Born during the late Northern dynasties era, he grew up amid constant warfare and shifting loyalties in northern China. The militarized politics of the time shaped his hard-edged view that authority came from armies and control of cities.

As the Sui dynasty consolidated power under Emperor Wen, he pursued advancement through the army and bureaucracy. He learned how the Sui state mobilized grain, labor, and garrisons to dominate the Yellow River plain.

With Emperor Yang’s accession, court factionalism and ambitious campaigns created openings for capable commanders. He navigated rival cliques and gained influence by presenting himself as a reliable problem-solver for internal security.

As tax burdens and forced labor triggered uprisings across the empire, he took part in harsh pacification efforts. He relied on executions and intimidation while also courting local elites who could stabilize counties and supply troops.

During Emperor Yang’s disastrous war in Korea and the turmoil it stirred at home, he benefited from the regime’s desperation for competent commanders. The empire’s overstretch let regional strongmen accumulate independent power and resources.

With the Sui court increasingly unstable, he positioned himself close to the strategic metropolis of Luoyang and its granaries. By controlling gates, guards, and proclamations, he turned military command into real political leverage.

After Emperor Yang left the central plains, competing ministers and generals struggled over legitimacy and resources. He outmaneuvered rivals inside Luoyang, presenting himself as the indispensable protector of the dynasty’s remaining authority.

Following Emperor Yang’s death in the south, Luoyang recognized the young Yang Tong as emperor, but real power lay with him. He tightened control over court appointments, communications, and the city’s elite families to ensure obedience.

Declaring the Sui finished, he forced Yang Tong’s abdication and announced his own regime, known as Zheng. The move sought to capture legitimacy in the central plains, but it also united many enemies who saw him as a usurper.

He fought to hold Henan while confronting challengers and the rising Tang state based in Chang’an. His court emphasized control of Luoyang’s bureaucracy and supplies, yet the countryside increasingly slipped to competing commanders.

The Tang, led in the field by Li Shimin, moved to break Zheng power by targeting its alliances and field armies. He tried to exploit rivalries among Tang’s opponents, but Tang logistics and leadership steadily narrowed his options.

With Luoyang threatened, he depended on Dou Jiande, ruler of the Xia state, to relieve Tang pressure. The alliance was uneasy, driven by necessity rather than trust, and it tied his fate to another warlord’s battlefield decisions.

At Hulao Pass, Li Shimin defeated Dou Jiande in a decisive engagement, destroying the relief force that might have saved Luoyang. The loss isolated him, undermined morale, and made continued resistance inside the city politically impossible.

After months of pressure and the collapse of outside support, he negotiated surrender to the Tang. Luoyang’s gates opened, ending the short-lived Zheng court and transferring the central plains’ key metropolis to Tang control.

He was escorted under guard to the Tang heartland, where the new dynasty worked to prevent renewed rebellion. Soon afterward he was killed, a common fate for defeated claimants whose names could still rally soldiers and officials.