Xu Yuanlang

Xu Yuanlang (徐圓朗) (died 623) was an agrarian rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty late in the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. After doing so, he did not initially claim any royal title, instead successively submitting nominally to Li Mi the Duke of Wei, Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, and Tang Dynasty. After Dou was defeated and killed by Tang in 621, Xu briefly re-submitted to Tang, but rose again later that year when Dou's general Liu Heita the Prince of Handong rose against Tang, allying himself with Liu. He claimed the title of Prince of Lu. Tang forces defeated both Liu and Xu in 622, and Xu was killed in flight in 623, ending Xu's state of Lu.

Nothing is known about Xu Yuanlang's background other than that he was from Yan Province (兗州, roughly modern Jining, Shandong). He rose against Sui Dynasty rule in or before spring 617, and after he captured Dongping (東平, in modern Heze, Shandong), he expanded his territory, stretching from Dongping to Langye (琅邪, in modern Linyi, Shandong), and had more than 20,000 men.

In spring 618, after another major rebel leader, Li Mi the Duke of Wei, achieved a great victory over the Sui general Wang Shichong and approached the Sui eastern capital Luoyang, Xu Yuanlang, along with several other key rebel leaders, nominally submitted to him and requested that he take imperial title, but Li declined. After Wang defeated Li in 619, Xu submitted to the Sui emperor Yang Tong, then at Luoyang, although he also offered submission to Emperor Gaozu of Tang and was created the Duke of Lu. After Wang had Yang Tong yield the throne to him later that year, ending Sui and establishing a new state of Zheng, Xu also nominally submitted to Zheng. In winter 619, after another rebel leader, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, conquered the Tang territory north of the Yellow River, Xu submitted to Xia. In 621, when Zheng was under attack by the Tang general Li Shimin (the eventual Emperor Taizong), Dou requisitioned troops from Xu to aid Wang. Later that year, Dou was defeated and captured by Li Shimin, and Wang also surrendered to Li Shimin. Xu then submitted to Tang as well and was made the commandant of Yan Prefecture and again created the Duke of Lu.

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