釋氏稽古略 2.277

2.277

In the tenth month of the third year of the Jiande era of Northern Zhou, the Lord of Zhou personally led an army to attack Qi and captured Jinzhou. The Lord of Qi, worried and frightened, returned from Jinyang to Yekou. The generals of the prefecture pleaded with Yanzong, Prince of Ande, saying, "If the prince does not become the Son of Heaven, the men truly cannot exert their utmost efforts to the death for you." Having no choice, Yanzong ascended the imperial throne. The Zhou army surrounded Jinyang, attacked the east gate, and captured it. Just as Yanzong's fight faltered, he fled to the north of the city, and the men of Zhou captured him. The Lord of Zhou dismounted, took his hand, and said, "The Sons of Heaven of the two states harbor no enmity; we have come solely for the sake of the common people. In the end, we shall not harm you, so do not fear." He had his clothes and cap returned and dismissed him. The Lord of Zhou proclaimed a general amnesty, abolished the Qi system, and treated civil and military scholars with courtesy. The Zhou army advanced toward Ye. The Lord of Qi led his noble ministers into the Zhuque Gate and asked for strategies to resist Zhou. Everyone offered differing opinions, and the Lord of Qi did not know which to follow. A diviner who reads qi said that there should be a change of mandate. The Lord of Qi brought in the Director of the Department of State Affairs, Gao Yuanhai, and others to discuss, and following the precedent of the Datong era, abdicated the throne in favor of Crown Prince Heng. In the first month of the dingyou year, on the first day of the month, yihai, Crown Prince Heng of Qi ascended the imperial throne, changed the reign era to Chengguang, and honored the Lord of Qi as the Grand Supreme Emperor. On renchen, the Zhou army reached Ye and besieged it. The men of Qi came out to fight and suffered a great defeat. The Grand Supreme Emperor of Qi fled east with a hundred horsemen. The Emperor and Princes of Qi and all below surrendered. On jiawu, the Lord of Zhou entered Ye. On yiwei, the Grand Supreme Emperor of Qi crossed the Yellow River into Jizhou. On this day, the Young Lord abdicated in favor of Grand Chancellor Jie, Prince of Rencheng. Jie issued an edict honoring the Grand Supreme Emperor as the Peerless Supreme Emperor and the Young Lord as the Heavenly King of the State of Song. On bingshen, the Grand Supreme Emperor of Qi left Empress Dowager Hu in Jizhou, and personally fled with Empress Mu, Lady of Pure Demeanor Feng, the Young Lord, Han Changluan, and several dozen others toward Qingzhou, intending to enter Chen. The Zhou army arrived abruptly. The Grand Supreme Emperor, along with his empress, consort, the Young Lord, and over ten horsemen fled south. Yuchi Qin pursued and caught them, capturing them all, and sent them together with Empress Dowager Hu to Ye. The five lords of Northern Qi, totaling twenty-eight years, were extinguished. In the fourth month, the Lord of Zhou returned to Chang'an and enfeoffed the Lord of Qi as Duke of Wen (Zhou Chronicles).