If the thirty-year history of the Sui Dynasty were made into a TV series, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian would be the undoubted male lead, and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty Yang Guang would be the second male lead. Of the two of them, one created a powerful and glorious Sui Empire; the other pushed the powerful Sui Empire into the abyss of destruction. The father and son formed an important part of the Sui Dynasty's thirty-plus years of history.
However, don't forget that there is another figure that cannot be avoided about the Sui Dynasty. That person is the father of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian - Taizu Yang Zhong of the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian relied on the foundation laid by his father Yang Zhong. Without Yang Zhong, Yang Jian's establishment of the Sui Dynasty and everything that followed would have been impossible to talk about. Therefore, to trace the origins, the story of the Sui Dynasty must start with Yang Zhong.
Wuchuan Town (now Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia) is located at the northern foot of Daqing Mountain. It is one of the six northern towns established by the Northern Wei Dynasty in order to protect the capital and prevent Rouran invasion from the Yinshan Mountains. Here, Xianbei people, Han people, Huns and other ethnic groups live together. The sky is vast, the fields are vast, the water and grass are abundant, the cattle and sheep are in droves, and it is a scene of scenery beyond the Great Wall. Yang Zhong was born in this border town.
There is another saying that many historical books record that Yang Zhong was born in the Hongnong Yang family of the Guanzhong gentry clan and was the thirteenth grandson of Yang Zhen, the Taiwei of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In fact, this statement is purely a fallacy. Born in the Yang family of Hongnong (now Huayin County, Shaanxi Province), he completely exaggerated his worth.
There are two reasons. First, Yang Zhong himself has the same name as Yang Zhen's great-grandfather, and his grandsons Yang Guang and Yang Jun have the same names as Yang Zhen's ninth and seventh grandsons respectively. Aristocratic families have strict rules on naming, and names that have been used will not be used again. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the ancestors.
Second, aristocratic families usually use marriage to consolidate their family status. Generally speaking, children of wealthy families marry wives who are also daughters of wealthy families. Yang Zhong's wife, Lu Kutao, came from a poor family and was unknown. If Yang Zhong was born in the Yang family of Hongnong, he would definitely not marry a commoner like Lu Kutao.
So why is it said that Yang Zhong was born in the Hongnong Yang family? The reason is very simple, political needs!
After the Western Wei was defeated in the Battle of Mangshan between the Eastern and Western Wei, Yuwentai established the Fubing System and asked his generals to change their place of origin to Guanzhong. Some Han generals who came from poor families took this opportunity to change their family backgrounds into high-ranking families in the Guanlong area.
In the Guanlong area, among the aristocratic families with the surname "Yang", the most famous one is the Hongnong Yang family. As a result, Yang Zhong suddenly changed his identity and became a descendant of the Yang family in Hongnong.
Yang Zhong was being polite. Looking at Li Hu, the grandfather of Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he directly transformed himself into a descendant of the Li family in Longxi and the founder of Taoism, Li Er. This is the level of recognition of ancestors, and it is very powerful.
In fact, the ancestor of the Yang Zhong family can be traced back to Yang Xuan, the prefect of Beiping (today's Beijing) during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His son Yang Yuanshou was appointed Sima of Wuchuan Town in the early years of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Since then, the Yang family has lived in Wuchuan for generations. Town, it is already the fifth generation to Yangzhong. From this point of view, Yang Zhong can be considered a native of Wuchuan.
Throughout the family history of the Yang family, Yang Zhong's great ancestor Yang Yuanshou was the Sima of Wuchuan Town in the Northern Wei Dynasty, his great-grandfather Yang Huigu was the prefect of Taiyuan in the Northern Wei Dynasty, his grandfather Yang Lie was the general of Longxiang and the prefect of Pingyuan (now Dezhou City, Shandong Province) in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and his father Yang Zhen It was General Jianyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty. For generations, the descendants were either local officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty or middle- and low-level generals in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Based on this speculation, Yang Zhong's life trajectory is clear at a glance. He inherited the mantle of his father's generation, served as a local official in the Northern Wei Dynasty, or became a mid-level and low-level general in the army, married a wife, and had children. His whole life passed by in such an ordinary way.
However, fate played a big joke on Yang Zhong. A "Six Towns Uprising" changed the fate of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Yang family. Of course, it also completely changed Yang Zhong's life.
As mentioned before, the Northern Wei Dynasty established six military towns north of Yinshan Mountain in order to defend the capital and prevent Rouran invasion: Huaihuang Town (now Zhangbei County, Hebei Province), Rouxuan Town (now Xinghe County, Inner Mongolia and Hebei Province) At the junction of Shangyi County), Fuming Town (now Sizizi Banner, Inner Mongolia), Huaishuo Town (now Chengkulun Village, Bailingnao Township, Guyang County, Inner Mongolia), Woye Town (now Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia) and Wuchuan Town. At that time, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty was in Pingcheng (today's Datong, Shanxi), close to the grassland and very close to the border. In other words, Pingcheng is very vulnerable to Rouran's threat.
The soldiers in the six military towns shoulder the important task of protecting their homes and the country, and they must have reliable people to take on the responsibility. Therefore, most of the soldiers were Xianbei nobles, and there were also some powerful Han people. They have noble status, bright future, and play a decisive role in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The good times did not last long. With Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization reforms, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved from Pingcheng to Luoyang, away from the grasslands, away from the border, and away from the threat of Rouran. As a result, the political status of the six towns in the north plummeted. The officers and soldiers of the six towns were far away from the core political area. Not only did they have nothing to do with their promotion and wealth, they were also ostracized by the central court.
With the relocation of the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Six Towns were no longer important military towns that defended the capital, but became less important border towns. No Xianbei nobles were willing to go to the Six Towns anymore. But we still have to guard the border! It's okay, since no Xianbei nobles are willing to go, but there are still many affiliated tribes, prisoners, and Han people in the Northern Wei Dynasty. All of these people were dragged by the Northern Wei Dynasty to the six towns to guard the border!
What was once the gilded base of the Xianbei nobility has turned into a place of exile. Who can bear it? As the days passed, the conflicts between the six northern towns and the central court of the Northern Wei Dynasty became more and more serious, and the citizens of the six towns became more and more angry.
Just like a volcano will erupt when the pressure is too high, people will also erupt when their dissatisfaction accumulates too much. Finally, in the fourth year of Zhengguang (AD 523), the powder keg of Six Towns exploded. The person who lit this powder keg was called Yu Jing, and his identity was the general of Huaihuang Town.
Due to Rouran's invasion, there is a food shortage in Huaihuang Town. The townspeople of Huaihuang Town asked the town to open a warehouse in Jingjing to store grain. But this Yu Jing was born into a wealthy family and was a son of a powerful man. He was used to living in fine clothes and fine food. How could he care about the lives of the lower-class townspeople? Regarding the reasonable demands of the townspeople, Yu Jing just used the excuse that "no warehouses are allowed to be opened to release grain without the permission of the court" to dismiss them.
This time, the townspeople quit. The angry townspeople rushed into Yu Jing's home, killed Yu Jing's family, distributed the grain, and then armed themselves with swords and guns to rebel.
Following Huaihuang Town, the residents of Woye Town quickly rose up in rebellion against Liuhan Ba Ling. He gathered a crowd and killed the town general, occupied Woye Town, and changed his name to "True King". He issued a call to the soldiers and civilians in other military towns to unite and resist the tyranny of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The townspeople who had long been dissatisfied with the Northern Wei Dynasty heard the call issued by Po Liuhan Baling, and gathered under the command of Po Liuhan Baling from all directions, causing a rebellion against the Northern Wei Dynasty. The rebel army was like a spark that started a prairie fire, growing in size and numbering between 20 and 300,000 people.
After having enough troops, Po Liuhan Baling began to attack other military towns. He sent his general Wei Kegu to lead troops to attack Huaishuo Town and Wuchuan Town, while he led more than 200,000 main troops southward.
Facing the overwhelming number of people and the overwhelming momentum of Wei Kegu, Yang Jun, the general of Huaishuo Town, felt that he was weak and weak, so he sent the military commander of Wuchuan Town, He Baduba, who was highly skilled in martial arts and extremely brave, and his three sons, He Baduba, into the army. Bayun, He Basheng, and He Bayue were seconded to his subordinates and appointed as commanders and commanders of the army to help him resist the rebel army.
He Baduba was brave and good at fighting, and his three sons were even more proficient in horseback riding and courageous. The four father and son were the most dazzling stars in Wuchuan Town.
The eldest son, He Bayun, was highly skilled in martial arts and quite courageous. However, compared to his two younger brothers, He Bayun is still slightly inferior in terms of ability and popularity in history.
The second son, He Basheng, was extremely brave and had courage that no man could match. In particular, his archery skills are unparalleled in the world. Not only can he pierce a poplar with a hundred steps, but he can also shoot left and right while riding a horse, hitting the target with perfect accuracy.
The third son, He Bayue, was not only as brave as the second brother He Basheng, he was able to shoot the bow on horseback and left and right. He also went to Imperial College and was rich in strategy. He could be said to be versatile in both civil and military affairs, as well as wisdom and courage.
Yang Jun believed that with the help of He Baduba and his son, it would not be difficult to defend Huaishuo Town, wait for the arrival of the army from the Northern Wei Dynasty, and defeat Wei Kegu.
What a pity, what a pity, Yang Jun is blindly optimistic!
The four father and son relied on their bravery to resist the rebel army under Wei Kegu for a period of time. But bravery alone is not enough in front of the rebel army with strong numbers and high morale.
Not long after, Wuchuan and Huaishuo towns fell one after another. Yang Jun died in the battle. He Batuba and his two sons, He Bayun and He Bayue, were also captured by Wei Kegu. He Basheng was sent to He went to Shuozhou (now Helinger, Inner Mongolia) to seek help and avoided being captured.
Since He Baduba and his son were very famous in Wuchuan Town, Wei Kegu did not kill them, but let the three of them go back to Wuchuan Town to win people's hearts.
Cut the grass without eradicating its roots, but it will grow again when the spring breeze blows. Wei Kegu's behavior can be described as a woman's kindness. He didn't know that he had pushed himself into the abyss of death.
After Wei Kegu captured Huaishuo and Wuchuan, he became complacent and became negligent about his own safety. Taking advantage of this opportunity, He Baduba and his son joined forces with Yuwen Gong and his son, Dugu Xin and other powerful men from Wuchuan Town to attack and kill Wei Kegu.
Although Wei Kegu was attacked and killed, the powerful people in Wuchuan Town also suffered losses. Yu Wenhuo's eldest son Yu Wenhao died in the battle because of rescuing Yu Wenhu.
If there is a war, there will definitely be death, and the loss of Wuchuan Town's powerful people is certain. However, the strength of a military town alone dared to attack and kill the leader of the rebel army, and it was successful. This is enough to show the powerful fighting power of Wuchuan Town.
Yes, look at these representative figures, He Basheng, He Batayue, Yang Zhong, Li Hu, Duguxin, Yuwentai (Yu Wenhu’s fourth son, who was still underage at this time, was following behind his father and brother) )...these thunderous names occupied a decisive position in the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. With these heroes in Wuchuan Town, it would be strange if the fighting power is not strong!
Wuchuan Town, Wuchuan Town, is really a great place with outstanding people!
Without the restraint of the commander-in-chief Wei Kegu, the Tiele people in the rebel army under his command took advantage of the chaos to rebel and fought with the powerful people of Wuchuan Town. During the battle, the powerful men were defeated by the Tiele people and were beaten and fled in all directions. Even Heba Duba unfortunately died on the battlefield.
After escaping from Wuchuan Town, the two brothers He Bayun and He Bayue fled to Hengzhou (today's Datong, Shanxi Province), while some powerful men, led by Yu Wenhu and Duguxin, fled to Zhongshan County, Hebei Province (today's Dingzhou, Hebei Province). City) to escape the war.
So what role did the Yang Zhong family play in this battle to attack and kill Wei Kegu?
When the Six Towns Uprising broke out, the person in charge of the Yang family was Yang Zhong's father Yang Zhen, who was General Jianyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty. His choice was the same as that of most powerful men in Wuchuan Town. He stood firmly on the side of the Northern Wei Dynasty and fought against Wei Kegu. After the powerful people escaped from Wuchuan Town, Yang Zhen led the Yang family and fled to Zhongshan with Yu Wenhu, Dugu Xin and others to avoid disaster.
Let’s talk about the Northern Wei Dynasty.
At that time, the people in charge of the Northern Wei Dynasty were Shizhong Yuancha and eunuch Liu Teng. Emperor Xiaoming Yuanxu, who was only 13 years old, was ignored by them and became a puppet emperor in name only. Of the two of them, one was corrupt, violated the law, and committed all kinds of evil; the other was greedy, asking for and accepting bribes. People of this type all have one characteristic in common: they are greedy for life and afraid of death.
After hearing the news of the uprising in the six towns, the Northern Wei Dynasty headed by the two of them did not dare to neglect, and immediately appointed Wang Yuanyu of Linhuai as the governor of the Northern Wei Dynasty to lead the army to suppress the uprising army in the six towns. His opponent is Po Liuhan Baling.
Yuan Yu has a handsome appearance and profound knowledge. He can be said to have both talent and appearance. If you ask him to engage in academic creation, he will definitely be a good hand. But if you ask him to lead troops to fight, isn't that ridiculous!
Moreover, his opponent is still the ruthless man Po Liuhan Baling. Yuan Yu VS Po Liuhan Baling is completely incomparable. In addition, the Six Towns Rebel Army under the command of Baling, who broke the Six Han Dynasty, had been in the border fortress for many years. They were brave and fierce. Their combat power was by no means comparable to that of the Northern Wei government army, which was addicted to the prosperity of the Central Plains.
The result can be imagined, Yuan Yu was defeated by Po Liu Han's Baling.
News of Yuan Yu's defeat reached Luoyang, and the Northern Wei court realized the seriousness of the matter. After discussion, Li Chong, the minister of state, was appointed to succeed Yuan Yu and serve as the governor of the northern expedition. General Qu Xian of the Fu Army and General Guangyang Wang Yuanyuan of the Zhen Army were appointed as deputy generals to continue to lead the army to defeat the Liuhan Baling.
Although Li Chong was once a famous general who had experienced hundreds of battles, he was already in his seventies at the time. It is really embarrassing for the old man to let him lead the army to fight on the battlefield. Although Li Chong was deeply unwilling, he still accepted the appointment and led his army to the expedition.
After leading his army on the expedition, Li Chong was very careful, always avoiding the enemy's sharp edges, and never underestimated the enemy's aggressive advance. There is no doubt that this is a very correct decision. But Lieutenant General Qu Siam was not happy. He thought it was because Li Chong was old, timid and afraid of fighting, and did not dare to fight against the rebels in the six towns.
A brain is a good thing, but it's a pity that Qu Siam doesn't have one. He did not listen to Li Chong's command and led his army to go deep alone. By some coincidence, he collided with Poliuhan Baling at Baidao (now Daqingshan, Inner Mongolia) and was completely annihilated.
Although Qu Xian was not good at fighting, his ability at escaping was still first-rate, and he actually escaped alone.
As the saying goes, you can run for a while, but you can't run for a lifetime. Qu Xian was able to escape from the hands of Po Liuhan Baling, but he could not escape from the hands of Emperor Xiaoming Yuanxu. Soon, Yuan Xu ordered Tingwei to arrest Qu Siam and punish him for disobeying orders and escaping from battle.
After this battle, the morale of the Northern Wei army dropped sharply, and Li Chong had to lead his army to retreat to Yunzhong (today's Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia), relying on the city to deal with the rebels.
