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{{Short description|Chinese Jin dynasty general (221-278)}}
{{Family name hatnote|[[Yang (surname)|Yang]] (羊)|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Yang Hu
| native_name = 羊祜
| image = Yang Hu illustration Qing.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = A [[Qing dynasty]] illustration of Yang Hu as depicted in the [[Wu Shuang Pu]] (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang
| alt = 
| office = Senior General Who Attacks the South<br>(征南大將軍)
| term_start = {{circa}} December 276<ref>([咸寧二年]冬十月，以汝陰王駿爲征西大將軍，平南将军羊祜为征南大将军。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.03. The month corresponds to 23 Nov to 22 Dec 276 in the Julian calendar.</ref>
| term_end = 27 December 278
| monarch = [[Emperor Wu of Jin]]
| office1 = General Who Pacifies the South (平南將軍)
| term_start1 = 275?<ref>Vol.03 of ''Jin Shu'' recorded that Yang Hu was already General Who Pacifies the South in the 8th month of the 1st year of the ''Xian'ning'' era. The month corresponds to 8 Sep to 6 Oct 275 in the Julian calendar.</ref>
| term_end1 = {{circa}} December 276
| monarch1 = [[Emperor Wu of Jin]]
| office2 = General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍)
| term_start2 = {{circa}} August 272<ref>Vol.03 of ''Jin Shu'' recorded that the previous General of Chariots and Cavalry was [[Jia Chong]] and he held the post from 9 February 266 ([泰始元年十二月]丁卯，....卫将军贾充为车骑将军、鲁公....) to {{circa}} August 272, where he was made Minister of Works (([泰始八年八年]秋七月，以车骑将军贾充为司空。). The month corresponds to 11 Aug to 9 Sep 272 in the Julian calendar.). The same volume also recorded that Yang was General of Chariots and Cavalry by the 9th month of that year, which corresponds to 9 Oct to 7 Nov 272 in the Julian calendar.</ref>
| term_end2 = ?
| monarch2 = [[Emperor Wu of Jin]]
| birth_date = 221{{efn|name=birth and death dates|[[Emperor Wu of Jin|Sima Yan]]'s biography in the ''Jin Shu'' recorded that Yang Hu died on the ''xinmao'' day of the 11th month of the 4th year of the ''Xian'ning'' era of Sima Yan's reign.<ref>([咸寧四年十一月]辛卯，以尚書杜預都督荊州諸軍事。征南大將軍羊祜卒。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 3.</ref> This date corresponds to 27 December 278 in the Gregorian calendar. Yang Hu's biography in the ''Jin Shu'' also recorded that he was 58 years old (by [[East Asian age reckoning]]) when he died.<ref>(尋卒，時年五十八。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 34.</ref> By calculation, Yang Hu's year of birth should be 221. }}
| death_date = {{death date|278|12|27|df=y}} (aged 57){{efn|name=birth and death dates}}
| relatives = {{unbulleted list|Yang Fa (brother)|Yang Cheng (brother)|[[Yang Huiyu|Empress Jingxian]] (elder sister)|[[Xin Xianying]] (aunt)|[[Cai Yong]] (maternal grandfather)|[[Cai Yan]] (aunt)}}
| father = Yang Dao
| mother = [[Cai Yong#Family|Lady Cai]]
| spouse = [[Xiahou Ba]]'s daughter<ref>(郡将夏侯威异之，以兄霸之子妻之。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.34</ref>
| occupation = Military general, politician
| blank1 = [[Courtesy name]]
| data1 = Shuzi (叔子)
| blank2 = Peerage
| data2 = Marquis of Juping<br>(鉅平侯)
}}

'''Yang Hu''' (羊祜, 221 – 27 December 278),{{efn|name=birth and death dates}}{{sfn|Killigrew|2003|p=15}} [[courtesy name]] '''Shuzi''', was a Chinese military general and politician who lived during the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin dynasty]] of China. His advocacy for plans to conquer the rival state of [[Eastern Wu]] finally persuaded [[Emperor Wu of Jin|Emperor Wu]] to carry them out, but he did not live to see the plans implemented. He was known for his humility and foresight. [[Chen Shou]], who wrote the ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'', described him as a man of medium height with fine eyebrows and a beautiful beard. Yang Hu is depicted in the [[Wu Shuang Pu]] (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.

==Life==
Both Yang Hu's grandfather Yang Xu ({{lang|zh|羊續}}) and father Yang Dao ({{lang|zh|羊衜}}) were commandery administrators (of Nanyang and Shangdang respectively),<ref>(祖续，仕汉南阳太守。父道，上党太守。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.34</ref> and his mother was a daughter of the [[Han dynasty]] historian and musician [[Cai Yong]].<ref>(祜，蔡邕外孙，景献皇后同产弟。) ''Jin Shu'', vol.34</ref> His full elder sister [[Yang Huiyu]] was [[Sima Shi]]'s third wife, subsequently honoured as an [[empress dowager]] after Emperor Wu established the Jin dynasty in February 266.

Yang Hu lost his father at age 11. He was raised by his uncle Yang Dan ({{lang|zh|羊耽}})<ref>Yang Dan was also a great-grandfather of [[Yang Xianrong]]</ref> and served his uncle faithfully. As he matured, he became known for his intelligence, knowledge, and physical beauty. The general [[Xiahou Wei]] became impressed with him and married his niece ([[Xiahou Ba]]'s daughter) to Yang Hu. After his father-in-law defected to [[Shu Han]] in 249 in light of [[Sima Yi]]'s coup against [[Cao Shuang]], Yang Hu was one of the few who were related by marriage who still dared to associate with the Xiahou clan. He served as a low level official during the reigns of the [[Cao Wei]] emperors [[Cao Mao]] and [[Cao Huan]].

Due to the advice of his aunt, [[Xin Xianying]], Yang Hu raised his status. He warned [[Sima Zhao]] of [[Zhong Hui]]'s intentions, and Sima Zhao trusted his judgement greatly after Zhong Hui rebelled (as he predicted) in March 264. After this, he went on to serve as an executive secretary for Sima Zhao.

After Sima Zhao's death in September 265, his son Sima Yan succeeded him, and in February of the following year forced Cao Huan to abdicate in favour of him, ending Cao Wei and establishing the Jin dynasty (as Emperor Wu). Emperor Wu wanted to make Yang Hu a duke, but the latter declined.

Throughout the early part of Emperor Wu's reign, Yang Hu was one of the few key officials who strenuously advocated for the conquest of the rival state Eastern Wu. Emperor Wu, who liked the strategies that Yang Hu submitted, had him take charge of the western border with Eastern Wu and stationed him at [[Xiangyang]]. In 272, Yang Hu participated in a failed mission to rescue the Eastern Wu defector [[Bu Zhi#Descendants|Bu Chan]] from Xiling (西陵; in present-day [[Yichang]], [[Hubei]]), and was temporarily demoted, but was soon restored to his rank. After that defeat, he set up a ''[[détente]]'' with the Eastern Wu general [[Lu Kang (Eastern Wu)|Lu Kang]] and treated the Eastern Wu border residents with kindness, with intent to win over their loyalty. His efforts succeeded, though Lu Kang attempted to counter with his own gestures of goodwill. After Lu Kang's death in {{circa}}September 274, the Eastern Wu border residents became increasingly impressed with the Jin dynasty in light of Yang Hu's kindness.

By 277, Yang Hu had fallen ill. While his plans of conquest had already been submitted and accepted by Emperor Wu, they were not ready for implementation. He performed his final act in the service of the empire – by recommending the capable [[Du Yu]] to succeed him. Du Yu would eventually go on to be a major part of the [[Conquest of Wu by Jin|campaign against Eastern Wu]]. He died in December 278, just a few months after his elder sister Yang Huiyu. The people of Xiangyang built a monument for Yang Hu on Mount Xian ({{lang|zh|峴山}}), and ever after Yang Hu's death, visitors to the monument often wept in memory of his benevolent governance, and so the monument became known as the "Monument of Tears" ({{lang|zh|墮淚碑}}). After the Jin dynasty conquered Eastern Wu in 280, Emperor Wu had the declaration of victory read at Yang Hu's shrine, and awarded his wife, Lady Xiahou, an estate of over 5,000 taxable households in appreciation.

==See also==
* [[Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{ cite book |author= Chen Shou | author-link= Chen Shou | title= Records of the Three Kingdoms | title-link= Records of the Three Kingdoms | orig-date= 280s or 290s| date= 1959 | publisher= Zhonghua Shuju| place= Beijing }} Cited as ''Sanguozhi''.
* {{ Cite book| title= Book of Jin | title-link= Book of Jin
| editor= Fang Xuanling
| editor-link= Fang Xuanling
| display-editors=etal
| orig-date= 648 | date= 1974
| publisher= Zhonghua Shuju| place= Beijing
| script-title= zh:晉書
| ref={{sfnref|Book of Jin|648}}
}} Cited as ''Jin Shu''.
* {{cite journal |last1=Killigrew |first1=John W. |title=The Reunification of China in AD 280: Jin's Conquest of Eastern Wu |journal=Early Medieval China |year=2003 |volume=2003 |issue=1 |pages=1–34 |doi=10.1179/152991003788138438 |s2cid=162275334 }}
* {{ cite book
| title = Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms 
| title-link= Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms
| script-title= zh:三國志注
| author= Chen Shou | author-link= Chen Shou
| editor=Pei Songzhi | editor-link=Pei Songzhi
| year = 1977 | orig-year=429
| publisher= Dingwen Printing
| place=Taipei
| ref={{sfnref|Chen and Pei|429}}
}} Cited as ''Sanguozhi zhu''.
* {{ cite book | editor = Sima Guang | editor-link= Sima Guang| title= Zizhi Tongjian | title-link= Zizhi Tongjian| orig-date= 1084 | date= 1934 | publisher= Zhonghua Shuju| place= Hong Kong | ref={{sfnref|Zizhi Tongjian|1084}} | script-title= zh:資治通鑑 }}

{{wikisource|zh:作者:羊祜|作者:羊祜}}
{{Subject bar|book=no|portal1=China|portal2=China/Categories|portal3=|portal4=|commons=yes|commons-search=Category:Yang Hu (Western Jin)|d=yes|d-search=Q642820}}
{{People of Cao Wei}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Hu}}
[[Category:221 births]]
[[Category:278 deaths]]
[[Category:Cao Wei government officials]]
[[Category:Jin dynasty (266–420) generals]]
[[Category:Jin dynasty (266–420) government officials]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Hubei]]