Hulü Guang Hulü Guang ( 斛律光 ) ( 515 – 572 ) , courtesy name Mingyue ( 明月 ) , was a general of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi . During the late years of the dynasty — the reigns of Emperor Wucheng and Gao Wei , traditionally viewed as a period of corruption and debauchery when Northern Qi ' s once - powerful status was deteriorating — Hulü was viewed as the key pillar to the state and its army , maintaining the army ' s strength against rivals Northern Zhou and Chen Dynasty . The powerful officials Zu Ting and Mu Tipo , who had disagreements with him , however , falsely accused him of plotting treason , and in 572 , Gao Wei believed those accusations and killed Hulü . Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou was very glad over the news and declared a general pardon , and in 578 , Northern Qi fell to Northern Zhou . Background . Hulü Guang was born in 515 . His father Hulü Jin ( 斛律金 ) was one of the main Shule chieftains , subordinate to Northern Wei . Hulü Jin assisted the general Gao Huan in his campaigns to take control of the Northern Wei state , and after Gao Huan became Northern Wei ' s paramount general in 532 , Hulü Jin became an honored general , viewed by Gao Huan in some ways more as an equal than as a subordinate , and this relationship continued after Northern Wei ' s division into Eastern Wei ( under Gao ' s control ) and Western Wei ( under Yuwen Tai ' s control ) in 534 . Hulü Guang was probably Hulü Jin ' s oldest son , and in his youth , he was known for his fighting prowess , including horseriding and archery . Once , when accompanying Hulü Jin on a campaign against Western Wei , Hulü Guang hit Yuwen ' s secretary Mozhe Hui ( 莫者暉 ) with an arrow , leading to Mozhe ' s capture by Eastern Wei troops . Gao Huan was pleased and made him a general . After Gao Huan named his son Gao Cheng as his heir , Hulü Guang served on Gao Cheng ' s staff . In 547 , Hulü Guang was created the Viscount of Yongle . Also in 547 , Gao Huan died and was succeeded as regent by Gao Cheng . Gao Cheng immediately faced a major rebellion by the general Hou Jing , and Hulü was sent to serve under Murong Shaozong ( 慕容紹宗 ) , the commander of the forces Gao Cheng sent against Hou . In a rare case where Hulü might have exhibited some uncharacteristic overexuberance , when Murong and his lieutenant Liu Fengsheng ( 劉豐生 ) were initially defeated by Hou , Hulü and his fellow junior general Zhang Shixian ( 張恃顯 ) rebuked Murong and Liu for their defeat . Murong responded , " I have met many opponents , but none is as difficult as Hou . Why do you not try to engage him and see . " As Hulü and Zhang rode out to engage Hou , however , Murong warned them , " Do not cross the Guo River [ ( 渦水 ) ] . " ( Murong ' s troops and Hou ' s troops were by this point stalemated across the Guo River . ) When Hulü challenged Hou by showing his bow and arrows but did not cross the Guo , Hou told him , " You came for glory , but I am trying to leave in fear of death . I am your father ' s friend . Why shoot at me ? And how do you know not to cross the Guo ? It must be Murong Shaozong who taught you . " Hulü was unable to respond , and Hou subsequently had his subordinate Tian Qian ( 田遷 ) shoot and kill Hulü ' s horse , and Hulü was forced to withdraw . Hou then captured Zhang but released him , and both Hulü and Zhang fled back to Murong ' s camp . Murong then stated , " What have you seen now ? Do not rebuke me . " ( In spring 548 , Murong defeated Hou , who was forced to flee to Liang Dynasty . Historical records do not indicate whether Hulü contributed to the victory . ) During Emperor Wenxuan ' s reign . After Gao Cheng died in 549 , his brother Gao Yang took over as regent , and in 550 , he had Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei yield the throne to him , ending Eastern Wei and establishing Northern Qi as its Emperor Wenxuan . Hulü Guang continued to serve as a general , and was created the Viscount of Xi ' an . In 552 , when Emperor Wenxuan made an attack against the Kumo Xi tribe ( in the upper Liao River drainage area ) , Hulü accompanied him and contributed in the victory . Over the next few years , he served as a provincial governor on the borders with Northern Zhou , and was largely successful in border skirmishes , capturing a number of minor cities from Northern Zhou . During Emperors Fei ' s and Xiaozhao ' s reigns . In 560 , after Emperor Wenxuan died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Fei , Hulü was made the governor of the important Bing Province ( 并州 , modern central Shanxi ) . Also in 560 , Emperor Fei ' s uncle Gao Yan the Prince of Changshan , with support from , among others , Hulü Jin , killed the prime minister Yang Yin and took power . Later that year , Gao Yan ' s mother and Emperor Fei ' s grandmother Grand Empress Dowager Lou Zhaojun deposed Emperor Fei and made Gao Yan emperor ( as Emperor Xiaozhao ) . Hulü Guang was created the Duke of Julu , and later that year , when Emperor Xiaozhao created his son Gao Bainian crown prince , Emperor Xiaozhao , on account of Hulü Guang ' s achievements and loyalty , took Hulü Guang ' s first daughter as Gao Bainian ' s wife and crown princess . When Emperor Xiaozhao was near death in 561 , however , believing that Gao Bainian was too young , he instead passed the throne to his brother Gao Dan the Prince of Changguang , who took the throne as Emperor Wucheng . Hulü continued to serve under Emperor Wucheng . During Emperor Wucheng ' s reign . In 564 , Emperor Wucheng killed Gao Bainian , and subsequently , Hulü ' s daughter and Gao Bainian ' s wife Princess Hulü , in distress , refused to eat , and she died a month thereafter . It was said that she died while holding tight to a jade tablet that Gao Bainian gave her , and that no one could pry it loose even after her death , until Hulü Guang was finally able to pry it from her hand . In spring 564 , Northern Zhou , in alliance with Tujue , launched a major attack on Northern Qi , attacking the secondary capital Jinyang ( 晉陽 , in modern Taiyuan , Shanxi ) from the north and Pingyang ( 平陽 , in modern Linfen , Shanxi ) from the south . Hulü was sent to resist the southern prong , commanded by the Northern Zhou general Daxi Wu ( 達奚武 ) , and was successful in his resistance . Subsequently , when Duan Shao ( 段韶 ) defeated the northern prong , Hulü informed Daxi of this and induced Daxi to retreat . When Hulü subsequently rendezvoused with Emperor Wucheng at Jinyang , Emperor Wucheng , in sadness and relief , hugged Hulü ' s head and cried . In winter 564 , Daxi again attacked , this time against the important city of Luoyang . Emperor Wucheng sent Duan , Hulü , and his nephew Gao Changgong ( 高長恭 ) the Prince of Lanling to relieve Luoyang , and they defeated Northern Zhou troops , killing Daxi ' s lieutenant Wang Xiong ( 王雄 ) , forcing Daxi to retreat . For this victory , Emperor Wucheng created Hulü with an additional title of Duke of Guanjun . Sometime during Emperor Wucheng ' s reign , Emperor Wucheng had taken Hulü ' s second daughter as the wife and crown princess of his son , the Crown Prince Gao Wei . In 565 , at the urging of the officials He Shikai and Zu Ting , Emperor Wucheng passed the throne to Gao Wei and created Crown Princess Hulü empress . ( Emperor Wucheng took the title of " Taishang Huang " ( retired emperor ) and retained most of imperial powers . ) During Gao Wei ' s reign . In summer 567 , Hulü Guang ' s father Hulü Jin died . Hulü Guang resigned his posts to observe the customary three - year mourning period for his father , but was soon recalled to his posts by Emperor Wucheng . He inherited his father ' s title of Prince of Xianyang and continued to serve as chieftain of the Shule , and was also created an additional title of Duke of Wude . Around the new year 569 , Emperor Wucheng died , and thereafter power was largely in the hands of his favorite ( and Empress Dowager Hu ' s lover ) He Shikai . Around the new year 570 , the Northern Zhou general Yuwen Xian put the Northern Qi city Yiyang ( 宜陽 , in modern Luoyang , Henan ) under siege , and in spring 570 , Hulü was sent to resist , and he defeated Yuwen Xian . However , the stalemate near Yiyang persisted . Hulü decided to take the war to Northern Zhou elsewhere , and in winter 570 , he moved north and built forts north of the Fen River ( 汾水 , flowing through modern Linfen ) , taking the previously unguarded border territory into Northern Qi control . While his subsequent battles in the region against the Northern Zhou generals Yuwen Xian and Wei Xiaokuan were largely indecisive , the region continued to be held by Northern Qi . In summer 571 , he moved south again and defeated the Northern Zhou forces sieging Yiyang . As he subsequently returned to the capital Yecheng , however , he received an order to demobilize his troops . As many soldiers had not received their rewards yet , he submitted a secret petition to Gao Wei , requesting the emperor to send imperial messengers to the army to honor the soldiers . Gao Wei did not act immediately , however , and the army approached Yecheng without receiving any words from the emperor . Gao Wei was displeased that Hulü Guang brought the army close to the capital , and he summoned Hulü to the palace before sending messengers to honor the soldiers and demobilizing them . Nevertheless , honoring Hulü for his victory , he created Hulü yet an additional title of Duke of Qinghe . Later in 571 , Gao Wei ' s brother Gao Yan ( note different character than Emperor Xiaozhao ) the Prince of Langye , angry at the hold that He Shikai had on power , killed him , and further mobilized his troops to consider seizing power and killing Gao Wei ' s wet nurse Lu Lingxuan and her son Mu Tipo , who had also become powerful . Hulü , while he approved of Gao Yan ' s killing of He Shikai , was still loyal to the emperor , and he intervened on the emperor ' s side , ordering Gao Yan ' s troops to disband , and they collapsed . Hulü seized Gao Yan and took him to the palace . At Hulü ' s urging , Gao Wei spared Gao Yan initially , although in winter 571 he nevertheless executed Gao Yan . By this point , Hulü ' s position had reached the pinnacle of an imperial official ' s career . The historian Li Yanshou , in his " History of Northern Dynasties " , described him in this way : However , by 572 , Hulü was in serious conflict with the powerful officials Zu and Mu . He disliked Zu , and he often complained to his generals that Zu rarely consulted military generals . Once , when he was resting at a governmental building , Zu , who was blind , rode past him without realizing that Hulü was there , and never got off the horse as demanded by customs of the time . Hulü angrily stated , " Who does he think he is ? " Zu , realizing that Hulü disliked him , bribed Hulü ' s servant and asked the servant about Hulü ' s opinion of him . The servant stated , " Ever since you came into power , the Minister Prince each night sighed and stated , ' With a blind man in power , the empire will surely be destroyed . ' " Meanwhile , Mu had once requested to marry Hulü ' s daughter by a concubine , but Hulü refused . Further , when Mu requested that Gao Wei grant him the public fields at Jinyang , Hulü publicly opposed the action as being detrimental to the grazing of the army ' s horses . Zu and Mu therefore both despited Hulü . They therefore fostered suspicion of Hulü in the emperor ' s mind , and that suspicion was exacerbated by the fact that Empress Hulü was not favored by Gao Wei . At the same time , the Northern Zhou general Wei Xiaokuan , wanting to try to exploit Gao Wei ' s suspicions , decided to try to create a sense that Hulü would rebel . He wrote two songs in couplets , one of which read : The other read : He sent spies to spread the songs near Yecheng , and the songs soon became popular . Zu , exploiting the situation himself , added two more lines : Both Zu and Lady Lu then reported the song to Gao Wei to further foster his suspicion of Hulü . Gao Wei consulted another favorite , Han Zhangluan , who believed that he should not suspect Hulü , so Gao Wei initially took no action . Zu , however , would not relent , and he had Hulü ' s subordinate Feng Shirang ( 封士讓 ) make a secret submission indicating that when Hulü had brought the army close to Yecheng in 571 , he was plotting a coup . Gao Wei believed it this time , and under Zu ' s suggestion , he awarded Hulü a horse , and then , as Hulü arrived at the palace to thank the emperor , he had his guard commander Liu Taozhi ( 劉桃枝 ) seize Hulü and strangle him to death . Hulü ' s clan was nearly all slaughtered — including his brother and fellow general Hulü Xian ( 斛律羨 ) and his sons Hulü Wudu ( 斛律武都 ) , Hulü Shixiong ( 斛律世雄 ) , and Hulü Hengqie ( 斛律恆伽 ) . Only his youngest son Hulü Zhong ( 斛律鍾 ) , who was only a few years old , was spared . Empress Hulü was deposed and confined to a subsidiary palace . Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou was so pleased at the news of Hulü ' s death that he declared a general pardon . In 578 , after he had destroyed Northern Qi and entered Yecheng , he commented , with regard to Hulü , " If he were still alive , how can I get here ? " ( 此人若在 , 朕豈能至鄴 ! ) He posthumously created Hulü the Duke of Chong and had Hulü Zhong inherit the title .