Mugui

Biography

Accession

Mugui (died 436), also written Muhui or Mokui, of the Tuyuhun clan, was the son of Wuhedi and half-cousin (same mother, different fathers) of Apin (Acai). In 426 (the third year of Yuanjia of Song), Apin died, and Mugui succeeded as King of Tuyuhun.

Friends on All Sides

After his accession, Mugui widely recruited refugee households from Western Qin and Northern Liang and the Di and Qiang tribes of the Gansu-Qinghai region, adopting a strategy of friendly relations with Liu Song in the south and with Northern Liang and Xia in the north, and his power grew steadily. Allied with Northern Liang, he attacked Western Qin repeatedly as it declined, expanding his influence in Hexi and Longyou.

In 429 (the sixth year of Yuanjia), Mugui sent his brother Mulianyan with Northern Liang forces to attack Western Qin once more, and sent envoys with regional products as tribute to Liu Song. The following year (430) he was invested by Liu Song as Governor of Shazhou and Duke of Longxi.

Destroying the Xia State

In 431 (the eighth year of Yuanjia), Mugui dispatched Mulianyan, Governor of Yizhou, and Shuqian, Governor of Ningzhou, leading cavalry that destroyed the Xia state and captured its ruler Helian Ding. He immediately sent envoys with a memorial of victory to Northern Wei, requesting that Helian Ding be delivered to the Wei capital (present-day Datong, Shanxi); for this he was invested by Northern Wei as Grand General and King of Xiqin, ruling all of Shazhou, most of the provinces of He and Qin, and parts of Liangzhou.

Investiture as Prince of Longxi and Death

In 432 (the ninth year of Yuanjia), Mugui sent envoys to Liu Song with tribute and returned the Southern dynasties' soldiers who had been stranded in the fallen Xia state, and Song invested him as Prince of Longxi. In 436 (the thirteenth year of Yuanjia), Mugui died; his brother Mulianyan succeeded and was enfeoffed by Northern Wei as Prince of Xiping.

In the age of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Mugui was enfeoffed by Liu Song as Duke and then Prince of Longxi while also being enfeoffed by Northern Wei as King of Xiqin—a single ruler holding princely titles from both rival powers, which was extremely rare in the era of north-south confrontation.

Major Activities

During his reign, Mugui recruited refugee households from Western Qin and Northern Liang and the Di and Qiang tribes of Gansu and Qinghai to strengthen his population and resources, and pursued a diplomacy of friendship with Liu Song in the south and Northern Liang and Xia in the north. Allied with Northern Liang, he expanded his power in Hexi and Longyou at Western Qin's expense, and later established relations with Northern Wei, sending a memorial of victory to its court.

The sequence of titles and investitures during his rule is comparatively clear: in 430 the Liu Song appointed him governor of Shazhou and Duke of Longxi; in 431, after his troops defeated the Xia army and captured Helian Ding, he reported the victory to the Northern Wei and was appointed grand general and Prince of Qin; in 432 he again sent tribute to the Liu Song and returned Southern Dynasties officers and men, receiving the title Prince of Longxi; he died in 436 and his younger brother Muliyan succeeded him. Holding titles from both courts shows that Tuyuhun had to balance between the two at the time.

Personal Relations

• | Relation | Person | Notes |
• |---| --- |---|
• | Father | Wuhedi | |
• | Cousin | Apin (Acai) | Previous King of Tuyuhun; half-cousin, same mother different fathers |
• | Brother | Mulianyan | Succeeded as King of Tuyuhun, enfeoffed Prince of Xiping by Northern Wei |

Historical Assessment

In Mugui's time Tuyuhun's territory reached unprecedented extent: west to the Western Regions and east to northern Sichuan, ruling all of Shazhou, most of He and Qin provinces, and parts of Liangzhou. His destruction of the Xia state and capture of its ruler Helian Ding in 431 was one of the greatest military victories in Tuyuhun's history. He simultaneously received investiture from the Southern court of Liu Song (Governor of Shazhou, Duke of Longxi, later promoted to Prince of Longxi) and from the Northern court of Wei (Grand General, King of Xiqin), holding princely titles from both sides. The growth of his power from "Jiaohe" to "Longxi," and his promotion from duke to prince, reflected the rise of Tuyuhun—and also implied Liu Song's aim of influencing the Longyou situation through Tuyuhun.

Courting both courts and destroying Xia with the capture of Helian Ding, he brought Tuyuhun to its greatest extent and held princely titles from both north and south.