Yang Yuebin

Life

In his youth he was skilled in horsemanship and archery and entered military service. At the end of the Daoguang era (1847), he was appointed to the Changsha post of 協外委, a title also rendered 協左營外委; early in the Xianfeng era, he joined Zeng Guofan as a naval camp officer. Through military merit he rose to 營千總 at Yizhang (1853), 協副將 at Changde Prefecture (1855), and, in 1856, 鎮總兵 at Yunyang in Hubei; 林之望 (1811–1884) served under him.

He took part in the battles of Yuezhou, Tianjiazhen, Wuhan, Jiujiang, Anqing, and 九袱洲, becoming a leading commander of the Hunan Army navy. In the third year of Tongzhi (1864), in the fifth month, he was appointed governor-general of Shaan-Gan; he retired because of illness in the sixth year. During the Guangxu era he briefly returned to service, serving as 水師統帥 in 1876.

In the 1884 Franco-Vietnamese campaign, French forces seized Keelung port, and he was ordered to Taiwan to assist Liu Mingchuan against them. In February 1885 he led troops in a covert crossing from Quanzhou, landed at Beinan, and in March shifted his deployment to Taiwan Prefecture. When the war ended in September, he returned home and did not resume office. His posthumous name was Yongque (勇愨); he held 太子少保銜 and the hereditary rank 一等輕車都尉世職, and was posthumously granted 太子太保.

Family and associates

His father was 楊秀貴; his great-grandfather was 楊昌文; his grandfathers were 楊勝德 and 楊勝儒; and his paternal uncle was 楊秀思. His sons were 楊正儀, 楊溍儀, and 楊懋儀, and his son-in-law was 易宗銘; his grandsons included 楊道洪, 楊道源, 楊道潛, 楊道澂, 楊道濂, 楊道瀼, 楊道漋, 楊鈺榮, and 楊鎮榮.

Works

His works include 《楊勇愨公遺集》. Later editors compiled 《楊勇愨公奏議》, which was transmitted to later generations.