法苑珠林 78.53

78.53

Emperor Wen of the Zhou, Yuwen Tai, was originally the Prime Minister of the Wei. Meeting with the upheavals and collapse of the Liang dynasty, Emperor Xiaoyuan of the Liang, who was then Prince of Xiangdong residing in Jingzhou, frequently sent envoys to make peace, displaying the utmost courtesy and goodwill. Cutting gold, they swore an oath to become brothers. Later, after the pacification of Hou Jing, Xiaoyuan ascended the throne. Tai was still a subject, yet he showed no reverence; instead, he treated [the Liang emperor] with considerable insolence and made insatiable demands. Whenever dissatisfied, he dispatched troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiangling, capturing 1,400,000 people ranging from court officials to commoners, and murdered Xiaoyuan. Furthermore, Emperor Wen of the Wei had earlier taken the daughter of the Rouran ruler Yujiulü Anagui as his empress, establishing an exceptionally close marriage alliance. In the year after the Liang emperor was murdered, Anagui was routed and his state destroyed by Northern Qi; he led the several thousand remaining of his multitude and fled to the Wei. The Turks, however, were ancient blood-enemies of the Rouran, and immediately sent a gift of three thousand horses to Tai, requesting the execution of Anagui and the others. Tai assented, ambushed them with Turkish soldiers during a banquet with Anagui, and when they were drunk, bound them. On that very day, he wiped out more than five hundred people of the Yujiulü clan, blood flowing up to the ankles. Facing death, many of the Rouran looked up to Heaven and made their plea. In the winter of the following year, Tai fell ill while hunting in Longyou; he saw Xiaoyuan and Anagui acting as haunting specters. Tai flew into a rage, reviled them wildly, and ordered wine to be brought to them. Within two months, he died.