32 Facts About Qifu Gangui

Qifu Gangui or Qifu Qiangui, known by his posthumous name as the Prince Wuyuan of Western Qin, was a prince of the Xianbei-led Chinese Western Qin dynasty.

Qifu Gangui was a brother of the founding prince, Qifu Guoren, who became prince after Qifu Guoren's death in 388 because Qifu Guoren's son Qifu Gongfu was considered too young for leadership.

Qifu Gangui subsequently expanded the state's power and influence, but only to an extent, and in 400 after military losses to the Later Qin dynasty, his state was annexed by the Later Qin and he himself became a Later Qin general.

However, after the Later Qin was weakened by defeats at the hands of its rebel general Helian Bobo's Hu Xia dynasty, Qifu Gangui redeclared independence in 409, but ruled only three more years before he was killed by Qifu Gongfu in a coup.

Qifu Gangui created his wife Lady Bian princess, and he established a governmental structure designed similarly to a Han Chinese governmental structure.

In 390, the khan of Tuyuhun, Murong Shilian, submitted to Western Qin as a vassal, and Qifu Gangui created him the Prince of Bailan.

Qifu Gangui aided him and defeated Da in battle, and then sent Mo's sons back to him, to try to get Mo to be more grateful of him.

However, Mo instead turned against Qifu Gangui and aligned himself with the Tiefu chief Liu Weichen, and Qifu Gangui, in anger, attacked Mo and, in battle, fired an arrow that struck Mo's eye.

In 393, Qifu Gangui created his son Qifu Chipan as crown prince.

In 394, after the death of the Later Qin emperor Yao Chang, Fu Deng prepared a major offensive against Yao Chang's son and successor Yao Xing, and as part of the preparation he requested aid from Qifu Gangui and created Qifu Gangui the Prince of Henan and bestowed on him the nine bestowments.

Qifu Gangui then married his sister the Princess Dongping to Qifu Gangui as his princess and created him the Prince of Liang.

Qifu Gangui sent his brother Qifu Yizhou to aid Fu Deng, but as Fu Deng came out of the mountains to join Qifu Yizhou's forces, Yao Xing ambushed and captured him, and then executed him.

However, in winter 394, Qifu Gangui expelled him, and he fled to one of his father's last remaining generals, Yang Ding the Prince of Longxi.

Qifu Gangui sent Qifu Yizhou and two other generals, Qifu Ketan and Yuezhi Jiegui against Yang and Fu Chong, and Yang was initially successful against Qifu Yizhou.

Later in the year, Qifu Gangui moved his capital from Jincheng to Xicheng.

Under the advice of his officials Mi Guizhou and Mozhe Gudi, Qifu Gangui submitted to Lu Guang as a vassal and sent his son Qifu Chibo as a hostage to Lu Guang, and Lu Guang withdrew.

However, Qifu Gangui soon regretted this arrangement and executed Mi and Mozhe.

Later Liang forces were initially successful, capturing several major Western Qin cities, but Qifu Gangui tricked Lu Guang's brother and major general Lu Yan the Duke of Tianshui into believing that he was retreating, and Lu Yan fell into a trap Qifu Gangui set and was killed.

In 398, Qifu Gangui sent Qifu Yizhou to attack Later Liang, and he recovered some of the territory previously lost.

Later in 398, Qifu Gangui Yizhou battled Murong Shipi and defeated him.

Qifu Gangui married the daughter of a clansman to Qifu Dangqi.

In 400, Qifu Gangui moved his capital from Xicheng to Wanchuan.

Qifu Gangui divided his army to try to ascertain Later Qin's intentions, but the armies lost communication in the fog, and Later Qin attacked them and greatly defeated them, taking nearly the entire Western Qin army captive.

Yao Xing advanced to Fuhan, forcing Qifu Gangui to flee back to Jincheng.

However, worried that Qifu Gangui would try to reestablish his state, he sent an army to watch over him.

Qifu Gangui, fearing that he would be executed, then regained trust from Tufa Lilugu by sending Qifu Chipan, his brothers, and their mother to the Southern Liang capital Xiping as hostages.

Qifu Gangui quickly put his governmental structure back in place, but now with inferior titles to show submission to Later Qin.

Later in 401, Yao Xing sent Qifu Gangui to serve as Yao Shuode's assistant in a major campaign against Later Yang's emperor Lu Long, forcing Lu Long's submission.

In 403, Lu Long decided to give up his state to Later Qin, ending Later Liang, and Qifu Gangui was one of the generals whom Yao Xing sent to escort Lu Long to Chang'an and to escort his replacement, the Later Qin general Wang Shang to Guzang, which was at the point effectively surrounded by Southern Liang and Northern Liang forces.

Around the new year 407, Qifu Gangui went on an official visit to Chang'an.

In 408, with Tufa Rutan, who had previously submitted as a Later Qin vassal, acting independently but yet suffering many internal problems, Yao Xing became resolved to destroy Southern Liang, and Qifu Gangui was one of the generals he sent under the command of his son Yao Bi to try to destroy Southern Liang.

In 409, Qifu Gangui himself escaped and returned to Wanchuan.