乞伏乾帰
The first reference to Qifu Gangui in history was in 385, when his brother Qifu Guoren declared himself "Chanyu" and changed era name, thus signifying independence from Former Qin. At that time, Qifu Guoren named Qifu Gangui a major general. Nothing else is known about his life before or during Qifu Guoren's reign, other than an implied reference that he defeated the Former Qin general Wang Guang (王廣) in battle.