Yao Junsu was originally from Tangyin, Weijun. When Emperor Yang of Sui was the Prince of Jin, he followed Emperor Yang as a guard. After Emperor Yang became emperor, Yao Junsu was promoted and became the Eagle Strike General. In the late Sui period, bandits were rampant and the people fled, but Yao Junsu's forces remained unscathed. Later, he served under General Qutu Tong in resisting the rebel forces in Hedong. Not long after, Qutu Tong retreated south with his troops, and because Yao Junsu was courageous and strategic, Qutu Tong appointed him as the acting Prefect of Hedong. The rebel forces dispatched generals like Lv Shaozong and Wei Yijie to launch attacks, but they were unable to capture the city. When Qutu Tong's army was defeated, they called for Yao Junsu at the city gates. Upon seeing Qutu Tong, Yao Junsu was overcome with grief and began to weep uncontrollably. His men also choked up and cried, and even Qutu Tong wept with tears streaming down his face. He told Yao Junsu, "My forces have been defeated, and there is no resistance wherever the rebels go. Given this situation, you should consider surrendering early to secure wealth and status." Yao Junsu replied, "You have a heavy responsibility to the country as a high-ranking official of the court. The emperor entrusted Guanzhong to you, and the king entrusted the state to you. The rise and fall of the country depend on you. How can you not consider serving the country and end up like this? Even if I cannot satisfy the emperor, the horse you are riding was given to you by the king as a reward. How can you still have the audacity to ride it?" Qutu Tong said, "Alas! Yao Junsu, I came because I lacked strength." Yao Junsu said, "Your strength hasn't yet reached its limit. What more is there to say?" Qutu Tong left in shame.
The city was surrounded very tightly at that time, and the supply of food and provisions was cut off. Yao Junsu crafted a wooden goose, tied the memorial to the wooden goose's neck, which detailed the situation at hand, and then put the wooden goose into the Yellow River to allow it to float downstream. After the defending general in Heyang received the memorial, he immediately sent it to the Eastern Capital. King Yang Dong of Yue sighed deeply upon reading the memorial and then appointed Yao Junsu as the Grand Master of Jinzi Guanglu, secretly sending envoys to offer him support. Pang Yu, the supervisor of the gate, and Huangfu Wuyi, the general of the Wuwei, both defected to the rebel forces from the Eastern Capital and came to the city, urging Yao Junsu to surrender. The Tang Dynasty also sent a golden pardon decree, hoping he would surrender. However, Yao Junsu had no intention of surrendering. His wife also came to the city and urged him, saying, "The Sui Dynasty has already perished, and destiny has belonged to others. Why do you insist on holding on like this and bring disaster upon yourself?" Yao Junsu said, "Women cannot grasp the weighty matters of the world." Then he killed his wife with a bow and arrow. Yao Junsu also knew that success was unlikely, but he must hold on until death. Whenever he talked about national affairs, he could not hold back his tears. He once said to his soldiers, "I was an old minister in the palace, promoted and valued by the emperor many times. Now that the time for righteousness has come, I must face death. We still have a few years of food reserves. When the food runs out, the situation in the world will be clear. If the Sui Dynasty really perishes and destiny belongs to others, I will hand over my head to you!" The people had suffered under Sui rule for many years. When they witnessed the uprising of the rebel forces, everyone saw hope. However, Yao Junsu was an adept military leader, and none of his subordinates betrayed him. Over a year later,
Chen Xiaoyi, from Hedong, harbored lofty ambitions from a young age and was renowned for his integrity and impartiality. During the reign of the Sui Dynasty, he became a junior judicial official in Lu County, known for his honesty and fairness. The county governor, Su Wei, once wanted to kill a prisoner, but Chen Xiaoyi strongly advised against it multiple times. Su Wei did not listen, so Chen Xiaoyi took off his clothes and requested to be killed instead. Eventually, Su Wei changed his mind, apologized to Chen Xiaoyi, released him, and held him in even greater esteem. Later, Su Wei became a central official and recommended Chen Xiaoyi to be an imperial censor.
After his father passed away, Chen Xiaoyi resigned from his position to observe mourning. He observed mourning diligently, even surpassing the rituals of mourning. Legend has it that during this time, a white deer roamed tamed near his home, and people believed it was a sign of his filial piety. After his mourning period ended, he was appointed as the magistrate of Yanmen County. He lived a simple life in Yanmen County, ate vegetarian, lived in a humble house, mourned his father with deep sorrow every day, wept to the point of agony, lost his hair, and became thin. Those who saw him felt sad for him.
In stark contrast, the government's orders grew increasingly chaotic, with many local officials being corrupt. However, Chen Xiaoyi remained steadfastly honest and upright, exposing corruption, punishing criminals, and acting with remarkable swiftness and decisiveness. The people revered him almost like a deity. When Emperor Yang of Sui went to Jiangdu, Liu Wuzhou of Mayi killed the governor Wang Rengong and rebelled. Chen Xiaoyi led troops and the military officer Wang Zhibian to quell Liu Wuzhou's rebellion. A battle ensued at Xiaguan City, which ended in defeat.
Liu Wuzhou then turned to attack the nearby counties, causing panic among the people, who were nearly ready to rebel. The former county magistrate Yang Changren, the county magistrate of Yanmen, Wang Que, and others were all sly and treacherous, with many ruffians joining them, and they were secretly plotting to support Liu Wuzhou. Chen Xiaoyi secretly learned of their conspiracy and eliminated their entire households, causing the people in the county to be too frightened to consider rebellion.
Not long after, Liu Wuzhou led his troops to attack Yanmen, and Chen Xiaoyi resolutely resisted, winning several battles. However, Yanmen City was a solitary city, with no reinforcements in sight. Chen Xiaoyi resolved to defend the city at all costs. He sent messengers to Jiangdu several times to plead for reinforcements, but the roads were cut off, and he never received a reply. Chen Xiaoyi also knew that the court would definitely not send troops to rescue them. Every day, he knelt and wept in the direction of the court, his sorrowful demeanor moving those around him.
The city was besieged for over a hundred days, the food supplies were exhausted, and in the end, Chen Xiaoyi was betrayed and killed by his own captain, Zhang Lun, and Yanmen City fell to Liu Wuzhou.
Zhang Jixun, a native of Jingzhao, was the son of Zhang Xiang. He was highly regarded by Emperor Gaozu when he was young and later promoted to be a military advisor in the Chancellor's Office. During the Kaihuang period, Zhang Xiang rose through the ranks to become the Sima of Bingzhou. Near the end of the Renshou period, Prince Han Liang rebelled and sent his general Liu Jian to attack the Yan and Zhao regions. When Liu Jian reached Jingxing, Zhang Xiang led the troops to resist. Liu Jian launched a fierce assault, even setting fire to the city walls. Seeing the terrified people, there was a temple dedicated to the Queen Mother of the West near the city wall. Zhang Xiang ascended the city tower, bowed twice to the temple, and cried out, "What wrongs have the common people committed to deserve such a fate? If the deities truly possess power, please send down rain to save them!" No sooner had he finished speaking than dark clouds gathered over the temple, and soon a heavy rain fell, putting out the flames. The soldiers were deeply moved by his sincerity and obeyed his commands. The city was besieged for over a month until Li Xiong's reinforcements arrived, and the rebel forces retreated. Zhang Xiang was granted the official title of Kaifu for his accomplishments in this battle. He later served as the Governor of Ruzhou, the Prefect of Lingwu, and finally as the Director of the Water Bureau in the capital, where he died in office.
Zhang Jixun was generous and passionate from a young age, with a strong sense of integrity. Towards the end of the Daye period, he became the Eagle Strike General, occupying Jishan as a defensive stronghold connected to Luokou. Later, Li Mi and Zhai Rang breached the city and sent someone to ask him to surrender. Zhang Jixun cursed Li Mi loudly, which infuriated Li Mi, prompting him to send troops to attack, but they were unable to capture him for several years. At that time, Li Mi had tens of thousands of troops surrounding his city, while Zhang Jixun was surrounded on all sides with only a few hundred men. Nonetheless, he remained resolute and vowed to resist to the death. Three years passed, their military funds ran out, and they couldn't even find firewood, so they had to dismantle houses to cook, with the inhabitants living in caves. Zhang Jixun still regularly patrolled, and no one betrayed him. With no food left, the soldiers were tired and sick, unable to fight, and the city was finally breached. Zhang Jixun sat calmly in his office, and Li Mi sent soldiers to arrest him. A group of rebels seized Zhang Jixun, demanding that he kneel before Li Mi. Zhang Jixun said, "Although I am a defeated general, I am still a servant of the emperor. How could I kneel before you bandits!" Li Mi was impressed by his spirit and released him. Zhai Rang, having failed to extract money from Li Mi, killed Zhang Jixun, who was just 28 years old at the time. His younger brother, Zhang Zhongyan, became the Luoling at the end of the Daye period. When the uprising occurred, he led officials and civilians to defend the city, but his own subordinates killed him and surrendered to the rebels. Another brother of Zhang Jixun, Zhang Cong, was killed while serving as a Left Cavalry officer during the rebellion led by Yuwen Huaji. The Zhang family was known for their loyalty and valor, with several brothers sacrificing themselves for the country, earning the admiration of the people.
It is said that Song Yun, a hot-headed man from Beihai, valued honor. He was a captain in Shimen Prefecture. During the late Deyang era of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, a bandit named Yang Hou rallied a group to revolt against Beihai County. Song Yun followed the county soldiers to suppress him. Song Yun rode out on horseback to scout the enemy and was captured by Yang Hou's forces. Yang Hou wanted to use Song Yun to spread the word in the city that the imperial army had been defeated and to urge a quick surrender. Song Yun agreed on the surface. When he reached the city gates, he suddenly cried out, "I am Song Yun! I was sent to scout the enemy, and I was accidentally captured, not because I was unable to defeat them! The main force of the official army is about to arrive. The rebel forces are few and weak and will soon be eliminated. Don't worry!" Yang Hou was furious, slashed his mouth with a knife, dragged him away, beating him all the while. As he was being beaten, Song Yun cursed Yang Hou, "You old thief, how dare you humiliate loyal and righteous people, you're asking for trouble!" Before he could finish speaking, Yang Hou cut off his waist. When the people in the city witnessed this, not a single one of them could hold back their tears or refrain from beating their chests, and yet, their morale soared, and Beihai City was ultimately saved. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty sent Guo Zijian, a court official, to suppress Yang Hou, and he defeated him. Upon learning of Song Yun's sacrifice for the country, the emperor was deeply saddened and reported his deeds. The emperor issued a decree to commend Song Yun and posthumously appoint him to the rank of a high official and the local governor. Historical records state: The ancients believed that the world was the utmost priority, rendering individuals insignificant. Living was important, but in comparison to righteousness, life was as light as a feather. Therefore, some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai because they died for a just cause; some lives are lighter than a feather because they cling to a cowardly existence. However, death is irreversible and life is fleeting; therefore, maintaining one's integrity in any situation is the greatest challenge.
The rebellion led by Yang Liang, Xuan Gan, and Li Mi has taken shape and is gaining significant momentum. Huangfu Dan, You Yuan, and Feng Ciming are fearless in the face of danger; they can truly be said to have died bravely for righteousness. Do Dugu Sheng, Yuan Wendo, Lu Chu, and Yao Junsu not realize that the situation is beyond redemption, and that human efforts cannot alter fate? They willingly face slaughter to uphold their loyalty and integrity. Even though their contributions may not be remembered for generations, and their strength cannot turn the tide, compared to those who live in shame, their integrity will resonate through history. Xuduo and Shanhui exemplify the virtues of gentleness and humility, while Ziyi and Songyun have demonstrated their willingness to sacrifice for righteousness. It’s truly moving to witness loyal ministers standing firm in times of national chaos!
