page_title: Yang Xuangan
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Yang Xuangan / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Map showing major uprisings and rebellions in the last years of Sui dynasty. 中文（简体）‎: 隋末农民大起义及群雄割据示意地图
context_page_description: Yang Xuangan was an official of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was the son of the powerful official Yang Su, and, as he knew that Emperor Yang was apprehensive of his father, was never quite secure. In 613, when Emperor Yang was attacking Goguryeo, he rebelled near the eastern capital Luoyang, but was soon defeated. He ordered his brother Yang Jishan to kill him, as to not fall into Emperor Yang's hands.
context_section_description: It is not known when Yang Xuangan was born.  He was the oldest son of Yang Su, who was already a major general at the start of Sui Dynasty in 581 but whose honors and power grew as the years went by.  Yang Xuangan was considered by some to be developmentally disabled while in his childhood, but his father believed that not to be the case, and as he grew, he was studious and known for his strength and martial skills, he was particularly skillful at mounted archery, as well as the use of spears. In the Book of Sui, Yang Xuangan was described as a courageous and stalwart man with a shiny and thick beard.  Because of his father's accomplishments, Yang Xuangan was repeatedly honored by Sui's founder Emperor Wen as well.  In 589, after his father's contributions in the conquest of Chen Dynasty, which allowed Sui to unite China, Yang Xuangan was given the honorific office of Yitong Sansi (儀同三司, fifth rank, first division, in Sui's system of nine ranks with two divisions each).  Unlike several of his brothers, Yang Xuangan was not created a ducal title, as he was his father's heir apparent and expected to eventually inherit his father's title.  In 602, after Yang Su's victory over Tujue, Yang Xuangan was promoted to Zhuguo (柱國, second rank, first division) -- the same rank that his father was at, and at imperial gatherings, father and son stood in the same area.  Soon thereafter, Emperor Wen demoted Yang Xuangan down to third rank, and Yang Xuangan thanked Emperor Wen appropriately, "I did not know that Your Imperial Majesty would give me this much favor -- so that I can show respect to my father in public as much as I do in private."
  During Emperor Wen's reign, Yang Xuangan served as the governor of Ying Province (郢州, roughly modern Wuhan, Hubei), and was said to be an effective monitor of his subordinate officials, finding out both their good deeds and evil deeds and rewarding or punishing them appropriately.  He later served as the governor of Song Province (宋州, roughly modern Shangqiu, Henan), but while still at that position, his father Yang Su died in 604.  He inherited his father's highly honored title of Duke of Chu, and he left governmental service to observe a mourning period.  After about a year, he became a minister in the government of Emperor Wen's successor Emperor Yang.  He was said to be arrogant but a patron of literary talents, and many talented people became his guests.  He particularly trusted Li Mi, also from a noble house.
  While Yang Su was alive, Emperor Yang had been deeply apprehensive of Yang Su's power and angry with Yang Su's arrogance, and after Yang Su's death, he made the comment, "If Yang Su did not die, his clan would have eventually been exterminated."  Yang Xuangan heard rumors of this comment, and was apprehensive of Emperor Yang.  As he saw how the imperial governance had deteriorated under Emperor Yang and believed how many officials who were prior subordinates of his father Yang Su would support him, he plotted to depose Emperor Yang and declaring Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao the Prince of Qin emperor.  As he followed Emperor Yang on a campaign against Tuyuhun in 609, he saw how disorganized the Emperor's train was and considered an ambush at that point, but his uncle Yang Shen (楊慎) dissuaded him from the action.  Later, during Emperor Yang's preparation for war against Goguryeo, Yang Xuangan volunteered to serve, and his volunteering greatly pleased Emperor Yang, who trusted him more and more and gave him input in important governmental matters.
caption: Map showing major uprisings and rebellions in the last years of Sui dynasty.
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