Hunting the Realm, Part 2: The Heyin Coup

Er Zhu Rong: a genius cavalry commander seen once in a century, whose achievements rival Cao Cao's and whose crimes rival Dong Zhuo's. He is the gravedigger of the Northern Wei Empire. In the Heyin Incident, he massacres more than two thousand princes, nobles, and ministers, hoping to free himself from the court's interference, crush the rebellions, and unite the realm. The founding emperors of Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, as well as the founding ancestors of the Sui and Tang dynasties, all came from his army. In the final years of Northern Wei, Empress Dowager Hu Ling seizes power, corrupts the imperial harem, and lets the government fall into disarray. Princes and nobles compete to feed their horses from silver troughs, while soldiers on the frontier and ordinary people suffer in the cold. To seize imperial power, Empress Dowager Hu poisons her own son, Emperor Xiaoming, Yuan Xu, and installs his newborn daughter as emperor, making herself a laughingstock throughout the realm. To avenge his son-in-law, Er Zhu Rong accepts Gao Huan's stratagem of “borrowing a road to destroy Guo.” He claims to be marching against Ge Rong, but halfway there he proclaims Prince Changle, Yuan Ziyou, emperor. He then heads south to Luoyang, ostensibly to pay respects at the imperial mausoleums, and massacres more than two thousand of Northern Wei's political elite. This is the brutal historical event known as the Heyin Incident. To defeat Ge Rong, Er Zhu Rong follows the example of Duke Wen of Jin, who “broke with convention to uphold righteousness,” and gives his daughter, Er Zhu Ge, in marriage to Yuan Ziyou. Following Wen Zisheng's strategy of “driving a tiger away with a wolf,” Yuan Ziyou allies with Er Zhu Rong against their common enemy, Ge Rong. Leading seven thousand Khitan-Hu cavalry at breakneck speed, Er Zhu Rong marches east through the Fu Pass and launches a coordinated attack on Ge Rong's million-strong army, capturing him alive on the battlefield and accomplishing a cavalry feat without parallel in history. On his triumphant return, Er Zhu Rong is appointed Grand Chancellor and honored above all. He takes control of the Northern Wei court and begins suppressing rebellions across the realm. The White-Robed General Chen Qingzhi uses a game of Go to remonstrate with Emperor Wu of Southern Liang, Xiao Yan. His argument aligns with the shifting balance between north and south, and Emperor Wu's heart gradually turns toward a northern campaign. Chen Qingzhi then leads seven thousand troops to escort Prince of Beihai Yuan Hao on a campaign north, heading straight for the capital, Luoyang. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism vie for influence. The Confucian scholar Wen Zisheng risks his life to infiltrate the palace and educate the emperor. The Buddhists send an Acharya to seek out the future ruler of the realm, while the Daoist Tao Hongjing sets his sights on Little Monkey, an inconspicuous blacksmith.