Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

In 407 AD, Gao Yun, the adopted son of Murong Bao, the Emperor Huiyi of Later Yan, became emperor and established Longcheng as the capital. He still used the name of Yan State and was known in history as Northern Yan.

Helian Bobo, a Xiongnu from Hetao, rebelled against the Later Qin and established the independent Xia Kingdom. Ten kingdoms coexisted in China. At this time, the Eastern Jin Dynasty had passed to the 10th emperor, Emperor An of Jin. Civil strife was frequent and the country was in decline.

In 409 AD, Liu Yu led his army to the north for the first time and attacked Southern Yan. Qifu Qiangui defeated the Later Qin and restored the country. He rebuilt the Western Qin after the fall of the country for 8 years. At this time, there were countries in China, which was the most chaotic period.

A year later, Liu Yu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty captured Guanggu, killed Murong Chao, and Southern Yan was destroyed. In 410 AD, Liu Yu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty sent people to suffocate Sima Dewen, the Emperor Gong of Jin, to death.

In 420 AD, Sima Dewen, the Emperor Gong of Jin, abdicated to Liu Yu, the Prince of Song, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty fell. A year later, the Northern Liang conquered Dunhuang, Li Hong committed suicide, and the Western Liang fell.

In 431 AD, Helian Ding, the emperor of the Xia Kingdom, attacked Western Qin and Nangan Qifu Mumo, and killed Helian Ding. Qifu Mumo and 500 members of his clan were also killed, and the Xia Kingdom also perished in the same year.

In 436 AD, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Tao, sent troops to attack Northern Yan. Feng Hong had no choice but to go to Longcheng to seek refuge with the Kingdom of Goguryeo, and Northern Yan was destroyed.

Three years later, Tuoba Tao led his army to besiege Guzang, and Juqu Mujian surrendered, and Northern Liang was destroyed. The Northern Wei Empire unified North China, and the 135-year era of the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China ended, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties officially began.

——"The Hu people went to war without bringing rations, and one cave killed 3,000 Han people. It was too tragic."

——"The Three Kingdoms exhausted all the heroic spirit, and the Jin Dynasty was full of rats."

——"Now many people are shouting, 'Hu people are the champions.' I'm so scared."

——"I have several blank nodes in history, and they are very confusing, such as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period before the Qin Dynasty, the Wang Mang period between the Han Dynasty and the Five Barbarians Period, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period at the end of the Jin Dynasty, and the warlord melee period at the end of the Qing Dynasty."

——"The Sima family killed the emperor in the street, which set a precedent for everyone. From then on, brothers killed each other and fought with each other. They all thought that killing the emperor and usurping the throne was common, and anyone could become emperor."

[What happened during the Sixteen Kingdoms period in Wuhu? The intersection of the history of the Five Barbarians’ Invasion of China]

We know very little about the history of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms. This is mainly because the regime changes were too frequent, the relationships between people were very chaotic, and many countries appeared and left in a hurry.

But if you look closely, there were also amazing Confucian generals like Wang Meng during this period, which was no less exciting than the Three Kingdoms period. So what are these 16 countries? Which ethnic groups founded them?

In this video, let us sort out the relationship between the Five Barbarians and the Sixteen Kingdoms in one go.

During the period of the Two Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the decline of the Jin Dynasty and their migration to the south, the ethnic minorities originally living in northern China moved south to live adjacent to the Han people, and successively established 15 northern regimes, including the Five Liang, Four Yan, Three Qin, Two Zhao, and Daxia, and one southwestern regime, Cheng Han.

Since these regimes were mainly established by five ethnic minorities: the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang, they are known in history as the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians.

Among them, there were three regimes established by the Xiongnu, namely Former Zhao, Daxia, and Northern Liang, and one regime established by the Jie people, namely Later Zhao.

The Xianbei established five regimes, namely the Former Yan, Later Yan, Southern Yan, Southern Liang, and Western Qin. The Di established two regimes, Former Qin and Later Qin. The Qiang established one regime, Later Liang.

The remaining three regimes, Western Liang and Northern Yan, were established by the Han people.

First, let's take a look at the three states established by the Xiongnu that we hear most about, because it was one of these three states that destroyed the Western Jin Dynasty. The Eight Kings Rebellion at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, coupled with locust plagues and plagues, gave the Hu people an opportunity to take advantage of.

Former Zhao: First is Liu Yuan, the northern commander of the Han Dynasty. Although his surname is Liu, he is actually a genuine Xiongnu noble. His ancestors changed their surname to Liu because they became relatives of Liu Bang.

The Former Zhao regime lasted for 25 years and produced four monarchs. The founding emperor Liu Yuan was both civil and military, good at riding and shooting, and was regarded as an external aid by Sima Ying, the King of Chengdu, during the Eight Princes Rebellion, but Sima Ying soon understood what it meant to let a wolf into the house.

In 304 AD, Liu Yuan ascended the throne of Han in Zuoguo City in the name of restoring the Han Dynasty and named his country Han. This was the beginning of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians.

Four years later, he officially proclaimed himself emperor. Liu Yuan had two great generals under him, and the territory was divided into two parts, the Han and the Hu. His power was once growing. But in the later period of his reign, Liu Yuan stayed away from government affairs, indulged in sensual pleasures, killed loyal officials, favored eunuchs and Jin Zhun, and led to increasing chaos in the country.

After Liu Yuan died, Liu Cong ascended the throne. However, Liu Cong was not sad about his father's death at all, but was full of interest in his father's widows who were less than 20 years old.

The absurd behavior forced Prime Minister Jin Zhun to launch the Pingyang coup and kill Liu Cong. But Jin Zhun was soon killed by Liu Yao, the general of the Former Zhao Dynasty mentioned earlier, and Liu Yao changed the country's name to Zhao.

At the same time, another general Shi Le proclaimed himself King of Zhao and established the Later Zhao. Liu Yao of Zhao was left alone in the west, while Shi Le was left alone in the east. In order to distinguish, historians called the Zhao founded by Liu Yao in Guanzhong the Former Zhao, and the Zhao founded by Shi Le later the Later Zhao.

In 329 AD, Shi Hu of Later Zhao conquered Shanggui and killed Crown Prince Liu Xi of Former Zhao and all civil and military officials. The Former Zhao regime officially perished.

The second regime established by the Xiongnu was Daxia, which lasted for 24 years and was historically known as Huxia. It was established by Helian Bobo, the leader of the Tiele tribe of the Southern Xiongnu, in 407 AD. Huxia went through three monarchs until 431 AD, when Helian Ding was captured by Tuoba Tao of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Huxia was destroyed.

——"Hu Xia? The one who sings?"

The founding experience of Huxia was full of twists and turns. The Helian clan was originally a descendant of the Southern Chanyu of the Xiongnu. After moving inland, they changed their surname to Liu and first attached themselves to the Han Dynasty, and then to the Former Qin Dynasty.

After the fall of the Former Qin, Helian Bobo's father Liu Weichen quickly developed his own power and occupied the Shuofang area. After Helian Bobo defected to the Former Qin, he defected to the Later Qin. In 407 AD, Helian Bobo killed his father-in-law and established Huxia.

The third regime established by the Xiongnu was Beiliang, which was not the same as Xu Fengnian's Beiliang.

The ancestors of Northern Liang were a branch of the Xiongnu, and took their tribe as their surname, but the founder of Northern Liang was not a Xiongnu at first, but Duan Ye.

In 397 AD, Duan Ye proclaimed himself the King of Liang, established his capital in Luotuo City, and founded Northern Liang. Four years later, Juqu Mengxun falsely accused Duan Ye of treason, leading to his death.

Later, Juqu Mengxun used this as an excuse to kill Duan Ye and inherited the throne of Liangzhou. Northern Liang lasted for 42 years and had two monarchs until it was destroyed by Tuoba Tao of Northern Wei in 439 AD.

Among the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, the regimes established by the Di people are worth mentioning, including the Former Qin and the Later Qin. The Former Qin was the most powerful country among the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians.

From the year 351 when Fu Jian proclaimed himself king until 394 when it was destroyed by Western Qin, the Former Qin had six monarchs and lasted for 44 consecutive years. It was also the only regime among the Sixteen Kingdoms that unified the north.

When the Western Jin Dynasty was overthrown, the Di people of Lueyang elected the noble Fu Hong as their leader. After Fu Jian of the Former Qin regime proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an, he named Fu Hong the Heavenly King.

After the Former Zhao was destroyed by Shi Le of the Later Zhao, Fu Hong surrendered to Shi Le again. In 333 AD, Fu Hong was poisoned to death by Shi Hu.

In 351 AD, Fu Jian implemented benevolent policies in Guanlong, made three laws with the people, abolished the harsh policies of the Later Zhao period, established the capital in Chang'an, and severed diplomatic relations with the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This was known in history as the Former Qin.

During the reign of Fu Jian, the third monarch of the Former Qin Dynasty, he promoted Confucianism, rewarded culture and education, and appointed people to the right positions. With the assistance of Han people such as Wang Meng, the country achieved great success. It is recorded in history that Guanlong was well governed and the people were prosperous.

In 370 AD, Fu Jian sent Wang Meng and Deng Qiang to lead an army to destroy the Former Yan and capture the six states of Guandong. It took him six years to capture Bashu, destroy the Former Liang, and pacify the countries in the Western Regions. The territory became the largest among the Five Barbarians and unified the north.

——"Wang Meng is really powerful. He is in charge of both domestic affairs and military affairs. He is simply the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang."

——"He seems to have died before the Battle of Feishui. Otherwise, if Fu Jian had been persuaded to take some time off, the Former Qin would have had a chance to unify the country."

Later, Fu Jian began to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty with the intention of unifying the country, but unexpectedly his million-strong army was defeated in the Battle of Feishui.

After the Battle of Feishui, the rule of Former Qin collapsed. Other ethnic groups that had originally submitted to Former Qin took the opportunity to declare independence. The area north of the Yellow River fell into a state of division again. Regimes such as Later Yan, Western Yan, and Later Qin emerged like mushrooms after a rain.

In 394 AD, the Former Qin Emperor Fu Deng was captured alive and beheaded by the Later Qin army in the Battle of Ma Mao Mountain, and the Crown Prince Fu Chong was killed by Qifu Keyun, the governor of Liangzhou of Western Qin. The Former Qin officially perished.

The Later Liang regime was not that powerful. It only went through four monarchs and lasted for 18 years.

In 386 AD, Lü Guang, the son of Lü Polou, a senior official of the founding of the Former Qin Dynasty, occupied Guzang and was named the Great General and Governor of Liangzhou. Three years later, Lü Guang changed his title to Heavenly King and established Daliang, which was known in history as the Later Liang Dynasty and became the overlord of the northwest.

But only 18 years later, he surrendered to the Later Qin Dynasty under the joint attack of the Later Qin, Southern Liang and Northern Liang.

The Later Qin regime established by the Qiang people was founded by Qiang leader Yao Chang in Weibei after the defeat of the Former Qin at the Battle of Feishui, when Guanzhong was empty.

From 384 AD to 417 AD, the Later Qin Dynasty, which was destroyed by Liu Yu, the Grand Commandant of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, established three emperors and lasted for 34 years.

Among the 16 states, there is another ethnic group that we are familiar with - the Xianbei. The Murong family in the well-known "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" wanted to support the Yan State, which was one of the five regimes established by the Xianbei. These five regimes were the Former Yan, the Later Yan, the Southern Yan, the Southern Liang and the Western Qin.

——"My goodness, his family is really capable of making trouble."

——"No wonder the Murong family is so determined to restore their country that they can even reject Liu Yifei."

In 337 AD, Murong Huang, Duke of Liaodong, proclaimed himself King of Yan and established the State of Yan. Because the land was located in the old territory of the State of Yan during the Warring States Period, the state was named Yan, which was historically known as the Former Yan. The Former Yan had three rulers and lasted for 34 years. In 370 AD, it was destroyed by the Former Qin.

After the Battle of Feishui, the rule of the Former Qin Dynasty collapsed. The first person to rebel was Murong Chui. In 384 AD, Murong Chui established the Later Yan, known as the Northern Yan. It only had two emperors and lasted for 12 years before it was destroyed by the Northern Expedition Army of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

The Southern Liang regime was founded by Tufa Wugu, a Hexi Xianbei. In 397 AD, Tufa Wugu broke away from the control of Lü Guang of the Later Liang, proclaimed himself the Great Chanyu, and established a regime known in history as Southern Liang. Southern Liang had three rulers in total and lasted for 18 years before it was destroyed by Western Qin in 414 AD.

Western Qin belonged to the Longxi Xianbei tribe and was the only regime among the 16 countries that successfully restored its country nine years after being destroyed.

In 385 AD, the Xianbei chieftain Qifu Guoren proclaimed himself the Great Chanyu in Longxi. Because the area was located in the former Qin State during the Warring States Period, the country was named Qin. In order to distinguish it from the Former Qin and the Later Qin, it was called Western Qin.

In 400 AD, the Western Qin was destroyed by the Later Qin. Although the Western Qin was destroyed, the forces mainly composed of the Longxi Xianbei in Longyou still existed. In 409 AD, the country was restored, but after 22 years, it was destroyed by the Xia Kingdom in 431 AD.

The Later Zhao regime was founded by Shi Le, the leader of the Jie tribe. As we mentioned before, he split from the Han Zhao regime. In 319 AD, Shi Le broke away from the rule of Han Zhao, proclaimed himself the Great Chanyu, and established his capital in Xiangguo, which was known as the Later Zhao in history. The Later Zhao had seven emperors and lasted for 33 years. It was destroyed by Ran Wei in 351 AD.

The last Ba regime, Cheng Han, was the only southwestern regime and one of the earliest regimes established in the late Western Jin Dynasty. From 304 AD when Li Xiong conquered Chengdu and proclaimed himself the King of Chengdu, to 347 AD when it was destroyed by the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Cheng Han had six emperors and lasted for 6 years.

The last Han regime among the Sixteen Kingdoms was the Former Liang, which was established by Li Hao, a descendant of Li Guang, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty. In 400 AD, Tang Yao, the governor of Jinchang in Northern Liang, rebelled against Northern Liang, nominated Li Hao as the general, and established Western Liang with Dunhuang as the capital. Western Liang had three rulers and lasted for 22 years before being destroyed by Northern Liang in 421 AD.

The last Han regime was Former Liang, which was established by the Han Chinese Zhang Gui in 318 AD. It lasted for 59 years and had nine monarchs. It was destroyed by Former Qin in 376 AD.

After the establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was managed by Emperor Wu Tuoba Gui, Emperor Mingyuan Tuoba Si, and Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao, and finally unified North China in 439, and China entered the period of Southern and Northern Dynasties.

——"Chaos, chaos, chaos, in one word: chaos!"

——"I have to thank Sima Yi's entire family."

——"It is a pity for the Former Qin Dynasty. The Battle of Feishui was an important turning point. Fu Jian and Wang Meng were both great men. If they had won, the chaotic times would have ended early. What a pity. Unfortunately, there are no ifs in history."

——"The ethnic integration of the Former Qin was still in its infancy and lacked foundation. This can be seen from the rapid division after the defeat in the Battle of Feishui. Even if Fu Jian unified the country, the Former Qin would have soon split. This was a historical inevitability. Fu Jian was born at the wrong time."

——"No wonder Murong Fu in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils always wanted to restore his country. It turns out there is a tradition. He restored his country four times. Anyone would think that the destiny is on Murong Fu's side."

——"If the Mandate of Heaven really lies with Murong, there is no need to restore the country. It is impossible for others to destroy the country. Besides, it was already a surrender at that time. There is more than 700 years of history between the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. What's the point of restoring the country?"

——"Who can resist reading a piece of history while going to the toilet? Are you guys squatting? (dog head)"

——"It's so confusing, no wonder the books only mention it briefly, and no one likes to film it in TV series or movies. I really don't know who the protagonist is."

——"To be honest, the revival of the Xianbei tribe is really nice to hear, Murong, Tuoba, Yuwen."