Initial Uprising
Liang Shidu was from a prominent clan of Xia Province (夏州, roughly modern Yulin, Shaanxi), and during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, he served as a military officer. In or shortly before 617, he quit the army and returned to his home commandery (as Xia Province had been converted into Shuofang Commandery). At that time, there were many agrarian rebellions in the region, and Liang gathered a group of men and ambushed the secretary general of Shuofang Commandery, Tang Shizong (唐世宗). He initially claimed the title of grand chancellor (大丞相, Da Chengxiang) and entered into an alliance with Eastern Tujue. When the Sui general Zhang Shilong (張世隆) tried to attack him, he defeated Zhang. He thereafter captured several other nearby commanderies -- Diaoyin (雕陰, in modern Yulin as well), Honghua (弘化, roughly modern Qinghua, Gansu), and Yan'an (延安, roughly modern Yan'an, Shaanxi). He submitted to Eastern Tujue's Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi, who created him the Dadupiqie Khan (大度毗伽可汗) and bestowed on him a flag with a wolf head, the symbol of the Tujue. He guided Eastern Tujue forces to occupy the Ordos Desert region. Subsequently, Ashina Duojishi forged the title of Jieshi Tianzi (解事天子, i.e., "the Tianzi who solved issues") for Liang, although he himself declared a state of Liang and himself its emperor.
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