Emperor Xiaowu of Jin - Middle Reign

Middle Reign

After defeating Former Qin forces, in light of Former Qin's collapse, Xie Xuan spearheaded a campaign to regain lost territory, and Jin captured most of the Former Qin provinces south of the Yellow River in fairly rapid succession, as well as regaining Liang and Yi provinces. Prime Minister Xie An, however, whom most credited with the victory, began to lose favor in Emperor Xiaowu's eyes, as Xie's son-in-law Wang Guobao (王國寶), unhappy that Xie did not give him important posts, began to flatter both Emperor Xiaowu and his brother Sima Daozi the Prince of Kuaiji and attack Xie. Xie remained prime minister, however, until his death in 385. He was replaced by Sima Daozi. Both Emperor Xiaowu and Sima Daozi became obsessed with feasting and drinking, and neither spent a great amount of time on affairs of state.

In 387, Emperor Xiaowu created his oldest son, five-year-old Sima Dezong, crown prince, notwithstanding the fact that Sima Dezong was developmentally disabled—so severely that even after he grew older, he was described as not being able to talk or dress himself, and not even being able to tell whether he was full or hungry while eating.

In 390 Emperor Xiaowu began to tire of how Sima Daozi was taking his favors for granted and being disrespectful, and he decided to look for counterbalancing forces. He decided to make the officials Wang Gong (王恭, Empress Wang's brother) and Yin Zhongkan (殷仲堪) key regional governors, despite warnings that both Wang and Yin were talented but narrow-minded and might create issues later.