Yang Zhong


Yang Zhong, courtesy name Anyu, childhood name Nunu, Change of [Xianbei names to Han names#Change of Han names to Xianbei names under Yuwen Tai|Xianbei name] Puliuru Zhong, formally known as Duke of Sui, was a soldier, later general of the Northern Wei dynasty. He was the father of Yang Jian, the founder of the Sui dynasty.

Life

Yang Zhong was Yang Zhen's son, titled General of Ningyuan County. He is described as a tall handsome man with a long beard.
In 534, Dugu Xin attacked Jingzhou, and brought Yang Zhong along. After conquering Jingzhou Xin Zhuan ), Yang and Dugu Xin managed to hold it for about half a year, before fleeing to Liang after Eastern Wei counterattacked. While Emperor Wu of Liang bestowed titles upon them, both men returned to Western Wei in 537.
After the establishment of the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was appointed as a marshal and commanded more than ten generals including Yang Zuan, Li Mu, Wang Jie, Tian Hong, and Murong Yan. Later, together with the 100,000 troops of the Turkic Khanate, they attacked Jinyang, a city located in Northern Qi. In the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was named Duke of Chenliu, later changed to Duke of Sui.
After his son became emperor, he was honored with the title of Emperor Wuyuan and his legal wife and the biological mother of Yang Jian, Lady Lü was named Empress Yuanming.

Research

According to the Book of Zhou and Book of Sui, Yang Zhong was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong, but this statement is difficult to confirm.
Chen Yinke, a Chinese historian, did not agree that Yang Jian's family was born in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia. According to him, Yang Zhong was from a Han Chinese family. Judging from the intermarriage practice of families at that time, Yang Zhong may have been born in the Yang clan of Shandong.
However, scholar Wang Tongling deduced that Yang Jian's family might have Xianbei blood, or perhaps even purely Xianbei, leading to the belief that he was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong.

Family

Consort and their respective issue:
  • Empress Yuanming, of the Lü clan, personal name Kutao
  • * Princess Cheng'an, 1st daughter
  • ** married Dou Rongding of Henan, Duke of Chenyi, and had issue
  • * Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui, 1st son
  • * Yang Zheng, Prince Jing of Cai, 2nd son
  • * Yang Zan, Prince Mu of Teng, 3rd son
  • * Princess Changle, 2nd daughter
  • ** married Doulu Tong, Duke Chen of Nan, and had issues
  • *Princess Yang, 3rd daughter
  • ** married Li Licheng of Longxi, Duke Jun of Jiang
  • Lady Li
  • * Yang Song, Prince Xuan of Dao, 4th son
  • * Yang Shuang, Prince Zhao of Wei, 5th son