 614 to 616, peasant uprisings quickly spread from the lower reaches of the Yellow River to the north and south of the Yellow River, as well as to Jiangnan, Lingnan, Guanzhong, Huainan, and other places. Local uprisings developed into nationwide uprisings. There are more than 130 recorded uprising teams, with millions of participants.

After 616 (the th year of the Sui Dynasty), the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty reached its climax. In the common struggle against the Sui Dynasty, the scattered rebel forces gradually merged into several powerful teams, mainly the tile army led by Zhai Rang and Li Mi, the Hebei uprising army led by Dou Jiande, and the
Jianghuai Uprising Army.

The Wagang Army first started the uprising in Wagang (now south of Weixian County, Henan Province), led by Zhai Rang. Zhai Rang was born as a minor judicial official. He worked as a legal officer in Dongjun (now Weixian County, Henan Province) of the Sui Dynasty. He was sentenced to death for a crime. Later, he escaped from prison and gathered people in Wagang Village with Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shi from the same county to start an uprising. Xu Shiqin was 17 years old at the time and was very courageous and strategic. He suggested to Zhai Rang: "Dongjun is a village for us. Many people know each other. We should not invade and plunder. Xingyang and Liangjun are where the Bian River passes. Intercepting the property of government officials and wealthy merchants on the river is enough for us." Zhai Rang followed his advice and led everyone into the border of the two counties to plunder government property. The team grew to more than people, many of whom were fishermen and hunters who were good at using long spears and horse tips, and had strong combat effectiveness. Soon, Li Mi, who had participated in Yang Xuangan's uprising against the Sui Dynasty, came to join the Wagang Army.

After Yang Xuangan's uprising failed, Li Mi was arrested. He escaped during the escort and hid among the people. Later, he joined the Wagang Army through the introduction of Wang Bodang. Li Mi persuaded some small rebel forces nearby to join Wagang, and suggested that Zhai Rang first take Xingyang, recuperate, and wait for the soldiers and horses to grow strong before fighting for the world. Zhai Rang followed his strategy, so he broke through Jinti Pass (now northeast of Xingyang, Henan) and attacked the counties of Xingyang. Xingyang has always been a battleground for military strategists. The gains and losses of Xingyang are related to the overall situation. Emperor Yang of Sui sent Zhang Xutuo to lead troops to suppress the rebellion as the commander of Xingyang. Li Mi seized on Zhang Xutuo's weakness of underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly due to his repeated defeats of Zhai Rang before, and led his troops to ambush in the woods north of Dahai Temple in Xingyang. He had Zhai Rang pretend to be defeated and lure Zhang Xutuo's army into the ambush. The brave but unwise Zhang Xutuo fell into the trap and was chased for more than ten miles until he was surrounded by the Wagang Army. Zhang Xutuo was defeated and killed, and 20,000 Sui troops were annihilated. This battle shook Henan.

In 617 (February of the 2th year of Sui Dynasty), the Wagang Army took advantage of the unpreparedness of the Sui Army and captured Xingluo Cang, which was more than 5 miles away from the Eastern Capital, and obtained a large amount of grain. They then opened the warehouse to provide relief to the poor, which won the support of the people, and the team quickly grew to hundreds of thousands of people. Yang Tong, the King of Yue of the Sui Dynasty who stayed in the Eastern Capital, sent Liu Changgong to lead infantry and cavalry to attack the Wagang Army, but was defeated by the Wagang Army again. Five to six out of ten Sui soldiers died, and all the baggage and armor were captured by the rebels. Then the Wagang Army captured Xingluo Cang and surrounded Luoyang City. Li Mi issued a manifesto to denounce Emperor Yang of Sui, enumerating the ten major crimes of Emperor Yang of Sui, pointing out that Emperor Yang's crimes were "the bamboos in the Nanshan Mountains are used up to write down endless crimes; the waves in the East China Sea are used up to make it difficult to exhaust all the evils", and this manifesto became a powerful call to widely mobilize the people to resist Emperor Yang's rule at that time.

Under the siege of the Wagang Army, the Eastern Capital Luoyang was short of food and in a critical situation. Emperor Yang of Sui sent Wang Shichong, the governor of Jiangdu, to lead the Jiang and Huai armies to rush to the Eastern Capital for rescue. Wang Shichong led the Jiang and Huai armies northward and joined several Sui armies in Henan and Hebei in the Eastern Capital. Under the unified command of Wang Shichong, the Sui army launched a counterattack against the Wagang Army. The two sides fought fiercely on both sides of the Luo River, with each side winning and losing. King Yang Tong of Yue sent 7 elite troops to assist Wang Shichong. Wang Shichong ordered his troops to build a pontoon bridge on the Luo River and cross the river to fight a decisive battle with the Wagang Army. The troops that built the bridge first advanced first, so there was inconsistency. The first to land were the troops of the Tiger Guard General Wang Bian, who had broken through Li Mi's outer camp, but the follow-up troops were defeated by another Wagang Army. Wang Shichong thought that the troops crossing the river were defeated and ordered a retreat. Li Mi ordered the death squad to chase and kill bravely. Wang Shichong's army of tens of thousands rushed to cross the pontoon bridge, and more than people fell into the water and died. General Wang Bian was killed on the spot. Wang Shichong did not dare to return to the Eastern Capital and fled to Heyang with thousands of people. Li Mi took advantage of the victory to capture Jinyong City (the outer city east of Luoyang) and repaired the gate battlements and houses to station troops. At this time, the sound of the war drums of the Wagang Army could be heard in Luoyang City.

As the Wagang Army continued to grow, a rift developed among its top leaders. Li Mi, instigated by his subordinates, plotted to kill Zhai Rang, causing instability in the army and weakening the combat effectiveness of the Wagang Army. Li Mi also began to become arrogant, alienated old generals, and did not cherish his soldiers. The once prosperous Wagang Army began to decline.

Dou Jiande, the leader of the peasant uprising army in Hebei, was from Zhangnan (now northeast of Wucheng County, Shandong Province). He was brave and resourceful. In 611 (the seventh year of Sui Dynasty), because Dou Jiande helped Sun Anzu to gather people for the uprising, the Sui government killed Dou Jiande's relatives. Dou Jiande was forced to join Gao Shida's uprising army. Gao Shida appointed Dou Jiande as his military commander. The next year, Gao Shida died in battle, and Dou Jiande became the Sui general of the uprising army.
The leader, the team quickly grew to more than 10 people.
In the year 1644, Dou Jiande proclaimed himself the King of Changle in Leshou (now Xian County, Hebei Province) and appointed hundreds of officials.
Establish a regime. In July of that year, the Wagang Army approached Luoyang. Emperor Yang of Sui transferred Xue Shixiong, the governor of Zhuo County, to lead 3 elite soldiers from You and Ji to the south to reinforce the Sui Dynasty garrison in Luoyang. Passing through the Hejian area, they were blocked by Dou Jiande, and more than 618 Sui soldiers were killed. Xue Shixiong led dozens of cavalry to escape in a panic. From then on, the peasant uprising army led by Dou Jiande grew stronger and stronger, and most of Hebei was occupied by Dou Jiande's uprising army. In (the th year of Sui Daye), Dou Jiande named the country "Xia", called himself King of Xia, and moved the capital to Mingzhou (now Yongnian, Hebei). Dou Jiande developed production in the country, encouraged farming and sericulture, and improved people's lives. Dou Jiande himself did not take any of the money he obtained, and did not eat meat. He often ate only vegetables and millet rice. His wife Cao did not wear silk and silk, and maintained the simple nature of the working people. Dou Jiande was very popular in Hebei.

Du Fuwei, the leader of the Jianghuai peasant uprising, was from Zhangqiu, Shandong. His family was very poor. In 613 (the ninth year of Sui Daye), Du Fuwei and Fu Gongju from Linji (now southeast of Suqian County, Jiangsu) joined the Changbai Mountain uprising. At that time, Du Fuwei was only 16 years old. Later, they moved from Shandong to Jianghuai, calling themselves generals, and their power continued to grow. In 617 (the thirteenth year of Sui Daye), Emperor Yang of Sui sent General Chen Ling of the Right Imperial Guard to lead 8000 elite soldiers to suppress the uprising. Chen Ling was a brave general of the Sui Dynasty. He had once made an expedition to Liuqiu and defeated the uprising many times. After he arrived at the front line, he defended the city without fighting, preparing to wait for the peasant army to tire out and attack after its spirit subsided. Du Fuwei saw through Chen Ling's plan and sent someone to send him a set of women's clothes, calling him "Chen Lao" to anger Chen Ling. Chen Ling was furious and led his entire army to fight. Du Fuwei and Fu Gongju each led several hundred cavalrymen to break into the enemy camp and defeated Chen Ling's army. Then, the rebels took advantage of the victory to capture Gaoyou (now Gaoyou, Jiangsu) and occupy Liyang (now Hexian, Anhui). Du Fuwei called himself the general manager and appointed Fu Gongju as the chief secretary. He dispatched generals to attack the subordinate counties and sent a large army across the river to occupy Danyang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) and establish a country called Wu. Many rebels in the Jianghuai area came to join him.
The peasant uprisings flourished across the country, and the attack on the Sui army had achieved a decisive victory. Under this situation, the ruling group of the Sui Dynasty further split, and many local bureaucrats rebelled against the Sui Dynasty, organized their own armed forces, and established their own regimes. In 617 (February of the 20th year of the Sui Dynasty), Liang Shidu, the general of Yingyang, killed the county magistrate, raised troops in Shuofang (now northwest of Hengshan, Shaanxi), and called himself Emperor Liang. Liu Wuzhou, the lieutenant of Yingyang Prefecture, killed the governor, raised troops in Mayi (now Shuo County, Shanxi), called himself emperor, and established the Tianxing era. In April, Xue Ju, the lieutenant of Jincheng (now Lanzhou, Gansu), raised troops and captured the surrounding counties, including the land of Longxi, with a crowd of 10. Xue Ju was initially called the Overlord of Western Qin, and later the Emperor of Qin. In May, Li Yuan, the governor of Taiyuan and the Duke of Tang, raised troops in Taiyuan. In July, Li Gui, the Sima of Yingyang Prefecture in Wuwei (now Wuwei, Gansu), raised troops and occupied the counties in Hexi, with a crowd of . Li Gui was initially called the King of Hexi Daliang, and later the Emperor of Liang. In October, Xiao Xian, the governor of Luochuan, raised an army in Baling (now Yueyang, Hunan), proclaimed himself the King of Liang, and occupied the two lakes. These bureaucrats and landlords raised an army to seize the fruits of the peasant uprising, but it also weakened the ruling power of the Sui Dynasty and accelerated its collapse.

In 616 (the 617th year of Sui Daye), Emperor Yang of Sui left Luoyang and went to Jiangdu. Later, the Wagang Army surrounded Luoyang, and Emperor Yang of Sui was so frightened that he dared not return to the capital. By the end of , the area controlled by the Sui Dynasty was only Luoyang, the eastern capital, and several other isolated cities in the north, and only Jiangdu in the southeast, and Jiangdu was surrounded by the rebel forces on the east, west, and north sides. Emperor Yang of Sui was uneasy day and night in Jiangdu. He often wore a headscarf and short clothes and toured the palaces and pavilions. He would never stop until night fell, and he greedily watched the beautiful scenery, fearing that he would not see enough. Sometimes, he looked in the mirror and said to Empress Xiao: "What a good head, I wonder who will cut it off!" Empress Xiao asked him why he said such a thing, and Emperor Yang forced himself to laugh and said: "A person's nobility, humbleness, suffering and happiness are not certain, they are replaced by each other, what is there to be sad about?" He also prepared poison with him in case of emergency. He already felt that the end was approaching.

At this time, Jiangdu was surrounded and attacked by the surrounding peasant uprising army, and food supply was already difficult. Most of the brave guards who followed Emperor Yang of Sui from the capital to Jiangdu were from Guanzhong. They were eager to return home, and many of them secretly escaped back.

The imperial guards Sima Dekan, Yuan Li, Pei Qiantong and other nobles Yu Wenzhi took advantage of the turmoil of the soldiers and launched a mutiny in 618 (March of the 581th year of Sui Daye) and strangled Emperor Yang of Sui. The corrupt rule of the Sui Dynasty came to an end. The Sui Dynasty lasted 618 years from its establishment in 37 (the first year of Sui Kaihuang) to its demise in .

In 618, Li Mi, the commander of the Wagang Army, accepted the surrender of Emperor Huangtai Yang Tong, the remnant of the Sui Dynasty in Luoyang, and was named Taiwei, Shangshu Ling, Marshal of the Southeast Road, and Duke of Wei. He was sent to fight against Yu Wenhuaji's more than 2 guards who were heading north from Jiangdu to Guanzhong. Li Mi led all his elite troops to fight a decisive battle with Yu Wenhuaji. Although he barely won, the Wagang Army suffered extremely heavy losses. Li Mi himself was hit by a stray arrow and was almost captured. Many of the elite soldiers and horses of the Wagang Army were killed or injured. Then, Wang Shichong, who had gained the highest power in Luoyang, took advantage of Li Mi's exhaustion and selected 2 elite soldiers and 2 cavalry to raid the Wagang Army. Li Mi was chased and fought, and the two armies fought a decisive battle in Yanshi (now Yanshi County, Henan). At that time, Li Mi's camp was on Beimang Mountain. Because of his pride and underestimation of the enemy, he did not set up defenses at night. Unexpectedly, Wang Shichong sent more than light cavalrymen with fire to lurk in the valley of Beimang Mountain that night. At dawn, Wang Shichong led the Jianghuai elite troops to attack the Wagang Army camp in Beimang Mountain. Li Mi had no time to line up and fight. Wang Shichong found a man who looked like Li Mi in advance, tied him up and hid him. When the battle was fierce, he asked someone to lead him to the front of the battle and shouted loudly: "Li Mi has been caught!" The cavalry who had ambushed earlier rushed down from a high place and set fire to the camp. Li Mi's army was defeated. In the rout, some generals such as Bing Yuanzhen and Shan Xiongxin defected one after another, and the Wagang Army, which was said to have a million people, quickly disintegrated. Li Mi was desperate, so he led remnants to Chang'an in the west to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. In Chang'an, Li Mi was not reused, and later rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and was killed. The Wagangzhai Uprising failed completely.

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(End of this chapter)