Liang Shidu
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Liang Shidu (梁師都) (died 3 Jun 628Emperor Taizong's biography in ''Old Book of Tang'' indicate that Liang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of the ''Zhenguan'' era of Emperor Taizong's reign; this corresponds to 28 May 628 in the Julian calendar ( 观二年四月....丙申,...夏州贼帅梁师都为其从父弟洛仁所杀,以城降。) ''Jiu Tang Shu'', vol.02. Emperor Taizong's biography in ''New Book of Tang'' and vol.192 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' both dated Liang's death to the ''renyin'' day of that month, which corresponds to 3 Jun 628 in the Julian calendar. ''Zizhi Tongjian'' also recorded that on 28 May, the Khitan chief surrendered to Tang together with his tribe, and Illig Qaghan sent an envoy to Emperor Taizong, requesting to swap Liang Shidu with the Khitans; Emperor Taizong refused (丙申,契丹酋长帅其部落来降。颉利遣使请以梁师都易契丹,上谓使者曰:“契丹与突厥异类,今来归附,何故索之!师都中国之人,盗我土地,暴我百姓,突厥受而庇之,我兴兵致讨,辄来救之,彼如鱼游釜中,何患不为我有!借使不得,亦终不以降附之民易之也。” ).) was an agrarian leader who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese
Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
near the end of the reign of
Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...
. He, claiming the title of Emperor of Liang with the aid from Eastern Turkic Khaganate retained the modern northern
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
and western
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
region for over a decade, but was gradually weakened by attacks from the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, whose founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and successor Emperor Taizong had eliminated the rival contenders for power one by one, leaving Liang isolated. In 628, with the Eastern Turks 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
clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...
of Xia Province (夏州, roughly modern Yulin,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
), and during the reign of
Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...
, 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 the Shuofang 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 (). He initially claimed the title of grand chancellor (大丞相, ''Da Chengxiang'') and entered into an alliance with Eastern Tujue. When the Sui general Zhang Shilong () 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), and Yan'an (延安, roughly modern
Yan'an Yan'an; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi Province of China, province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several c ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
). He submitted to Eastern Tujue's Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi, who created him the Dadupiqie Khan () 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 The Ordos Desert () is a desert/ steppe region in Northwest China, administered under the prefecture of Ordos City in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (centered ca. ). It extends over an area of approximately , and comprises two sub-de ...
region. Subsequently, Ashina Duojishi forged the title of Jieshi Tianzi (解事天子, i.e., "the '' Tianzi'' 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 (). In 618, with the Sui general Li Yuan having rebelled against Emperor Yang and entered the capital
Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
, declaring Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You emperor (as Emperor Gong), another rebel ruler, Xue Ju 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 Yang You yield the throne to him, establishing the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
as its Emperor Gaozu, Liang tried to attack Ling Prefecture (靈州, roughly modern
Yinchuan Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...
, Ningxia), 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 the Dingyang Khan, joined him. However, Ashina Duojishi then died at this time, and his brother Ashina Qilifu succeeded him (as Chuluo Khan), 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 (). 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 (), and Guo subsequently moved south to avoid Eastern Tujue forces.) Meanwhile, with his generals Zhang Ju () and Liu Min () 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 () 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 tribe forces and those of another rebel ruler, Dou Jiande 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 () to, with Eastern Tujue forces, attack Tang's Ling Prefecture, but was repelled by the Tang general Li Daozong.


Late reign

In spring 623, Liang Shidu's generals He Sui () and Suo Tong () 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 () 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 () defected to Tang. In 626, Emperor Gaozu's son Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, ambushed and killed his brothers Li Jiancheng the
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...
and Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, 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 (), 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 Khitan 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 () and the generals Xue Wanjun (), Liu Lancheng (), 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.


Era name

* ''Yonglong'' (永隆 yǒng lóng) 617-628


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang, Shidu Sui dynasty people Tang dynasty people Emperors of China Generals from Shaanxi Göktürks 628 deaths 7th-century monarchs in Asia People from Yulin, Shaanxi Year of birth unknown Transition from Sui to Tang Founders of Imperial Chinese dynasties