Liang Shidu

Liang Di (梁帝)
Family name:	Liang (梁, liáng)
Given name:	Shidu (師都, shī dū)
Posthumous name:	None

Liang Shidu (梁師都) (died 3 Jun 628^[1]) was an agrarian leader who rebelled against the rule of the Chinese Sui dynasty near the end of the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. He, claiming the title of Emperor of Liang with the aid from Eastern Turkic Khaganate retained the modern northern Shaanxi and western Inner Mongolia region for over a decade, but was gradually weakened by attacks from the Tang dynasty, whose founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and successor Emperor Taizong had eliminated the rival contenders for power one by one, leaving Liang isolated. In 628, with the Eastern Turks in internal turmoil and unable to come to his aid, Emperor Taizong launched another attack on Liang. Liang's cousin Liang Luoren (梁洛仁) assassinated him and surrendered, completing Tang's drive to reunite China after Sui's collapse.

^ Emperor Taizong's biography in Old Book of Tang indicate that Liang was killed on the bingshen day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong's reign; this corresponds to 28 May 628 in the Julian calendar ([贞观二年]夏四月....丙申，...夏州贼帅梁师都为其从父弟洛仁所杀，以城降。) Jiu Tang Shu, vol.02. Emperor Taizong's biography in New Book of Tang and vol.192 of Zizhi Tongjian both dated Liang's death to the renyin day of that month, which corresponds to 3 Jun 628 in the Julian calendar. Zizhi Tongjian also recorded that on 28 May, the Khitan chief surrendered to Tang together with his tribe, and Illig Qaghan sent an envoy to Emperor Taizong, requesting to swap Liang Shidu with the Khitans; Emperor Taizong refused (丙申，契丹酋长帅其部落来降。颉利遣使请以梁师都易契丹，上谓使者曰：“契丹与突厥异类，今来归附，何故索之！师都中国之人，盗我土地，暴我百姓，突厥受而庇之，我兴兵致讨，辄来救之，彼如鱼游釜中，何患不为我有！借使不得，亦终不以降附之民易之也。” ).

[1] Emperor Taizong's biography in Old Book of Tang indicate that Liang was killed on the bingshen day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong's reign; this corresponds to 28 May 628 in the Julian calendar ([贞观二年]夏四月....丙申，...夏州贼帅梁师都为其从父弟洛仁所杀，以城降。) Jiu Tang Shu, vol.02. Emperor Taizong's biography in New Book of Tang and vol.192 of Zizhi Tongjian both dated Liang's death to the renyin day of that month, which corresponds to 3 Jun 628 in the Julian calendar. Zizhi Tongjian also recorded that on 28 May, the Khitan chief surrendered to Tang together with his tribe, and Illig Qaghan sent an envoy to Emperor Taizong, requesting to swap Liang Shidu with the Khitans; Emperor Taizong refused (丙申，契丹酋长帅其部落来降。颉利遣使请以梁师都易契丹，上谓使者曰：“契丹与突厥异类，今来归附，何故索之！师都中国之人，盗我土地，暴我百姓，突厥受而庇之，我兴兵致讨，辄来救之，彼如鱼游釜中，何患不为我有！借使不得，亦终不以降附之民易之也。” ).

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