 Xia territory was briefly seized by Tang, but soon Dou's general Liu Heita rose against Tang rule, recapturing Dou's territory, and held out against Tang until 623.Dou Jiande was born in 573, when his birth area Zhangnan County (漳南縣, in modern Handan, Hebei) was under the rule of Northern Qi, although subsequently it came under the rule of Northern Zhou and then Sui dynasty.It was said that in his youth, his honesty and willingness to help others made him well known in his home territory.