Yao Hong - Reign

Reign

Yao Hong, who immediately faced threats from both Jin and Xia forces, was heavily dependent on his uncle Yao Shao to face both these external threats, and the rebellions by his brothers and cousins, who apparently believed him to be an easy target to seize the throne from. The Jin general Liu Yu, seeing Later Qin's internal unrest as an opportunity, launched a major attack in fall 416 and quickly seized the eastern half of Later Qin, including the important city of Luoyang.

Late 416, Yao Yi, who was in charge of Puban (蒲阪, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), rebelled, but with little popular support, Yao Shao was able to quickly capture Puban and arrest him. However, rebellions continued. In 417, Yao Hong's cousin Yao Hui (姚恢) the Duke of Qi rebelled, abandoning his post of Anding (安定, in modern Pingliang, Gansu) and using all forces at Anding (a major defense post during Later Qin) against Yao Hong. Yao Shao and his son Yao Zan (姚讚), however, were able to capture and kill Yao Hui quickly as well.

Meanwhile, however, Jin forces continued to advance, and when Yao Shao and Yao Zan then engaged Liu Yu's generals Tan Daoji and Shen Linzi (沈林子), they were unable to stop them, and Yao Shao, humiliated by the defeats, died of illness. Yao Zan tried to continue to resist, but was continuously defeated.

Yao Hong decided to lead an army of several tens of thousands against Liu Yu's main army, commanded by Tan and Shen, but concerned that a branch force commanded by Shen Linzi's brother Shen Tianzi (沈田子), which in actuality had less than 1,000 men but had advanced to Qingni (青泥, in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), would attack his rear, tried to attack Shen Tianzi first, but was defeated by the heavily outnumbered Shen Tianzi, causing his army to collapse, and he was forced to return to Chang'an without having faced Liu Yu's main army. Liu Yu's fleet, commanded by Wang Zhen'e (王鎮惡), then arrived at Chang'an, and the soldiers, after landing, attacked the Later Qin garrison at the city gates overlooking the Wei River. Yao Hong tried to personally relieve the garrison at the city gates, but his army and the garrison force trampled themselves and collapsed without engaging Wang, and he fled back to the palace.

Back at the palace, Yao Hong considered surrendering. His 10-year-old son Yao Fo'nian (姚佛念) opined that they would be executed anyway, and that it would be better to commit suicide. Yao Hong declined, and Yao Fo'nian himself climbed up a wall and jumped to his death. Yao Hong, instead, along with his empress, surrendered to Wang, who arrested him and had him delivered to the Jin capital Jiankang. Yao Hong was executed there, and most members of the Yao clan who were captured or who surrendered were also executed. Later Qin was at its end.