Emperor Wu of Liang () (464 – 12 June 549According to Xiao Yan's biography in Book of Liang, he died aged 86 (by East Asian reckoning) on the bingchen day of the 5th month of the 3rd year of the Taiqing era of his reign. This corresponds to 12 Jun 549 in the Julian calendar. Liang Shu, vol.03), personal name Xiao Yan (), courtesy name Shuda (), childhood name Lian'er (), was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. His reign, until its end, was one of the most stable and prosperous among the Southern dynasties. He came from the same Xiao clan of Lanling (蘭陵蕭氏) that ruled the preceding Southern Qi dynasty, but from a different branch.
Emperor Wu established universities and extended the Confucian civil service exams, demanding that sons of nobles () study. He was well read himself and wrote poetry and patronized the arts. Although for governmental affairs he was Confucian in values, he embraced Buddhism as well. He himself was attracted to many Indian traditions. He banned the sacrifice of animals and was against execution. It was said that he received the Buddhist precepts during his reign, earning him the nickname The Bodhisattva Emperor. The emperor is the namesake of the Emperor Liang Jeweled Repentance (; Liang Huang Bao Chan), a widely read and major Buddhist text in China and Korea.
At the end of his reign, his unduly lenient attitude towards his clan's and officials' corruption and lack of dedication to the state came at a heavy price; when the general Hou Jing rebelled (), few came to his aid, and Hou captured the imperial capital Jiankang, holding Emperor Wu and his successor Emperor Jianwen under close control and plunging the entire Liang state into anarchy. After Emperor Wu was imprisoned, he was thirsty and asked Hou for honey, but Hou refused to give it to him. After shouting several times, the Emperor supposedly died of hunger and thirst.() Zizhi Tongjian, vol.162
Background Xiao Yan was born in 464, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of Song. His father Xiao Shunzhi (), who claimed ancestry from the great Han dynasty prime minister Xiao He, was a distant cousin of the Liu Song general Xiao Daocheng, and was part of Xiao Daocheng's close circle of advisors in Xiao Daocheng's eventual seizure of the Liu Song throne and establishment of Southern Qi (as its Emperor Gao) in 479. For Xiao Shunzhi's contributions, Xiao Daocheng created him the Marquess of Linxiang and made him a general. Xiao Yan was Xiao Shunzhi's third son, and his mother was Xiao Shunzhi's wife Zhang Shangrou (), who was also the mother of his older brothers Xiao Yi () and Xiao Fu (), his younger brother Xiao Chang () and his younger sister Xiao Lingyi ().() Liang Shu, vol.07 Lady Zhang died in 471, predating Xiao Shunzhi's becoming a marquess during Southern Qi.
Xiao Yan had six other brothers born of Xiao Shunzhi's concubines. One of them, Xiao Xiu (475–518) is now mainly remembered because of his comparatively well-preserved funerary statuary ensemble near Nanjing.Albert E. Dien, «Six Dynasties Civilization». Yale University Press, 2007 . Partial text on Google Books. P. 190. A reconstruction of the original form of the ensemble is shown in Fig. 5.19. (Sculptures at the Tomb of Xiao Xiu) (description and modern photos)
Around 481 or 482,late Jian'yuan era of Xiao Daocheng's reign, per Lady Chi's biography in Book of Liang Xiao Yan married Chi Hui (), the daughter of Liu Song official Chi Ye () and the Princess Xunyang. They had three daughters—Xiao Yuyao (), Xiao Yuwan (), and Xiao Yuhuan (), but no sons.
Career as Southern Qi official and general Xiao Yan was considered intelligent and handsome in his youth, and he started his career as a Southern Qi official by serving as military assistant for Emperor Wu's son Xiao Zilun () the Prince of Baling, and later served on the staff of the prime minister Wang Jian. Wang was said to be impressed by Xiao Yan's talents and appearance, and he once said, "Mr. Xiao will be Shizhong [, a high-level post] before he turns 30, and his honor will be innumerable after he turns 30." Xiao Yan also associated with Wang's successor as prime minister, Emperor Wu's son Xiao Ziliang () the Prince of Jingling, and became one of eight young officials talented in the literary arts particularly befriended by Xiao Ziliang—along with Fan Yun, Xiao Chen (), Ren Fang (), Wang Rong (), Xie Tiao (), Shen Yue, and Lu Chui (). After his father Xiao Shunzhi died in 490, he temporary left governmental service, but subsequently returned, and by 493 was serving on Xiao Ziliang's staff, but he did not join Wang Rong's plan to start a coup to have Xiao Ziliang made emperor when Emperor Wu grew ill in 493; the throne, instead, went to the crown prince, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye. Xiao Yan subsequently was invited by the prime minister Xiao Luan to serve on his staff, and when Xiao Luan subsequently overthrew the frivolous Xiao Zhaoye in a coup, Xiao Yan was made a general and ordered to defend the important city Shouyang (, in modern Lu'an, Anhui). When Xiao Luan later took the throne (as Emperor Ming), Xiao Yan was created the Baron of Jianyang. In 495, when Northern Wei forces invade, Xiao Yan was on the frontline fighting Northern Wei troops, and he distinguished himself under the command of Wang Guangzhi (). Later that year, when Emperor Ming suspected the general Xiao Chen () of treason and executed him, it was Xiao Yan that he sent to arrest and execute Xiao Chen's brother Xiao Dan () the governor of Si Province (, modern southeastern Henan).
In 497, with Northern Wei again attacking, Xiao Yan was one of the generals that Emperor Ming sent to aid the embattled Yong Province (, modern southwestern Henan and northwestern Hubei). Even though both he and his commander, Cui Huijing (), were subsequently defeated by Northern Wei forces in battle, in 498 Xiao Yan was made the governor of Yong Province and the defender of Yong Province's capital, the important city Xiangyang (, in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), and he continued in that post after Emperor Ming's death and succession by his son Xiao Baojuan. It was at Xiangyang that Xiao Yan's wife Chi Hui died in 499. Xiao Yan would not take another wife for the rest of his life, although he would have a number of concubines.
Civil war against Xiao Baojuan When Xiao Baojuan became Southern Qi's emperor in 498 at age 15, his power was initially curbed by several high-level officials that his father Emperor Ming left in charge—including Emperor Ming's cousins Jiang Shi () and Jiang Si (), Xiao Baojuan's own uncle Liu Xuan (), Xiao Baojuan's cousin Xiao Yaoguang () the Prince of Shi'an, the senior official Xu Xiaosi (), and the general Xiao Tanzhi (). The six officials each handled important matters of state according to their will and paid the young emperor little deference, drawing his ire. Xiao Yan, hearing that the young emperor had a reputation for being violent and frivolous, secretly prepared for eventual civil war at his post at Yong Province, but was unable to persuade his older brother Xiao Yi, who was then the acting governor of Ying Province (, modern eastern Hubei), to do the same.
In 499, receiving report that the high-level officials were planning to, on account of his irrational behavior, remove him from the throne, Xiao Baojuan acted first and executed Jiang Shi and Jiang Si. Xiao Yaoguang, who wanted to be emperor himself and feared being the next target, started an unsuccessful coup and was soon defeated and killed. However, despite the contributions of Xiao Tanzhi, Xu Xiaosi, Liu Xuan, and the generals Shen Wenji () and Cao Hu () in defeating Xiao Yaoguang, Xiao Baojuan soon had all of them killed as well on suspicion of plotting coups, leading to widespread sense of terror among central government officials. This led to a rebellion by the senior general Chen Xianda () from his post at Jiang Province (, modern Jiangxi and Fujian), which was quickly defeated as well, fanning Xiao Baojuan's sense of invulnerability. In fear, the general Pei Shuye (), who controlled Shouyang as the governor of Yu Province (, modern central Anhui), surrendered Shouyang to Northern Wei in 500, despite Xiao Yan's counsel against it.
Xiao Baojuan sent Cui Huijing to try to recapture Shouyang. Cui Huijing, however, as soon as he left the capital Jiankang, turned his army around and marched on the capital, hoping to overthrow Xiao Baojuan and replace him with his brother Xiao Baoxuan () the Prince of Jiangxia. Cui was initially successful, surrounding Xiao Baojuan's troops inside the palace complex. However, Xiao Yi, upon hearing news of Cui's rebellion, marched troops under his command to relieve the palace siege. He routed Cui's forces, and Cui was killed while trying to escape. Xiao Baojuan made Xiao Yi the prime minister, but soon killed him as well, on 19 November 500.According to Xiao Baojuan's biography in Book of the Southern Qi, Xiao Yi was killed on the jimao day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of the Yongyuan era of his reign. This corresponds to 19 Nov 500 in the Julian calendar. Nan Qi Shu, vol.07 Upon hearing of Xiao Yi's death, Xiao Yan gathered his officers on 15 December 500According to Xiao Yan's biography in Book of Liang, the gathering of officers took place on the yisi day of the 11th month of the 2nd year of the Yongyuan era of Xiao Baojuan's reign. This corresponds to 15 Dec 500 in the Julian calendar. Book of Liang, vol.01 and revealed to them his intention to rebel; he officially rose in rebellion in January or February 501.According to Xiao Baojuan's biography in Book of the Southern Qi, Xiao Yan rose in rebellion in the 12th month of the 2nd year of the Yongyuan era of his reign. This corresponds to 5 Jan to 3 Feb 501 in the Julian calendar. Nan Qi Shu, vol.07
Xiao Baojuan sent an army commanded by the general Liu Shanyang () against Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan convinced Xiao Yingzhou (), the chief of staff of Xiao Baojuan's younger brother Xiao Baorong the Prince of Nankang, who was then governor of Jing Province (, modern central and western Hubei), that Liu was intending to attack both Jing and Yong Province. Xiao Yingzhou therefore entered into an alliance with Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yingzhou surprised and killed Liu, and then declared that his and Xiao Yan's intent was to declare Xiao Baorong emperor, although he did not immediately have Xiao Baorong take the imperial title. (Privately, Xiao Yan's staff was distrustful of Xiao Yingzhou and wanted to seize Xiao Baorong by force, but Xiao Yan, not willing to create a division in the coalition at that moment, concentrated on advancing east against Xiao Baojuan rather than to seize Xiao Baorong.)
In spring 501, Xiao Yingzhou declared Xiao Baorong emperor (as Emperor He), a declaration that Xiao Yan recognized. Xiao Yingzhou had himself and Xiao Yan given equivalent titles, and Xiao Yingzhou remained at Jiangling (, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), the capital of Jing Province, with the new emperor, while Xiao Yan continued to advance against the old emperor Xiao Baojuan. With Xiao Baojuan having lost the love of his generals (and having to fight off several more coup attempts within Jiankang itself), Xiao Yan was able to win battle after battle, capturing Yingcheng (, in modern Wuhan, Hubei) in summer 501, and then forcing the surrender of Chen Bozhi (), the governor of Jiang Province, in fall 501. In winter 501, he reached Jiankang and quickly captured the outer city, and then put the palace under siege. Meanwhile, Xiao Yingzhou, unable to fend off attacks that the general Xiao Gui (), loyal to Xiao Baojuan, was launching from the west, died in anxiety. Xiao Yan's brother Xiao Dan () quickly arrived in Jiangling to take over custody of Emperor He, along with Xiao Yingzhou's lieutenant Xiaohou Xiang (). From that point on, the control of the new emperor was no longer contested.