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Murong Chui's image in the game

In his long martial arts novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Jin Yong fictionalized a Murong family that lived in Gusu and was known for its martial arts. In the 42nd chapter, "How Can the Old Demon Clown Be Able to Withstand a Single Attack? His Victory Was Unfair", Jin Yong mentioned several distant ancestors of "Murong Fu", "Murong Huang, Murong Ke, Murong Chui, Murong De, etc., who were all famous and heroic rulers of the State of Yan, who shook the world and created a great career". Today, let's talk about the deeds of Murong Chui mentioned by Mr. Jin Yong.

1. The former Yan prince, with outstanding military achievements

Murong Chui (November 4, 326 - June 2, 396), originally named Ba, with the courtesy name Daoming (some say Daoye or Shuren), and the Xianbei name A Liudun. He was the fifth son of Murong Huang, the ruler of the Former Yan. Although he was young, he was gifted with extraordinary bravery. Historical records show that his "hands hung below his knees" and he was seven feet and seven inches tall (in the Wei and Jin dynasties, 1 foot was approximately equal to 24.2 centimeters today. Seven feet and seven inches is approximately equivalent to 186 centimeters today. At that time, it was definitely considered "tall"). Therefore, Murong Huang doted on him very much, and often looked at Murong Chui and said to his brothers: "This child is broad-minded and curious. He will eventually be able to ruin his family or build his own family.”

As early as 339, Murong Huang ordered Murong Ba, who was only 13 years old, to follow his brother Murong Ke to lead the army to attack the Yuwen tribe of the Xianbei people. At the age of 13, for many of our modern children, they are still clinging to their parents, acting like spoiled brats. However, the young Murong Chui rode on his warhorse with high spirits, charging left and right on the battlefield, and was the bravest of the three armies.

In 342, in order to completely resolve the major concern of advancing into the Central Plains, Murong Huang personally led his army to attack Goguryeo. He ordered Murong Ba and others to be the vanguard. After a fierce battle, the Former Yan army captured the Goguryeo capital Wandu (now Ji'an West, Jilin). Goguryeo King Gao Zhao fled alone.

In February 344, Murong Huang personally led Murong Ba, Murong Ke and others to attack the Yuwen tribe. The leader of the Yuwen tribe, Yuwen Yidugui, sent elite troops to meet the attack. During the fierce battle between the two armies, Murong Ba led his troops to attack from the flank, and the Yuwen army was caught off guard and defeated. The Yan army took advantage of the victory to capture the Yuwen capital Zimengchuan (now northwest of Chaoyang, Liaoning). Yuwen Yidugui fled and died in Mobei. The Yuwen tribe was dispersed.

In 345, Shi Hu, the emperor of Later Zhao, led his army to invade Former Yan. Later, although Shi Hu withdrew his army due to some events, he still ordered General Deng Heng to lead tens of thousands of troops to station in Le'an (today's northeast of Leting County, Hebei) to seek an opportunity to annex Former Yan. Murong Huang appointed Murong Ba as the General of Suppressing Di and stationed his troops in Tuhe (today's northwest of Jinzhou, Liaoning) to confront him. Deng Heng was afraid of Murong Ba and did not dare to provoke him easily.

The image of Shihu in the game

In 348, Murong Huang died and his son Murong Jun succeeded him. The following year, Emperor Shi Hu of the Later Zhao Dynasty died, and the various sons fought for the throne, causing chaos in the country. Murong Chui reported to Murong Jun:Opportunities are easily lost, so seize the opportunity quickly, and take advantage of the weak to attack the ignorant. Now is the time."Murong Jun refused to approve the request on the grounds that Murong Huang had just died and people's hearts were unstable. Murong Chui personally rushed to the capital Longcheng (now Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province) to persuade Murong Jun and volunteered to be the vanguard. Ministers such as Feng Yi also strongly supported Murong Chui. Murong Jun appointed Murong Chui as the vanguard commander and selected more than 200,000 elite soldiers to prepare for the attack on Zhao.

In February 350, Murong Jun ordered Murong Chui to lead his army to attack Zhao via Tuhe from the east, ordered Murong Yu to lead his army to attack Zhao from the west, and led the central army himself to attack Zhao in three routes. When Murong Chui's army attacked Sanxing (now Maoshi Mountain, Funing County, Hebei), Deng Heng, a general of the Later Zhao, was frightened, burned his warehouse, and fled to Jicheng (now Beijing). Murong Chui and Murong Jun joined forces to attack Jicheng together. In March, the Yan army captured Jicheng. Murong Jun personally led his army to pursue Deng Heng. When he arrived at Qingliang (now southwest of Qingyuan County, Hebei), Zhao general Lu Bo had already led thousands of people to attack the Yan army at night. The Zhao army broke into the vicinity of Murong Chui's tent, and the situation was precarious. Murong Chui remained calm and killed dozens of soldiers who wanted to escape with his own hands, and commanded the Yan army to fight back and repel the attack.

In April 354, Murong Jun proclaimed himself emperor and appointed Murong Chui as the King of Wu, guarding Xindu (now Jizhou District, Hebei Province).

In May 357, Murong Jun sent Murong Chui and others to lead 80,000 infantry and cavalry to attack the Chi-Le tribe who lived in the northern part of the Great Wall and had been harassing the Former Yan. The Yan army defeated the Chi-Le tribe, captured and killed more than 100,000 people, and captured 130,000 horses and countless cattle and sheep. Peace was restored on the northern border. According to historical records, the Former Yan marched into the Central Plains, fought wars in the south and the north, andAs a vanguard, he has made great contributions in many battles.”。

The battle that really made Murong Chui famous was the Battle of Fangtou (now southwest of Junxian County, Henan Province). In April 369, the Grand Marshal Huan Wen of the Eastern Jin Dynasty personally led 50,000 infantry and cavalry to the north to attack the Former Yan. The Jin army won victory after victory, and the Former Yan emperor, Murong Wei, the son of Murong Jun, was in a panic and had to ask for help from his mortal enemy, the Former Qin. In July, Huan Wen led his army to capture Fangtou, which was only a hundred miles away from Ye City. Murong Wei and the ministers such as the Grand Tutor Murong Ping were panicked and prepared to flee. Murong Chui and others firmly advocated a fight to the death. Murong Chui said passionately: "I request that you attack them. If we cannot win, it is not too late to flee."Murong Wei then calmed down a little. He ordered Murong Chui to be the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition, leading 50,000 infantry and cavalry to resist Huan Wen. He also sent people to the Former Qin to ask for help, and promised to cede the land west of Hulao (now Sishui Town, northwest of Xingyang, Henan) to the Former Qin as a reward for the Former Qin's troops. The Former Qin King Fu Jian summoned all his ministers to discuss. He adopted Wang Meng's strategy of first helping the weak Yan and defeating the strong Jin; then taking advantage of Yan's decline to destroy it, which was "killing two birds with one stone".

After Murong Chui led his army to fight the Jin army several times, he stopped the Jin army's offensive momentum. In August, the reinforcements of the Former Qin entered Yingchuan (now east of Xuchang, Henan). Huan Wen suffered a series of defeats. He heard that the reinforcements of the Former Qin were coming, so he decided to lead his army to retreat by land. The generals of the Former Yan suggested to pursue the victory. Murong Chui said: "Don't rush. Huan Wen has just retreated, and he must be panicking. He will definitely set up strict guards and select elite soldiers as the rear defense. If our army attacks rashly, it may not win. It is better to delay for a few days. If Huan Wen finds out that our army is not chasing him, he will definitely be lucky and lead his army to rush day and night. When the Jin army is exhausted, our army will attack again and will definitely win." So Murong Chui personally led 8,000 cavalry and secretly followed the Jin army. Huan Wen's subsequent deployment was exactly as Murong Chui expected. A few days later, Murong Chui ordered his troops to advance rapidly, and caught up with the Jin army in Xiangyi (now Sui County, Henan Province), killing more than 30,000 people.

Because Murong Chui fought in many battles and made outstanding contributions, he was known as the "Four Murong Heroes" along with Murong Jun, Murong Ke and Murong De. Although Murong Chui was full of glory, it also brought him great crisis.

2. His achievements were so great that he was rejected, framed, and forced to flee to the enemy country.

As the saying goes, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind." Murong Chui was outstanding and had made outstanding contributions. He was deeply favored by his father Murong Huang, "more favored than the crown prince Jun." Murong Huang even had the idea of ​​replacing Murong Jun with Murong Chui. However, he did not put it into practice because the ministers advised him not to abolish the eldest son and establish the youngest son. As a result, Murong Jun and others were extremely jealous of Murong Chui and kept looking for trouble.

After Murong Jun ascended the throne, he changed Murong Ba's name to "Murong Chui Kui" on the grounds that Murong Ba had broken his teeth when he fell off his horse while hunting as a teenager. Chui Kui, the ancient Chinese character for "lack", was actually meant to mock Murong Chui's broken teeth. Later, Murong Jun heard that Chui Kui would become a noble, so he ordered the character "Kui" to be removed and his name to be changed to Murong Chui.

In April 354, Murong Jun proclaimed himself emperor. Although he appointed Murong Chui as the King of Wu and stationed him in Xindu, Murong Jun became even more jealous of Murong Chui because of his good governance and prestige in the local area, and he hurriedly issued an edict to recall him to the court.

If changing the name and summoning back to the court were just "small fights" by Murong Jun, then the Duan witchcraft case he started in 358 was a must-try to put Murong Chui to death. Murong Chui married Duan. Duan was talented and fierce, and she was not on good terms with the empress Kezuhun. The empress was angry and conspired to frame Duan and Murong Chui. She secretly instructed someone to report to Murong Jun that Duan and Gao Bi, the secretary of the Wu Kingdom, secretly used witchcraft to frame the emperor. Murong Jun issued an edict to arrest Duan and Gao Bi and put them in prison, and tortured them severely, hoping that the two would confess and implicate Murong Chui.

Unexpectedly, the two did not yield despite being tortured. Murong Chui was heartbroken and secretly sent someone to tell Duan: "Everyone will die one day, why endure such cruel torture! It is better to follow their wishes and confess." Duan sighed and said: "I am afraid of death too! However, if I have to use such a wicked thing to falsely accuse myself of survival, it will disgrace my ancestors and implicate the prince. I would rather die than do such a thing!" Later, Duan died in prison. Although Murong Chui was lucky enough to escape, his relationship with Murong Jun became even worse.

In the first month of 360, Murong Jun died of illness, and the 11-year-old crown prince Murong Wei succeeded to the throne. He respected Kezuhun as the empress dowager, and appointed his uncle Murong Ke as the prime minister, recording the affairs of the Shangshu and managing the government; Shangyong Prince Murong Ping was the imperial tutor. Murong Ke, who was loyal to the country, talented and open-minded, admired Murong Chui very much. He recommended to Murong Wei many times, saying: "The talent of the King of Wu (Murong Chui) is ten times that of me. The first emperor ranked the elders first, and I was ranked first. After my death, I hope that Your Majesty will entrust the government to the King of Wu, which can be said to be a combination of virtuous people."

Murong Ke's image in the game

In May 367, Murong Ke died of illness. Before his death, Murong Ke once again recommended Murong Chui to Murong Wei:The King of Wu is a man of both civil and military talents, second only to Guan and Xiao. If Your Majesty entrusts him with major government affairs, the country will be safe. Otherwise, Qin and Jin will surely attempt to hijack his power."However, Murong Wei did not listen to his last words. He ordered the narrow-minded and jealous Murong Ping to be the prime minister, and appointed Murong Chong, who had no military talent, as the Grand Marshal with military power. Not only that, the Queen Mother and Murong Ping joined forces to exclude and frame Murong Chui many times. Although Murong Chui put aside past grudges and defeated the Jin army in the Battle of Fangtou, saving the Former Yan from danger. But Murong Ping and others became more aggressive and conspired to kill Murong Chui. In desperation, Murong Chui had to secretly escape to the Former Qin.

With the assistance of Wang Meng and others, the Former Qin Emperor Fu Jian's national power was growing day by day, and he had long been eyeing the Former Yan. However, because he was afraid of Murong Ke, Murong Chui and others, he endured and waited for the opportunity. Murong Ke died of illness, and Murong Chui came to surrender, which made Fu Jian overjoyed. He not only treated Murong Chui very well, but also repeatedly rejected the suggestions of Wang Meng and others to kill Murong Chui to eliminate future troubles.

In 370, Fu Jian ordered Murong Chui and others to lead the army to attack Yan. The Qin army was unstoppable and quickly captured Murong Wei and others, destroying the Former Yan. Whether it was governing the country or fighting wars, Murong Chui made outstanding contributions to the Former Qin.

3. Revitalizing the Yan Kingdom and destroying the Western Yan; supporting Tuoba Gui and digging his own grave

In 383, the Battle of Feishui broke out between the Former Qin and the Eastern Jin. The Former Qin suffered a disastrous defeat, with more than 700,000 soldiers of the Former Qin annihilated or fleeing. Only the 30,000 troops of Murong Chui remained intact. The defeat in the Battle of Feishui not only completely shattered Fu Jian's dream of unifying the north and the south, but also made many rulers of various ethnic groups who had been conquered by the military force of the Former Qin and dormant due to the might of the Former Qin army ready to move. They soon set off a wave of restoration of independence, which led to the disintegration of the temporary unification of the north. Murong Chui also "Claiming to be the general, the governor, the king of Yan, and acting according to orders", and rebuilt the State of Yan. In 386, Murong Chui proclaimed himself emperor and established his capital in Zhongshan (now Dingzhou, Hebei), which was known in history as the Later Yan.

After the fall of the Former Qin, the Xianbei people who were forced to move to the Guanzhong area, led by Murong Wei's son Murong Hong, took the opportunity to rise up against the Qin. Murong Chong also raised troops in Hedong, joined forces with Murong Hong, and marched westward to Chang'an. Murong Hong's subordinates believed that Murong Hong was not as virtuous as Murong Chong, and that his laws were harsh and severe, so they killed Murong Hong and replaced him with Murong Chong. In 385, Murong Chong proclaimed himself emperor and named his country Yan, which was known in history as Western Yan.

As the saying goes, "There can't be two tigers on one mountain." Although both the Later Yan and Western Yan were founded by the Xianbei Murong tribe, the two countries soon went to war due to power struggles. In the winter of 393, the Later Yan launched a large-scale attack on Western Yan. In August 394, the Later Yan army invaded Changzi, killed Murong Yong and others, and Western Yan was destroyed. In its heyday, the territory of the Later Yan extended to Langya in the south, Liaohai in the east, Hefen in the west, and Yandai in the north. It was the most powerful regime in the Central Plains in the late Sixteen Kingdoms period.

Although the relationship between the Later Yan and the Dai Kingdom (later renamed Wei, known as the Northern Wei Dynasty) that was restored after the Battle of Feishui was initially harmonious, Murong Chui, considering the national interests of the Later Yan, also sent troops on his own initiative or upon invitation many times to assist Dai King Tuoba Gui in defeating powerful enemies. However, due to conflicts of interest, the contradictions between the two countries became increasingly acute.

In May 395, Murong Chui ordered his crown prince Murong Bao to lead 80,000 troops to attack Wei from Wuyuan (now Baotou, Inner Mongolia). Tuoba Gui adopted the strategy of avoiding decisive battles and constantly harassing, which made the Yan army exhausted. On the way back home, the Yan army, which had gained nothing, was suddenly attacked by the Wei army at Chanhebi (Shixiazigou, 50 miles northwest of Liangcheng County, Inner Mongolia, and some say it is in Yanggao, Shanxi). The Yan army was panicked and scattered. Tens of thousands of people were beaten to death, trampled to death by frightened horses, or drowned in the water. Thousands of civil and military officials and 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers of the Later Yan surrendered, and tens of thousands of weapons, armor, and food were seized. Only a few thousand soldiers of the Later Yan escaped by chance. This is the "Battle of Chanhebi".

The disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chanhepi made Murong Chui no longer dare to underestimate the Northern Wei. He also clearly realized that the rising Northern Wei would be a major threat to the Later Yan. So, despite his serious illness, he personally led a large army in March 398 to attack and capture the Northern Wei capital Pingcheng (now Datong, Shanxi). The Northern Wei was caught off guard and captured countless people. Tuoba Gui also fled in panic with only a few cavalrymen.

When Murong Chui led his army past Chanhe Pond, he saw the corpses of the fallen soldiers of the Later Yan army piled up like a mountain at the place where the fierce battle took place three years ago. Murong Chui ordered a memorial service to be held to commemorate the dead. The soldiers burst into tears, and their cries shook the valley. Murong Chui felt guilty and angry, and spurted blood wildly. His illness worsened. Soon, he died in the army. Thus fell the god of war.

After Murong Chui died, Murong Bao succeeded to the throne. Later Yan was plagued by internal strife and its national strength was weakening. Tuoba Gui took the opportunity to lead an army of 400,000 to attack Later Yan. Later Yan was destroyed.

Murong Chui was a man of great military talent and political foresight. He made great contributions to the development and growth of the Former Yan. However, due to his outstanding talents and achievements, even though he had the status of a royal family, he was often envied, excluded and persecuted by the rulers. As the saying goes, "A good bird chooses a tree to inhabit, and a good minister chooses a master to serve." In order to save his life, Murong Chui had to defect to the Former Qin. This choice was understandable. Although he was framed many times by Wang Meng and others in the Former Qin, he relied on the trust and enticement of Emperor Fu Jian, not only barely escaping, but also making many contributions to the Former Qin.

After the Battle of Feishui, the Former Qin Dynasty collapsed, and only Murong Chui's troops were preserved. Fu Jian, who was alone and helpless, surrendered to Murong Chui. Murong Chui's former subordinates advised him to take the opportunity to kill Fu Jian in order to achieve great things. He flatly refused and handed over his soldiers to Fu Jian, reflecting the gentlemanly demeanor that a politician should have. The Former Qin Dynasty collapsed, and various ethnic groups rose up for independence, and the north fell into a state of division and separatism again. Murong Chui followed the trend of the times, established himself as emperor, rebuilt the State of Yan, eliminated the surrounding separatist forces, and made the Later Yan the most powerful regime in the north in the late Sixteen Kingdoms period. Objectively, it laid the foundation for the reunification of the north. However, although Murong Chui had a strategic vision and foresight, he supported Tuoba Gui many times based on the national interests of the Later Yan. But he did not expect that decades later, it was the fully-fledged Tuoba Gui and the Northern Wei he established that destroyed the Later Yan he created. The unpredictability of worldly affairs and the unpredictability of human hearts make future generations sigh.