Yang Shouliang

Yang Shouliang (楊守亮) (d. 892), né Zi Liang (訾亮), was a warlord late in the Chinese Tang dynasty, who controlled Shannan West Circuit (山南西道, headquartered in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) from 887 to 892. He was initially an agrarian rebel under Wang Xianzhi, but later came to serve under the imperial eunuch general Yang Fuguang, becoming Yang Fuguang's adoptive son. He was gradually promoted in the imperial guard ranks, and was eventually made the military governor (jiedushi) of Shannan West by Emperor Xizong. After his adoptive uncle Yang Fugong broke with Emperor Xizong's brother and successor Emperor Zhaozong in 891, however, Yang Shouliang followed Yang Fugong's lead and resisted the imperial government. He was subsequently defeated by the warlord Li Maozhen the military governor of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) and executed.

Background It is not known when Zi Liang was born, but it is known that he was from Cao Prefecture (曹州, in modern Heze, Shandong). Both he and his younger brother Zi Xin became followers of the agrarian rebel Wang Xianzhi. After Wang's death in battle, they followed another agrarian rebel, Xu Tangju , in pillaging Hong (洪州, in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi) and Rao (饒州, in modern Shangrao, Jiangxi) Prefectures. When the imperial eunuch general Yang Fuguang pacified the region, he captured Zi Liang and Zi Xin and made them his adoptive sons, changing their names to Yang Shouliang and Yang Shouxin .

As imperial guard officer Yang Shouliang's activities during the subsequent years under his adoptive father Yang Fuguang were not clear. By 886, when Yang Fuguang had died and Yang Fuguang's adoptive brother Yang Fugong was the most powerful eunuch at the court of then-reigning Emperor Xizong—which was then in exile at Xingyuan (興元, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), trying to fight off the rival claim to the Tang throne by Li Yun at the imperial capital Chang'an—Yang Shouliang was serving as the commander of one of the corps of the imperial guards, the Hubi Corps ; that summer, during the campaign against Li Yun and Li Yun's chief supporter Zhu Mei the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), Emperor Xizong commissioned Yang Shouliang as the military governor of Jinshang Circuit (金商, headquartered in modern Ankang, Shaanxi) and the controller (制置使, Zhizhishi) of the capital region, with the goal of attacking north from Jinshang's capital Jin Prefecture to recapture Chang'an with the forces of the military governors Wang Chongrong the military governor of Huguo Circuit (護國, headquartered in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) (who had previously battled imperial forces but had returned their allegiance to Emperor Xizong by this point). It is unclear what progress, if any, Yang Shouliang actually made. Regardless, by spring 887, Zhu had been killed by his own subordinate Wang Xingyu; Li Yun fled to Wang Chongrong's domain and was executed by Wang Chongrong, ending his rival claim on the imperial throne. Yang Shouliang was thereafter made the military governor of Shannan West Circuit (headquartered at Xingyuan). (His adoptive brother/cousin Yang Shouzhong succeeded him at Jinshang.)

As military governor of Shannan West One of the immediate concerns that Yang Shouliang had was with one of his subordinates, Wang Jian the prefect of Li Prefecture (利州, in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan), whom Yang feared for his might in battle. Yang made several summons of Wang to report to the circuit headquarters at Xingyuan, but Wang, fearing that Yang would take actions against him, refused. Instead, Wang attacked Lang Prefecture (閬州, in modern Nanchong, Sichuan), seized it, and claimed the title of defender of Lang. He also gathered more troops and supplies around him, making it even more difficult for Yang to exercise control over him. (By 891, the imperial government had given up on the campaign, but Wang then proceeded and defeated Chen, seizing Xichuan Circuit.)

Also by 891, Emperor Zhaozong and Yang Fugong had had a falling out, as Emperor Zhaozong despised Yang Fugong for his control of the palace. Yang Fugong particularly had an enmity with Emperor Zhaozong's maternal uncle Wang Gui , and when Emperor Zhaozong wanted to make Wang Gui a military governor, Yang Fugong initially refused, causing even more tension between Yang Fugong and Wang Gui. Yang Fugong thus devised a plan to get rid of Wang Gui. He had Wang Gui made the military governor of Qiannan Circuit . As Wang Gui went through Shannan West Circuit on the way to his post, he was taking a ferry across a river at Jibo Ford (吉柏津, in modern Guangyuan, Sichuan), Yang Shouliang had the ferry scuttled, such that Wang Gui and all his family and staff members drowned. Emperor Zhaozong knew that this was Yang Fugong's idea, and his hatred for Yang Fugong intensified. He subsequently tried to make Yang Fugong the eunuch monitor of the army of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), but Yang Fugong refused, claiming that he was ill and wanted to retire. Emperor Zhaozong subsequently approved of his retirement.

In fall 892, Li Maozhen captured Xingyuan. Yang Shouliang, along with Yang Fugong, Yang Shouxin, Yang Shouzhen, Yang Shouzhong, and another follower of Yang Fugong's, Man Cun , fled to Lang Prefecture. Wang Jian then sent his officer Hua Hong to attack them at Lang, and Hua defeated them but did not dislodge them. However, in fall 894, Li Maozhen attacked them at Lang and forced them to flee again—and this time, Yang Shouliang was only described as having fled with Yang Fugong and Yang Shouxin. They tried to go through Mount Shang (商山, in modern Shangluo, Shaanxi) to flee to Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) to join Hedong's military governor Li Keyong, but when they got to Qianyuan (乾元, in modern Shangluo), they were captured by Han's troops and delivered to Han. When Yang Shouliang saw that 800 of Han's guards were formerly his soldiers, he stated to Han, "They were among those whom I treated well. None of them was willing to die for me. For you, Lord, to keep them around merely wastes your textiles and food. It is better to kill them." Han agreed. Yang Shouliang then asked to get a chance to plead his case with Emperor Zhaozong, and Han delivered him, Yang Fugong, and Yang Shouxin to Chang'an. However, when Emperor Zhaozong interrogated Yang Shouliang, he could not say anything. Emperor Zhaozong then had them executed.

Notes and references

New Book of Tang, vol. 186. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 256, 257, 258, 259.