Cui Bi
Cui Bi | |
|---|---|
| 崔毖 | |
.jpg) Cui Bi's territory as of 317 AD | |
| Inspector of Pingzhou 平州刺史 | |
| In office ?–319 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown Gucheng County, Hebei |
| Died | Unknown Ji'an, Jilin |
| Relations | Cui Yan (great-grandfather) Lady Cui (sister) |
| Occupation | Governor |
Cui Bi (fl. 311–319) was a military general and politician of the Jin dynasty (266–420). He served as the Inspector of Ping province (平州, modern eastern Liaoning) during the fall of Western Jin. Isolated from the conflict of the Central Plains, Cui Bi had autonomy over eastern Liaodong, where he developed a rivalry with the Xianbei chieftain and Jin vassal, Murong Hui. In 319, he formed an alliance with the Duan and Yuwen tribes along with Goguryeo to destroy Murong Hui, but was defeated and forced to flee to Goguryeo.
Life
[edit]Cui Bi was a member of the Cui clan of Qinghe as the great-grandson of the Han dynasty minister, Cui Yan. His sister was married to the Inspector of You province, Wang Jun, who in 311 claimed that he had received imperial assent to hand out offices throughout the empire. Wang Jun stationed Cui Bi at Ping province to serve as the colonel of Eastern Yi tribes after the previous legitimate holder, Feng Shi (封釋; grandfather of the Former Yan minister, Feng Yi) died of illness.[1]
Cui Bi eventually rose to the office of Inspector of Ping province. Due to the ongoing collapse of the Western Jin in northern China, Cui Bi had hoped to welcome the fleeing Han Chinese emigres and refugees from the Central Plains into serving under him. However, many of them instead preferred to join Murong Hui, a Xianbei chieftain and Jin vassal operating to the west of Cui Bi's territory in Liaodong. One example was the official, Huangfu Ji (皇甫岌), who despite much persuasion from Cui Bi to join him, promptly decided to serve Murong Hui upon receiving his summon. Cui Bi often sent agents to Murong Hui's territory to win over the people there, but these agents never returned, causing him to suspect that Murong Hui had caught and detained them.[2][3]
In 317, Cui Bi was one of Jin generals in the north to send a petition to the Prince of Langya, Sima Rui at Jiankang urging him to take the imperial throne, although the prince rejected it at the time.[4]
In 319, Cui Bi, no longer able to tolerate Murong Hui's growing power, formed an alliance with the Murong's rival Xianbei tribes, the Duan and Yuwen, as well as the Goguryeo state to destroy him. Cui Bi's aide, Gao Zhan (高瞻) objected to his plan but was ignored.[5] The forces of the three states converged on Murong Hui's capital, Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning). However, Murong Hui tricked the Duan and Goguryeo into believing that he was colluding with the Yuwen, causing the two of them to withdraw. The Yuwen army that remained were decisively defeated by Murong Hui and his son, Murong Han.
Cui Bi panicked when he heard that the campaign had failed, so he sent his nephew Cui Dao (崔燾) to Jicheng to congratulate Murong Hui on his victory. However, envoys from the Duan, Yuwen and Goguryeo also arrived at Jicheng seeking for peace, and they all revealed Cui Bi's involvement in the attack. Murong Hui showed off his army before Cui Dao, scaring him into submission. He then sent Cui Dao back to his uncle with the message, "Surrender is your best option, fleeing is your worst", while following him from behind with an army. Cui Bi was unable to resist, so he abandoned his family and fled to Goguryeo with a few dozen riders, allowing Murong Hui to annex eastern Liaodong and absorb his followers.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ (浚自領尚書令，以棗嵩、裴憲並為尚書，使其子居王宮，持節，領護匈奴中郎將，以妻舅崔毖為東夷校尉。) Jin Shu, vol.39
- ^ (平州刺史崔毖，自以中州人望，鎭遼東，而士民多歸慕容廆，心不平。數遣使招之，皆不至，意廆拘留之...) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.91
- ^ (東夷校尉崔毖請皇甫岌爲長史，卑辭說諭，終莫能致；廆招之，岌與弟眞卽時俱至。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.88
- ^ (是時，太尉豫州牧荀組、冀州刺史邵續、青州刺史曹嶷、寧州刺史王遜、東夷校尉崔毖等皆上表勸進，王不許。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.90
- ^ (數遣使招之，皆不至，意廆拘留之，乃陰說高句麗、段氏、宇文氏，使共攻之，約滅廆，分其地。毖所親勃海高瞻力諫，毖不從。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.91
- ^ (崔毖懼廆之仇己也，使兄子燾偽賀廆。會三國使亦至請和，曰：「非我本意也，崔平州教我耳。」廆將燾示以攻圍之處，臨之以兵，曰：「汝叔父教三國滅我，何以詐來賀我乎？」燾懼，首服。廆乃遣燾歸說毖曰：「降者上策，走者下策也。」以兵隨之。毖與數十騎棄家室奔于高句麗，廆悉降其眾，徙燾及高瞻等于棘城，待以賓禮。明年，高句麗寇遼東，廆遣眾擊敗之。) Jin Shu, vol.108
- Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
- Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian