'Yang Guozhong' (, d.
July 15 756) was an official who achieved high rank due to his family relation with
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's consort
Yang Guifei.
Born 'Yang Zhao' (楊釗), he was Lady Yang's distant cousin, a gambler and a wastrel, though not without political cunning. He received the
given name 'Guozhong' ("Loyal to the Empire") and ten titles, including Overseer of All Departments (支部郎中). In effect, he became the Chancellor of the
Tang Dynasty, and was entirely unsuited for the position.
His unsubtle opposition drove
An Lushan into
rebellion, and then his gross military miscalculation permitted the latter to capture the imperial capital. Subsequently, he, his cousin the consort, and many of the Yang's family were executed because the army attributed the chaos to them.