Chapter 41: Records of the Three Kingdoms within the Three Kingdoms

200 years ago.

The Northern Wei, founded by the Tuoba Xianbei, ended the Sixteen Kingdoms period, which had been selected by Forbes as Koreans’ favorite era of Chinese history, and opened the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

To end an era meant it was a nation of considerable power.

In the north, it destroyed the nomadic empire of Rouran.

In the south, it crushed Liu Song and seized North China, while also receiving tribute from twenty city-states of the Western Regions.

And as was often the case with powerful nations, Northern Wei perished not from foreign invasion but from internal rebellion.

The beginning was Emperor Xiaowen’s Sinicization policy.

The Xianbei language, customs, and religion were to be prohibited.

The capital was moved from Pingcheng, where many Xianbei lived, to Luoyang, the former capital of the Han Chinese.

Military officials were forbidden to rise to high office; only civil officials could advance to the top ranks…

Originally, Northern Wei had been built by the Xianbei military aristocracy of the Six Garrisons, but Emperor Xiaowen considered them too powerful.

Thus, he sought to weaken them and strengthen imperial authority through his Sinicization reforms.

However, the reforms were excessively radical.

The Xianbei military aristocrats could not believe what they heard.

What country in the world treats its founding contributors like this? This is rebellion!

Xianbei of the Six Garrisons, unite!

The Xianbei military aristocrats launched the “Rebellion of the Six Garrisons,” centering on the Six Garrisons, the military installations of Pingcheng.

And as with the Yellow Turban Rebellion of old, one uprising gave rise to another, with countless ambitious men rising everywhere, killing and being killed in turn.

The final victors were three.

Grand Chancellor Gao Huan, Grand Governor Yuwen Tai, and Grand General Hou Jing.

These three split Northern Wei into three parts.

The descendants of Gao Huan, who took the east of Northern Wei—its most fertile land in North China—founded the state of Northern Qi, bordering Goguryeo.

The descendants of Yuwen Tai, who seized the Guanzhong Plain in the west of Northern Wei, founded Northern Zhou.

Grand General Hou Jing also established a state in the south called Later Han, but… within a year he was crushed by General Chen Baxian of Liang.

And it was no wonder.

After Hou Jing founded Later Han, his officials urged him to hold ancestral rites for the emperors’ ancestors, but his reply was absurd.

My father passed away in the north, so if we perform rites in the south, wouldn’t he be unable to eat the ritual food?

That such a man could be emperor even for a single year only showed how deranged China was at that time.

Chen Baxian, having suppressed Hou Jing, rose as a meritorious subject of Liang.

Pathetic Liang ends here! From now on, I, Chen Baxian, will destroy this rotten Liang and proclaim the founding of a new empire—Southern Chen!

…He usurped the throne from the young emperor Xiao Fangzhi, declared himself emperor, and established Southern Chen.

This was the flavor of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

As expected of an age that began with rebellion, meritorious officials frequently “evolved into darkness,” crying out, “If I succeed, I am emperor, if I fail, I am a traitor!”

If one favored ministers like Liang, one risked usurpation, but if one oppressed them like Northern Wei, one risked rebellion.

This was why emperors of the Northern and Southern Dynasties often had short lives and tyrannical reputations.

Thus, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Southern Chen, all founded in the wake of Northern Wei’s collapse, continued to divide China into three.

Of them, the strongest should have been Northern Qi, blessed with North China, the greatest granary of East Asia.

But Northern Qi’s fortune in emperors was wretched compared to its good fortune in land.

Gao Huan, who had taken Eastern Wei, did not proclaim himself emperor.

Instead, he placed a puppet emperor on the throne and ruled from behind the scenes.

Yet he respected the puppet emperor and formally sought imperial approval.

It was a model case of behind-the-scenes rule, and in this period Eastern Wei (later Northern Qi) stood far above Southern Chen or Western Wei (later Northern Zhou).

But Gao Huan’s son, Gao Cheng, was different.

Gao Cheng desired the throne for himself.

The puppet emperor of Eastern Wei, feeling threatened, tried to have Gao Cheng assassinated, but the plot was discovered before it began.

Here, Gao Cheng left a famous line in Chinese history.

Your Majesty, how could you scheme rebellion!

As if he were some Zlatan, accusing the emperor of treason himself.

Yet in the end, Gao Cheng did not become emperor.

A few days later, while beating a slave, he was stabbed to death by the vengeful servant.

At this point, one wonders if the author of Earth’s history was suffering a slump.

Thus, it was Gao Cheng’s younger brother, Gao Yang, who became emperor.

He was not nearly as cute as his name suggested.

The previous imperial line must be exterminated completely and perfectly.

He annihilated the imperial clan of Northern Wei and proclaimed himself emperor, founding Northern Qi.

At around the same time, the Yuwen clan of Western Wei killed their puppet and founded Northern Zhou.

Thus were born Northern Qi and Northern Zhou.

And Northern Qi’s founding emperor, Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang, became famous for his peculiar drinking habits.

It was far worse than calling an ex-girlfriend after drinking.

When drunk, he would run about naked.

People said he must have been consuming Wushisan, a drug that overheated the body like a narcotic.

And that was not all.

Each time he became drunk, he killed people, fashioned their corpses into instruments, and held concerts.

When his mother scolded him to stop drinking, he retorted, “I think my mother has gone senile—should I marry her off to the Xiongnu?” hurling insults at his own mother.

Living life in such a manner, it was inevitable that he would die young.

The cause of death was likely drug overdose, or cirrhosis of the liver.

Before dying, he left a will to his younger brother Gao Yan: “It is fine if you become emperor, but please spare the crown prince, my son.”

As expected of brothers, Emperor Xiaozhao Gao Yan listened to only half.

He became emperor—and killed his nephew.

It is baffling why his posthumous title contained “filial.”

But perhaps justice prevailed.

Gao Yan, like his brother, had a short life, and like his brother, left a will to his younger brother Gao Zhan: “It is fine if you become emperor, but please spare the crown prince.”

Emperor Wucheng Gao Zhan, too, listened only half.

He shot his nephew to death with an arrow, then raped his sister-in-law.

Thereafter, weary of state affairs, he passed the throne to his young son Gao Wei, became Retired Emperor, and indulged only in wine and women, until soon he died of alcoholism.’

That much could be said to have lived up to the name.

Thus, in just thirty years, among the five emperors of Northern Qi, two died by usurpation and two died of alcoholism.

With the rulers in such a state, no matter how much they possessed North China, the most fertile land in East Asia, the country could not run properly.

And in this chaos, the newly enthroned Emperor of Northern Qi, Gao Wei, was as cruel and suspicious as his father.

“Kill the traitor Guk Ryulgwang, who plotted rebellion!”

At Gao Wei’s words, the clear-minded officials were struck with horror.

“Your Majesty! Guk Ryulgwang is the loyal servant who suppressed past rebellions, and the great general who fought Northern Zhou ten times and won all ten! Without Guk Ryulgwang, Yuwen Yong will surely cross the Yellow River!”

“Silence! The entire world knows that he plotted rebellion! Have you not heard the tune of ‘Countless measures of grain fly to the heavens, and the bright moon shines upon Chang’an’?”

百升非想天 明月照長安.

Countless grain rises into the sky, and the bright moon shines on Chang’an.

Interpreted, it meant that a man with the surname Guk would become king.

This song had spread widely throughout Northern Qi.

The ministers were dumbfounded.

“That is nothing more than a street song!”

“How can a chimney smoke without someone stoking the fire?”

Indeed, someone had stoked it.

But it was not Guk Ryulgwang who spread the song.

The one who spread it was Wei Xiaokuan, a general of enemy Northern Zhou.

Having suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Guk Ryulgwang and realizing he could not win by strategy, Wei Xiaokuan sent spies to spread the song and frame him.

And the suspicious Emperor Gao Wei was ensnared perfectly, condemning Guk Ryulgwang as a traitor.

At the very least, his ancestors had been deceived by their own side, but Gao Wei was deceived by the enemy.

“Those who defend him must also be traitors, so kill them too! I would sooner hand my throne to Yuwen Yong than to my ministers!”

Thus, Guk Ryulgwang, who had entered the palace without suspicion at the emperor’s summons, was strangled to death in broad daylight.

Afterward, Gao Wei ordered his men to ransack Guk Ryulgwang’s house, but… in his storerooms there were neither swords nor arrows, nor even wealth.

Guk Ryulgwang had been so upright that he not only avoided rebellion but even refused bribes.

Had Gao Wei investigated his house first, it might have saved him—but then, he would not have been a foolish emperor.

“Damn…!”

Only then did Gao Wei realize his mistake… but it was already too late.

Perhaps he might have taken a lesson from this.

But instead of learning, Gao Wei said:

“Mok Jepa, Han Jangran, Go Anagong! Let us drink!”

As small-minded men often did when they realized their errors, he summoned his favored trio of corrupt officials and drank to forget.

And this was merely two years ago.

Thus, the once-strongest among the Three Kingdoms, Northern Qi, gradually lost its former glory and became ever more wretched.

Of course, neighboring states could not stand idly by.

In the summer of 573.

“Attack Northern Qi!”

The first to bare its claws at faltering Northern Qi was Southern Chen, ruled in the south by the descendants of Chen Baxian.

“This time, I shall reclaim not only the Huai River lost in Hou Jing’s rebellion, but further still, the Han Chinese land of North China itself!”

The Southern Dynasties, unlike the Northern Dynasties that had long since been devoured by the Xianbei, still retained their Han identity.

Thus, they seized upon Northern Qi’s chaos to restore their lost territory.

And in the meantime.

With the death of Guk Ryulgwang granting him breathing room, the Emperor of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong, quietly ground his claws while watching the two enemies fight.

While I, Go Jaemu, and Maeng Sap were as usual beating each other mercilessly with wooden swords (it was sparring, not lynching), Go Daewon poked his head in.

“I am here.”

“Daewon? How was your visit to the palace?”

Maeng Sap and I ran over, and even Go Jaemu, who had been beaten down, sprang to his feet and rushed over.

“What on earth happened? Is Northern Qi truly collapsing?”

The news brought back by Uiyeon after returning from Northern Qi had shaken Goguryeo’s politics to its core.

So much so that even Go Daewon at the Taehak had been summoned to the palace.

Go Daewon let out a deep sigh.

“Monk Uiyeon asked how you were doing. He said he would like to see you soon. How do you know him?”

“I’ll explain later. First, tell us about Northern Qi!”

“The current Emperor of Northern Qi, Gao Wei, is a madman. Even the story of Persian hunting dogs is foul to repeat.”

Go Daewon shook his head.

“Among Gao Wei’s favorites is the Prince of Nanyang, Gao Zha. He raised large hunting dogs imported from Persia, and once, in the marketplace, he had them devour a child alive, then fed them the child’s wailing mother as well.”

“…What?”

“After witnessing this, Gao Wei summoned Gao Zha to the palace and asked him this.”

Go Daewon took a sharp breath before speaking.

‘Brother, have you nothing more entertaining?’

“…What?”

“In response, Gao Zha threw a naked court lady into a tub full of scorpions. Gao Wei laughed, saying, ‘Why did you not tell me of such entertainment sooner?’”

Even Maeng Sap, who had killed before, was shaken by the endless tales of Northern Qi.

“…Madmen truly find their own kind.”

“From the very first emperor, Gao Yang, who had the hobby of making instruments from human bodies, their bloodline was brutal.

But though his hobby was grotesque, Gao Yang at least had ability and an eye for talent.”

Go Jaemu nodded in agreement.

“That’s right.

At that time, neither Southern Chen nor Northern Zhou dared to provoke Northern Qi.”

“But the current emperor Gao Wei has not only no virtue but no ability.

Especially what happened when Southern Chen attacked this time was absurd.”

This summer, Northern Qi lost more than twenty fortresses south of the Huai River to Southern Chen.

When Emperor Gao Wei discussed this, the replies of his sycophant trio—Mok Jepa, Han Jangran, and Go Anagong—who blinded his eyes, were laughable.

‘Even if the entire country is lost, we can flee to Kucha (present-day Xinjiang, Uyghur region) and live.

What does losing land south of the Huai matter?’

‘Since life must end one day, instead of living anxiously, at times like this we should hold festivals!’

And upon hearing this, Gao Wei truly opened the wine.

Compared to that, even his ancestors could be called wise rulers.

“Thus, Monk Uiyeon, seeing this process, realized Northern Qi had little time left and returned to Goguryeo.”

“Huh…”

“Truly, Yeon Jayu’s words were correct.”

Go Daewon spoke.

“The Prime Minister said that Northern Qi would soon waver.

But even the Prime Minister could not have foreseen that it would waver with such madness.”

As Go Daewon said, Prime Minister Yeon Jayu’s head ached.

“No matter what, how could those who hold North China… fall into this state in just thirty years?”

In the past, Northern Wei did not have bad relations with Goguryeo.

Historically, it was one of the few cases where neighboring states of equal strength were on good terms.

This was thanks to the unique situations of both nations.

Their peaks coincided, their declines nearly matched, and above all, neither was each other’s priority.

Goguryeo sought to unify the Three Han by subduing Silla and Baekje in the south.

Northern Wei sought to unify China by defeating the Southern Dynasty Liu Song.

Since their ambitions did not involve each other, there was no reason for them to clash like dragon and tiger.

And after Northern Wei divided, Northern Qi, which bordered Goguryeo, also did not have bad relations for the same reason.

Though Goguryeo had weakened since the days of King Jangsu, so too had Northern Qi compared to Northern Wei, and both still faced many surrounding enemies.

However, if Northern Qi were now to be destroyed by Southern Chen or Northern Zhou, the situation would change.

If either Southern Chen or Northern Zhou seized Northern Qi’s land, it would prove their aggression and strength beyond doubt.

For Goguryeo, this was a tremendous threat.

‘Moreover, there is also the variable of Silla and Baekje.’

What if the state that destroyed Northern Qi became allied not with Goguryeo but with Silla or Baekje?

…In the era of King Gogukwon, when the Murong invaded from the north and Baekje attacked from the south, Goguryeo had been driven to the brink of destruction.

Even recently, while the Turks invaded from the north, the Silla–Baekje Alliance struck from the south, and Goguryeo lost the entire Han River basin.

If this were still the age of King Gwanggaeto, who firmly suppressed the south, perhaps it would be different.

But now, having lost all southern control, a two-front war was the worst possible scenario Goguryeo could imagine.

‘No, there is even worse.’

The unification of China.

But… worrying about that right now was too much.

For now, the concern was one.

“Northern Zhou or Southern Chen—who will be the one to destroy Northern Qi?

Where should we direct our attention?”

At Grand King Go Yangseong’s words, the participants of the Jeja Council replied.

“Most likely Southern Chen, is it not?

It is Southern Chen that has already attacked Northern Qi.”

“Southern Chen stopped at the Huai River, which means they cannot advance further, does it not?

On the other hand, I hear that the momentum of Northern Zhou under Yuwen Yong is formidable, especially since the great general Guk Ryulgwang was killed by Gao Wei’s mad sword.”

“Would a country collapse just because one man died?

Northern Zhou has yet to move even now.”

“Would Northern Qi truly fall?

In my youth, I saw Yeop, where men gathered from as far east as Wa and as far west as Persia.

It is hard to believe such a place could perish.”

The court of Goguryeo entered into a long debate.

Meanwhile, the Taehak students, future officials, were also abuzz with this talk.

When someone asked, ‘Who will destroy Northern Qi?’ Yeon Taejo said Southern Chen, while Go Daewon said Northern Qi would endure.

But I knew the answer.

“Northern Zhou.”

“Northern Zhou…?”

Yeon Taejo and Go Daewon tilted their heads.

Looking at them, I spoke again.

“I’ll wager thirty roots of ginseng.

The one to destroy Northern Qi will without doubt be Northern Zhou.”

Even the same words sound more convincing when you wager something.

Go Daewon made a thoughtful sound.

“Thirty roots of ginseng?

You must be serious… but leaving everything else aside, right now they are silent, aren’t they?

If they wished to strike Northern Qi, surely the best moment would be now, while it fights Southern Chen.”

Indeed, for now they were quiet.

But once the Southern Chen–Northern Qi battle ended, Yuwen Yong would begin his long-prepared invasion, and in unstoppable momentum, destroy Northern Qi.

After that, to display his might, he would attack Goguryeo and wage the Battle of Baesan.

And that Battle of Baesan…

Would become the debut stage of Ondal in true history.

In this work, to avoid confusion, I have standardized the names to Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Southern Chen in 21st-century style.

But at the time, they were called simply Zhou, Qi, and Chen.

Likewise, Later Goguryeo of Gungye and Later Baekje of Gyeonhwon received their “Later” prefixes only in later historiography; in their own time they were simply Goguryeo and Baekje.

The only exception was Later Jin.

Nurhaci seemed to realize, “Since my dynasty came later, I must add ‘Later’,” and in his letters to Joseon he used the word “Later Jin.”

King Gwanghae must have found it hard to suppress his laughter.

Though Grand General Hou Jing’s tale was briefly described, he was in fact a figure who left quite a mark in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Roughly equivalent to Han Xin or Deng Ai.

His talent for warfare was unrivaled in his era, winning every battle, but as the narrative shows, his political ability was abysmal.

He sought refuge first in Western Wei and Eastern Wei but failed, and finally fled to Liang, only to be abandoned there as well.

In fury, he raised the “Rebellion of Hou Jing” and founded a state.

His military prowess was genuine, nearly driving Liang to destruction, but within a year he was finally crushed by the efforts of Chen Baxian.

Amid the chaos of the Southern Dynasties, compounded by simultaneous invasions from Eastern Wei and Western Wei, the Rebellion of Hou Jing left Southern Dynasties shrunk south of the Yangtze, losing Jiangling and Sichuan to Western Wei, and lands north of the Huai River to Eastern Wei.

Though I have explained only Southern Chen, Northern Zhou, and Northern Qi, in fact, there was also a state called Later Liang at the time.

During Hou Jing’s rebellion, members of Liang’s imperial clan in Jiangling fled to Western Wei.

Western Wei accepted them and enfeoffed them in Jiangling (a region famous in the Three Kingdoms for the Battle of Red Cliffs and the Jingzhou Campaign), an area about the size of Gangwon Province.

Though nominally an imperial state, it was undoubtedly a puppet regime.

Chinese histories even placed Later Liang’s emperors not in the annals but in the biographies section, treating them as non-emperors.

Even Northern Zhou, founded by Yuwen Jue after destroying Western Wei, still maintained Later Liang as a puppet.

In truth, the transitions from Eastern Wei to Northern Qi and Western Wei to Northern Zhou were essentially the same state, differing only in whether they kept a puppet emperor.

Thus, roughly, the map of the present time can be drawn as follows.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.