Liu Wuzhou
Encyclopedia
Dingyang Khan (定楊可汗) or
Dingyang Tianzi (定楊天子)
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"...

:
Liu (劉, líu)
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"...

:
Wuzhou (武周, wǔ zhōu)
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...

:
None


Liu Wuzhou (劉武周) (died 622?) was a rebel leader who rose 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....

 late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style -- although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...

 or 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...

. He was initially only able to take control of modern northern Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

 and parts of central 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...

, but after Li Yuan
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...

 established 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...

 at 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...

 as its Emperor Gaozu in 618, he, with support from Eastern Tujue, briefly captured Li Yuan's initial power base of Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...

 in 619, posing a major threat to Li Yuan's rule. In 620, Li Yuan'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 future Emperor Taizong) counterattacked, and not only recaptured Taiyuan but further captured Liu's power base Mayi (馬邑, in modern Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou is a city in the north of Shanxi Province in North China, located on the upper reaches of the Fen River. As of 2004, its population is approximately 1.25 million, and the city has an area of approximately 5,737 square kilometres. Administratively, Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city, with...

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

), forcing Liu to flee to Eastern Tujue. When Liu subsequently tried to flee back to Mayi, Eastern Tujue executed him.

Initial establishment of Dingyang

Liu Wuzhou's clan was originally from Hejian Commandery (河間, roughly modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...

, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...

). His father Liu Kuang (劉匡) relocated to Mayi (馬邑, in modern Shuozhou
Shuozhou
Shuozhou is a city in the north of Shanxi Province in North China, located on the upper reaches of the Fen River. As of 2004, its population is approximately 1.25 million, and the city has an area of approximately 5,737 square kilometres. Administratively, Shuozhou is a prefecture-level city, with...

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

). Liu Wuzhou's mother was Liu Kuang's wife Lady Zhao. Liu Wuzhou was known for his strengths and skills at archery, and he often spent time congregating with people with similar dispositions. His older brother Liu Shanbo (劉山伯) was not pleased with this, and often rebuked him, stating, "You are careless with your friendships, and one day you will destroy our clan." Liu Wuzhou therefore left home and went to 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....

's eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...

, where he served under the general Yang Yichen
Yang Yichen (Sui Dynasty)
Yang Yichen , né Yuchi Yichen , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. During the late reign of Emperor Yang, Yang Yichen was one of the few Sui generals having success against agrarian rebels, but in 616, Emperor Yang, suspicious of Yang Yichen's abilities, removed him from his...

. During Yang's participation of the campaigns against Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

, Liu Wuzhou, on account of his accomplishments, was made a Xiaowei (校尉) -- an army officer rank just below a general.

At some later point, Liu Wuzhou returned home and continued to be a Xiaowei for the commandery militia. At that time, the commandery governor Wang Rengong (王仁恭), who was corrupt and unable to care for the poor, was impressed with Liu for his fame in the commandery, and he gave Liu the command of his personal guards. Liu carried on an affair with one of Wang's servant girls, and was afraid that he would be punished if news leaked. He therefore told the people of the commandery that Wang was unwilling to aid the poor and the famished -- causing there to be general discontent among the people. He then took leave on account of illness, but when the local gentry came visiting him, he invited them to a feast and declared his intent to rebel; they agreed to join him. In spring 617, he took his men to the commandery government and killed Wang. The people of the commandery submitted, and he opened up the food storages to feed the poor. He gathered about 10,000 soldiers and declared himself commandery governor, and he submitted to Eastern Tujue. When officials of the nearby Yanmen Commandery (雁門, roughly modern Xinzhou, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

), Chen Xiaoyi (陳孝意) and Wang Zhibian (王智辯) attacked him, he struck back in conjunction with Eastern Tujue, killing Wang and forcing Chen to flee. He then captured Loufan Commandery (樓煩, part of modern Xinzhou) and pillaged Fenyang Palace (汾陽宮) -- one of the numerous subsidiary palaces that Emperor Yang
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...

 built around the empire -- and took the ladies in waiting
Lady in Waiting
Lady in Waiting is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976. -Track listing:#"Breaker-Breaker" – 2:59#"South Carolina" – 3:05#"Ain't So Bad" – 3:48...

 and gave them 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 as a tribute; in return, Ashina Duojishi sent him horses. Liu then also captured Dingxiang Commandery (定襄, roughly modern Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....

, 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...

). Ashina Duojishi then created him "Dingyang Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...

" -- i.e., "the Khan who rules over Yang." (Yang was the name of Sui's imperial clan.) Ashina Duojishi also bestowed on Liu a great banner with a symbol of a wolf's head. Liu then declared himself emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

. He created his wife Lady Ju
Empress Ju (Liu Wuzhou)
Empress Ju was the wife and empress of Liu Wuzhou, who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty near Sui's end, taking imperial style himself....

 empress, and he changed his era name to further show independence from Sui. Soon, he captured Yanmen as well. (The Sui general in charge at Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...

, Li Yuan
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...

, was unable to stop Liu, and it was partly because of this that Li Yuan'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...

 was able to persuade Li Yuan to rebel as well to avoid possible punishment by Emperor Yang, and Li Yuan did so later in 617, capturing 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...

 and 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); in 618, after hearing of Emperor Yang's death at Yangzhou, 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.) In spring 619, Ashina Duojishi apparently was planning a launch a major incursion into Chinese territory, and he had Liu and another rebel ruler, Liang Shidu
Liang Shidu
Liang Shidu was an agrarian leader who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty near the end of the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui...

 the Emperor of Liang, join him, but Ashina Duojishi soon died, and Tujue abandoned the campaign.

Campaign against Tang

Liu Wuzhou, however, launched a campaign against Tang himself in late spring 619, with collateral support by Eastern Tujue forces. In summer 619, he approached Taiyuan, then defended by Emperor Gaozu's son, 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 Qi. Li Yuanji sent the general Zhang Da (張達) against Liu, despite Zhang's reluctance, as Li Yuanji gave Zhang only a small army, and Liu defeated Zhang. Zhang, angry at Li Yuanji, instead surrendered to Liu and led Liu to capture Yuci (榆次, in modern Jinzhong
Jinzhong
Jinzhong is a prefecture-level city with 3,249,425 inhabitants at the 2010 census in east central Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China.-Administrative divisions:...

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

). Soon, Liu put Taiyuan under siege. Li Yuanji initially fought him off, but soon Liu captured Shi (石州, roughly modern Lüliang
Lüliang
Lüliang is a prefecture-level city in Shanxi province in China. It has an area of 21,000 square kilometers and a population of 3,600,000.-Administration:Lüliang has direct jurisdiction over:-External links:*...

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

) and Jie (介州, also part of modern Jinzhong) Prefectures, and soon, Liu's general Huang Ziying (黃子英) defeated and captured the Tang generals Jiang Baoyi (姜寶誼) and Li Zhongwen (李仲文), although Jiang and Li Zhongwen soon fled from Liu's camp.

Around the same time, Liu received additional support, in the form of the agrarian rebel leader Song Jin'gang (宋金剛), who was initially an adherent of Wei Dao'er (魏刀兒), until Wei was defeated and killed by 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. Song was unable to resist Dou, and fled to Liu, who, believing Song to be a capable general, created him the Prince of Song and greatly honored him, even giving Song half of his possessions as a gift. Song then divorced his wife and married Liu's sister. Song then suggested to Liu that he should first capture Bing Prefecture (并州, i.e., Taiyuan) and then further attack south to try to capture more territory, to seek to unite China.

The mounting defeats concerned Tang's Emperor Gaozu, and he sent one of his senior advisors, Pei Ji, with a sizeable army to face Liu. Pei reached Jie Prefecture in the fall and placed its capital, Jiexiu (介休), under siege, with Song defending. Song soon cut off Pei's water supply, and the Tang army began to weaken in thirst, and it was defeated by Song. After the battle, Liu again approached Taiyuan, and Li Yuanji, in panic, abandoned Taiyuan and fled back to the Tang capital Chang'an. Liu then moved his capital from Mayi to Taiyuan, and soon, Song captured Jin (晉州) and Gui (澮州, together roughly modern Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

) as well, and Pei was unable to resist. In shock, Tang's Emperor Gaozu considered entirely abandoning the Hedong (河東, i.e., modern Shanxi) region, but his 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 later Emperor Taizong) objected, offering to engage Liu. Emperor Gaozu then commissioned Li Shimin with an army and had him head toward Liu's position.

Defeat and death

Li Shimin crossed the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...

, and while he initially had problem with food supplies, he was able to persuade the people in the country to supply his army. He then refused to engage Song, trying to wear Song down. Meanwhile, however, another Tang army, commanded by Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Xiaoji (李孝基) the Prince of Yong'an, assisted by another cousin, Dugu Huai'en (獨孤懷恩) and two other officials, Yu Yun (于筠) and Tang Jian (唐儉), was attacking Liu's ally Lü Chongmao (呂崇茂), then at Xia (夏縣, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). Lü sought aid from Song, and Song sent his subordinates Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde
Yuchi Jingde , formal name Yuchi Gong but went by the courtesy name of Jingde, formally Duke Zhongwu of E , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty whose bravery later caused him to be incorporated into Chinese folk religion as a door god, along with Qin Shubao.-During Sui Dynasty:Yuchi...

 and Xun Xiang (尋相) to attack Li Xiaoji, defeating him, and capturing him, Dugu, Yu, Tang, as well as another key general, Liu Shirang (劉世讓). (Liu Xiaoji soon tried to flee and was executed by Liu Wuzhou.) When Yuchi and Xun then sought to aid another ally, Wang Xingben (王行本), a Sui general still holding out against Tang at Pufan (蒲反, in modern Yuncheng as well), but they were defeated by Li Shimin and forced to withdraw; Wang subsequently was forced to surrender in spring 620, and Emperor Gaozu executed him. Later in spring 620, Liu Wuzhou attacked Tang's Lu Prefecture (潞州, roughly modern Changzhi
Changzhi
Changzhi is a prefecture-level city in Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. It lies between the city of Huozhou in Shanxi and the city of Hebi in Henan....

, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

), and while he was initially successful, he was unable to capture its capital.

In summer 620, Li Shimin, believing Song's army to be worn out, launched a major counterattack, first defeating Xun Xiang, and then advancing quickly, engaged Song at Queshu Canyon (雀鼠谷, in modern Jinzhong), defeating Song eight times, eventually foricng Song to flee. Yuchi and Xun surrendered. Liu, hearing of Song's defeat, abandoned Taiyuan in panick and fled to Eastern Tujue. Song tried to battle Tang forces again, but could not gather his troops any more, and therefore fled to Eastern Tujue as well.

At a later date -- probably 622, as the Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...

and the New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...

both stated that Liu's campaigns lasted over a span of six calendar years -- Liu tried to flee back to Mayi to reestablish himself, against Eastern Tujue orders, and when this was discovered, he was executed.

Personal information

  • Father
    • Liu Kuang (劉匡)
  • Mother
    • Lady Zhao, Liu Kuang's wife
  • Wife
    • Empress Ju
      Empress Ju (Liu Wuzhou)
      Empress Ju was the wife and empress of Liu Wuzhou, who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty near Sui's end, taking imperial style himself....

      (created 617)
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