Yang Liang

Yang Liang (楊諒) (fl.570s – 604) – courtesy name Dezhang (德章), alternative name Jie (傑), nickname Yiqian (益錢) – was an imperial prince of the Chinese Sui dynasty.

He was a son of Emperor Wen and his powerful wife Empress Dugu, who, during his father's reign, controlled the region north of the Yellow River.

In 598, when Emperor Wen attacked Goguryeo, Yang Liang served as co-commander of the operation (along with the general Wang Shiji (王世積)).

In 599, when Sui forces attacked Tujue's Dulan Khan, Ashina Yongyulü, Yang Liang was nominally the overall commander of the operations, but did not go to the front.

Two of his trusted generals, Wang Kui (王頍) and Xiao Mohe, both of whom believed that they should have been given greater responsibility by Emperor Wen, also encouraged him to eventually consider rebelling.

(Most traditional historians believe that Emperor Wen was murdered at Yang Guang's order, although they admit a lack of direct evidence.)

Yang Liang made initial gains, and his forces, commanded by Pei Wen'an (裴文安), quickly captured the strategically important Pu Province (蒲州, roughly modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) and were poised to cross the Yellow River to attack the capital region.