Houmochen Chong

Biography

Noble Ancestry and Military Induction Houmochen Chong belonged to a prominent Xianbei aristocratic lineage hailing from Wuchuan Garrison in the northern frontiers. His clan traced their descent from a collateral branch of the Tuoba royal house of Northern Wei, originally dwelling along the Kuhuzhen River. His fifth-generation ancestor, Taiguduhou, was a hereditary tribal chieftain. His grandfather, Houmochen Yun, was assigned as a hereditary gentry soldier to guard the northern frontier at Wuchuan. His father, Houmochen Xing, served as Palace General and Commander of the Feathered Forest Imperial Guards, later posthumously honored as Pillar of State and Duke of Qinghe. From early adolescence, Houmochen Chong was celebrated for his fearless valor, physical endurance, and equestrian archery. Yet in civilian demeanor, he was noted for being reserved, modest, and remarkably laconic. In 528 AD, amidst the chaos of the Six Garrisons Rebellion, fifteen-year-old Houmochen Chong enlisted in the armies of Heba Yue and Erzhu Rong, joining the expedition against the massive peasant rebellion led by Ge Rong in Hebei. In 529 AD, he served under Grand Chancellor Yuan Tianmu in crushing Xing Gao's uprising in Qing Province, being commissioned as General of Displaying Might. Later that summer, he accompanied Heba Yue to recapture Luoyang from the southern-backed prince Yuan Hao, being promoted to General of the Imperial Bedchamber. ### Single-Handed Capture of Moqi Chounu In 530 AD, the insurgent warlord Moqi Chounu declared himself emperor in the Guanzhong region, besieging Qizhou with over one hundred thousand troops. The Northern Wei court dispatched Erzhu Tianguang and Heba Yue to pacify the western territories. Houmochen Chong marched with the vanguard through the Dasan Pass, crushing insurgent divisions under Yuchi Pusa and Hou Yuanjin. Moqi Chounu retreated toward Gaoping, closely pursued by Heba Yue's elite cavalry to Zhangkeng in Jing Province. As the rebel army entered the gorge in disarray before forming battle lines, seventeen-year-old Houmochen Chong resolved to take the enemy commander. Without waiting for the main body of cavalry, Chong spurred his warhorse and charged alone directly into the center of Moqi Chounu's imperial guard. Closing with the rebel emperor, Chong grabbed Moqi Chounu by his collar on horseback, lifting him from his saddle and securing him as captive. Reining his steed amidst the enemy throng, Chong uttered a thunderous war cry. Stunned by this extraordinary feat, the rebel soldiers broke formation and fled in terror. When Heba Yue arrived, he found the enemy host scattered and Moqi Chounu captured. Heba Yue patted Chong on the back and exclaimed: "The lad who captured the bandit chieftain single-handedly is truly a prodigy!" He granted Chong Moqi Chounu's thoroughbred warhorse, jeweled blade, and gold-studded belt, promoting him to General Who Pacifies the North and enfeoffing him as Marquis of Linjing. ### Supporting Yuwen Tai and Capturing Yuanzhou In 534 AD, Heba Yue was assassinated by Qin Province Inspector Houmochen Yue. Amidst the ensuing vacuum of command, Houmochen Chong, Zhao Gui, and Kou Luo resolved to invite Yuwen Tai, then Inspector of Xia Province, to lead the army. Upon arriving at Pingliang, Yuwen Tai ordered Houmochen Chong to neutralize Yuanzhou, which was held by Houmochen Yue's loyalist Shi Gui. Chong selected only seven trusted riders and galloped through the night to the gates of Yuanzhou, concealing his main assault force along the roadside. Seeing only a handful of horsemen, Shi Gui suspected no danger and opened the gates. Chong and his men drew their sabers, stormed the entrance, and linked up with the prominent local clan of Li Yuan and Li Xian inside the city, capturing and executing Shi Gui on the spot. With Yuanzhou secured, Yuwen Tai eliminated Houmochen Yue and consolidated his hold over the western territories. ### Pillar of State and Decisive Campaigns In 535 AD, Yuwen Tai installed Yuan Baoju as Emperor Wen of Western Wei. Houmochen Chong was appointed Inspector of Jing Province and created a duke. In 537 AD, Eastern Wei launched a massive invasion. Houmochen Chong participated in the rapid march to Tongguan, assisting in the encirclement and destruction of Eastern Wei general Dou Tai, before taking part in the recovery of Hongnong. In October 537, Gao Huan led two hundred thousand troops across the Yellow River to Shayuan. Yuwen Tai, commanding fewer than ten thousand troops, ambushed the invaders in the reeds. Houmochen Chong spearheaded heavy armored cavalry charges directly through Gao Huan's center, routing the invasion host and capturing over seventy thousand prisoners. In 538 AD, at the fierce Battle of Heqiao, Houmochen Chong fought in the thick of combat, his exploits acknowledged as the foremost of the day. In 541 AD, when indigenous Jihu tribes rebelled, Chong marched into the mountain gorges, systematically neutralizing the insurgents and stabilizing the northern perimeter. In 549 AD, Yuwen Tai established the supreme Eight Pillars of State system to command the Fubing military apparatus. Houmochen Chong was appointed Pillar of State General, taking his place among the preeminent founding magnates of Western Wei. In 556 AD, upon the establishment of the Six Ministries, he was appointed Grand Minister of Works. ### High Honors in Northern Zhou and Fatal Remonstrance Following Yuwen Tai's death in 556 AD, his nephew Yuwen Hu seized regent authority. In 557 AD, Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Jue established Northern Zhou. Houmochen Chong was created Duke of Liang with an appanage of ten thousand households, serving as Grand Guardian, Grand Minister of Rites, and Grand Minister of Education. However, Houmochen Chong was fundamentally upright and chafed under Yuwen Hu's authoritarian grip. In 563 AD, while accompanying Emperor Wu (Yuwen Yong) on an inspection of Yuanzhou, the emperor abruptly returned to Chang'an in the middle of the night. Puzzled by the secrecy, Houmochen Chong remarked privately to his confidant Chang Sheng: "I once heard diviners say that the Duke of Jin (Yuwen Hu) would meet with misfortune this year. The sovereign's sudden midnight return surely means that Yuwen Hu is dead." Chang Sheng reported the remark, which reached Yuwen Hu. Convinced that Houmochen Chong was plotting against him, Yuwen Hu flew into a fury. Emperor Wu convened the high court at Dade Hall to publicly reprimand Chong. That very night, Yuwen Hu dispatched armored troops to encircle Houmochen Chong's mansion, compelling him to commit suicide. Houmochen Chong ended his life at an unconfirmed age. Yuwen Hu inflicted the derogatory posthumous title "Zao" (Rash). In 572 AD, after Emperor Wu executed Yuwen Hu, Houmochen Chong was fully exonerated, his honors restored, and his title revised to "Zhuangmin."

Major Activities

Single-Handed Capture of Moqi Chounu At the Battle of Zhangkeng in 530 AD, seventeen-year-old Houmochen Chong charged alone into the enemy vanguard to capture Moqi Chounu on his horse, causing the collapse of the hundred-thousand-strong rebel army. ### Night Infiltration of Yuanzhou Commanded a daring night assault with only seven horsemen to seize the city gates of Yuanzhou, coordinating with inside allies to execute rebel general Shi Gui. ### Pillar of State in Major Campaigns Played an instrumental combat role in the recovery of Hongnong, the ambush of Dou Tai, the victory at Shayuan, and the Battle of Heqiao, rising to one of the Eight Pillars of State. ### Paramount Offices in Northern Zhou Served as Grand Minister of Works, Grand Guardian, and Grand Minister of Education, enfeoffed as Duke of Liang with ten thousand households.

Personal Relations

• Family: Houmochen Yun (grandfather), Houmochen Xing (father), Houmochen Shun (brother, Pillar of State), Houmochen Qiong (brother), Houmochen Rui (son, Duke of Liang)
• Lords: Heba Yue (early commander), Yuwen Tai (founding leader), Emperor Wen of Western Wei, Emperor Xiaomin of Zhou, Emperor Wu of Zhou
• Fellow Pillars of State: Yuwen Tai, Yuan Xin, Li Bi, Li Hu, Li Yao, Yu Jin, Dugu Xin
• Enemies: Yuwen Hu (regent who forced his death), Shi Gui, Moqi Chounu

Historical Assessment

Northern Dynasties and Tang Era - Heba Yue: "The lad who captured the bandit chieftain single-handedly is truly a prodigy!" (*Book of Zhou*)

• Linghu Defen (*Book of Zhou*): "With fierce valor, Houmochen Chong opened the gates of Gaoping with light cavalry and achieved the triumph of Zhangkeng with a lone horse... Yet lacking political subtlety, he met with violent ruin, a matter of deep regret!"
• Li Yanshou (*History of the Northern Dynasties*): "Brave in youth, skilled in archery, cautious and silent. With grand vision and foundational merit, he attained the supreme robe, yet perished in misfortune." ### Tang, Song, and Later Dynasties - Sima Guang (*Zizhi Tongjian*): "Houmochen Chong brought destruction upon his house through a single indiscreet phrase; under authoritarian regents, words must be guarded with extreme vigilance."
• Wang Fuzhi: "Houmochen Chong was a warrior of ten thousand men; yet lacking prudence to preserve himself under Yuwen Hu, his tragedy was self-inflicted."
• Zhao Yi: "The Eight Pillars of State were the greatest generals of the north; Houmochen Chong's death was symptomatic of the ruthless power struggles within Guanlong." ### Modern Scholarship - Chen Yinke (*Draft Outline of the Origins of Sui-Tang Institutions*): "The Eight Pillars of State formed the inner core of the Guanlong group; Houmochen Chong anchored the Western Wei and Northern Zhou regimes."
• Zhou Yiliang: "The capture of Moqi Chounu at Zhangkeng was the decisive turning point in pacifying the Guanzhong region during the late Northern Wei."