Everything about Fu Pi totally explained
Fu Pi (苻丕) (d.
386),
courtesy name Yongshu (永叔), formally
Emperor Aiping of (Former) Qin ((前)秦哀平帝), was an
emperor of the
Chinese/
Di state
Former Qin. He was
Fu Jiān's oldest son, although not his
crown prince, and after Fu Jiān's death at the hands of
Yao Chang, the founder of
Later Qin, and his brother Fu Hong (苻宏) the Crown Prince was forced to flee to
Jin, he claimed imperial title in
385, but was defeated by the
Western Yan prince
Murong Yong in 386, and then subsequently killed by the Jin general Feng Gai (馮該).
Early career
Fu Pi was first mentioned in historical records in
357, when his father Fu Jiān overthrew the violent and whimsical emperor
Fu Sheng and took the throne with the title "Heavenly Prince" (
Tian Wang). Fu Jiān created Fu Pi, his oldest son, the Duke of Changle. At that time, Fu Pi was described to have talent in both governance and military matters, whose talents were only lesser to his uncle
Fu Rong, whose abilities were much praised by historians.
In
378, Fu Jiān commissioned Fu Pi to command a large army against the
Jin city Xiangyang (襄陽, in modern
Xiangfan,
Hubei). At the advice of the general Gou Chang (苟萇), Fu Pi chose to surround the city and cut off its supply route to strangle it into submission, rather than making direct assaults on the city. However, around the new year
379, Fu Jiān, anxious to capture the city, sent him a sword, stating that if by the spring he hadn't captured the city, he should kill himself with the sword. After receiving the sword, Fu Pi, in fear, made a fierce attack on the city and captured it.
As viceroy over eastern provinces
In
380, Fu Jiān recalled Fu Rong, who had served as the viceroy over the eastern provinces (the former territory of
Former Yan, which Former Qin destroyed in
370), back to the capital
Chang'an to serve as prime minister in place of the capable
Wang Meng, who died in
375. Fu Pi was made the viceroy of the eastern provinces to replace Fu Rong. As Fu Jiān, that year, also implemented a plan to distribute his Di people to various regions of the empire, a substantial number of Di soldiers and their families accompanied Fu Pi to his command post at
Yecheng.
Fu Pi wasn't involved in the crushing defeat that Former Qin foces suffered at the
Battle of Fei River, as he remained at Yecheng. In the aftermaths of the battle, however, the
Xianbei general
Murong Chui, a Former Yan prince, plotted a rebellion to reestablish Yan. In late
383, after persuading Fu Jiān to allow him to visit the eastern provinces to try to calm the people in light of the defeat at Fei River, Murong Chui arrived at Yecheng, where Murong Chui continued plotting, and where Murong Chui and Fu Pi considered ambushing each other but each decided not to do so. When, subsequently, the
Dingling chieftain Zhai Bin (翟斌) rebelled and attacked
Luoyang, defended by Fu Pi's brother Fu Hui (苻暉) the Duke of Pingyuan, Fu Jiān ordered Murong Chui to put down Zhai's rebellion, and Fu Pi sent his assistant Fu Feilong (苻飛龍) to serve as Murong Chui's assistant. On the way to Luoyang, however, Murong Chui killed Fu Feilong and his Di soldiers and prepared to openly rebel. Meanwhile, despite his suspicions of Murong Chui, Fu Pi didn't put Murong Chui's son
Murong Nong and nephews Murong Kai (慕容楷) and Murong Shao (慕容紹) under surveillance, and the three fled out of Yecheng and started a rebellion of their own.
In spring
384, Murong Chui openly declared the establishment of
Later Yan, claiming the title of Prince of Yan. Fu Pi tried to persuade Murong Chui to end his rebellion, but Murong Chui refused and attacked Yecheng but was unable to capture it quickly. However, most cities north of the
Yellow River and east of
Taihang Mountains switched allegiance or were captured by Later Yan forces, leaving Yecheng isolated. (The Former Qin cities south of the Yellow River were largely captured by Jin.) With the heart of the empire itself under attacks by rebel regimes
Later Qin and
Western Yan, Fu Pi could have no expectation of receiving aid, and the situation soon grew desperate for him and his troops. In late 384, Murong Chui briefly lifted the siege of Yecheng to try to regroup, but at the same time, Jin forces attacked. Fu Pi sued for peace, but without his knowledge his assistant Yang Ying (楊膺) also promised on his behalf that he'd surrender to Jin. With that promise, the Jin general
Xie Xuan aided him with troops and food supplies, but eventually the temporary alliance broke up again. Meanwhile, Murong Chui returned and again put the city under siege after defeating Jin troops under
Liu Laozhi (劉牢之). In
385, Fu Pi abandoned Yecheng and headed northwest to Jinyang (晉陽, in modern
Taiyuan,
Shanxi), where he received news that his father Fu Jiān had been killed by the Later Qin ruler
Yao Chang. He then declared himself emperor.
Reign
Fu Pi took measures to try to consolidate his current position -- now largely only over modern Shanxi, although there were still many pockets of territory loyal to Former Qin in modern
Shaanxi and
Gansu, and there were also still pockets of resistance even in the middle of Later Yan territory. His prime minister Wang Yong (王永) (Wang Meng's son) issued a declaration inviting all those who were still loyal to be prepared to rendezvous at Linjin (臨晉, in modern
Weinan,
Shaanxi) in winter
386. Many local generals answered the call, although the rendezvous would never actually happen.
In fall 386, the Western Yan ruler
Murong Yong, whose people had abandoned the
Guanzhong region to head east, trying to return to their home land, requested Fu Pi to grant permission to let them through. Fu Pi refused and tried to intercept them, but suffered a major defeat, in which Wang Yong and the major general Juqu Jushizi (沮渠俱石子) were killed, and most of Fu Pi's officials and his wife
Empress Yang were captured. The only general under Fu Pi who still had a strong army remaining was his cousin Fu Zuan (苻纂) the Prince of Donghai, who remained at Jinyang, but Fu Pi was suspicious of Fu Zuan's intentions and therefore didn't dare to return to Jinyang, but instead headed south, wanting to make a surprise attack on Luoyang, then held by Jin. The Jin general Feng Gai (馮該) intercepted him and killed him in battle. His sons Fu Ning (苻寧) the
crown prince and Fu Shou (苻壽) the Prince of Changle were captured by Jin forces but pardoned and given to their uncle Fu Hong (苻宏) -- Fu Jiān's crown prince, who had surrendered to Jin earlier. His sons Fu Yi (苻懿) the Prince of Bohai and Fu Chang (苻昶) the Prince of Jibei were escorted by an official to his distant nephew
Fu Deng the Prince of Nan'an, who initially proposed making Fu Yi the emperor, but after his subordinates recommended that he take the throne himself, did so.
Era name
Personal information
Father
Wife
Children
- Fu Ning (苻寧), the Crown Prince (created 385)
- Fu Shou (苻壽), the Prince of Changle (created 385)
- Fu Qiang (苻鏘), the Prince of Pingyuan (created 385)
- Fu Yi (苻懿), initially the Prince of Bohai (created 385), later Crown Prince Xian'ai under Fu Deng (created 387, d. 388)
- Fu Chang (苻昶), the Prince of Jibei (created 385)
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