Chapter Nineteen: The Rebellion of Xuangan

When the siege of Liaodong City reached its most critical moment, a hastily dispatched memorial arrived from Liyang, ten miles away. It was intelligence from the Censorate’s informants: Yang Xuangan, who had been in charge of transporting grain at Liyang, had delayed the supplies and raised troops in rebellion.

Yang Guang set aside the memorial and gazed at the main battlefield of Liaodong, not far away. The assault on the city had reached a decisive juncture. The defensive lines atop the walls changed hands again and again; the Sui soldiers had barely seized the battlements, with no time to plant their banners, before the Goguryeo army surged forth and drove them off.

This campaign against Goguryeo was, above all, meant to avenge past humiliations. On the other hand, it was intended to provoke the remnants of the Northern Qi in Shandong into open opposition—thus giving Yang Guang a pretext for a sweeping purge. He could then deploy the southern gentry, whom he had cultivated for years, to fill the void in Shandong. Finally, with the third expedition, he would rid the court of the entrenched aristocrats from Guanlong. Thus, whether the conquest of Goguryeo succeeded or failed was of little consequence; what he sought was to use the clash with Goguryeo to flush out instability within the empire.

What he had not expected was that the first to rise up would be Yang Xuangan of the Hongnong Yang clan. This man, son of the Grand Tutor Yang Su, had inherited the title of Duke of Chu—a family that Yang Guang had long planned to partially eliminate. Yang Guang shook his head. Rebellions in Shandong had already been suppressed for the most part: Wang Bo, who styled himself “the Sage,” was now a fugitive; Dou Jiande was besieged at Gaojipo; Gao Shida had consistently avoided battle, and the Sui main force had yet to capture him—once caught, it would be a matter of days to break his resistance.

Yang Xuangan had been appointed by Yang Guang to oversee grain transport at Liyang, responsible for supplying the Liaodong front. News of uprisings in Shandong soon reached Liyang, and the city itself grew increasingly restive, with murmurs of discontent. By day, Yang Xuangan supervised the transport of provisions; he also made rounds inspecting various locales. Civilian conscription for labor had left many fields untilled.

Comparing this to rumors from Shandong, Yang Xuangan sensed the parallels—momentous events were at hand. He secretly sent for his confidant Li Mi from Chang’an, withheld grain meant for Liaodong, detained officials sent to hasten the deliveries, and began mustering troops outside Liyang in secret.

Li Mi, upon alighting from his carriage, went directly to Yang Xuangan’s residence. Yang Xuangan said, “Yang Guang shows no concern for the people. His repeated conscription for the Goguryeo campaigns has left the populace destitute. I intend to undertake a great cause, to restore clear skies for the people. I beg you to lend me your strength.”

Li Mi clasped his hands in salute. “If the Duke of Chu wishes to claim the realm, I shall follow the example of Master Kongming and offer three strategies: superior, moderate, and inferior.”

Yang Xuangan was intrigued. “Pray, what is the superior strategy?”

Li Mi, unreserved, walked to the large map of the Sui hanging in the room, pointed to the Shandong prefectures, and said, “The superior plan is to raise a swift and unexpected force, launch a surprise attack on Zhuo Prefecture, and seize the supply lines of the Liaodong army. Then, advance to guard Linyu Pass. With the main army outside the pass deprived of provisions and beset by Goguryeo watching hungrily, they will not be a threat. Within half a month, their morale will crumble. Even if Yang Guang possesses extraordinary talents, he cannot command a shattered army to seize Linyu Pass.”

Yang Xuangan studied the map. “And the moderate plan?”

“The moderate plan is to follow the precedent of Emperor Wen, rely on the Guanlong aristocracy, occupy the Guanzhong region, and gradually contend for the realm. Emperor Yang believes he acts with secrecy, seeking to use Goguryeo to purge the Northern Qi remnants and Guanlong nobles. At a time of national crisis, the Guanlong nobles dare not defy him—let alone the Shandong clans. Even now, the aristocrats of Guanlong are full of grievances. If you, like Emperor Wen, promise them a share of power, they will surely support you. Their resources are sufficient to sustain another million troops.” Seeing Yang Xuangan silent, Li Mi laid out the moderate plan.

Yet, after finishing, he felt a chill—Yang Xuangan showed no interest, instead asking, “And what of the inferior plan?”

Li Mi replied, “The inferior plan is to attack Luoyang, seize the families of the officials and the emperor as hostages, and compel them to recognize your rule.”

Yang Xuangan laughed, clapping his hands. “You are mistaken, sir. Hearing your three strategies, I find the inferior plan to be the superior one. Now, with the officials accompanying Yang Guang on campaign in Liaodong, separated from Luoyang by a thousand miles, their families remain in the capital, as does the emperor’s own kin. If I raise the banner against Sui, but pass by the capital without seizing it, entering only Guanlong, how can I convince the world?”

Li Mi said no more. He knew Yang Xuangan’s uprising would end in failure, but Grand Tutor Yang Su had shown him kindness—he could not abandon Yang Xuangan now. Besides, the so-called inferior plan was only less likely to succeed; it was not a dead end.

Seeing that Yang Xuangan had made up his mind, Li Mi took his leave and went to the encampment, busying himself with distributing armor to the soldiers, arranging supplies, drilling troops, and enforcing discipline. He refrained from meddling in other affairs, which greatly reassured Yang Xuangan, who withdrew the agents he had placed to watch Li Mi.

Yang Xuangan had resolved to rebel. He summoned his amassed troops overnight, took control of Liyang, and, at Li Mi’s suggestion the following day, gathered the city’s people and declared, “As a Pillar of the State, inheritor of the Duke of Chu, and a man of immense wealth with tens of thousands in gold, I have reached the heights of prosperity and honor—what more could I seek? Now, I disregard the ruin of my house and clan only to rescue the suffering masses, to save the people enslaved by a tyrant.”

With Li Mi’s embellishments, the citizens of the city were inflamed. Yang Xuangan promptly established recruitment points, quickly raising tens of thousands, and marched toward the Eastern Capital, Luoyang. Remembering the camaraderie of former colleagues, he sent a letter to Fan Zigai, the capital’s governor, condemning Yang Guang for neglecting the people, forcibly conscripting for the Goguryeo war, rendering the populace homeless, leaving fields barren for a thousand miles and corpses everywhere. Now, Yang Xuangan risked his house and clan for the sake of the people, urging Fan Zigai to consider the welfare of Luoyang’s citizens, surrender early, and spare them further suffering.

The letter reached Fan Zigai, who read it and laughed heartily. “This man was dull as a child. I once discussed him with Lord Yang, who insisted he was not stupid, but misunderstood by others. I say he truly is dull—he expects me to surrender the city to him? Ridiculous.”

At that moment, Yang Guang’s edict arrived. He told Fan Zigai that he was leading his army back, and ordered all troops in the empire to defend the capital. Over a hundred thousand had already responded, and the rebels were nothing to worry about.

Yang Guang waited another day at Liaodong, still unable to take the city, and hearing that Yang Xuangan was advancing on Luoyang, he grew anxious for his grandson Yang You. He ordered his generals to withdraw, turning the army back to rescue the Eastern Capital.