Yang Shihou () (died April 23, 915Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 66 Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.), formally the Prince of Ye (), was a major general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Liang, serving as the main obstacle to the expansion of Later Liang's archenemy Jin during latter parts of the reign of Emperor Taizu (Zhu Quanzhong) and the early parts of the reign of Emperor Taizu's son Zhu Zhen.
During Tang Dynasty
Background It is not known when Yang Shihou was born, but it is known that he was from Jingou (斤溝, in modern Fuyang, Anhui). In his youth, he served as a soldier under Li Hanzhi, who was then the military governor (Jiedushi) of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan).New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 23. After Li Hanzhi lost his own territory and became a subordinate of Li Keyong the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) in 888,Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 257. Li Hanzhi gave, as a tribute to Li Keyong, about 100 elite soldiers, and Yang was one of the soldiers thus sent to join the Hedong army. However, Yang did not distinguish himself while serving under Li Keyong. Later, after he was accused of crimes, he fled to Li Keyong's archenemy Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan). Zhu made him an officer in the Xuanwu army and the prefect of Cao Prefecture (曹州, in modern Heze, Shandong).
Service under Zhu Quanzhong The first campaign that Yang Shihou was recorded to have clearly participated in was against Zhu Quanzhong's erstwhile vassal Wang Shifan the military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shandong), who rose against Zhu in 903Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 263. and subsequently received aid from Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in the form of an army commanded by the general Wang Maozhang. Subsequently, though, Wang Maozhang realized that the Huainan/Pinglu joint army was badly outnumbered by the main Xuanwu army, commanded by Zhu himself, and therefore retreated with the Huainan army. Zhu sent Yang Shihou to give chase, and while Yang was able to defeat and kill Wang Maozhang's rearguard commander Li Qianyu (), Wang Maozhang's main strength was able to withdraw. Subsequently, Zhu left Yang in charge of sieging Pinglu's capital Qing Prefecture while he himself returned to Xuanwu's capital Daliang. Yang pitched his camp at Linqu (臨朐, in modern Weifang) while claiming that he was heading for Mi Prefecture and leaving the supplies at Linqu; when Wang Shifan, believing that Yang had left for Mi, attacked, he fell into Yang's trap and suffered heavy casualties, with his brother Wang Shike () captured by Yang; when the army from Pinglu's Lai Prefecture, Yang also defeated them and almost completely slaughtered them, and thereafter maintained a chokehold on Qing Prefecture. Wang Shifan thereafter sent an emissary to offer to surrender to Yang, and Zhu accepted the surrender.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 264. For this victory, Yang was made the military governor of Wuning Circuit (武寧, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu).History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 22.
In 905, Zhu, displeased that Zhao Kuangning the military governor of Zhongyi Circuit (忠義, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) was in close communications with two of his enemies — Yang Xingmi and Wang Jian the military governor of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan) — sent Yang Shihou to attack Zhongyi, with Zhu himself commanding the follow-up troops. Yang Shihou quickly captured seven of Zhongyi's prefectures — Tang (唐州, in modern Zhumadian, Henan), Deng (鄧州, in modern Nanyang, Henan), Fu (復州, in modern Tianmen, Hubei), Ying (郢州, in modern Jingmen, Hubei), Sui (隨州, in modern Suizhou, Hubei), Jun (均州, in modern Shiyan, Hubei), and Fang (房州, also in modern Shiyan) — and then rendezvoused with Zhu just north of the Han River. Under Zhu's orders, Yang built floating bridges across the Han, allowing Zhu's army to cross. When Zhao's army put up a defense on the southern bank of the Han River, Yang defeated him and advanced to his capital Xiang Prefecture (). Zhao thereafter abandoned Xiang Prefecture and fled to Huainan. Zhu commissioned Yang as the acting military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, i.e., Zhongyi, reverting to an older name) and ordered him to attack Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), ruled by Zhao's brother Zhao Kuangming. Zhao Kuangming, hearing of Zhao Kuangning's defeat, fled to Xichuan, and Zhao Kuangming's officer Wang Jianwu () surrendered to Yang. Zhu made He Gui the acting military governor of Jingnan and Yang the full military governor of Shannan East.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 265.
During Later Liang
During Emperor Taizu's reign In 907, Zhu Quanzhong had Tang's last emperor, Emperor Ai, yield the throne to him, ending Tang and starting a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 266. In 909, Emperor Taizu recalled Yang Shihou from Shannan East, commissioning him as the commander of the forces preparing to attack Lu Prefecture (潞州, in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), which was then ruled by Later Liang's archrival Jin (i.e., the state ruled by Li Keyong's son and successor Li Cunxu). He sent Wang Ban () to Shannan East to serve as acting military governor in Yang's absence. (As Yang departed Xiang Prefecture, he warned Wang Ban that certain officers, including one Wang Qiu (), were unruly and might mutiny in his absence; Wang Ban took no precautions, however, and later in the year Wang Qiu assassinated Wang Ban and rebelled, but the rebellion was quickly put down.) Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 267.
Soon after Yang departed Xiang Prefecture, though, before the army could be launched to attack Lu, Liu Zhijun the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), rebelled against Emperor Taizu and submitted to Li Maozhen the Prince of Qi. Emperor Taizu thereafter sent Yang, assisted by Liu Xun, to attack Liu Zhijun. Liu Xun quickly captured Tong Pass, and when Yang advanced to Hua Prefecture (華州, in modern Weinan as well), Liu Zhijun's subordinate Nie Shang () surrendered it to Yang. Liu Zhijun panicked, abandoned Zhongwu's capital Tong Prefecture (), and fled to Qi territory. Yang subsequently attacked the former imperial capital Chang'an, which Liu Zhijun had seized and turned control over to Qi troops; he circled around to the city's west side and fought into the city, defeating Qi troops and retaking the city. For his contributions, Emperor Taizu gave him the title of acting Taiwei (太尉, one of the Three Excellencies).
Later in the year, Li Maozhen sent Liu Zhijun to attack Later Liang's Shuofang Circuit (朔方, headquartered in modern Yinchuan, Ningxia). As part of the operation, Li Maozhen asked Li Cunxu to attack Later Liang's Jin (晉州, in modern Linfen, Shanxi) and Jiang (絳州, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi) Prefectures. Li Cunxu sent his general Zhou Dewei to do so and followed Zhou himself. Yang, however, defeated Zhou, and forced the Jin forces, which were then sieging Jin Prefecture, to withdraw. Emperor Taizu subsequently made him the military governor of Zhenguo Circuit (鎮國, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia, Henan).
In 910, Qi and Jin jointly attacked Later Liang's Dingnan Circuit (定難, headquartered in modern Yulin, Shaanxi). Dingnan's military governor Li Renfu sought aid from the Later Liang imperial government, and Emperor Taizu sent Yang and Kang Huaizhen () to head west to attack Qi, but even before they headed west, Emperor Taizu sent the officers Li Yu () and Liu Wan () to head toward Dingnan's capital Xia Prefecture (). When Li Yu and Liu Wan arrived there, the Qi and Jin forces withdrew. Thereafter, Emperor Taizu sent Yang and Li Si'an () to Ze Prefecture (澤州, in modern Jincheng, Shanxi) to make new preparations to attack Lu Prefecture. Soon thereafter, though, with Emperor Taizu sending Wang Jingren to head a task force, with Han Qing () and Li Si'an serving under Wang, to prepare to forcibly seize vassals Wushun Circuit (武順, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei, also known as Zhao and Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), he sent Yang back to Zhenguo Circuit.
When Wushun's military governor Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao found out about the Later Liang plan — i.e., when the Later Liang officers Du Tingyin () and Ding Yanhui () seized Wushun's Shen () and Ji () Prefectures (both in modern Hengshui, Hebei) by trick — both he and Wang Chuzhi the military governor of Yiwu turned against Later Liang and allied themselves with Jin. A joint Jin/Zhao/Yiwu army, under Li Cunxu, thereafter defeated Wang Jingren in spring 911 at Boxiang (柏鄉, in modern Shijiazhuang) and crushed the Later Liang army; Li Cunxu then postured to attack south, heading toward Later Liang's Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei). Emperor Taizu removed the title of commander of the northern armies from Wang and bestowed it on Yang, sending him to Heyang Circuit to collect the fleeing troops. After he did, he headed north toward Xing Prefecture (邢州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), where the Later Liang general Wang Tan () was under Jin/Zhao siege, and Tianxiong's capital Wei Prefecture (), also under Jin/Zhao attack. When Yang's army reached those two prefectures, the Jin/Zhao army withdrew (as Li Cunxu was concerned Liu Shouguang the military governor of Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) would attack him from the rear). Emperor Taizu subsequently stationed Yang with 30,000 men at Xing Prefecture.Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 268. He also made Yang the military governor of Xuanyi Circuit (宣義, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan).
After Liu Shouguang declared himself emperor of a new state of Yan in late 911, Li Cunxu sent Zhou to attack Yan, along with the Zhao officer Wang Deming and the Yiwu officer Cheng Yan (). Liu Shouguang sought aid from Later Liang, and in spring 912, Emperor Taizu, wanting to avenge the defeat at Boxiang, headed north himself and ordered, as part of the operations, Yang and Li Zhouyi () to siege Zaoqiang (棗強, in modern Hengshui). After Zaoqiang fell, Yang, under Emperor Taizu's orders, slaughtered the entire population. Emperor Taizu then sent Yang to Xiu County (蓨縣, in modern Hengshui) to help He Delun () in sieging it. During the siege, however, the Jin general Li Cunshen launched a surprise attack on the main Later Liang army under Emperor Taizu with only 500 men but pretending to be a much larger army under Li Cunxu, causing Emperor Taizu to panic and withdraw back to Tianxiong Circuit.
During Zhu Yougui's reign Later in the year, after Emperor Taizu returned to then-capital Luoyang, his son Zhu Yougui the Prince of Ying, believing that he was about to designate an older adoptive son, Zhu Youwen the Prince of Bo, as his heir, assassinated him. Zhu Yougui then blamed the assassination on Zhu Youwen and executed him, and then claimed imperial title. At that time, Yang was still at Wei Prefecture. He had long had designs on taking the circuit over from its young military governor Luo Zhouhan, but did not dare to do so while Emperor Taizu was alive. Hearing that Emperor Taizu was dead, he acted, killing Luo's chief of staff Pan Yan (), and then taking over the circuit. Zhu Yougui, not daring to challenge him, made him the military governor of Tianxiong and Luo the military governor of Xuanyi.