Xue Ju

Xue Ju (薛舉) (died 618), formally Emperor Wu (武皇帝, "Martial"), was the founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty, whose state was eventually destroyed by the Tang dynasty.

Xue Ju was said to be brave and strong, and because his family was wealthy, he was able to use the wealth to establish relationships with other people, making himself an influential member of the gentry, eventually becoming a commander of the local militia.

Hao Yuan (郝瑗), the county magistrate of Jincheng, thus invited people to join the military, and he gathered several thousand men and gave them to Xue Ju to command.

Xue Ju arrested the local officials and opened the food storages to aid those who were poor.

[4] He also gathered the local agrarian rebels to fall under his command in pillaging the Sui governmental grazing ranches.

According to traditional historical accounts, however, Xue Ju himself was also cruel, often killing soldiers he captured, and also often cut off their tongues and noses, and therefore did not gain as much following as he hoped.

Chu Liang (褚亮) cited the examples of Zhao Tuo, Liu Shan, and Xiao Cong.

Subsequently, when Li Yuan sent his generals Jiang Mo (姜謨), Dou Gui (竇軌), and Liu Shirang (劉世讓) against Xue Ju, Xue Ju defeated them and captured Liu, and Jiang and Dou withdrew.

(Soon, after hearing that Emperor Yang had been killed in a coup led by Yuwen Huaji in Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), Li Yuan had Yang You yield the throne to him, establishing the Tang dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu.)

Li Shimin was forced to withdraw back to Chang'an, and Liu and Yin were removed from their posts.