Xiao Ji - Claim On The Throne and Death

Claim On The Throne and Death

In spring 552, after hearing that Xiao Yi was attacking Hou Jing—and, not knowing that Xiao Yi's general Wang Sengbian had already by this point defeated Hou and recaptured Jiankang—Xiao Ji made the comment, "My seventh brother is a man of literature. How can he succeed militarily?" At that time, flowers were growing from the columns of his mansion, and he believed it to be a divine sign of favor, and he therefore declared himself emperor. When his subordinates Wang Senglüe (王僧略, Wang Sengbian's brother) and Xu Peng (徐怦) advised against the action, he had them killed—an action that caused his cousin Xiao Hui (蕭撝), whom he had created the Prince of Qin Commandery, to sigh and comment that killing skillful men was a sign of impending disaster. Meanwhile, he also summoned Xiao Xun's assistant Liu Fan, intending to make Liu Fan a member of his staff, but Liu refused and insisted on returning to Xiao Xun, and Xiao Ji finally relented and did so. (Soon, however, with Yuwen Tai having put Nanzheng under siege for months and with Yang Qianyun unable to advance to lift the siege, Xiao Xun surrendered, and Nanzheng fell into Western Wei's hands.) Xiao Ji created Xiao Yuanzhao crown prince and created his other sons imperial princes.

Xiao Yuanzhao, still at Baidicheng, was meanwhile intentionally feeding his father incorrect information—that not only had Xiao Yi not defeated Hou, but that he was on the verge of destruction by Hou's forces. Xiao Ji therefore led his forces and departed from Chengdu, planning to confront Hou. He left Xiao Hui and his son Xiao Yuansu (蕭圓肅) the Prince of Yidu in charge of Chengdu. in response, Xiao Yi carved Xiao Ji's likeness onto a wooden board, and personally hammered nails into the image to curse Xiao Ji. He also sent captives from Hou's army to Xiao Ji to show that Hou had already been destroyed. However, Xiao Yuanzhao detained Xiao Yi's messengers and continued to feed his father incorrect information, and Xiao Ji speeded up his troops. Xiao Yi, fearful of what Xiao Ji might do, requested Western Wei to attack Xiao Ji from the rear, and Yuwen, believing that Yi Province could be taken, sent his nephew Weichi Jiong with an army to attack Yi Province. Both Yang Fachen and Yang Qianyun surrendered to Western Wei, and Weichi quickly arrived at Chengdu and put it under siege.

Xiao Ji sent Qiao Yan to head back to Chengdu to try to lift the siege, and by now, he became aware that Hou had been destroyed. He rebuked Xiao Yuanzhao, but nevertheless decided to continue to head east to attack Xiao Yi (who by now had also claimed imperial title—as Emperor Yuan), notwithstanding his soldiers' wishes to return to Chengdu to save it. Xiao Ji was initially successful against Xiao Yi's general Lu Fahe (陸法和), and he fought through to the Three Gorges. Xiao Yi wrote him, proposing peace and promising to let him keep his domain and effectively act as emperor over that domain. Xiao Ji refused, but soon, hearing that Chengdu was in the danger of falling, and now with his forces stalled by Xiao Yi's, then tried to accept peace. By that time, however, Xiao Yi had become aware of the difficulties that Xiao Ji was in, as he was informed so by Xiao Ji's messenger Le Fengye (樂奉業), and therefore declined peace. Despite the difficult situation that he was in, however, Xiao Ji was refusing to distribute his considerable wealth to his soldiers to try to encourage them to fight; as a result, the morale sank.

By summer 553, Xiao Yi's generals Wang Lin, Xie Daren (謝答仁), and Ren Yue (任約), had defeated Xiao Ji's rear guards and cut off his retreat route, forcing Xiao Ji to continue east. Another of Xiao Yi's generals, Fan Meng (樊猛), crushed his remaining force and surrounded his ship to prevent him from fleeing. Xiao Yi sent a secret order to Fan, "If that person remains alive, then this is no success." Fan therefore boarded Xiao Ji's ship, and Xiao Ji threw a sack of gold at him, yelling, "Let me hire you with this gold -- take me to my seventh brother." Fan's response was, "How can you see the emperor? If I kill you, where is the gold going to go?" He approached Xiao Ji and killed him. Xiao Ji's son Xiao Yuanman (蕭圓滿), trying to protect his father to the end, was also killed. Xiao Yi, after Xiao Yuanzheng refused to commit suicide, starved him to death, while putting Xiao Ji's other sons under arrest. He excised Xiao Ji's line from status as members of the imperial household, and he posthumously changed Xiao Ji's surname to Taotie (饕餮, meaning "gluttonous").