Wang Sengbian
In 552, Emperor Wu's son Xiao Yi the Prince of Xiangdong defeated Hou and declared himself emperor (as Emperor Yuan), setting his capital at Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei) rather than the war-devastated Jiankang, but in 554, Western Wei forces captured Jiangling, capturing and then executing Emperor Yuan. In light of Emperor Yuan's death, his most important general Wang Sengbian and Wang's lieutenant Chen Baxian, who together controlled the eastern empire, welcomed Emperor Yuan's 12-year-old son Xiao Fangzhi to Jiankang, preparing to make him emperor, and in spring 555, Xiao Fangzhi took the title Prince of Liang.