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

历史

唐昭宗景福元年（892年）杨行密为唐淮南节度使，据扬州。天复二年（902年）封为吴王。建都广陵（即扬州），称江都府。杨行密注意招集拒绝朱温统治的唐人，奖励农桑，使江淮一带社会经济有所恢复。

吴最强盛时，有今江苏、安徽、江西和湖北等省的一部分。唐哀帝天佑二年（905年）杨行密去世，其子杨渥继位，仅称弘农郡王，在唐朝灭亡后不承认后梁，仍用天佑年号，兼并镇南军，但不久遭牙将张颢、徐温夺权杀害，不久徐温杀张颢，以摄政身份掌握吴国大权。天佑七年（910年），弘农郡王杨隆演复称吴王，919年，称吴国王，建年号，以示脱离唐朝体系，以徐温为大丞相。徐温死后，大权落入其养子宰相和继任摄政徐知诰之手。顺义七年（927年），吴国王杨溥称帝，其实是为徐知诰篡位称帝做准备。吴天祚三年（937年），徐知诰杀死图谋反抗的历阳郡公杨蒙，迫使杨溥禅让，建立南唐。吴国共历4主，36年，但大部分时间杨氏受徐氏控制。

杨吴的统治地区包括今江苏、安徽、江西、湖北等一部分。

君主

君主列表

君主世系图

历史遗存

• 杨吴城濠，在今南京市留存有东段。杨隆演主政时期，派徐温镇守金陵，徐温命手下陈彦谦重建金陵城。杨吴城濠即为金陵城人工开凿的护城河，明朝后被误认为是青溪，1949年后又被误认为是秦淮河。

注释