Yang Cunzhong

Timeline

1. c. 1102–1127Qiantang County · HangzhouYang Cunzhong, courtesy name Zhengfu, was a native of Qiantang. In his youth he joined the imperial guard and was noted for his skill in archery and horsemanship. When Prince Kang (Zhao Gou) was posted out of the capital, Yang served as a trusted military retainer in his household, and after the Jingkang-era flight south he was credited with merit in escorting the prince.
2. 1128–1145Lin'an · HangzhouDuring the Miao-Liu Mutiny of the third year of Jianyan, Yang Cunzhong (then known as Yang Yizhong) was ordered by edict to escort the emperor, and later took part in the campaign that crushed the rebellion of Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan. He was repeatedly promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Command, in overall charge of the imperial guard, becoming Gaozong's most trusted military official.
3. 1146–1155Huaixi · AnhuiDuring the Shaoxing era Yang Cunzhong was posted to Lianghuai several times, taking part in frontier defense against the Jin and in suppressing rebellions. Though he rose through palace guard service, he repeatedly led large armies on campaign and became a veteran general on whom the central government relied.
4. 1156–1161Caishiji · Ma'anshanIn the thirty-first year of Shaoxing, Wanyan Liang invaded southward; Yang Cunzhong, as Pacification Commissioner of Huaibei, directed forces along the Caishi line, though the great victory at Caishi was commanded in the field by Yu Yunwen. After the affair he returned to court. He died at Lin'an in the second year of Qiandao (1166), aged sixty-five, and was posthumously granted the title of Junior Preceptor with the posthumous name Wugong.