Liang Shidu
Encyclopedia
| Liang Di | |
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| Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Liang Liang (surname) Liang is a Chinese surname common in Taiwan and southern China. Meaning "a beam", "a bridge", or "an elevation", or "a mast", the surname is often transliterated as Leung or Leong according to its Cantonese pronunciation, or Neo / Nio / Niu . It is also common in Korea, where it is pronounced Yang... (梁, liáng) |
| Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Shidu (師都, shī dū) |
| Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... : |
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Liang Shidu (梁師都) (died June 3, 628) was an agrarian leader who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
near the end of the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
. He, claiming the title of Emperor of Liang with the aid from Eastern Tujue, retained the modern northern Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and western Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
region for over a decade, but was gradually weakened by attacks from Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, whose founding emperor Emperor Gaozu
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
and successor Emperor Taizong
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
had eliminated the rival contenders for power one by one, leaving Liang isolated. In 628, with Eastern Tujue in internal turmoil and unable to come to his aid, Emperor Taizong launched another attack on Liang. Liang's cousin Liang Luoren (梁洛仁) assassinated him and surrendered, completing Tang's drive to reunite China after Sui's collapse.
Initial uprising
Liang Shidu was from a prominent clanClan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
of Xia Province (夏州, roughly modern Yulin
Yulin, Shaanxi
Yulin is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanxi province of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 43,578 km² and a population of 3,380,000.-Geography and climate:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), and during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
, he served as a military officer. In or shortly before 617, he quit the army and returned to his home commandery (as Xia Province had been converted into Shuofang
Shuofang
Shuofang was a fort built in the land of nomadic horse hasbandry tribes at the dawn of the Chinese written history. According to Bamboo Annals, Shuofang was built by the Emperor Di Yi of Shang state on the third year of his reign in 1098 BC in the midst of the Kun Barbarians territory in the...
Commandery). At that time, there were many agrarian rebellions in the region, and Liang gathered a group of men and ambushed the secretary general of Shuofang Commandery, Tang Shizong (唐世宗). He initially claimed the title of grand chancellor (大丞相, Da Chengxiang) and entered into an alliance with Eastern Tujue. When the Sui
Sui
Sui can refer to:* Sui or mizu, 水, meaning "Water" in Japanese, one of the elements in the Japanese system of five elements and representing the fluid, flowing, formless things in the world....
general Zhang Shilong (張世隆) tried to attack him, he defeated Zhang. He thereafter captured several other nearby commanderies -- Diaoyin (雕陰, in modern Yulin as well), Honghua (弘化, roughly modern Qinghua, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), and Yan'an (延安, roughly modern Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
). He submitted to Eastern Tujue's Shibi Khan
Shibi Khan
Shibi Khagan , 611 - 619 AD, succeeded Qimin Khan as the ninth khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate...
Ashina Duojishi, who created him the Dadupiqie Khan (大度毗伽可汗) and bestowed on him a flag with a wolf head, the symbol of the Tujue. He guided Eastern Tujue forces to occupy the Ordos Desert
Ordos Desert
The Ordos Desert is a desert and steppe region lying on a plateau in the south of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China . The soil of the Ordos is a mixture of clay and sand and, as a result, is poorly suited for agriculture. It extends over an area of...
region. Subsequently, Ashina Duojishi forged the title of Jieshi Tianzi (解事天子, i.e., "the Tianzi
Tianzi
Tianzi may refer to:* Tianzi Mountain, a mountain in Hunan, China* Chinese sovereign, known as Tianzi, rulers of a particular period in ancient China...
who solved issues") for Liang, although he himself declared a state of Liang and himself its emperor.
Early reign
Liang Shidu entered into an alliance with another rebel leader of the region, Guo Zihe (郭子和). In 618, with the Sui general Li YuanEmperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
having rebelled against Emperor Yang and entered the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
, declaring Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You
Emperor Gong of Sui
Emperor Gong of Sui , personal name Yang You , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty. Traditionally, he was considered the last emperor of the dynasty because he was the one who formally yielded the throne to the founding emperor to the succeeding Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Tang ,...
emperor (as Emperor Gong), another rebel ruler, Xue Ju
Xue Ju
Xue Ju , formally Emperor Wu , was the founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty, whose state was eventually destroyed by Tang Dynasty...
the Emperor of Qin, entered into an alliance with Liang and Eastern Tujue, seeking to attack Chang'an. However, Li Yuan was able to persuade the Eastern Tujue general Ashina Duobi (Ashina Duojishi's brother) to give up the campaign. In fall 618, with Li Yuan having had Emperor Gong yield the throne to him, establishing Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
as its Emperor Gaozu, Liang tried to attack Ling Prefecture (靈州, roughly modern Yinchuan, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
), which had submitted to Tang, but was repelled.
In spring 619, Ashina Duojishi was planning on a major incursion into Chinese territory, and both Liang and another rebel ruler, Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou
Liu Wuzhou was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style -- although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was khan or tianzi...
the Dingyang Khan, joined him. However, Ashina Duojishi then died at this time, and his brother Ashina Qilifu succeeded him (as Chuluo Khan
Chuluo Khan
Chulo Khagan was the khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and second son of Qimin, former title: Ilteber Shad . He succeeded his elder brother Shibi and ruled for 18 months...
), and Ashina Qilifu terminated the campaign after receiving a large tribute from Tang. Liang then again attacked Ling Prefecture but was again repelled. In fall 619, he attacked Yan Prefecture (延州, i.e., the former Yan'an Commandery), which had submitted to Tang as well, but was repelled by the Tang general Duan Decao (段德操). Another Liang attack in fall 620, in conjunction with Eastern Tujue, was also repelled by Duan. Meanwhile, Liang's one-time ally Guo Zihe, who had submitted to Tang as well, had turned against Liang and Eastern Tujue, seizing Liang's city of Ningshuo (寧朔, in modern Yulin). (Eastern Tujue, in response, imprisoned Guo's brother Guo Zisheng (郭子升), and Guo subsequently moved south to avoid Eastern Tujue forces.)
Meanwhile, with his generals Zhang Ju (張舉) and Liu Min (劉旻) having defected to Tang and with Liu Wuzhou having been defeated by Tang earlier in 620, Liang was fearful that he would become next, and he sent his official Lu Jilan (陸季覽) to point out to Ashina Qilifu that he should act against Tang before it became too strong to control. Ashina Qilifu agreed, and made a grand plan to attack Tang on several sides, incorporating Xi
Kumo Xi
The Kumo Xi ) were a Mongolic steppe people located in current Manchuria from 207 AD to 907 AD. After the death of their ancestor Tadun in 207 they were no longer called Wuhuan but joined the Khitan Xianbei in submitting to the Yuwen Xianbei. Their history is widely linked to the more famous Khitan...
tribe forces and those of another rebel ruler, Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande
Dou Jiande was a leader of the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
the Prince of Xia, into the plan. However, before Ashina Qilifu could launch his plan, Ashina Qilifu died. He was succeeded by Ashina Duobi (as Jiali Khan).
In spring 622, Duan launched an attack on Liang, capturing the eastern city of Liang's capital Shuofang, forcing Liang to withdraw to the western city. However, relief forces from Eastern Tujue arrived, and Duan withdrew. Liang subsequently sent his brother Liang Luo'er (梁洛兒) to, with Eastern Tujue forces, attack Tang's Ling Prefecture, but was repelled by the Tang general Li Daozong
Li Daozong
Li Daozong , courtesy name Chengfan , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was a cousin of Emperor Taizong, and in Emperor Taizong's reign commanded forces in campaigns against Eastern Tujue, Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, and Xueyantuo...
.
Late reign
In spring 623, Liang Shidu's generals He Sui (賀遂) and Suo Tong (索同) defected to Tang, along with the territory they controlled. In summer 623, Duan Decao launched another attack on Liang, reaching Shuofang, but withdrew after pillaging. In response, the Liang general Xin Liao'er (辛獠兒) guided Eastern Tujue troops to attack Tang's Lin Prefecture (林州, roughly modern Qingyang), and then Liang himself guided Eastern Tujue forces to attack Tang's Kuang Prefecture (匡州, also in modern Yulin).In fall 624, the major Liang official Bai Fuyuan (白伏願) defected to Tang.
In 626, Emperor Gaozu's son Li Shimin
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
the Prince of Qin, ambushed and killed his brothers Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng , formally Crown Prince Yin , nickname Pishamen , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and therefore was designated crown prince after the founding of the dynasty in 618...
the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
and Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji , formally Prince La of Chao , more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi , nickname Sanhu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
the Prince of Qin, and then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to yield the throne to him (as Emperor Taizong). Meanwhile, Liang himself saw his forces weakening, and suggested to Ashina Duobi that he invade Tang. Ashina Duobi and his nephew, the subordinate Tuli Khan Ashina Shibobi (阿史那什鉢苾), jointly attacked the Tang capital Chang'an, but withdrew after Emperor Taizong personally met them and offered additional tributes.
Death
After this point, however, Eastern Tujue was itself in internal turmoil and had less ability to aid Liang. Emperor Taizong therefore wrote Liang Shidu several times to try to persuade him to submit, but Liang refused. Emperor Taizong sent raiding forces to pillage Liang periodically, as well as to burn the crops, reducing Liang's food supplies, and also sent agents into Liang territory to damage the relationships between Liang and his officials. In summer 628, when a number of KhitanKhitan people
thumb|250px|Khitans [[Eagle hunting|using eagles to hunt]], painted during the Chinese [[Song Dynasty]].The Khitan people , or Khitai, Kitan, or Kidan, were a nomadic Mongolic people, originally located at Mongolia and Manchuria from the 4th century...
tribes surrendered to Tang, Ashina Duobi offered to trade Liang for the Khitan tribes, but Emperor Taizong refused.
Meanwhile, Emperor Taizong sent his brother-in-law Chai Shao
Chai Shao
Chai Shao was a Chinese military leader of the Tang Dynasty.He was the son of Chai Shen, Duke of Julu. He married the Princess Pingyang, a daughter of the Emperor Gaozu, founder of the Tang dynasty, and distinguished himself as a general against the Turkic invaders...
(柴紹) and the generals Xue Wanjun (薛萬均), Liu Lancheng (劉蘭成), and Liu Min (Liang's former subordinate) to pressure Shuofang. They soon defeated Eastern Tujue forces and put Shuofang under siege, and Eastern Tujue forces were unable to lift the siege. When the food supplies ran out, Liang Shidu's cousin Liang Luoren assassinated Liang Shidu and surrendered the city to Tang.