During Emperor Wen's Reign
Xie tried to befriend Emperor Wen's trusted associate Dao Yanzhi (到彥之), to try to ensure his own safety, and initially, Dao accepted Xie's offer of friendship. Xie therefore felt secure. However, Emperor Wen was resentful that Xu, Fu, and Xie had killed his two older brothers, and in late 425 planned to destroy them, particularly at the urging of Wang Hua and the general Kong Ningzi (孔寧子). He therefore mobilized troops and publicly declared that he was going to attack rival Northern Wei, but was privately preparing to arrest Xu and Fu while engaging in a military campaign against Xie. In spring 426, rumors had leaked of such a plan, and so Xie began to prepare for armed resistance. Soon, Emperor Wen publicly issued an edict ordering that Xu, Fu, and Xie be arrested and killed, while issuing a separate edict summoning Xu and Fu to the palace. Xie's brother Xie Jiao (謝嚼) received news of this and quickly informed Fu, who in turned informed Xu. Xu committed suicide, while Fu was arrested and executed. Emperor Wen also executed Xie Hui's heir apparent Xie Shixiu (謝世休), who happened to be in Jiankang because Xie Hui's two daughters were getting married to Emperor Wen's brother Liu Yikang the Prince of Pengcheng and cousin Liu Yibin (劉義賓) the Marquess of Xinye, and arrested Xie Jiao.
Emperor Wen, believing that Tan Daoji was not initially involved in the plot to depose and kill Emperor Shao and Liu Yizhen, summoned Tan to the capital and put him in command of the army against Xie Hui. He also summoned Wang Hong and made him the prime minister. Meanwhile, Xie Hui publicly mourned Xu and Fu and declared that all they did was for the empire, blaming Wang Hong, Wang Hong's brother Wang Tanshou (王曇首, a close associate of Emperor Wen), and Wang Hua for falsely accusing them, and demanding their execution.
Xie Hui had a powerful army, but while he thought that several other provincial governors would join him, they refused. He was initially able to defeat Dao's army, but soon Tan arrived, and Xie, fearful of Tan, did not know what to do. Tan quickly attacked him and defeated his fleet, and Xie fled back to Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), the capital of Jing Province, and then fled with his brother Xie Dun (謝遯), but Xie Dun was so overweight that he could not ride a horse, and so they slowed down and were captured. He was then delivered to Jiankang and executed with Xie Jiao and Xie Dun, along with all of his nephews and major associates, although many of his associates were spared. His wife and other female members of his household were seized as servants, although they were pardoned several months later.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hui, Xie |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 390 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | 426 |
| Place of death | |
Read more about this topic: Xie Hui
Famous quotes containing the words emperor, wen and/or reign:
“Even the emperor has poor relations.”
—Chinese proverb.
““Wotever is, is right, as the young nobleman sveetly remarked wen they put him down in the pension list ‘cos his mother’s uncle’s vife’s grandfather vunce lit the king’s pipe vith a portable tinder-box.””
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“Without poets, without artists, men would soon weary of nature’s monotony. The sublime idea men have of the universe would collapse with dizzying speed. The order which we find in nature, and which is only an effect of art, would at once vanish. Everything would break up in chaos. There would be no seasons, no civilization, no thought, no humanity; even life would give way, and the impotent void would reign everywhere.”
—Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918)