The Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589) is the collective name of the Southern Dynasties (420-589) and the Northern Dynasties (439, 386-581), which refers to the confrontation between the north and the south in Chinese history from the fall of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in 420, the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty to the unification of the world by the Sui Dynasty in 589. It is known that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the emperor was a high-risk occupation. Especially in front of the ministers, the emperor can be described as a man-made sword, and I am a fish. Among them, the following four powerful ministers during the Northern and Southern Dynasties killed a total of 12 emperors.
1. Liu Yu
In the winter of the first year of the tycoon (403), Huan Xuan coerced Emperor An of Jin to take the throne, established Huan Chu, and changed the Yuan to "eternal beginning". In the first year of Yongshi (404), Liu Yu led an army against Huan Xuan, who was defeated and killed in 404 AD.
Murong Chao was the second emperor of Southern Yan and was executed in Jiankang in 410 AD after being defeated by Liu Yu's army.
Yao Hong was the third emperor of Later Qin, and in the second year of Yonghe (417), Yao Hong was forced to surrender during the Northern Expedition initiated by Liu Yu, and was later beheaded by Liu Yu in Jiankang.
In addition to the above three emperors, Liu Yu, as a powerful minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, naturally would not let go of his last emperor. Among them, as far as Sima Dezong, the emperor of Jin An, was the tenth emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and was poisoned by Liu Yu. Emperor Gong of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Dewen, was the eleventh emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and after being forced to take the throne by Liu Yu, he still failed to survive and was eventually killed by Liu Yu. On this basis, Liu Yu successfully established the Southern Song Dynasty.
As a result, Liu Yu himself got rid of the five emperors, plus the emperor (King of Chengdu), which made it the most powerful minister who killed emperors in ancient times.
Second, the love of the sect
Zongai (?) —452), place of origin and origin unknown. Eunuch and powerful minister during the Northern Wei Dynasty. On the fifth day of the second month of the second year of Zhengping (March 11, 452), Zong Ai killed Emperor Taiwu, killed Tuoba Han, the king of Dongping, and supported Tuoba Yu, the king of Nan'an, as the emperor, and changed the Yuan Yongping. Subsequently, Zong Aibai was the great Sima, the general, and the Taishi, and the power leaned towards the government and the opposition. On the first day of the tenth month of the second year of Yongping (October 29, 452), Zong Ai killed Tuoba Yu.
Of course, after killing two Northern Wei emperors in a row, Zong Ai also became the target of public criticism. In the first year of Xing'an (452), Liu Ni in Yulin Langzhong, Yuanhe in the palace, Shangshu Ling's eldest grandson Qihou, and Lu Li, the southern Shangshu, welcomed Tuoba Jun into the palace and ascended the throne, which was for Emperor Wencheng. Subsequently, Zong Ai and his henchmen were arrested and executed.
3. Xiao Luan
Xiao Luan is the nephew of Emperor Xiao Daocheng of Qi Gao and the second son of Xiao Daosheng, King of Shi'anzhen. After the establishment of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Xiao Luan was named the Marquis of Xichang and served as the assassin of Yingzhou. During the period of Emperor Qi Wu, he became a servant, a left servant, and a general of the right guard. Accept the edict and auxiliary government. However, after his ambitions swelled, Xiao Luan successively abolished and killed the two emperors, Xiao Zhaoye and Xiao Zhaowen. On this basis, Xiao Luan established himself as emperor.
After becoming the fifth emperor of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Xiao Luan did not do much, and during his reign, he was repeatedly invaded by the Northern Wei Dynasty, and fought unfavorably in Xinye, Nanyang, Yiyang and other places. Due to the improper position, he was suspicious and worried in his heart, and almost slaughtered Xiao Daocheng and Xiao Zhen's descendants. In the first year of Yongtai (September 1, 498), Xiao Luan died, at the age of forty-seven, his nickname was Ming, and the temple name was Gaozong, and he was buried in Xing'an Mausoleum.
Fourth, Yuwen Hu
Yuwen Hu was a powerful minister in the Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties, the nephew of Emperor Wen Yuwentai, the son of Shao Hui Gongyu Wenhao, and the cousin of Emperor Wu Yuwen Yong. In his early years, Yuwenhu followed Yuwentai to fight many battles with the Eastern Wei Dynasty and made many military exploits. In the first year of Emperor Gong of the Western Wei Dynasty (556), Yuwentai died of illness and handed over power to Yuwenhu on his deathbed. In 557 AD, Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong of the Western Wei Dynasty to locate in Yuwenjue and establish the Northern Zhou Dynasty. After the establishment of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yuwen Hu took power and killed three emperors in succession: Yuwen Jue, Tuoba Kuo, and Yuwen Yu within three years.
In the second year of Wucheng (560), Yuwen Hu established Yuwentai's fourth son, Yuwen Yong, as the emperor. From the third year of Emperor Gong of the Western Wei Dynasty (557) to the first year of Jiande of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (572), Yuwen Hu ruled the government for fifteen years, which played a stabilizing role in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, but the fiasco of Vaqi led to a sharp decline in prestige. In the seventh year of Tianhe (572), Yuwen Hu was killed by Yuwen Yong in Hanren Palace, and his heirs and henchmen were also arrested and killed.
To sum up, Liu Yu, Zong Ai, Xiao Luan, and Yuwen Hu, the four powerful ministers, killed a total of 12 emperors. Therefore, this shows that the emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties can be said to be walking on thin ice, and they will be killed if they are not careful.