Xu Mu brought 300,000 taels of silver into the palace to eliminate Xiao Yuanlu, the traitorous prime minister, and used the head of his enemy to gain his trust. In fact, he was in harmony with the country's surnamed Hou Yuan Taoli. He set fire as a signal to lead the army into the capital, burned official warehouses to shake the enemy's mind, helped Yuan Tao break through the palace, and beheaded Xiao Yuanlu with his own hands. On his deathbed, Yuan Tao asked an orphan to appoint Xu Mu as a first-class prime minister to assist the new emperor Yuan An, but Yuan An was suspicious of him and Chen Changqing hindered him. Seeing that Yuan An wanted to negotiate peace with Beidi in order to protect the throne, Xu Mu blocked it and angered Yuan An. In order to weaken Xu Mu's status, he demoted him to a commoner. Xu Mu resigned angrily and led his troops northward, vowing to protect the border rivers and mountains as a commoner.
