Emperor Xuan of Chen Emperor Xuan of Chen ( 陳宣帝 ) ( 530 – 582 ) , personal name Chen Xu ( 陳頊 ) , courtesy name Shaoshi ( 紹世 ) , nickname Shili ( 師利 ) , was an emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty . He seized the throne from his nephew Emperor Fei in 569 and subsequently ruled the state for 13 years . He was considered to be a capable and diligent ruler , who at one point militarily expanded at the expense of Northern Qi . After Northern Qi fell to Northern Zhou in 577 , however , Chen was cornered , and soon lost the gains it had previously made against Northern Qi . Emperor Xuan died in 582 , leaving the state in the hands of his incompetent son Chen Shubao , and by 589 , Chen would be destroyed by Northern Zhou ' s successor state Sui Dynasty . Background . Chen Xu was born in 530 , as the second son of Chen Daotan ( 陳道譚 ) , a commander in the Liang Dynasty palace guards . His mother ' s name is not recorded in history . Chen Daotan died in 548 or 549 , while commanding the guards in resisting a siege of the palace at the capital Jiankang by the rebel general Hou Jing . After the palace fell to Hou in 549 , Chen Xu ' s older brother Chen Qian and cousin Chen Chang were imprisoned by Hou , because Chen Chang ' s father , the general Chen Baxian , had joined forces with Wang Sengbian , a general under the command of Xiao Yi the Prince of Xiangdong in resisiting Hou . It is unclear whether Chen Xu was imprisoned as well . In 551 , Wang , with Chen ' s assistance , defeated Hou and recaptured Jiankang . Xiao Yi subsequently declared himself emperor ( as Emperor Yuan ) , but set up his capital at Jiangling ( 江陵 , in modern Jingzhou , Hubei ) rather than returning to Jiankang , which he put under the command of Wang . As part of this alignment , Chen Baxian was given the post of defending Jingkou ( 京口 , in modern Zhenjiang , Jiangsu ) . Emperor Yuan then summoned Chen Chang and Chen Xu to Jiangling to serve in his administration — and also to serve as hostages . Both were given mid - level positions . He also gave Chen Xu a wife — his niece Liu Jingyan . ( Chen Xu had previously married a wife , Lady Qian , while he was at his home commandery of Yixing ( 義興 , roughly modern Huzhou , Zhejiang ) , but Lady Qian did not accompany him to Jiangling ) In 554 , rival Western Wei attacked Jiangling and captured it , executing Emperor Yuan around the new year 555 . Chen Xu and Chen Chang were taken to the Western Wei capital Chang ' an as honored captives , while Lady Liu and their son Chen Shubao were left at Rangcheng ( 穰城 , in modern Nanyang , Henan ) . Wang and Chen Baxian initially wanted to make Emperor Yuan ' s son Xiao Fangzhi the Prince of Jin ' an emperor , but after military pressure from Northern Qi , in summer 555 , Wang agreed to make Northern Qi ' s favored candidate Xiao Yuanming ( Emperor Yuan ' s cousin ) emperor instead — a decision that Chen disagreed with . In fall 555 , he made a surprise attack on Jiankang , killing Wang and deposing Xiao Yuanming , making Xiao Fangzhi emperor instead ( as Emperor Jing ) . In 557 , he had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him , establishing Chen Dynasty as its Emperor Wu . Chen Xu ' s brother Chen Qian was created the Prince of Linchuan , and while Chen Xu was still then detained by Western Wei , Emperor Wu remotely created him the Prince of Shixing , to inherit the title that Emperor Wu posthumously created his father Chen Daotan . Emperor Wu died in 559 , and because Chen Chang was still detained at Chang ' an as well , Chen Qian took the throne ( as Emperor Wen ) . Because Chen Xu was not available to offer sacrifices to their father Chen Daotan , Emperor Wen created his own son Chen Bomao ( 陳伯茂 ) the Prince of Shixing instead , changing ( remotely ) Chen Xu ' s title to Prince of Ancheng . In 560 , Western Wei ' s successor state Northern Zhou began to make overtures to Chen , offering to return Chen Xu . In 562 , after Emperor Wen gave Northern Zhou the city of Lushan ( 魯山 , in modern Wuhan , Hubei ) in exchange , Chen Xu was allowed to return to Chen . Initially , Princess Liu and Chen Shubao were not returned , but after further negotiations by Emperor Wen , they were returned as well . ( Chen Xu also welcomed his first wife Lady Qian to his mansion , but as Princess Liu was of an honored birth as the daughter of a Liang princess , she retained the position of his wife , although she gave due respect to Lady Qian ) During Emperor Wen ' s reign . Chen Xu quickly became one of his brother Emperor Wen ' s key subordinates . For example , in spring 562 , when the warlord Zhou Di ( 周迪 ) rebelled , Emperor Wen initially sent the general Wu Mingche against Zhou , but when Wu was unable to defeat Zhou , Emperor Wen sent Chen Xu to replace Wu . Over the next few years , Chen Xu continued to be promoted , although he was temporary relieved of several of his posts in 565 , when his associate Bao Sengrui ( 鮑僧叡 ) , in reliance of their close relationship , was acting inappropriately , and was accused of such impropriety by the official Xu Ling ( 徐陵 ) . In spring 566 , Emperor Wen was seriously ill , and Chen Xu , along with the other key officials Dao Zhongju ( 到仲舉 ) , Kong Huan ( 孔奐 ) , Yuan Shu ( 袁樞 ) , and Liu Shizhi ( 劉師之 ) , attended to him . As Emperor Wen believed his crown prince Chen Bozong to be weak in personality , he offered to pass the throne to Chen Xu , but Chen Xu , weeping bitterly , declined , and the move was also opposed by Dao and Kong , and Emperor Wen did not alter his succession order . Emperor Wen died soon thereafter , and Chen Bozong took the throne as Emperor Fei . During Emperor Fei ' s reign . Although Emperor Fei was emperor , the power was split between Chen Xu , Dao Zhongju , and Liu Shizhi , and all three lived inside the palace in order to handle sensitive matters . Liu , fearful of Chen Xu ' s honored status as the emperor ' s uncle , soon planned to exclude Chen Xu . He had the official Yin Buning ( 殷不佞 ) informing Chen Xu that he should leave the palace to attend to the matters of the capital region Yang Province ( 揚州 ) , of which Chen Xu was also governor . When Chen Xu considered doing so , his associate Mao Xi ( 毛喜 ) and the general Wu Mingche persuaded him that he needed to remain in the palace . Chen Xu therefore invited Liu to a meeting — and while the meeting was still going on , had Mao confirming with Emperor Wen ' s wife Empress Dowager Shen Miaorong and Emperor Fei that it was not their order that he leave the palace . Once Mao confirmed so , Chen Xu arrested Liu and ordered him to committed suicide , while demoting Dao to a lesser position . From this point on , the administration was controlled by Chen Xu . Fearful of what would come next , Dao and the general Han Zigao ( 韓子高 ) considered actions against Chen Xu , but before they could take any actions against Chen Xu , their plot was reported to Chen Xu , and Chen Xu arrested them and then had Emperor Fei issue an edict ordering them to commit suicide . Emperor Fei ' s brother Chen Bomao ( 陳伯茂 ) the Prince of Shixing , whom Chen Xu believed to have participated in both Liu ' s and Dao and Han ' s plots , was stripped of his governmental posts and ordered to keep Emperor Fei company . The deaths of Liu and Han , both of whom were close associates of Emperor Wen , brought fear into the heart of another associate of Emperor Wen — Hua Jiao ( 華皎 ) the governor of Xiang Province ( 湘州 , modern central Hunan ) . In summer 567 , Hua therefore submitted himself to Northern Zhou and Northern Zhou ' s vassal state , Western Liang . Chen Xu sent Wu and Chunyu Liang ( 淳于量 ) to lead a fleet against the joint forces of Hua , Northern Zhou , and Western Liang . The opposing sides met at Dunkou ( 沌口 , in modern Wuhan , Hubei ) . Wu and Chunyu were able to ram Hua ' s , Northern Zhou ' s , and Western Liang ' s fleets , causing them to collapse . Both Hua and the Northern Zhou general Yuwen Zhi ( 宇文直 ) the Duke of Wei fled to Western Liang ' s capital Jiangling , while the Northern Zhou general Yuan Ding ( 元定 ) were captured . Wu followed up by putting Jiangling under siege in spring 568 , but was not able to capture it and subsequently forced to withdraw . Meanwhile , Chen Xu was receiving greater formal titles and authorities . Chen Bomao , angry over the situation , was making repeated denigrations of Chen Xu , who then resolved to take the throne himself . In winter 568 , Chen Xu had an edict issued in the name of Emperor Wu ' s wife Grand Empress Dowager Zhang Yao ' er , falsely accusing Emperor Fei of having been part of the plots of Liu and Hua . The edict further stated that Emperor Wen had already known that Emperor Fei was unsuitable , and that Emperor Wen ' s stated desire to have Chen Xu take the throne should be carried out . Emperor Fei was deposed and demoted to the title of Prince of Linhai , while Chen Bomao was demoted to Marquess of Wenma and subsequently assassinated . Early reign . For reasons unclear in history , Chen Xu left the throne empty for more than a month , but finally took the throne in spring 569 ( as Emperor Xuan ) . He honored Grand Empress Dowager Zhang as empress dowager instead , while Emperor Wen ' s wife Empress Dowager Shen became known as Empress Wen . He created his wife Princess Liu empress and his heir apparent Chen Shubao crown emperor . Emperor Wen ' s sons continued to have honored positions as imperial princes and held key posts , but none had particularly high power . In fall 569 , Emperor Xuan , suspicious that Ouyang He ( 歐陽紇 ) the governor of Guang Province ( 廣州 , roughly modern Guangzhou , Guangdong ) would rebel , summoned Ouyang back to Jiankang . Ouyang was himself suspicious of Emperor Xuan ' s intentions , and therefore refused the order and rebelled . Emperor Xuan sent the official Xu Jian ( 徐儉 , Xu Ling ' s son ) to try to persuade Ouyang to change his mind , but Ouyang would not relent . Emperor Xuan then sent the general Zhang Zhaoda ( 章昭達 ) to attack Ouyang . By spring 570 , Zhang captured Ouyang and delivered him to Jiankang , where Ouyang was beheaded . Zhang , encouraged by the victory , then attacked Western Liang ' s capital Jiangling , but after some initial gains , nearly capturing Jiangling , he suffered defeats by the Northern Zhou general Lu Teng ( 陸騰 ) and withdrew . Despite this campaign , however , after this point on , Chen and Northern Zhou largely had peaceful relations , often exchanging embassies , forming a rough alliance against Northern Qi . In spring 573 , Emperor Xuan resolved to attack Northern Qi — but when he discussed the matter with his officials and generals , they had split of opinion . Emperor Xuan , at the suggestion of Xu Ling , selected Wu Mingche , who alone among the generals was resolute as to his support for the campaign , as the commander of the forces , with Pei Ji ( 裴忌 ) and Huang Faqu ( name not in Unicode ) as Wu ' s deputies . Wu ' s forces made quick gains against Northern Qi , and by summer 573 had gained most of the territory between the Yangtze River and the Huai River . By fall 573 , Wu put the important city Shouyang ( 壽陽 , in modern Lu ' an , Anhui ) under siege , and he captured Shouyang in 573 , capturing and killing the Northern Qi general in charge of defending the city , the former Liang general Wang Lin . The entire region between the Yangtze and Huai were now in Chen hands . Emperor Xuan was so pleased that he , in an elaborate ceremony , conferred a variety of honors on Wu . He also displayed Wang ' s head on the Jiankang city gate , although after a request by Zhu Yang ( 朱瑒 ) , in which Zhu pointed out that Wang was faithful to Liang and should be honored , he returned Wang ' s head for a proper burial . In the following years , Chen continued to make minor gains against Northern Qi , but was not making major attacks . Late reign . In winter 576 , Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou launched a major attack on Northern Qi , quickly capturing , in succession , Northern Qi ' s secondary capital Jinyang ( 晉陽 , in modern Taiyuan , Shanxi ) and capital Yecheng . Soon , he captured the Northern Qi emperor Gao Wei and annexed most of Northern Qi ' s territory by spring 577 . Oddly enough , Emperor Xuan believed that he could seize part of Northern Qi territory after Northern Zhou ' s victory , and he sent Wu Mingche to again advance north . In winter 577 , Wu put Pengcheng ( 彭城 , in modern Xuzhou , Jiangsu ) under siege , and Emperor Xuan was confident that Wu would soon be able to capture the region south of the Yellow River . When the official Cai Jingli ( 蔡景歷 ) warned otherwise , he was so displeased that he demoted Cai to the post of a commandery governor . In spring 578 , the Northern Zhou general Wang Gui ( 王軌 ) thoroughly crushed Wu , capturing him . Regreting his actions , Emperor Xuan recalled Cai to the capital . With the people ' s hearts shaken by the great defeat , in fall 578 , Emperor Xuan held a ceremony in which the officials reaffirmed their loyalty to the state . In winter 579 , Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou ( Emperor Wu ' s son and successor ) launched an attack on Chen , commanded by the general Wei Xiaokuan . Chen ' s Emperor Xuan mobilized his troops to resist . However , Chen forces could not stand against Northern Zhou ' s attacks , and all of the cities that they had captured from Northern Qi previously quickly fell . By new year 580 , nearly all of the territory north of the Yangtze had fallen to Northern Zhou , leading to a large wave of refugees who fled across the Yangtze to Chen territory . In summer 580 , Northern Zhou ' s Emperor Xuan died suddenly , and his father - in - law Yang Jian seized power as regent . The generals Yuchi Jiong rose against Yang , and he was joined by the generals Sima Xiaonan ( 司馬消難 ) and Wang Qian ( 王謙 ) . Sima , the governor of Xun Province ( 勛州 , roughly modern Xiaogan , Hubei ) and the nine surrounding provinces , soon surrendered to Chen , seeking Chen aid . Emperor Xuan sent the generals Fan Yi ( 樊毅 ) , Ren Zhong ( 任忠 ) , and Chen Huiji ( 陳慧紀 ) to attack Northern Zhou ' s southern provinces to aid Sima , whom he created the Duke of Sui . However , Wei Xiaokuan quickly defeated Yuchi , forcing Yuchi to commit suicide , and Sima ' s own forces collapsed . He was forced to flee to Chen territory , and all of the territory he controlled was retained by Northern Zhou . ( Yang Jian soon seized the throne in spring 581 , ending Northern Zhou and establishing Sui Dynasty ) In spring 582 , Emperor Xuan died . After a failed attempt by his son Chen Shuling ( 陳叔陵 ) , allied with Emperor Wen ' s son Chen Bogu ( 陳伯固 ) , to seize the throne , Crown Prince Shubao took the throne .