Le Hoan vs Yang Guang

After the assassination of Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Hoan was proclaimed emperor by the army and court officials. He founded the Former Le dynasty, taking the reign name Le Dai Hanh. His rule stabilized the country and continued the work of unifying Vietnam.

Le Hoan, as commander of the Vietnamese army, defeated a Song Chinese invasion force at the Battle of Bach Dang River. He used a strategy of placing iron-tipped stakes in the riverbed to impale enemy ships. The victory secured Vietnamese independence and established his legitimacy.

Le Hoan launched a military campaign against the Champa kingdom to the south, sacking the Cham capital of Indrapura. The campaign expanded Vietnamese territory and secured the southern border. It also forced Champa to become a tributary state.

Emperor Yang Guang ordered the construction of the Grand Canal, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The project mobilized millions of laborers and created a vital waterway for grain transport and trade, but the immense human cost led to widespread resentment and rebellion.

Yang Guang launched three massive military campaigns against the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. The first invasion in 612 ended in catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Salsu, with hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers killed. The repeated failures drained the treasury and sparked widespread revolts.

While Yang Guang was campaigning against Goguryeo, the noble Yang Xuangan launched a major rebellion in the rear. The revolt was suppressed, but it exposed the fragility of Sui rule and encouraged further uprisings across the empire.

As rebellions engulfed the empire, Yang Guang was strangled to death in Jiangdu by his own guards led by Yuwen Huaji. His death marked the effective end of the Sui dynasty, which collapsed shortly after, leading to the rise of the Tang dynasty.