Yang Guozhong (楊國忠)

Overview

The translated histories identify Yang Guozhong as an official and statesman. This record brings together 9 passages from 6 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Yang Guozhong	楊國忠	Yang Guozhong
Given name	Guozhong	國忠	Guózhōng
Given	Guozhong	國忠	Guozhong
Alternate	Guozhong	國忠	Guozhong
Title	Minister of Works	司空	Sikong
Surname	Yang	楊	Yáng
Surname	Yang	楊	Yang
Personal name	Yang Guozhong	楊國忠	Yang Guozhong
Personal name	Yang Guozhong	楊國忠	Yáng Guózhōng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:119:s0031, xintangshu:121:s0220, xintangshu:141:s0008
Sex: male
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0167, xintangshu:051:s0130, xintangshu:055:s0116

Roles

Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 十二載 · Regnal Year: 12 · Western Year: AD 753
Explicit · xintangshu:055:s0118
Source Date: Text: 天寶 · Western Interval: Start: AD 742 · End: AD 753
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:055:s0114, xintangshu:055:s0116
Source Date: Text: 天寶中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 742 · End: AD 756
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:119:s0031, jiutangshu:119:s0030
Source Date: Text: 天寶末 · Western Interval: Start: AD 752 · End: AD 756
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:045:s0167
Source Date: Text: 安祿山反 · Western Year: AD 755
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:051:s0130
Source Date: Text: 誅楊國忠 · Western Year: AD 756
Explicit · xintangshu:121:s0220
Source Date: Text: 開元末 · Western Year: AD 741
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:141:s0008

Career and standing

Label: Literary Minister / 文部尚書 · Action: concurrent
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0167
Label: Jiannan military commissioner / 劍南節度 · Action: held · Concurrent: true
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0031
Label: Chancellor / 宰相 · Action: held
Explicit · xintangshu:055:s0116
Label: Chief Minister / 宰臣 · Action: held
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0031
Label: Minister of Works / 司空 · Action: held
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0130
Label: Right Chancellor / 右相 · Action: held
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0167
Status: concurrent-offices · Action: held · Statement: personally held several offices
Explicit · xintangshu:055:s0116

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:119:s0031, xintangshu:045:s0167
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0130
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:055:s0116

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: reformer · Action: abolished-three-board-nomination
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0167, xintangshu:045:s0168, xintangshu:045:s0169
Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: drove-out-non-aligners · Other Person Id: Jing Kuo (敬括)
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0053
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: lost-armies-against-Geluofeng · Other Person Id: Geluofeng (閣羅鳳)
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0031
Kind: fiscal · Role: minister · Action: ordered-ordination-sales · Other Person Id: Cui Zhong (崔眾)
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0130
Kind: political · Role: proposer · Action: proposed county-granary delivery of office-land rents with cash handling fees
Explicit · xintangshu:055:s0118
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Zhao Guozhen (趙國珍)
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0032

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:045:s0167, xintangshu:051:s0130, xintangshu:055:s0116
Statement: Beyond hall-seal emoluments, monthly given one million cash
Explicit · xintangshu:055:s0116

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 119Volume 115 Biographies 65: Cui Qi, Zhao Guozhen, Cui Guan, Jing Kuo, Wei Yuanfu, Wei Shaoyou, Wei Boyu, Li Cheng · 3 passages

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時南蠻閣羅鳳叛，宰臣楊國忠兼劍南節度，遙制其務，屢喪師徒。 At that time the southern chieftain Geluofeng rebelled. Chief Minister Yang Guozhong also held the Jiannan command and directed operations from afar, losing armies again and again.

中書舍人張漸薦國珍有武略，習知南方地形，國忠遂奏用之。 Secretariat drafter Zhang Jian recommended Guozhen for his military skill and intimate knowledge of southern terrain, and Guozhong memorialized for his appointment.

天寶末，宰臣楊國忠出不附己者，括以例為果州刺史。 At the end of the Tianbao era, Chief Minister Yang Guozhong drove out those who would not align with him; by precedent Kuo was sent out as prefect of Guo.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 45Volume 45 Treatises 40: Selecting and Appointing Officials 2 · 1 passage

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楊國忠以右相兼文部尚書，建議選人視官資、書判、狀跡、功優，宜對眾定留放。 Yang Guozhong as right chancellor and literary minister proposed deciding retention publicly from qualifications, judgment papers, records, and merit.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 51Volume 51 Treatises 47: Finance and Economics 1 · 1 passage

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及安祿山反，司空楊國忠以為正庫物不可以給士，遣侍御史崔眾至太原納錢度僧尼道士，旬日得百萬緡而已。 When An Lushan rebelled, Yang Guozhong, finding the regular treasury inadequate for troops, sent Censor Cui Zhong to Taiyuan to sell ordinations—and raised only a million strings in ten days.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 55Volume 55 Treatises 51: Finance and Economics 4 · 2 passages

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宰相楊國忠身兼數官，堂封外月給錢百萬。 Chancellor Yang Guozhong held several posts at once and, beyond his regular emoluments, received one million cash each month.

十二載，國忠以兩京百官職田送租勞民，請五十里外輸於縣倉，鬥納直二錢，百里外納直三錢，使百官就請於縣，然縣吏欺盜蓋多，而閑司有不能自直者。 In Tianbao 12 (753) Guozhong argued that delivering office-land rents burdened the populace of both capitals and proposed county granaries beyond fifty li, with a two-cash handling fee per dou within one hundred li and three beyond; officials were to collect at the county, but clerks embezzled heavily and many nominal posts could no longer pay their way.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 121Volume 121 Biographies 46: Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the Two Kings · 1 passage

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安祿山反，謀誅楊國忠闕下，不克，至馬嵬，卒誅之。 When An Lushan rebelled he tried to kill Yang Guozhong at the gate and failed; at Mawei he finally killed him.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 141Volume 141 Biographies 66: Cui, Deng, Wei, Wei, Li Han, Lu, Gao · 1 passage

Open chapter

開元末，為唐安令，與楊國忠善，累遷京兆少尹，為吐蕃吊祭使，還，會玄宗西狩，詔留光遠為京兆尹、西京留守、采訪使。 At the end of the Kaiyuan era he served as magistrate of Tang'an, was on good terms with Yang Guozhong, and rose repeatedly to vice governor of Jingzhao. Sent as mourning envoy to Tibet, he returned just as Emperor Xuanzong fled west; he was ordered to remain as governor of Jingzhao, custodian of the western capital, and investigation commissioner.