The Rise of an Ambitious Monarch

In 605 AD, the first day of the Lunar New Year marked a pivotal moment in Chinese history. Emperor Yang of Sui, born Yang Guang, ascended the throne and proclaimed a new era: Daye (“Great Enterprise”). The name reflected his grand vision—an empire surpassing the achievements of his predecessors. Yet, within a few years, this “Great Enterprise” would become synonymous with reckless extravagance, brutal oppression, and the collapse of a dynasty.

Yang Guang was not an unprepared ruler. As the second son of Emperor Wen, he had spent years cultivating an image of piety and competence while secretly undermining his elder brother, Crown Prince Yang Yong. His patience paid off—in 600 AD, Yang Yong was deposed, and Yang Guang became heir apparent. When Emperor Wen died in 604 AD under suspicious circumstances (some historians suggest Yang Guang’s involvement), the new emperor wasted no time in reshaping the empire to match his ambitions.

Monumental Projects and Human Costs

### The Eastern Capital and the Grand Canal

Within months of his coronation, Emperor Yang launched two colossal projects: the construction of Luoyang as the Eastern Capital and the excavation of the Grand Canal.

Luoyang’s transformation was staggering. Under the supervision of master engineer Yuwen Kai, 2 million laborers were conscripted monthly. The city’s expansion required relocating wealthy merchants and residents from across the empire. The construction was ruthless—historical records describe corpses of overworked laborers piled along roads, with mortality rates exceeding 50%.

Simultaneously, the Grand Canal’s first phase began. The emperor demanded a waterway linking the Yellow River to the Huai and Yangtze, complete with imperial roads and willow-lined banks. Over a million workers dredged the route, and thousands of ships—including the emperor’s lavish dragon boats—were built in just three months. The canal’s purpose was clear: to facilitate Yang’s southern tours and tighten control over the wealthy Jiangnan region.

### Palaces, Parks, and Vanity

Emperor Yang’s appetite for grandeur knew no bounds. The Xianren and Xianyuan palaces sprawled across the landscape, adorned with rare timber, exotic plants, and captured wildlife. His Western Park covered 200 square li (approx. 30 square miles), featuring artificial lakes, mythical islands, and seasonal silk flowers to maintain perpetual spring.

The emperor’s travels were spectacles of excess. His 605 AD southern procession included:
– A 200-foot-long dragon boat with gold-inlaid chambers.
– A fleet of thousands, requiring 80,000 trackers to pull.
– Cavalry escorts stretching for miles, while local governments bankrupted themselves provisioning the imperial entourage.

Reforms and Repression

### Legal and Administrative Overhauls

In 607 AD, Emperor Yang restructured the bureaucracy, merging provinces, revising weights and measures, and streamlining noble ranks. His Daye Legal Code promised leniency compared to his father’s harsh laws—but in practice, labor demands nullified any reforms. As taxes and conscriptions escalated, local officials ignored the code, resorting to torture to meet quotas.

### The Northern Campaigns and the Great Wall

Not content with domestic projects, Yang turned northward. In 607 AD, he mobilized 1 million men to rebuild the Great Wall from榆林 to紫河—a project so deadly that half the workers perished. His northern tour featured a mobile “traveling palace” (a wheeled fortress astonishing nomadic tribes) and a 500,000-soldier parade. Yet, this display masked growing dissent. When senior ministers like Gao Jiong criticized his excesses, Yang executed them, purging veteran officials who dared oppose him.

The Breaking Point

### The Western Campaign and the Silk Road Debacle

By 609 AD, Emperor Yang’s focus shifted westward. He annexed吐谷浑territory, established new frontier prefectures, and hosted a summit for 27 Central Asian kingdoms at张掖. The event showcased Sui’s power—but at ruinous cost. To impress foreign envoys, the emperor drained the treasury, forcing northwestern provinces into destitution.

The return journey through the Qilian Mountains became a death march. A blizzard in the Dadu Valley killed thousands of soldiers and animals, leaving the imperial family stranded among frozen corpses—a grim omen.

### The Final Gamble: The Korean Campaign

Ignoring warning signs, Yang prepared to invade Goguryeo in 611 AD. The mobilization—over a million troops—pushed the exhausted populace to rebellion. Songs like “No Point Dying in Liaodong” spread, echoing the discontent that had toppled the Qin dynasty.

Legacy: A Empire Built on Bones

Emperor Yang’s reign epitomizes the perils of unchecked ambition. His projects—the Grand Canal, Luoyang, the Great Wall—outlasted him, benefiting future dynasties. But the human cost was apocalyptic:
– Census records suggest 4600万 subjects in 609 AD, yet later Tang historians claimed half perished under Yang’s rule.
– The Book of Sui laments: “The people were skinned alive, the land stripped bare.”

In 618 AD, Yang was assassinated by his own guards. The Sui dynasty, once a unifying force after centuries of division, collapsed in just 37 years—a cautionary tale of how grandeur without governance breeds catastrophe.

For modern readers, Emperor Yang’s story resonates as a timeless lesson: leadership divorced from the people’s welfare is a blueprint for ruin.