(Photo: Li Xin)
Jingzhou Assassin History (16) Yu Liang: Assisted Sima Yan, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, and had the power to decide all political affairs
Yu Dazhong
Yu Liang (289-340), Ziyuan Gui. A native of Yingchuan Yanling (present-day Henan).
In his early years, Yu Liang was summoned by Sima Rui, the King of Langya, as The Western Cao Tuan (西曹掾), and successively served as a minister of the army and Zhongshu Lang (中書郎). His sister Yu Wenjun married Sima Shao. In the first year of Taining (323), Sima Shao ascended the throne as Emperor Ming of Jin, appointing Yu Liang as the Governor of Zhongshu.
In the second year of Taining (324), Wang Dun rebelled, and Yu Liang coordinated with the general Zuo Wei to suppress the rebellion. After the death of Sima Shao, the Emperor of JinMing, and the ascension of Sima Yan, the Emperor of Jincheng, came to the regency of the dynasty and ordered Yu Liang to work with Situ Wang Dao and Shang Shu ling Bian to assist the government, but in fact all political affairs were decided by Yu Liang.
After Yu Liang came to power, he rebelled against Wang Dao's KuanHe and killed Sima Zong and other clansmen of the Nandon King, thus greatly losing the hearts of the people. Later, he insisted on recruiting the exiled Marshal Su Jun into Beijing, causing Su Jun's rebellion. After the fall of the JingShi, Yu Liang fled to Xunyang, and together with Shi Wenjiao of Jiangzhou, pushed Shi Tao kan of Jingzhou to be the leader of the jingzhou assassin Shi Tao kan, quelled the turmoil, and Yu Liang left Zhenyu Prefecture.
In June of the ninth year of Xianhe (334), Tao Kan died. The imperial court appointed Yu Liang as the military governor of the six prefectures of Jiang, Jing, Yu, Yi, Liang, and Yong, and also served as the assassin of the three prefectures of Jiang, Jing, and Yu, and the general of The Western Expedition, the Kaifu Yi Tongsan Division, and the False Festival.
This is the origin of Yu Liang's concurrently serving as the Assassin of Jingzhou. Among the 22 Jingzhou Assassins of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Yu Liang was also a vassal.
In the fifth year of Xiankang (339), Yu Liang went on a northern expedition, resulting in the fall of The City of Qicheng, and Yu Liang apologized to Sima Yan, the emperor of Jincheng, and requested that he be demoted to the third rank and demoted to the rank of general of Anxi. Among them, the concurrently appointed jingzhou assassin history post also resigned accordingly. He died of illness on the first day of the first lunar month of the following year.