Yu Liang
Encyclopedia
Yu Liang (289–340), courtesy name Yuangui (元規), formally Marquess Wenkang of Duting (都亭文康侯), was a Jin Dynasty (265-420)
official and general who impressed many with his knowledge but whose inability to tolerate dissent and overly high evaluation of his own abilities led to the disastrous revolt of Su Jun
, weakening Jin's military capability for years.
. When he was just 15, he was invited by Emperor Huai
's regent
Sima Yue
the Prince of Donghai to be on his staff, but he declined, instead staying in Kuaiji Commandery (會稽, roughly modern Shaoxing
, Zhejiang
) with his father Yu Chen (庾琛), the governor of Kuaiji.
After Sima Rui
the Prince of Langye was posted to Jianye
as the military commander of the area south of the Yangtze in 307, he invited Yu Liang to serve on his staff, and during that time, he became impressed by Yu's abilities and solemn attitude, and he took Yu Liang's sister Yu Wenjun
to be his son Sima Shao
's wife. It was while in Sima Rui's service that Yu was created the Marquess of Duting. Later, after Sima Rui claimed imperial title after Emperor Min
's death in 318 (as Emperor Yuan), Yu, along with Wen Jiao
, were friends and key advisors of Sima Shao, who became crown prince
. After Emperor Yuan's death and succession by Crown Prince Shao (as Emperor Ming), Yu continued to be a key advisor, and was heavily involved in his planning against and subsequent defeat of the warlord Wang Dun
's forces in 324. Yu declined all monetary awards and the title of the Duke of Yongchang, however.
, by Yu Liang's sister Empress Yu, to a number of high level officials, including Yu, Sima Yang (司馬羕) the Prince of Xiyang, Wang Dao
, Bian Kun (卞壼), Chi Jian (郗鑒), Lu Ye (陸瞱), and Wen Jiao. Initially, after he died later that year and was succeeded by Crown Prince Yan (as Emperor Cheng), the officials were in charge together, but as Empress Dowager Yu became regent, Yu Liang became effectively the most powerful official in the administration. He changed from the lenient policies of Wang (who was prime minister during Emperor Ming's reign) to stricter applications of laws and regulations, which offended the officials accustomed to Wang's lenience. Further, he became apprehensive of the generals Tao Kan
and Zu Yue (祖約) -- neither of whom was mentioned in the list of honors and promotions announced by Emperor Ming's will and believed that Yu had erased their names from the will -- and Su Jun, who had allowed many criminals to join his army. In 326, he alienated public opinion by falsely accusing Sima Yang's brother Sima Zong (司馬宗) the Prince of Nandun of treason and killing him and deposing Sima Yang.
In 327, apprehensive of Su's ambitions, Yu became intent on stripping him of his military command, and he promoted Su to the post of minister of agriculture in order ot do so. Su refused and rebelled, in alliance with Zu. Yu, initially believing that he could defeat Su easily, declined assistance from provincial officials, including Wen's Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi
) forces, but instead Su quickly descended on the capital Jiankang
(name changed from Jianye due to naming taboo
of Emperor Min's name) and captured it in early 328, taking Emperor Cheng and Empress Dowager Yu and forcing Yu Liang to flee to Wen.
Yu and Wen quickly prepared their forces for a counterattack against Su. They invited Tao to join them, and Tao, initially refusing because of his residual anger against Yu, eventually accepted, but as Tao's forces were about to arrive, a rumor spread that Tao was going to kill Yu. Yu, hearing the rumor, decided to greet Tao and prostrate himself, apologizing for his errors. Tao's anger dissipated, and they joined forces, killing Su in battle in late 328 and defeating the remnants of his forces in early 329.
). After Tao's death in 334, Yu succeeded him as the governor of Jing (荊州, modern Hubei
and Hunan
), posted to Wuchang (武昌, modern Ezhou
, Hubei
), Yu, and Jiang Provinces and the military commander of the western provinces. Even though he was not in control of the government, but he continued to have great influence from his post as the emperor's uncle.
In 338, angry at what he saw as Wang's overly lenient attitude and not sufficiently grooming Emperor Cheng to rule, Yu tried to convince Chi to join him in an effort to depose Wang, but Chi refused, and Yu never carried out his plans. Instead, in 339, he planned a major attack north against Later Zhao
. After opposing from Chi and Cai Mo (蔡謨), however, Emperor Cheng ordered Yu to stop his plans. After Wang died later that year, however, the government became in control of Wang's assistant He Chong (何充) and Yu Liang's brother Yu Bing (庾冰), and Yu Liang resumed his battle preparations. This drew a response from Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu
, who attacked several major cities and bases on the Jin/Zhao border, inflicting heavy losses and capturing Zhucheng (邾城, in modern Huanggang
, Hubei
) before withdrawing. Yu, humiliated, offered to have himself demoted, and while Emperor Cheng refused, he became distressed and died on lunar new year
day in 340.
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
official and general who impressed many with his knowledge but whose inability to tolerate dissent and overly high evaluation of his own abilities led to the disastrous revolt of Su Jun
Su Jun
Su Jun was a Jin Dynasty general, whose rebellion against Emperor Cheng's regent Yu Liang was initially successful, allowing him to take over the imperial government, but he was eventually defeated by Tao Kan and Wen Jiao's forces and killed in battle...
, weakening Jin's military capability for years.
Early career
When Yu Liang was young, he was known for his skills in rhetoric and knowledge in the Taoist philosophies of Lao Tsu and ZhuangziZhuangzi
Zhuangzi was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, a period corresponding to the philosophical summit of Chinese thought — the Hundred Schools of Thought, and is credited with writing—in part or in whole—a work known by his name,...
. When he was just 15, he was invited by Emperor Huai
Emperor Huai of Jin
Emperor Huai of Jin, sim. ch. 晋怀帝, trad. ch. 晉懷帝, py. Jìn Huáidì, wg. Chin Huai-ti , personal name Sima Chi , courtesy name Fengdu , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty ....
's regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
Sima Yue
Sima Yue
Sima Yue , courtesy name Yuanchao , formally Prince Xiaoxian of Donghai , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince and regent for Emperor Hui and Emperor Huai...
the Prince of Donghai to be on his staff, but he declined, instead staying in Kuaiji Commandery (會稽, roughly modern Shaoxing
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
) with his father Yu Chen (庾琛), the governor of Kuaiji.
After Sima Rui
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
the Prince of Langye was posted to Jianye
Jianye
Jianye may refer to:*Jianye District, in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China*Jiankang, also known as Jianye, ancient city in China*Henan Jianye, Chinese football club...
as the military commander of the area south of the Yangtze in 307, he invited Yu Liang to serve on his staff, and during that time, he became impressed by Yu's abilities and solemn attitude, and he took Yu Liang's sister Yu Wenjun
Empress Yu Wenjun
Empress Yu Wenjun , formally Empress Mingmu was an empress of Jin Dynasty...
to be his son Sima Shao
Emperor Ming of Jin
Emperor Ming of Jin , personal name Sima Shao , courtesy name Daoji , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
's wife. It was while in Sima Rui's service that Yu was created the Marquess of Duting. Later, after Sima Rui claimed imperial title after Emperor Min
Emperor Min of Jin
Emperor Min of Jin, Simplified Chinese character 晋愍帝, Traditional Chinese character 晉愍帝, Pinyin. Jìn Mǐndì, Wade-Giles Chin Min-ti , personal name Sima Ye , courtesy name Yanqi , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the last of the Western Jin Dynasty.Emperor Min surrendered in 316 to Liu Yao, a...
's death in 318 (as Emperor Yuan), Yu, along with Wen Jiao
Wen Jiao
Wen Jiao , courtesy name Taizhen , formally Duke Zhongwu of Shi'an , was a renowned Jin Dynasty general and governor.-Family:...
, were friends and key advisors of Sima Shao, who became crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
. After Emperor Yuan's death and succession by Crown Prince Shao (as Emperor Ming), Yu continued to be a key advisor, and was heavily involved in his planning against and subsequent defeat of the warlord Wang Dun
Wang Dun
Wang Dun , courtesy name Chuzhong , was a Jin Dynasty general and later warlord.Having brought Emperor Yuan to submission with his military force, Wang Dun had paramount authorities. However, although he later appeared to intend to seize the Jin throne by force, he grew ill in 324...
's forces in 324. Yu declined all monetary awards and the title of the Duke of Yongchang, however.
The Su Jun Disturbance
As Emperor Ming neared death in 325, he entrusted his four-year-old son Crown Prince YanEmperor Cheng of Jin
Emperor Cheng of Jin , personal name Sima Yan , courtesy name Shigen , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . He was the eldest son of Emperor Ming and became the crown prince on April 1, 325...
, by Yu Liang's sister Empress Yu, to a number of high level officials, including Yu, Sima Yang (司馬羕) the Prince of Xiyang, Wang Dao
Wang Dao
Wang Dao , courtesy name Maohong , formally Duke Wenxian of Shixing , was a Jin Dynasty statesman who served important roles in the administrations of Emperor Yuan, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Cheng, including as Emperor Cheng's regent...
, Bian Kun (卞壼), Chi Jian (郗鑒), Lu Ye (陸瞱), and Wen Jiao. Initially, after he died later that year and was succeeded by Crown Prince Yan (as Emperor Cheng), the officials were in charge together, but as Empress Dowager Yu became regent, Yu Liang became effectively the most powerful official in the administration. He changed from the lenient policies of Wang (who was prime minister during Emperor Ming's reign) to stricter applications of laws and regulations, which offended the officials accustomed to Wang's lenience. Further, he became apprehensive of the generals Tao Kan
Tao Kan
Tao Kan , courtesy name Shixing , formally Duke Huan of Changsha , was a renowned Jin Dynasty general and governor. He was the great-grandfather of the Jin Dynasty poet Tao Yuanming.- Early career :...
and Zu Yue (祖約) -- neither of whom was mentioned in the list of honors and promotions announced by Emperor Ming's will and believed that Yu had erased their names from the will -- and Su Jun, who had allowed many criminals to join his army. In 326, he alienated public opinion by falsely accusing Sima Yang's brother Sima Zong (司馬宗) the Prince of Nandun of treason and killing him and deposing Sima Yang.
In 327, apprehensive of Su's ambitions, Yu became intent on stripping him of his military command, and he promoted Su to the post of minister of agriculture in order ot do so. Su refused and rebelled, in alliance with Zu. Yu, initially believing that he could defeat Su easily, declined assistance from provincial officials, including Wen's Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
) forces, but instead Su quickly descended on the capital Jiankang
Jiankang
Jiankang was the capital city of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern Dynasties. Its walls are extant ruins in the modern municipal region of Nanjing.-History:...
(name changed from Jianye due to naming taboo
Naming taboo
Naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons in China and neighboring nations in the ancient Chinese cultural sphere.-Kinds of naming taboo:...
of Emperor Min's name) and captured it in early 328, taking Emperor Cheng and Empress Dowager Yu and forcing Yu Liang to flee to Wen.
Yu and Wen quickly prepared their forces for a counterattack against Su. They invited Tao to join them, and Tao, initially refusing because of his residual anger against Yu, eventually accepted, but as Tao's forces were about to arrive, a rumor spread that Tao was going to kill Yu. Yu, hearing the rumor, decided to greet Tao and prostrate himself, apologizing for his errors. Tao's anger dissipated, and they joined forces, killing Su in battle in late 328 and defeating the remnants of his forces in early 329.
After Su Jun's defeat
Initially, Su tendered many resignations to the emperor, his nephew. Wang Dao, as regent, turned those resignations down in the emperor's name and but instead commissioned Su as the governor of Yu Province (豫州, by that point referring to modern central AnhuiAnhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). After Tao's death in 334, Yu succeeded him as the governor of Jing (荊州, modern Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
), posted to Wuchang (武昌, modern Ezhou
Ezhou
-Geography and climate:Ezhou is located in southeastern Hubei province, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River east of Wuchang , and across the river from the city of Huanggang, to which it is connected by the Ehuang Bridge...
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
), Yu, and Jiang Provinces and the military commander of the western provinces. Even though he was not in control of the government, but he continued to have great influence from his post as the emperor's uncle.
In 338, angry at what he saw as Wang's overly lenient attitude and not sufficiently grooming Emperor Cheng to rule, Yu tried to convince Chi to join him in an effort to depose Wang, but Chi refused, and Yu never carried out his plans. Instead, in 339, he planned a major attack north against Later Zhao
Later Zhao
The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...
. After opposing from Chi and Cai Mo (蔡謨), however, Emperor Cheng ordered Yu to stop his plans. After Wang died later that year, however, the government became in control of Wang's assistant He Chong (何充) and Yu Liang's brother Yu Bing (庾冰), and Yu Liang resumed his battle preparations. This drew a response from Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu
Shi Hu
Shi Hu , courtesy name Jilong , formally Emperor Wu of Zhao , was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
, who attacked several major cities and bases on the Jin/Zhao border, inflicting heavy losses and capturing Zhucheng (邾城, in modern Huanggang
Huanggang, Hubei
Huanggang City is a major municipality in eastern Hubei Province, China. It is situated to the north of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is bounded in the north by the Dabie Shan mountain range....
, Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
) before withdrawing. Yu, humiliated, offered to have himself demoted, and while Emperor Cheng refused, he became distressed and died on lunar new year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
day in 340.