Murong Shaozong (501–April or May 549), courtesy name Shaozong, was a military general of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. He was a member of the famous Murong clan and a cousin to the Northern Wei commander, Erzhu Rong. Following the defeat of the Erzhu clan, he joined Gao Huan but was initially excluded from holding significant military command. With the death of Gao Huan in 547, he was finally given the crucial task of quelling Hou Jing’s rebellion, where he distinguished himself by repelling an invasion by Liang forces and forcing Hou Jing out of the north. However, just a few months later, Shaozong died of drowning after a storm caused his boat to drift into enemy territory during the Battle of Yingchuan.
Background Murong Shaozong was a member of the Xianbei Murong clan and a descendant of Murong Ke, a great general and prince of the Former Yan dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. His great-grandfather was Murong Teng (慕容腾), who defected to the Northern Wei during the Later Yan period and settled down in Dai Commandery. His grandfather, Murong Du (慕容郁), was once the Inspector of Qing province, while his father, Murong Yuan (慕容遠), served as the Inspector of Heng province.
Shaozong was described as having a great stature, and though he was reserved, he was also brave and had a strategic mind. When the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons broke out in Northern Wei, he brought his family to Jinyang to join the Wei commander and his cousin, Erzhu Rong, who treated them kindly.Book of Northern Qi, vol.20
Service under Erzhu Rong In May 528, Erzhu Rong led his army towards Luoyang to depose Empress Dowager Hu. Along the way, he privately spoke to Shaozong about his intentions to slaughter the capital officials, thinking they would be difficult to control. Shaozong replied, “The Empress Dowager is promiscuous and has lost her way by abusing her powers and throwing the land into chaos. Hence, you, my lord, have raised an army to set straight the court. If you were to kill so many people no reason and without distinguishing loyalty and flattery, then I am afraid you will lose the goodwill of the world. This is not a long-term strategy.” However, Erzhu Rong refused to listen, leading to the infamous Heyin Massacre.Zizhi Tongjian, vol.152
Afterwards, Murong Shaozong was given the title of Viscount of Suolu County, which was soon promoted to Marquis. In October or September that same year, he followed Gao Huan in defeating the rebel Yang Kan at Xiaqiu (瑕丘; in modern Jining, Shandong). In March or April 529, he accompanied Yuan Tianmu in his campaign against another rebel, Xing Gao at Jinan. Shaozong was successively promoted to the office of Inspector of Bing province before eventually serving as Chief Clerk under Erzhu Rong’s nephew, Erzhu Zhao.
During his time under Erzhu Rong, Shaozong met his fellow general, Hou Jing and taught him the Art of War. Over time, however, he found himself turning to Hou Jing for his opinion on tactical matters.
Service under Erzhu Zhao
Warnings against trusting Gao Huan In the new year of 531, after executing Emperor Xiaozhuang of Wei for his assassination of Erzhu Rong, Erzhu Zhao came under attack by the general, Gedouling Bufan at Jinyang. Gao Huan asked to be given command over the Xianbei of the Six Garrisons to defeat Bufan, but Murong Shaozong objected, stating, “The world is now in turmoil and the people coveting. This is the time when wise men devise their strategies. Gao of Jinzhou (Gao Huan) is a man of great talent and bravery, his deeds equal to none. Much like a dragon, how can we use him to bring clouds and rain?” However, Erzhu Zhao held Gao Huan in high regard and had Shaozong imprisoned for a few days for his remark. He then granted Gao Huan his Xianbei troops, and together they vanquished Gedouling Bufan.
Soon after, a famine broke out in the Shanxi region where Jinyang was located, so Gao Huan requested that he and his army be dispatched east of the Taihang Mountains to scour for food. Murong Shaozong once again opposed him, but Erzhu Zhao remained grateful to Gao Huan and refused to heed his warnings. Meanwhile, Gao Huan sent bribes to Erzhu Zhao’s subordinates and had them falsely accuse Shaozong of having a grudge against him. Believing that Shaozong was deliberately undermining their relationship, Erzhu Zhao had him imprisoned again and urged Gao Huan to set off for the east.
However, not long after he departed, Erzhu Zhao then received news that his aunt, Princess Beixiang, was robbed off her 300 horses by Gao Huan while she was travelling from Luoyang to Jinyang. He then released Murong Shaozong from prison and sought his advice, to which he asserted that Gao Huan was still within his reach. Erzhu Zhao gave chase with his army and managed to catch up with Gao Huan, but in the end, he was tricked into turning back to Jinyang.Book of Northern Qi, vol.1
War with Gao Huan In June or July 531, Gao Huan took up arms in Xindu against the Erzhu clan. Erzhu Zhao appointed Murong Shaozhong as a Branch Censorate and ordered him to lead troops into Huguan to oppose Gao Huan. After suffering decisive defeats at Guang’a in 531 and Hanling in 532, Erzhu Zhao blamed himself and expressed his regrets to Shaozong for not following his advice. Many of Erzhu Zhao's soldiers fled following the loss at Hanling, sending him into panic as he prepared to flee alone in secret. Before he could do so, Shaozong raised the flags and sounded the horns to gather the scattered soldiers. Once the army was reorganized, Shaozong and Erzhu Zhao slowly mounted their horses and retreated westward.
In spring 533, Gao Huan launched a surprise attack on Erzhu Zhao's base in Xiurong (秀容, in modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), forcing him to flee before eventually committing suicide. Shaozong went to the city of Wutu to defend himself, but as Gao Huan's forces approached, he surrendered with Princess Beixiang, Erzhu Rong's children and Erzhu Zhao's subordinates. Gao Huan valued his talents and allowed him to retain his offices.
Service under Gao Huan In 534, Gao Huan placed Emperor Xiaojing on the throne and moved the capital to Ye, thereby founding the Eastern Wei as the Western Wei was established by Yuwen Tai and Emperor Xiaowu in the Guanzhong region. He controlled the imperial court remotely from Jinyang, while Murong Shaozong and Gao Longzhi were left in Ye to handle government treasury and books. Occasionally, Shaozong was also allowed to participate in Gao Huan's military discussions.
In 535, Murong Shaozong was ordered by Gao Huan to lead Kudi Sheng (厍狄盛) and others in defeating the rebel and native of Yiyang commandery, Li Yansun, who was aligned with the Western Wei. When he returned from the campaign, he became the acting Inspector of Yang province, and soon the acting Inspector of Qing province. (According to the Book of Zhou, Li Yansun dealt Shaozong and his forces a great defeat. He continued to harass the Eastern Wei border before he was assassinated by a subordinate in 538.)Book of Zhou, vol.43
Qing province was once home to the Southern Yan dynasty, ruled by a branch of the Murong family. During Shaozong’s tenure in Qing, one of Gao Huan’s secretaries, Sun Qian (孫搴), recommended his own brother to be appointed as a registrar in the province, but Shaozong rejected him. Sun Qian slandered him to Gao Huan, stating that Shaozong once climbed Guanggu (廣固, in modern Qingzhou, Shandong), the former capital of the Southern Yan, and sorrowfully told his confidants “Is it not the right of a real man to restore the legacy of his ancestors?” Believing the allegations, Gao Huan recalled Shaozong back to Ye.
In 537, the Western Wei general, Dugu Xin occupied Luo province, causing bandits and rebels to spring up between the provinces of Liang and Ying. While Gao Huan and the main force engaged the Western Wei at the Battle of Shayuan, Shaozong had been ordered to lead his army to Hulao Pass together with Liu Gui and others to quell the dissidents in two provinces. For his successful effort, his peerage was elevated to Duke and he was later promoted to Minister of Revenue. He then went on to serve as Inspector of Jin province and Grand Branch Censorate. When he returned to the court, he was appointed Lieutenant of the Imperial Censor.
In 544, Liu Wuhei (劉烏黑), a native of the Liang dynasty, launched and rebellion invaded Xu province. Gao Huan dispatched Shaozong as Branch Censorate to lead a counterattack on Wuhei, and after the campaign, he was appointed Inspector of Xu province. Wuhui regathered his followers and invaded Xu again, but Shaozong began contacting his subordinates to entice them into defection. Within a few months, Wuhui’s subordinates captured him alive and executed him.
Hou Jing's rebellion against Eastern Wei
Aftermath of Gao Huan's death In 546, as Gao Huan was deathly ill in Jinyang, he summoned his eldest son, Gao Cheng to discuss matters after his death. Gao Cheng was particularly worried about Hou Jing, who held semi-autonomous control over the Eastern Wei's territory in the Henan region for the past 14 years. In regards to Hou Jing, Gao Huan advised his son, “The only person who can rival Hou Jing is Murong Shaozong. I had purposely set him side and leave him to you. Treat him with great courtesy and entrust him with managing affairs.”Book of Northern Qi, vol.2
In early 547, Hou Jing launched his rebellion against the Eastern Wei, offering the Henan region to the Western Wei and Liang. In June, Gao Cheng appointed Shaozong as Left Supervisor of the Masters of Writing while he considered sending Pan Le to quell the rebellion. His close advisor, Chen Yuankang, warned him that Pan Le was slow to adapt to changes and reminded him about Gao Huan’s advice regarding Shaozong. Gao Cheng was hesitant at first, as Shaozong was still in Xu province and did not want to startle him into rebelling by suddenly summoning him back, but Yuankang assured him by telling him, “Shaozong knew I have been receiving preferential treatment, so he recently sent me an envoy with money as a token of sincerity. Wanting to appease him, I accepted it and replied to him with a generous letter. I guarantee there will be no confusion.”Book of Northern Qi, vol.24
Repelling the Liang army On 19 November 547, Murong Shaozong was appointed Grand Branch Censorate of the Southeastern Circuits and bestowed the title of Duke of Yan. He then led Han Gui and others to camp at Xiaqiu and plan out their attack. At the time, Emperor Wu of Liang sent 100,000 soldiers under Xiao Yuanming and others to garrison at Hanshan (寒山; in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu) in preparation of carrying out a pincer attack with Hou Jing, blocking the Si river and flooding the strategic city of Pengcheng. During the campaign, Shaozong was further granted authority as Chief Controller of the Three Xu and Two Yan provinces, and together with Gao Yue, he first went south to oppose Xiao Yuanming.
Shaozong first camped at Tuotuo Hill (橐駝峴; north of modern day Xuzhou, Jiangsu), and then on 10 December, he arrived at Hanshan and led 10,000 soldiers to attack the Inspector of Tong province, Guo Feng (郭鳳), raining down arrows onto his camp. Xiao Yuanming ordered his generals to rescue Guo Feng, but none of them dared to advance. Shaozong ordered his soldiers to feign retreat, which enticed the Liang army to chase after him. Falling into his trap, the Eastern Wei soldiers suddenly appeared and attacked the rear of the Liang forces. Xiao Yuanming and many of his generals were captured while their soldiers suffered heavy losses. Guo Feng retreated to Tong province, but as Shaozong brought his soldiers to surround him, he abandoned his city and fled on 28 December.Zizhi Tongjian, vol.160
Battle of Woyang