In the late Eastern Jin Dynasty, due to political corruption and people's dire livelihood, social conflicts increasingly intensified. At this time, the northern region was experiencing disputes among the Sixteen Kingdoms, while the south was relatively stable, but the Eastern Jin regime was also facing a serious crisis.
In 403 AD, Huan Xuan usurped the Jin Dynasty and established the Huan Chu regime, which marked the official demise of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. However, the Huanchu regime failed to stabilize the situation in the south, but instead exacerbated social unrest.
Against this background, Liu Yu, who was born in poverty, gradually emerged with his outstanding military talents and firm political determination. He led his army to quell the Huan Chu regime, destroyed Western Shu, Southern Yan, and Later Qin. In 420 AD, he proclaimed himself emperor, established the Southern Song Dynasty, and made his capital Jiankang (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu Province).
