Biography
Family Background and Early Years
Fu Xiong was born into a family of Di chieftains from Linwei in Lueyang. He was a son of Fu Hong and a younger brother of Fu Jian. Historical sources describe him as someone who "from youth was skilled in military texts, had many strategies, was generous toward men of ability, was adept with bow and horse, and possessed political skill." Although the sources describe his appearance unflatteringly—saying he was physically unattractive, with a large head and short legs—his abilities were exceptional. While serving Later Zhao as General Who Soars Like a Dragon, he was nicknamed the "Big-Headed Dragon-Soaring General," but even at a young age he displayed both political and military talent.
During the Jianwu era of Later Zhao (335–348), Fu Xiong entered service through his father's standing and earned repeated battlefield merit. Later Zhao ruler Shi Hu appointed him General Who Soars Like a Dragon. At the time, Shi Hu's adopted grandson Ran Min warned him that Fu Hong was formidable and resolute and that his sons were all men of unusual talent, recommending that they be secretly eliminated. Shi Hu did not accept the advice and instead treated the Fu family even more favorably.
Following His Father and Brother into Revolt and Entering Guanzhong
In 349, after Shi Hu died, Later Zhao descended into conflict among rival sons and into general disorder. Fu Hong was stripped of his command by Later Zhao ruler Shi Zun. Angered, he defected to Eastern Jin and gathered refugees from Qin and Yong around Fangtou, eventually commanding more than 100,000 followers.
In 350, the Later Zhao general Ma Qiu was returning east toward Ye. On Fu Hong's orders, Fu Xiong led troops against him and successfully captured him. Fu Hong appointed Fu Xiong General of Military Planning. Ma Qiu, however, soon used poisoned wine at a banquet to kill Fu Hong in an attempt to seize the Fu clan's forces. Fu Xiong's elder brother Fu Jian responded decisively, executed Ma Qiu, took control of the followers, and followed their father's dying wish to move west into Guanzhong.
At that time, Guanzhong was held by Du Hong, who styled himself Eastern Jin General Who Conquers the North and Inspector of Yong Province. Fu Jian, aware that popular sentiment still favored Jin, temporarily accepted Eastern Jin titles and appointed Fu Xiong General Who Assists the State. In the eighth lunar month, Fu Jian formally advanced into Guanzhong. After the army crossed the Yellow River, Fu Xiong led 5,000 men through Tong Pass as the vanguard. North of the pass, he defeated Zhang Xian, whom Du Hong had sent to block him. Fu Xiong then swept across the north bank of the Wei River, and the towns and cities he passed submitted in succession. In the tenth lunar month, Fu Jian drove directly into Chang'an while Du Hong fled to Sizhu. In the twelfth lunar month, Fu Xiong attacked Shi Ning, Later Zhao's Inspector of Liang Province, who held Shanggui, killed him in battle, and thereby completed the pacification of Qin Province.
Founding Meritorious Official of Former Qin
On the twentieth day of the first lunar month in 351, the first year of the Huangshi era, Fu Jian proclaimed himself Heavenly King and Great Chanyu, founded Former Qin, and established his capital at Chang'an. As a founding meritorious official, Fu Xiong was appointed commander of all military affairs within and beyond the capital, Chancellor, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Governor of Yong Province, and was enfeoffed as Duke of Donghai.
In the first lunar month of 352, Fu Xiong joined the officials in petitioning Fu Jian to assume the imperial title according to Han and Jin precedent rather than following the pattern of the Shi rulers, who had first styled themselves Heavenly King. Fu Jian accepted the recommendation and formally became emperor, while Fu Xiong was advanced to Prince of Donghai.
As the ruler's younger brother and a founding hero, Fu Xiong possessed power nearly equal to that of the sovereign, yet he was modest, cautious, and respectful of state law, earning praise throughout court and country. Fu Jian once exclaimed, "Yuancai is my Ji Dan," comparing him to the Duke of Zhou. In domestic policy, Fu Xiong advocated abandoning the institutions of the Former and Later Zhao and comprehensively emulating Han and Jin systems, an important contribution to Former Qin's institutional orientation. He also supervised taxation at passes and markets, filling the state granaries and treasury and ensuring adequate fiscal resources.
Campaigns in All Directions
In the fifth lunar month of 352, Eastern Jin general Xie Shang and the Qiang leader Yao Xiang jointly attacked Zhang Yu, a former Later Zhao officer holding Xuchang. Fu Jian sent Fu Xiong and General of the Guards Fu Jing with 20,000 infantry and cavalry east of the passes to rescue Zhang Yu. The armies met at Jie Bridge on the Ying River. Xie Shang suffered a severe defeat and 15,000 Jin troops were killed. Fu Xiong pursued the retreating force to the gate of its camp, and Xie Shang fled back toward Huainan. In the seventh lunar month, Fu Xiong moved Zhang Yu and more than 50,000 households from Chen Commandery, Yingchuan, Xuchang, and Luoyang into Guanzhong.
In the eleventh lunar month of the same year, Fu Xiong attacked the former Later Zhao general Wang Zhuo in Longxi. Wang Zhuo was decisively defeated and fled to Former Liang. Former Liang ruler Zhang Chonghua appointed Wang Zhuo General Who Conquers the East and sent him together with Zhang Hong and Song Xiu to attack Qin. Fu Xiong and Fu Jing again operated jointly, defeated the army, captured Zhang Hong and Song Xiu, and sent them under guard to Chang'an.
In 353, Fu Xiong campaigned against the Former Chouchi state. Yang Chu, Duke of Chouchi, led troops to meet him but was routed. In the same year, Zhang Yu conspired with powerful Guanzhong families to rebel and was killed after the plot failed. His associates Kong Te, Liu Zhen, Xiahou Xian, Qiao Bing, Hu Yangchi, Huyan Du, and others each seized a city and rose against Qin. Fu Xiong returned to Chang'an and, together with Fu Fa, Prince of Qinghe, and the general Fu Fei, divided the army into several columns and successively suppressed the rebels.
Resistance to Huan Wen's Northern Expedition and Death in the Army
In 354, the fourth year of the Huangshi era, Eastern Jin's General Who Conquers the West Huan Wen launched a northern expedition from Jing Province against Former Qin. He also sent Sima Xun with a detached force northward from Liang Province into Guanzhong. Fu Jian ordered Fu Xiong, Crown Prince Fu Chang, and others to lead 50,000 troops in resistance.
The main Qin army was defeated by Huan Wen at Lantian County, and Fu Xiong was also defeated by Huan Chong at Bailuyuan. He and Fu Chang withdrew to positions south of Chang'an. Huan Wen camped at Bashang but did not immediately press on the capital. Fu Xiong seized the opportunity to lead 7,000 cavalry against Sima Xun, whose detachment had entered Guanzhong through Ziwu Valley, and drove him back to Nüwa Fort. Fu Xiong then returned toward Chang'an and defeated Huan Wen at Bailuyuan. Short of food, Huan Wen was forced to withdraw in the sixth lunar month. Fu Xiong subsequently attacked Wang Zhuo and Sima Xun, who held Chencang, forcing them to retreat respectively toward Hanzhong and Lueyang and thereby ending the immediate crisis created by the northern expedition.
On the *bingshen* day of the sixth lunar month of the same year (July 26), Fu Xiong died in the army while attacking Yongcheng, which was held by the rebel Qiao Bing. On hearing the news, Fu Jian was so grief-stricken that he vomited blood and exclaimed, "Does Heaven not wish me to pacify the four seas? Why has it taken away my Yuancai so quickly?" Fu Xiong was posthumously granted the title Prince of Wei and the posthumous name Jingwu. His funeral followed the precedent of Sima Fu, Prince Xian of Anping in the Western Jin. After Fu Xiong's son Fu Jian later became Heavenly King, he posthumously honored his father as Emperor Wenhuan.
Family and Rising with His Father
The Record of Jin says that Fu Xiong "in youth was well read in military books and full of stratagems, fond of giving to others and courteous to scholars, handy with bow and horse, and possessed of political method." His father Fu Hong first attached himself to the Later Zhao: when Shi Jilong was about to attack Shanggui, Fu Hong again asked to submit, and Jilong, delighted, "made him general of the champions and entrusted him with the affairs of the west"; after destroying Shi Sheng, Jilong was persuaded by Fu Hong that "the outstanding men of Guanzhong and the Qiang and Rong should be moved in to fill the capital region," and accordingly made Fu Hong general of the dragon steed and commissioner of the floating population, stationed at Fangtou. Fu Hong won repeated merit and was enfeoffed as duke of Xiping, "with more than two thousand of his followers given the rank of marquis within the passes," and was made marquis-general of the passes. Ran Min then said to Jilong: "Fu Hong is fierce and resolute, and his sons are all men of no common ability; they should secretly be got rid of." Jilong not only refused but "treated them the more generously" — the ability of Fu Xiong and his brothers had been seen clearly enough by their adversaries even then. Afterwards Shi Hu's sons fought over the Later Zhao throne and the state fell into chaos; Shi Zun, on Shi Min's advice, stripped Fu Hong of his command of Yongzhou, at which Fu Hong in anger sent envoys to submit to Jin; and when Shi Jian killed Shi Zun "troops rose everywhere," and Fu Hong had more than a hundred thousand followers. The Jin court made Pu Hong king of the Di, commissioner with the staff, general of the northern expedition, commander of the military affairs of Hebei, governor of Jizhou and duke of Guangchuan, and Pu Jian acting commissioner, general of the right and duke of Xiangguo. Yao Yizhong sent his son Yao Xiang with fifty thousand men against Fu Hong, who met and broke him, "taking more than thirty thousand heads"; Fu Hong then styled himself grand commander, grand general, great Shanyu and king of Sanqin, changed his surname to Fu, and appointed Lei Ruoer of Nan'an general of the state's support, with Liang Leng, Yu Zun, Duan Ling and Wang Duo taking the posts of secretaries and marshals. Afterwards the Later Zhao general Ma Qiu, meaning to take over the Fu following, "poisoned Fu Hong at a banquet," and Fu Xiong's elder brother, the heir Fu Jian, at once seized and beheaded Ma Qiu; and Fu Hong, dying, said: "The reason I did not enter the passes was that I thought the central plains could be settled; now I am undone by a petty fellow. The central plains are not for you brothers to manage — when I die, get into the passes at once!" and with that he died.
Entering the Passes with His Brother
Fu Jian, succeeding to his father's following, meant to seize Guanzhong, where Du Hong held Chang'an, styling himself general of the northern expedition under Jin and governor of Yongzhou, "and the Yi and Xia of the west all answered him." Wishing to take the city but fearing Du Hong would learn of it, Fu Jian accepted Zhao offices, "made Zhao Ju prefect of Henei to garrison Wen and Niu Yi general of pacification to garrison Huai," built palaces at Fangtou and set the people to sowing wheat "to show that he had no western intention, and any who knew his purpose and did not sow he killed as an example"; then he styled himself general of the western expedition under Jin, commander of the military affairs of Guanzhong and governor of Yongzhou, and moved west with all his host, Yu Zun as vanguard, bridging the river at Mengjin, "sending his younger brother, the general of the state's support Xiong, with five thousand men in through the Tong pass, and his brother's son, the general of martial display Jing, with seven thousand through the Zhi pass." At parting Fu Jian took Jing's hand and said: "If the thing fails, you will die north of the river and I south of it, and we shall not meet again." Once across he burned the bridge and followed Fu Xiong with the main body. Du Hong sent Zhang Xian with thirteen thousand men to fight north of the Tong pass, and Fu Xiong broke him, so that he fled back to Chang'an; Fu Jian sent Fu Xiong to spread through the north of the Wei, and "the Di chief Mao Shou at Gaoling, Xu Cuo at Haozhi and the Qiang chief Bai Du at Huangbai, each with several tens of thousands, all killed Du Hong's envoys and sent their sons to submit to Jian"; the towns Fu Jing and Yu Zun passed all submitted, and Fu Jing fought Zhang Xian north of the Wei and took him, the commanderies and forts of the three districts all surrendering. In the tenth month of 350 Fu Jian marched straight to Chang'an, and Du Hong and Zhang Ju fled to Sizhu; in the eleventh month he entered Chang'an and, since "the people's hearts still turned toward Jin," sent Du Shanbo to Jiankang to announce the victory and to make friends with Huan Wen, "and so the Yi and Xia of Qin and Yong all attached themselves to him." The Zhao governor of Liangzhou, Shi Ning, alone held Shanggui and would not submit, and in the twelfth month Fu Xiong attacked and beheaded him, and all Qinzhou was pacified.
Founding Merit and Campaigns on Every Side
In the first month of 351 Fu Jian styled himself heavenly king and great Shanyu, named his state Great Qin with its capital at Chang'an, changed the era to Huangshi, and made Fu Xiong commander of military affairs at home and abroad, chancellor, general of chariot and horse and governor of Yongzhou, duke of Donghai. In the first month of the next year Fu Xiong and many of the ministers memorialized that Fu Jian should take the imperial title; he agreed, took the throne and proclaimed an amnesty, advancing Fu Xiong to prince of Donghai and all the other dukes to princes, and, on Fu Xiong's and the others' view that the office of great Shanyu, being for the governing of the hundred barbarians, "should not be held by the son of heaven in person," that power was given to the crown prince. As a founding minister Fu Xiong "held power equal to his sovereign, yet was modest and obedient to the law," never presuming on favour, so that his good name filled court and country, and Fu Jian used to say of him: "Yuancai is my Duke of Zhou" — Yuancai being his courtesy name.
In war he and his brother's son Fu Jing led twenty thousand foot and horse to take territory east of the passes and relieve Zhang Yu, governor of Yuzhou under the Later Zhao, at Xuchang, where they fought the Jin general of the western expedition Xie Shang at Chengqiao on the Ying river: "Shang and the others were heavily defeated and fifteen thousand died." Fu Xiong followed up the victory to the gate of the enemy camp, "killing and wounding more than half," and brought Zhang Yu and his following back to Chang'an, where Fu Jian made Zhang Yu minister of works and governor of Yuzhou at Xuchang. In the seventh month Fu Xiong moved Zhang Yu and more than fifty thousand households of Chen, Ying, Xu and Luo into Guanzhong and made Yang Qun governor of Yuzhou at Xuchang; in the eleventh month he attacked Wang Zhuo in Longxi, who fled to Liangzhou and attached himself to Zhang Chonghua, who made him general of the eastern expedition and joined him with Zhang Hong and Song Xiu against Qin, whereupon Fu Xiong and Fu Jing beat them and "sent Hong and Xiu to Chang'an." The duke of Chouchi, Yang Chu, was also beaten by Fu Xiong. In the ninth month of 353 Fu Xiong returned to Chang'an with twenty thousand men, and with the prince of Qinghe and others he proposed setting up Jingzhou at Fengyangchuan "to draw in the bronze wares, rare goods, bows, bamboo and lacquer of the south"; the state also opened frontier markets to attract traders from far countries, "so that its expenditure was provided and its treasury filled," and Fu Jian made Guo Jing, a colonel of infantry of Jincheng, governor of Jingzhou. In these years Fu Xiong was at once the chief military commander of Former Qin and one of the makers of its institutions and finances.