Founding

The founder of Wu, Yang Xingmi, started his career as a volunteer soldier before seizing power in his home prefecture Luzhou in a military coup. The weak Tang court could only confirm his position. In 887 the governor of Huainan, Gao Pian, was captured by Bi Shiduo. Xingmi defeated Shiduo and captured the provincial capital Yangzhou later that year, but by then Pian had been put to death by Shiduo. Another rebel leader, Sun Ru had Shiduo killed and absorbed his forces. Yang Xingmi was forced to abandon Yangzhou and retreat to Luzhou. With Luzhou as his base, Xingmi increased his power by seizing neighbouring prefectures until he could recapture Yangzhou in 892. For this act, the Tang court granted him the military governorship of Huainan.

While still nominally loyal to the Tang dynasty, rival warlords were now carving out their own statelets. Yang Xingmi clashed with Zhu Wen of Later Liang in the north and Qian Liu of Wuyue in the south, successfully defending his territory. In 902 Yang Xingmi was named Prince of Wu by Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.

Independence

Yang Xingmi died in 905 and was succeeded by his oldest son Yang Wo. In 907 Zhu Wen forced the last Tang emperor to abdicate and proclaimed himself the first emperor of the Later Liang. Yang Wo refused to acknowledge this change and continued the use of the last era name of Tang. From this point Wu was an independent, sovereign entity.

Subversion of power by Xu Wen

Young and untested at his father's death Yang Wo had relied on the director of the guard, Xu Wen, for his ascension, but later grew to resent Xu Wen's influence. However, before he could pull himself free, Yang Wo was assassinated by Xu Wen and his colleague Zhang Hao in 908. Wen and Hao had initially planned to divide Wu between themselves and submit to Liang, but they soon fell out. Xu Wen installed Yang Wo's younger brother Longyan and had Zhang Hao killed. Yang Longyan was a mere puppet with Xu Wen as the state's true ruler. Wen made himself Runzhou governor and moved his command to Jinling. The regular administration at the capital was left to his son Xu Zhixun. After Zhixun's murder in 918, this position was inherited by Wen's stepson, Zhigao. In 919, Yang Longyan proclaimed himself King of Wu and inaugurated a new era name, thus for the first time Wu officially claimed to be a sovereign state. Longyan died of illness in 922 and was succeeded by his brother, Xingmi's fourth son, Yang Pu. As before, Xu Wen had the real power. He prodded Yang Pu to proclaim himself emperor, but died in 927 before this could happen. 29 November 927 Yang Pu acceded the throne as Emperor of Wu. Xu Zhigao was made grand marshal and director of the Chancellery.

Territorial Extent

The Wu capital was at Guangling (present-day Yangzhou), and held present-day central and southern Anhui, central and southern Jiangsu, much of Jiangxi, and eastern Hubei.

End of the Kingdom

Xu Zhigao had been adopted by Xu Wen on Yang Xingmi's insistence and soon proved himself an able man. He came to power in Wu after his stepfather's death in 927 and continued to rule the state as governor of Jinling for some time. Finally in 937 he formally seized power for himself by proclaiming himself King of Qi and Yang Pu abdicated after suppressing the opposition of Yang Meng. Two years later, by claiming descent from a Tang prince Xu Zhigao and restoring his surname of Li, Xu Zhigao became Li Bian and proclaimed the restoration of the Tang. His state would be known to history as the Southern Tang.

Rulers

• 904–905: Yáng Xíngmì (太祖孝武皇帝 Tài Zǔ Xiàowǔ Huángdì )

• 905–908: Yáng Wò (烈宗景皇帝 Liè Zōng Jǐng Huángdì )

• 908–921: Yáng Lóngyǎn (高祖宣皇帝 Gāo Zǔ Xuān Huángdì )

• 921–937: Yáng Pǔ (睿皇帝 Ruì Huángdì )

Wu and Southern Tang rulers family tree

– Wu emperors; – Southern Tang emperors

歷史

唐昭宗景福元年（892年）楊行密為唐淮南節度使，據揚州。天複二年（902年）封為吳王。建都廣陵（即揚州），稱江都府。楊行密注意招集拒絕朱溫統治的唐人，獎勵農桑，使江淮一帶社會經濟有所恢復。

吳最強盛時，有今江蘇、安徽、江西和湖北等省的一部分。唐哀帝天祐二年（905年）楊行密去世，其子楊渥繼位，僅稱弘農郡王，在唐朝滅亡後不承認後梁，仍用天祐年號，兼併鎮南軍，但不久遭牙將張顥、徐溫奪權殺害，不久徐溫殺張顥，以攝政身份掌握吳國大權。天祐七年（910年），弘農郡王楊隆演複稱吳王，919年，稱吳國王，建年號，以示脫離唐朝體系，以徐溫為大丞相。徐溫死後，大權落入其養子宰相和繼任攝政徐知誥之手。順義七年（927年），吳國王楊溥稱帝，其實是為徐知誥篡位稱帝做準備。吳天祚三年（937年），徐知誥殺死圖謀反抗的歷陽郡公楊濛，迫使楊溥禪讓，建立南唐。吳國共歷4主，36年，但大部分時間楊氏受徐氏控制。

楊吳的統治地區包括今江蘇、安徽、江西、湖北等一部分。

君主

君主列表

君主世系圖

歷史遺存

• 楊吳城濠，在今南京市留存有東段。楊隆演主政時期，派徐溫鎮守金陵，徐溫命手下陳彥謙重建金陵城。楊吳城濠即為金陵城人工開鑿的護城河，明朝後被誤認為是青溪，1949年後又被誤認為是秦淮河。

注釋