Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty: His Life, Times, and Legacy

Chronology of Sui Yangdi (569–618)

Chronology of Sui Yangdi (569–618) Year Age* Events 569 Born as Yang Guang. 580† 11 Enfeoffed as commandery duke of Yanmen. 580 11 Posted to Bingzhou near Taiyuan, Shanxi. 581 12 Second month: Sui founded. Yang Yong appointed crown prince. Yangdi enfeoffed as prince of Jin; appointed commander of Bingzhou Area Command. * * * Received the title pillar of state.‡ 582 13 Promoted to superior pillar of state and president of the Branch Department of State of Hebei Circuit while residing in Bingzhou. 585 16 Eleventh month: Visited the court in Daxingcheng (Xi’an, Shaanxi). 586 17 Intercalary eighth month: Visited the court in Daxingcheng. Tenth month: Appointed concurrently governor of Yongzhou (seat: Xi’an, Shaanxi). 587 18 Fourth month: Wendi visited Yangdi’s mansion in Daxingcheng[?]. Ninth month: Annexation of Later Liang by Sui. 588 19 Tenth month: Appointed president of the Branch Department of State of Huainan Circuit and field marshal of the Southern expedition army with the power of commander-in-chief; the Southern expedition launched. 589 20 First month: Entered Jiankang (Nanjing) as conqueror of Chen. Second month: Chen resistance crushed. Fourth month: Returned in triumph to Daxingcheng and promoted defender-in-chief (taiwei). * * * 253 Year Age* Events Returned to Bingzhou as its area commander. 590 21 Eleventh month: Popular rebellion broke out in former Chen territory. Late 590: Posted to Jiangdu (Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in the South to replace his brother Yang Jun as commander of Yangzhou Superior Area Command; from then on until 600, would pay annual visits to the court in Daxingcheng. Yang Jun became leader of Bingzhou. 591 22 Eleventh month: Received Buddhist commandments from Zhiyi, founder of the Tiantai school. 595 26 First month: Wendi visited Mount Tai. Yangdi served as acting general-in-chief of Armed Reserve Garrison Command (wuhou da jiangjun) in Daxingcheng, and returned to Jiangdu not long after. 597 28 Eleventh month: Zhiyi died while on his way to Jiangdu. 598 29 Sixth–ninth months: Wendi launched a failed invasion of Koguryŏ led by Gao Jiong and Yang Liang. Ninth month: Paekche sent a mission to offer assistance to the Sui against Koguryŏ. 599 30 Second month: Visited the court in Daxingcheng. Eighth month: Gao Jiong removed from office. Tenth month: Wendi conferred the title Qimin upon Tuli qaghan, and married Princess Yicheng to him. 600 32 Fourth month: Led a Sui army to rout Tujue forces on the Northern front. Tenth month: Yang Yong deposed as crown prince. Eleventh month: Designated crown prince. * * * Yamato (in Japan) sent its first mission to the Sui court. 601 32 Sixth month: Wendi issued an edict to curtail enrollment of students at the national level and abolish provincial schools. 602 33 Eighth month: Empress Dugu (Wenxian) died. 604 35 First month: Trusted with the running of the court when Wendi was away in the Renshou Palace. Seventh month: Wendi died in Renshou under suspicious circumstances; Yangdi succeeded as emperor. Eighth month: Yang Liang suspected foul play and started a rebellion in Bingzhou, which was later suppressed by Yang Su. 254 Chronology of Sui Yangdi (569–618) Year Age* Events Eleventh month: Visited Luoyang; employed several hundreds of thousands of laborers to dig strategic trenches east, south, and west of Luoyang, which went as far west as east Shaanxi. Issued the edict on the Luoyang project, which employed a labor force of 2,000,000. 605 36 First month: Appointed his wife Xiao empress, and his son Yang Zhao crown prince. Third month: Appointed Yang Su, Yang Da, and Yuwen Kai to take charge of the Luoyang project; ordered tens of thousands of rich merchant households to relocate to Luoyang. Started digging the Tongji section of the Grand Canal (which linked Luoyang with the Huai area to the south), using a labor force of more than 1,000,000 (the project was not completed until 611). Started digging the Han Conduit section of the Grand Canal (which connected the Huai with the Yangzi) with more than 100,000 laborers (the project was probably completed not long after). Fourth month: Liu Fang captured the capital of Linyi in central Vietnam. Eighth month: Embarked on his first Southern tour by water. * * * 605– Silla sent tributary missions annually in the Daye reign (605–618). 606 37 First month: The building of Luoyang completed. Yangdi sent ten commissioners to abolish and merge a number of prefectures and counties. Third month: Started on his return...