Wagang Army

During his reign, he constructed the Grand Canal, rebuilt the Great Wall, launched three campaigns against the Goguryeo, declared war with the Turks and Tuyuhun, and introduced harsh laws and heavy taxes.

It was led by Zhai Rang, a former low-ranked official in Dongjun county who had been sent to jail due to some crime but was then arbitrarily released by a prison guard named Huang Junhan.

In 611, when Zhai Rang learned of the massive peasant uprisings breaking out in Shandong, he decided to follow the trend by establishing the Wagang Army.

Due to the great leadership shown by Zhai as well as Wagang's strategic location, many other warriors and strategists, such as Shan Xiongxin, Xu Shiji and Chai Xiaohe, also came to join the army.

Wagang Army gradually became stronger and eventually became a threat to Luoyang, the second capital of Sui dynasty, as well as many granaries in Henan region.

Many stories of the Sui and Tang heroes in folk cultures, such as 18 Warriors of Sui-Tang Period, were based on the Wagang Army.

Wagang leaders and generals, such as Qin Shubao, Wang Bodang, Xu Shiji, Shan Xiongxin, Cheng Yaojin and Pei Xingyan are popular figures in folk tales and hero novels.

Map showing major uprisings and rebellions in the last years of Sui dynasty. The greatest extent of the land controlled by Wagang Army is shown as the light green shade.