The Usurpation of Power: From Eastern Wei to Northern Qi
After Hou Jing’s rebellion plunged the south into chaos, the north underwent its own dynastic upheaval.
Following Gao Huan’s death, his eldest son Gao Cheng seized control of Eastern Wei. Arrogant and ambitious, he openly disdained puppet emperor Emperor Xiaojing, once forcing him to drink at a banquet. When the emperor retorted, “All states perish – why must I live like this?”, Gao Cheng sneered, “Your Majesty? You’re nothing but a dog-foot emperor!” and ordered his aide Cui Jishu to punch the sovereign three times.
Humiliated, Emperor Xiaojing plotted escape – but Gao Cheng discovered the tunnel and imprisoned him, preparing to usurp the throne.
Then fate intervened: in 549, Gao Cheng was assassinated by his own cook, Lan Jing.
But relief was short-lived. His younger brother Gao Yang swiftly took power – more ruthless than ever.
In early 550, Gao Yang forced Emperor Xiaojing to abdicate and founded the Northern Qi dynasty, ending Eastern Wei’s 17-year existence with a single emperor.
Across the west, Yuwen Tai’s son Yuwen Jue followed suit in 557, abolishing Western Wei and establishing the Northern Zhou.
Now, Northern Qi and Northern Zhou faced off – one strong, one rising; both destined for a deadly rivalry.
The Pillar of the Realm: The Hulü Family
At the heart of Northern Qi’s military might stood the Hulü clan – ethnic Chile (also called Dingling or Gaoche, “High-Cart People”) warriors who had migrated south to Shuozhou (northern Shanxi).
Hulü Jin, a loyal general under Gao Huan, rose through bravery and integrity. Though illiterate, he mastered cavalry tactics and battlefield intuition – able to gauge enemy numbers by dust clouds and distances by terrain.
Most famously, during the disastrous Battle of Yubi (546), when Gao Huan’s army panicked after rumors spread that he’d been killed by Wei Xiaokuan, it was Hulü Jin who sang a stirring Chile folk song to rally the troops. Some say it was the immortal:
“Chile River, beneath Yin Mountain –
Heaven like a yurt, draping the four wilds.
Blue sky, vast plain – wind bends grass, reveals sheep and cattle.”
Moved to tears, Gao Huan joined in – and morale was restored.
On his deathbed, Gao Huan instructed his sons:”Trust Hulü Jin. He is loyal and honest. Never believe slander against him.”
True to his word, Emperor Wenxuan (Gao Yang) honored Hulü Jin as Prince and Chancellor.
The Falcon General: Hulü Guang’s Rise
Hulü Jin’s eldest son, Hulü Guang, became Northern Qi’s greatest general. Nicknamed “Falling Eagle Commander” after shooting a soaring eagle through the neck at age 17, he embodied discipline and valor.
- He never entered his tent until soldiers’ camps were built.
- He stood armored for days in harsh conditions.
- He treated troops with fairness – and earned their fierce loyalty.
Time and again, he crushed Northern Zhou invasions:
- In 564, Zhou forces fled upon hearing his name.
- At Luoyang, he broke sieges and repelled Yuwen Hu, Zhou’s Grand Marshal.
- In a legendary duel on Mount Mang, he shot Zhou general Wang Xiong in the forehead – killing him instantly.
His younger brother, Hulü Xian, governed Youzhou so effectively that the Turks called him “Southern Khan.”
With two daughters married to Crown Prince Gao Wei, and one as Empress, the Hulü family reached the pinnacle of power.
Yet Hulü Jin warned them:
“We rose by military merit, not palace intrigue. Remember Liang Ji of Han – an overmighty consort exterminated for his arrogance. Beware being ‘imperial relatives.’”
He died at 80 – unaware his prophecy would soon come true.
The Court of Shadows: Rise of the Eunuchs and Sycophants
Emperor Gao Wei (posthumously “Houzhu,” the Last Lord) was a feeble, pleasure-seeking ruler who handed state affairs to:
- His wet nurse Lu Lingxuan
- Her son Mu Tipo
- And the blind scholar Zu Ting – a cunning flatterer who manipulated the emperor with honeyed words.
Hulü Guang, as Chancellor and father-in-law to the emperor, openly criticized them:
“Ever since the blind man took power, no one consults me. This will ruin the state!”
Zu Ting, furious, bribed Hulü’s servant to report:”The Chancellor sighs nightly: ‘With blind men ruling, the country is doomed.’”
Mu Tipo also seethed – Hulü Guang had rejected his marriage proposal and blocked the grant of strategic farmland near Jinyang to him, declaring:”This land feeds our armies – it must not go to favorites!”
The trio now vowed revenge.
The Poisonous Ballad: A Song That Killed a Dynasty
In 571, after another victory over Wei Xiaokuan, the Zhou general resorted to psychological warfare – spreading a cryptic rhyme in Yecheng:
“A hundred sheng flies to heaven;
Bright Moon shines on Chang’an.”
“High mountains collapse without push;
Oak trees rise without support.”
Zu Ting twisted its meaning for the gullible emperor:
“‘Hundred sheng’ = one hu (斛) – Hulü! ‘Bright Moon’ = Hulü Guang’s nickname! The song says he’ll seize the throne! As for ‘blind old man’ and ‘chattering old woman’ – that’s me and Lady Lu, loyal servants!”
He added his own line:”Blind lord bears the axe; gossiping crone falls silent.”
Convinced of treason, Gao Wei conspired with Zu Ting to eliminate Hulü Guang.
The Murder of a Guardian
In summer 572, the emperor summoned Hulü Guang under pretense of gifting a fine steed.
As he entered the palace gate, assassins strangled him with a bowstring.
His entire clan – Hulü Xian, sons, relatives – were executed on charges of “rebellion.” The Empress Hulü was deposed.
In Chang’an, Northern Zhou erupted in celebration. Emperor Wu of Zhou declared a general amnesty, proclaiming:”Qi has slain its own shield!”
Northern Qi citizens mourned in secret, comparing Hulü Guang to Li Mu of Zhao – the great general executed due to Qin’s false rumors.
They whispered:
“Hulü Guang was our wall. Now we’ve torn it down ourselves – our fall is certain.”
Within six years, Northern Zhou conquered Northern Qi.
The dynasty that destroyed its best defender did not long survive its own folly.
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