Yuchi Jiong Yuchi Jiong ( 尉遲迥 ) ( died 580 ) , courtesy name Bojuluo ( 薄居羅 ) , was a general of the Chinese / Xianbei states Western Wei and Northern Zhou . He first came to prominence while his uncle Yuwen Tai served as the paramount general of Western Wei , and subsequently served Northern Zhou after the Yuwen clan established the state after Yuwen Tai ' s death . In 580 , believing that the regent Yang Jian had designs on the throne , Yuchi rose against Yang but was soon defeated . He committed suicide . During Western Wei . It is not known when Yuchi Jiong was born . His ancestors were a branch of the Tuoba tribe , which founded Northern Wei , and their subtribe was referred to as the Yuchi — and therefore took the name of the subtribe as the surname . His father Yuchi Qidou ( 尉遲俟兜 ) married the sister of Northern Wei ' s branch successor state Western Wei ' s paramount general Yuwen Tai , and they had two sons together — Yuchi Jiong and his brother Yuchi Gang ( 尉遲綱 ) . ( Yuchi Jiong ' s mother was later known as Princess Changle during Northern Zhou . ) Yuchi Qidou died fairly early . Yuchi Jiong , who was said to be handsome , intelligent , and ambitious in his youth , served under his uncle Yuwen Tai , and married the Princess Jinming , the daughter of Emperor Wen of Western Wei . He showed talent both in military matters and in governance , and Yuwen Tai gave him increasingly important positions . In 552 , rival Liang Dynasty , in the aftermaths of the major rebellion by Hou Jing and Hou ' s death earlier that year , had two major claimants to its throne — Xiao Yi ( Emperor Yuan of Liang ) , who controlled the central and eastern provinces , and Xiao Ji , who controlled the western provinces , both sons of the founding emperor Emperor Wu . Xiao Yi , under attack from Xiao Ji , requested aid from Western Wei — in the form of an attack to Xiao Ji ' s rear , against Xiao Ji ' s home province Yi Province ( 益州 , modern central Sichuan ) . Yuwen believed this to be a great opportunity for Western Wei to conquer the modern Sichuan and Chongqing region , but when he discussed the matters with the generals , most were in opposition . Yuchi , however , was supportive of the plan and advocated an immediate attack . Yuwen thus put him in command over six other generals to attack Xiao Ji ' s realm , and the attack was launched in spring 553 . Yuchi quickly advanced to Xiao Ji ' s capital at Chengdu ( 成都 , in modern Chengdu , Sichuan ) . Xiao Ji ' s army , which was then battling Xiao Yi near Xiao Yi ' s capital of Jiangling ( 江陵 , in modern Jingzhou , Hubei ) , collapsed , and Xiao Ji was killed by Xiao Yi . After Yuchi had put Chengdu under siege for five months , Xiao Ji ' s cousin Xiao Hui ( 蕭撝 ) and son Xiao Yuansu ( 蕭圓肅 ) , who were defending Chengdu , surrendered . The surrounding provinces also soon surrendered , and Western Wei had taken over Xiao Ji ' s domain . Yuwen made Yuchi the governor of Yi Province , in charge of 12 provinces centering Yi . In 554 , six provinces were added to Yuchi ' s responsibility , for 18 provinces total . However , as Yuchi missed his mother deeply , and his mother was still at the capital Chang ' an , Yuwen soon recalled him back to Chang ' an . During Emperor Xiaomin ' s and Emperor Ming ' s reigns . Yuwen Tai died in 557 , and his nephew Yuwen Hu , serving as the guardian for Yuwen Tai ' s son Yuwen Jue , forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue in spring 558 , ending Western Wei and establishing Northern Zhou , with Yuwen Jue as emperor ( but using the alternative title " Heavenly Prince " ( " Tian Wang " ) ( as Emperor Xiaomin ) . Emperor Xiaomin created Yuchi Jiong the Duke of Shu , in commemoration of his victory ( as the modern Sichuan region was known in ancient times as the region of Shu ) . Later in 558 , when Emperor Xiaomin tried to seize power from Yuwen Hu , Yuwen Hu deposed and then killed him , making Emperor Xiaomin ' s older brother Yuwen Yu the Duke of Ningdu emperor instead ( as Emperor Ming ) . Yuchi Jiong ' s stance in this power struggle is not known , but his brother Yuchi Gang sided with Yuwen Hu . Yuchi ' s activities during Emperor Ming ' s reign were not recorded in history . In 560 , Emperor Ming was poisoned by Yuwen Hu . Emperor Ming ' s younger brother Yuwen Yong the Duke of Lu became emperor ( as Emperor Wu ) . During Emperor Wu ' s reign . In 562 , Yuchi Jiong became the Minister of the Army — one of the six departments of government , under a system designed by Yuwen Tai — although his actual authority over the army is not clear , as Yuwen Hu , as prime minister , also oversaw the armed forces . His brother Yuchi Gang served as Minister of Agriculture . In winter 564 , Yuwen Hu launched a major attack on rival Northern Qi , and Yuchi Jiong had the responsibility of attacking Luoyang along with Daxi Wu ( 達奚武 ) and Emperor Wu ' s brother Yuwen Xian the Duke of Qi , but the attack was ultimately unsuccessful and withdrawn . In 568 , Yuchi took on the even more honorific title of " Taibao " ( 太保 ) - - one of the three senior advisors to the emperor — but with unclear authorities . In 572 , Emperor Wu ambushed Yuwen Hu and killed him , taking over power personally . He made Yuchi " Taishi " ( 太師 ) - - one of the three senior advisors to him but slightly more honorific than " Taibao " . In 576 , Emperor Wu launched a major attack on Northern Qi , destroying it in 577 and taking over its territory . Yuchi ' s involvement , if any , in the campaign is unclear . In 578 , Emperor Wu died , and the crown prince Yuwen Yun became emperor ( as Emperor Xuan ) . During Emperor Xuan ' s and Emperor Jing ' s reigns . In spring 579 , Emperor Xuan established four new senior advisor posts , and he made , as those four , his uncle Yuwen Sheng ( 宇文盛 ) the Prince of Yue , Yuchi Jiong , Li Mu ( 李穆 ) the Duke of Shen , and Yang Jian the Duke of Sui ( and his father - in - law , as the father of his wife Empress Yang Lihua ) . He also made Yuchi in charge of the region around Xiang Province ( 相州 , roughly modern Handan , Hebei ) - - effectively , the region north of the Yellow River . Later that year , Emperor Xuan passed the throne to his young son Yuwen Chan ( Emperor Jing ) , becoming retired emperor — but with the highly unusual title of " Emperor Tianyuan " ( 天元皇帝 , " Tianyuan Huangdi " ) . He proceeded to rule in an erratic and cruel manner , causing officials to become alienated . His acts included raping Yuchi Jiong ' s granddaughter Yuchi Chifan , who had married Emperor Xuan ' s cousin Yuwen Liang ( 宇文亮 ) ' s son Yuwen Wen ( 宇文溫 ) the Duke of Xiyang , causing Yuwen Liang to plot rebellion . When Yuwen Liang ' s plot was discovered , Emperor Xuan killed him and Yuwen Wen , seizing Lady Yuchi as a concubine and then creating him one of his five empresses — contrary to the tradition of creating only one empress . ( Another granddaughter of Yuchi Jiong ' s , Sima Lingji , was the young Emperor Jing ' s wife and empress . ) In summer 580 , Emperor Xuan died suddenly , and after Yang ' s friends and Emperor Xuan ' s associates Liu Fang ( 劉昉 ) and Zheng Yi ( 鄭譯 ) maneuvered behind the scenes by issuing an edict in Emperor Xuan ' s name , Yang became regent , and quickly took control of the political scene . As Yuchi had high reputation , Yang feared that Yuchi would oppose him , and therefore sent Yuchi ' s son Yuchi Dun ( 尉遲惇 ) the Duke of Wei ' an to Xiang Province , summoning Yuchi back to the capital to attend Emperor Xuan ' s funeral and replacing him with the general Wei Xiaokuan . Yuchi , believing that Yang was intending to seize the throne , instead announced an uprising against Yang , declaring that he was intending to protect Northern Zhou ' s imperial lineage . He took the son of Emperor Xuan ' s uncle Yuwen Zhao ( 宇文招 ) the Prince of Zhao and declared him emperor . A number of important generals declared for him — the chief of whom were Sima Xiaonan ( 司馬消難 ) , who controlled the southern provinces , and Wang Qian ( 王謙 ) , who controlled the southwestern provinces — but he was unable to persuaded Li Mu , who controlled the modern Shanxi region , to join him . He was also unable to get Northern Zhou ' s vassal state Western Liang ( ruled by Emperor Ming of Western Liang , a great - grandson of Liang Dynasty ' s Emperor Wu ) to join him . Yuchi , despite his reputation , was by this point described as senile , entrusting most of his important matters to his secretary Cui Dana ( 崔達拏 ) and his second wife Lady Wang . Cui and Lady Wang ' s decisions were largely described as inappropriate ones , and the rebels made little advances . Soon , the central government forces , commanded by Wei , arrived at Yuchi ' s headquarters at Yecheng ( 鄴城 , in modern Handan ) and sieged it . When the city fell , just 68 days after Yuchi declared his rebellion , his son ' s father - in - law Cui Hongdu ( 崔弘度 ) , who served under Wei , approached him , and gave him time to commit suicide . Yuchi did so , but only after hurling repeated insults at Yang Jian . His sons were killed . During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang ( 618 - 626 ) , Yuchi Jiong ' s grandnephew Yuchi Qifu ( 尉遲耆福 ) submitted a petition to have Yuchi Jiong given a proper burial . Emperor Gaozu , because Yuchi Jiong was faithful to Northern Zhou , agreed .