Life

Yang Zhong was Yang Zhen's son, titled General of Ningyuan County (寧遠將軍). He is described as a tall handsome man with a long beard.

After the establishment of the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was appointed as a marshal and commanded more than ten generals including Yang Zuan (楊纂), Li Mu (李穆), Wang Jie (王傑), Tian Hong (田弘), and Murong Yan (慕容延). Later, together with the 100,000 troops of the Turkic Khanate , they attacked Jinyang, a city located Northern Qi. In the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was named Duke of Chenliu (陳留郡公), later changed to Duke of Sui (隨國公).

After his son became emperor, he was honoured with the title of Emperor Wuyuan (武元皇帝) and Lady Lü, his legal wife and the biological mother of Yang Jian, was named Empress Yuanming (元明皇后呂氏).

Research

According to the Book of Zhou and Book of Sui, Yang Zhong was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong (弘農楊氏), but this statement is difficult to confirm.

Chen Yinke (陈寅恪), a Chinese historian, did not agree that Yang Jian's family was born in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia. According to him, Yang Zhong was from a Han Chinese family. Judging from the intermarriage practice of families at that time, Yang Zhong may have been born in the Yang clan of Shandong (山东杨氏).

However, scholar Wang Tongling (王桐齡) deduced that Yang Jian's family might have Xianbei blood, or perhaps even purely Xianbei, leading to the belief that he was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong .

Family

Consort and their respective issue(s):

• Empress Yuanming, of the Lü clan (元明皇后呂氏), personal name Kutao (苦桃)

　• Princess Cheng'an (成安公主), first daughter

　　• married Dou Rongding (窦荣定), Duke of Chenyi (陈懿公), and had issue (three sons including Dou Kang).

　• Yang Jian (楊堅, 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), Emperor Wen of Sui (隋文帝), first son

　• Yang Zheng (楊整, 540 – 576), Prince Jing of Cai (蔡景王), second son

　• Yang Zan (楊瓚, 550 – 16 September 591), Prince Mu of Teng (滕穆王), third son

　• Princess Changle (昌乐公主), second daughter

　　• married Dou Lutong (豆卢通), Duke Chen of Nan (南陈郡公), and had issues (a son).

• Lady Li, of the Li clan of Longxi (隴西李氏)

　• Yang Song (楊嵩), Prince Xuan of Dao (道宣王), fourth son

　• Yang Shuang (楊爽), Prince Zhao of Wei (衛昭王), fifth son

• Unknown

　• Princess Yang (楊氏), third daughter

　　• married Li Licheng (李礼成), Duke Jun of Jiang(绛郡公)

生平

楊忠出身於北魏武川鎮，是寧遠將軍楊禎之子，美髭髯，身長七尺八寸，體格相當魁梧，長相瑰偉，武力絕倫，識量沉深，有將帥之略。曾隨北海王元顥、汝南王元悅、臨淮王元彧南逃蕭梁，後隨陳慶之北伐北魏被爾朱榮打敗。爾朱度律把他編入獨孤信旗下。北魏在534年分裂為東魏、西魏時，楊忠隨獨孤信加入西魏陣營，因功升為車騎大將軍，獲當時丞相宇文泰重用，被賜鮮卑姓普六茹與小字揜于 (鮮卑語意：猛獸)。他曾經在收複東魏的荊州失敗後在蕭梁待了三年。

北周建立後，楊忠被任命為元帥，統轄楊纂、李穆、王傑、田弘、慕容延等十多員大將，由北路征伐北齊，攻陷了北齊二十多座重鎮。其後又與突厥汗國兵十萬會攻北齊晉陽，損傷大半。北周時楊忠被封為使持節、大將軍、大都督、陳留郡公、十二大將軍之一，後晉封上柱國、隨國公。

北周天和三年（568年），楊忠生病回到北周都城長安。同年七月楊忠病死，時年六十二歲，諡曰桓，大象二年（580年）尊為隋桓公，開皇元年（581年）楊堅建隋朝後，再追尊為武元皇帝，廟號太祖。

特徵

楊忠為人勇猛異常，且膂力過人，臨陣常身先士卒。宇文泰喜愛楊忠的勇猛與容貌，便將他留在身邊。楊忠曾跟隨宇文泰到龍門打獵，獨自抵擋一頭猛獸，左手緊抱獸腰，右手拔出獸舌。宇文泰很讚賞楊忠的武勇。當時鮮卑人把猛獸稱作「揜于」，因此宇文泰把「揜于」作為楊忠的表字。西魏大統四年（538年）河橋之戰時，楊忠僅率五位勇士力守橋樑以殿後，敵人大軍終不能前進。

家庭

妻妾

• 呂苦桃，生楊堅、楊整、楊瓚，追謚元明皇后

• 李氏，生楊爽

子女

• 成安公主，嫁隋朝上柱國、左武衛大將軍、陳懿公竇榮定

• 隋文帝楊堅

• 楊整，北周車騎大將軍、陳留郡公，隋朝追尊蔡景王

• 楊瓚，隋朝上柱國、滕穆王

• 楊嵩，北周興城公，隋朝追尊道宣王

• 楊爽，隋朝上柱國、納言、衛昭王

• 昌樂公主，嫁隋朝大將軍、洪州總管、南陳安公豆盧通

• 楊氏，嫁隋朝上大將軍、寧州刺史、絳郡公李禮成

學術研究

根據《周書》《隋書》記載，楊忠家族出身弘農楊氏，但這個說法在現代研究中難以肯定。

陳寅恪不認同楊堅家族出身于武川。根據楊忠之妻呂苦桃出身山東寒族，以當時世族通婚慣例來看，楊忠家族可能出身于寒門山東楊氏。

學者王桐齡推論楊堅家族可能有鮮卑血統，或是純粹的鮮卑人，偽託為弘農楊氏出身。森安孝夫引用學者推論，以楊忠身高達2米，外貌輪廓分明，可能有高加索人種血統。

中華人民共和國學者蒙曼則認為楊堅的族屬是漢族。