Yangzhou (ancient China)

According to legend, when Yu the Great (c. 2200–2100 BCE) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces, of which Yangzhou was one.

Pre-Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE) historical texts such as the Tribute of Yu, Erya, Rites of Zhou and Lüshi Chunqiu all mention the Nine Provinces.

In modern China, the area covered by the ancient Yangzhou corresponds to Jiangsu, Anhui (the region south of the Huai River), Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and parts of Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong.

However, in later dynasties, the Shangshu Zhuan was proven to be not written by Kong Anguo, hence the book's credibility was largely reduced.

[9] Guo Pu (276–324) mentioned in his annotations to the Erya that Yangzhou was defined as the region between south of the Yangtze to the Sea.

During the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE), Yangzhou's provincial capital was designated in Liyang (歷陽; present-day He County, Anhui).

In 188, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion (184-205) was mostly pacified, Emperor Ling (r. 168–189) promoted many Provincial Inspectors to Governors and granted them autonomy in the administration of civil and military affairs in their respective provinces.

This helped to facilitate the Governors in suppressing revolts, but also empowered them with greater authority, as the provinces were now directly administered by the central government.

However, most of Yangzhou (south of the Yangtze River) was independent of the Han central government's control, as it was ruled by the warlord Sun Quan.

On the other hand, the Wei-controlled portion of Yangzhou was located at the border between Wei and Wu, with many battles between the two states taking place in that region, including the Three Rebellions in Shouchun (251–258).

The modern city of Yangzhou was part of Guangling Commandery (廣陵郡) in Xuzhou (徐州) at the time, with Wei and Wu taking turns to occupy that area throughout the Three Kingdoms period.

In 265, Sima Yan ended the state of Cao Wei and established the Western Jin dynasty (265–316).

In 620, during the reign of Emperor Gaozu (r. 618–626) in the Tang dynasty (618–907), the modern city of Yangzhou was renamed "Yanzhou" (兗州; not to be confused with the modern city of the same name in Shandong) while Jiangning County (江寧縣; present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) in Runzhou (潤州) was renamed "Yangzhou".

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident in 626, Emperor Taizong (r. 626–649) ascended the throne and made the following changes: Yangzhou (the original Jiangning County) was merged into Runzhou (潤州; capital at present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu); Hanzhou (邗州) was renamed back to "Yangzhou" (揚州).