Feng Yi (died 365),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Zizhuan, was a Chinese official of

Former Yan Yan, known in historiography as the Former Yan (; 337–370), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Murong clan of the Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. From Liaoning, the Former Yan later conquered and ruled over Hebei, Shaanxi, ...

during the

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...

period. After his grandfather introduced him to

Murong Hui Murong Hui (慕容廆, 269 – 4 June 333), courtesy name Yiluo (弈洛), was an Xianbei chief, formally known as Duke Xiang of Liaodong, posthumously honored as Emperor Wuxuan (武宣皇帝). In the Book of Jin, Murong Hui was described as ...

in 310, Feng Yi would go on to be one of the few officials to serve four generations of Murong Hui's lineage. Feng distinguished himself during Murong Huang's tenure as Duke of

Liaodong The Liaodong or Liaotung Peninsula ( zh, s=辽东半岛, t=遼東半島, p=Liáodōng Bàndǎo) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located ...

, consecutively defeating the rival Duan and

Yuwen The Yuwen ( < Eastern Han Chinese: *''wa^B-mun'' <

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

clans, and later participating in the Yan-Wei War, in which he conquered Bohai and helped capture

Ran Min Ran Min (; died 352), also known as Shi Min (石閔), posthumously honored by the Former Yan as Heavenly King Wudao of (Ran) Wei ((冉)魏武悼天王), courtesy name Yongzeng (永曾), nickname Jinu (棘奴), was a military leader during the er ...

. For his accomplishments, he was given the important positions of Chancellor of the State and subsequently Grand Commandant before dying in 365.

Service under Murong Hui

Feng Yi's family originated from Tiao County (蓨縣, in modern

Hengshui } Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Shandong to the southeast. It borders Shijiazhuang City to the west, Xingtai City to the south, and Baoding City and Cangzhou ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

) in Bohai Commandery. His father was Feng Quan (封悛), and his grandfather was Feng Shi (封釋), both who served as Jin officials. Feng Shi fell ill in 310, so he sent Feng Yi to meet with the Grand Chanyu of the Xianbei, Murong Hui, rising power in Liaodong but also a loyal vassal of Jin. Hui was very impressed by Feng Yi through a conversation between the two and made Feng Yi a minor commander under him. In 313, Feng Yi and his brother, Feng Yu (封裕) were one of the few people that Murong Hui entrusted in handling confidential affairs. Murong Hui also made Feng Yi an Army Libationer, and Feng would remain in these roles for more than 20 years.

Service under Murong Huang

Murong Hui died in 333 and was succeeded by his heir Murong Huang. Shortly after, Huang's younger brothers, Murong Zhao (慕容昭) and

Murong Ren Murong Ren (died 336), childhood name Qiannian, was the brother of the Prince of Former Yan, Murong Huang during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was Murong Hui's second son through Hui's wife, Lady Duan (段夫人). In 333, following the succe ...

rebelled against him. After killing Zhao, Huang ordered Feng Yi to march to Liaodong to pacify the region. However, the other generals that Huang sent to defeat Ren were either captured, defeated, or surrendered to him. The official, Sun Ji (孫機) also ceded

Xiangping Xiangping ( zh, 襄平) is a historical name of Liaoyang, Liaoning province. Xiangping was first mentioned in history as the capital of the Liaodong Commandery in the state of Yan, and the eastern terminus of the Great Wall of Yan established in 28 ...

(襄平, in modern

Liaoyang Liaoyang ( zh, s=辽阳 , t=遼陽 , p=Liáoyáng) is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is hom ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

) over to Ren. Feng Yi was unable to enter the region, so he retreated while Ren consolidated control over the peninsula.

Battles with the Duan and Yuwen clan

The following year in 334, Feng Yi campaigned against the Xianbei leader, Mudi (木堤) at Bailang (白狼; near present-day

Lingyuan Lingyuan () is a city in the west of Liaoning province in Northeast China, bordering Hebei province and Inner Mongolia. It is under the administration of Chaoyang City, which lies to the east-northeast. Administrative Divisions There are eight ...

, Liaoning) and killed him. Later that year, the leader of the Duan tribe,

Duan Liao Duan Liao (段遼) (died 339), also known as Duan Huliao (段護遼), was a Xianbei chieftain of the Duan tribe during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of China. He was the last chieftain of the Duan state before it was conquered in 338. Duan Liao laun ...

, sent his younger brother

Duan Lan Duan may refer to: * Duan (surname), a Chinese surname ** Duan dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Dali Kingdom * Duan tribe, pre-state tribe during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China * Duan language, spoken on the Laotian–Vietnamese border * ...

to attack Liucheng (柳城; southwest of present-day Chaoyang, Liaoning). Although their army was well-equipped, they were unable to get past Liucheng's defences. Murong Huang sent Murong Han (慕容汗; not to be confused with his more notable brother,

Murong Han Murong Han (died 344), courtesy name Yuanyong, was a Xianbei military general of the Former Yan dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was an accomplished commander under his father, Murong Hui, and was most known for his victory over ...

(慕容翰)) and Feng Yi to reinforce the city. Han made the rash decision to rush into battle, so Feng Yi advised him to stop, but Han ignored him. As a result, Han was badly defeated by Duan Lan at Niuwei Valley (牛尾谷; north of Liucheng). However, Feng Yi was able to maintain a solid formation and minimize his own losses. In 335, Feng Yi was made Murong Huang's Marshal of the Right. He was then sent to surprise attack one of the Yuwen tribe's leader, Yuwen Sheyi (宇文涉奕). Feng Yi captured many of Sheyi's soldiers before returning. Sheyi responded by sending his light cavalry against Feng Yi, but Feng defeated them at the Hun River. Despite his early setbacks, Murong Huang was able to defeat and execute Murong Ren in early 336. However, he was still in conflict with the Duan and Yuwen tribes. In the summer of that year, Duan Lan marched his troops once more to Liucheng while the Yuwen chieftain, Yuwen Yidougui attacked Anjin (安晉) to support him. Huang marched to Liucheng and then to Anjin, and in both cases, the enemies retreated without a fight. Feng Yi pursued and heavily routed them while seizing their equipment and grains. Huang suspected that his enemies were not content with their results and would return soon, so he had Feng Yi prepare an ambush at Mount Madou (馬兜山) in Liucheng. Surely enough, Duan Liao led his troops to attack Liucheng again but Feng Yi ambushed him from two sides and defeated him, even killing his general Rong Bobao (榮伯保). Soon, Feng Yi launched a successful campaign against the Yuwen tribe. In 337, Murong Huang made Feng Yi his Chief Clerk. In November, Feng Yi and a number of ministers pushed Murong Huang to claim the title of Prince of Yan. Huang agreed, and on the 23 November, he declared himself Prince of Yan, and appointed Feng Yi the Chancellor of the State. Feng was also given the title of Duke of Wuping.

Battle of Jicheng

In 338, the ruler of Later Zhao, Shi Hu, attacked Yan and placed its capital Jicheng (棘城, in modern

Jinzhou Jinzhou (, zh, s= , t=錦州 , p=Jǐnzhōu), formerly Chinchow, is a coastal prefecture-level city in central-west Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the Liaoxi Corridor, which connects most of the la ...

) under siege following the breakdown of their alliance against the Duan tribe. Huang was frightened and wanted to flee but was persuaded by his general

Muyu Gen Muyu Gen (died 360) was a military general and regent of Former Yan during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was a main contributor to Murong Huang's victory in the defence of Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning) in 338 and convinced ...

not to. He was still unsure of victory, however, so he consulted Feng Yi. Feng told him that Shi Hu would not last long. He pointed out that the campaign had been costly for Shi Hu and that the Zhao army were already worn down due to the long distance that they had travelled. He was confident that strife will grow in a matter of days within Shi Hu's camp, so the best course of action was to wait. Huang was assured by this and remained in Jicheng. After days of fierce fighting, the Zhao soldiers eventually retreated, Huang's son Murong Ke pursued and dealt them a heavy defeat.

Service under Murong Jun and Murong Wei

Advice to Murong Jun

In 348, Murong Jun inherited the Prince of Yan following the death of Murong Huang. In 349, Later Zhao descended into civil war, which prompted many of Jun's ministers to call for an invasion. Jun was reluctant at first, as he was still in a state of mourning, but his brother Murong Ba, was also insistent on invading Zhao. Murong Jun consulted with Feng Yi over the matter, in which Feng supported the invasion and expressed confidence in Yan's military capability and its ability to win support from the people living in Zhao. After further consultation with Huang Hong (黃泓) and Muyu Gen, Jun was finally convinced. He amassed an army of roughly 200,000 strong and launched his conquest of the Central Plains early the following year. Although Murong Jun had initially sought out against Later Zhao, it became apparent that his real challenge to him would actually be Zhao's break-away state,

Ran Wei Wei ( zh, 魏; 350–352), known as Ran Wei () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China established by Ran Min. In 350, Ran Wei usurped the throne of the Later Zhao, Later Zhao dynasty in the city ...

, which was established by Ran Min right before his invasion.

Capturing Bohai

After capturing Zhangwu (章武; in modern-day Pingshu,

) and Hejian in 350, Murong Jun appointed Feng Yi to serve as Administrator of Hejian. In September that year, Murong Jun sent Feng Yi and Gao Kai (高開) to subjugate Wei's portion of Bohai commandery, which was defended by its Administrator, Pang Yue (逄約). As natives of Bohai, Feng and Pang had known each other when they were younger. After reaching Pang Yue's fortress, Feng Yi sent a messenger to Pang, stating his interest to converse as old friends. Pang trusted Feng and agreed to the proposal. The two then met outside on horseback and dismissed their escort riders. After a friendly conversation between the two, Feng revealed his thoughts to Pang, denouncing Wei and praising Yan. Feng offered Pang to switch sides, which left Pang visibly disappointed but unable to respond. Prior to this, Feng Yi had chosen a strong man named Zhang An (張安) as one of his escorts. Following the instructions given to him, as soon as Pang's expression changed, Zhang quickly rushed forward and snatched the reins of Pang Yue's horse. Zhang rode back to Feng Yi's camp with Pang pulled behind him. After Gao Kai arrived at Bohai, Pang's allies, Liu Zhun (劉准) and Feng Fang (封放; a younger cousin of Feng Yi) surrendered without a fight. Because he had fallen for Feng Yi's ploy, Murong Jun renamed Pang Yue to Pang Diao (逄釣, meaning 'fishhook').

Fall of Ran Wei

On May 17, 352, Feng Yi and Murong Ke attacked Ran Min and fought him at Ran Wei's Changlin Terrace (昌廉臺; west of modern-day

Wuji County Wuji County () is a county of Hebei Province, North China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang Shijiazhuang; Mandarin: ; formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang is the capital and mo ...

). They defeated and captured him in battle, before sending him to Murong Jun (Jun later ordered his execution). In September, Wei's general in Lukou (魯口; in present-day

Raoyang County Raoyang County () is a county in the southeast of Hebei province, China, served by G45 Daqing–Guangzhou Expressway. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hengshui } Hengshui ( zh, s=衡水) is a prefecture-level city ...

), Wang Wu (王午), declared himself King of Anguo, so Feng Yi, Murong Ke and

Yang Wu Wu (), also referred to as Huainan (), Hongnong (), Southern Wu (), or Yang Wu (楊吳), was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It existed from 907 to 937 with capital at ...

marched against him. They later retreated after Wang Wu handed over Ran Min's son, Ran Cao (冉操) to them. A few days later, Ran Min's successor, his son

Ran Zhi Ran Zhi (; died ) was the crown prince of the short-lived Chinese state Ran Wei. His father was the state's only emperor, Ran Min. Ran Zhi, as Ran Min's oldest son, was created crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the he ...

, surrendered Ye and himself to Yan, thus ending the Yan-Wei War.

Later career and death

At the end of 352, Feng Yi, along with 210 Yan officials, presented a petition urging Murong Jun to claim the title of Emperor, which he agreed to. Feng and 55 other officials presented Jun with the imperial seals of office in December, and on 3 January, 353, Murong Jun began handing out imperial offices, making Feng Yi his Grand Commandant. The next day, Murong Jun became Emperor and proclaimed Yan's independence from the Jin dynasty. In 358, military drafts and levies became increasingly common. Too many ministers and officers were sending their agents out to handle the drafting. The roads and streets were filled with agents, and there was a lot of trouble in trying to accommodate for all of them in counties and commanderies. Because of this, Feng Yi told Murong Jun to stop officials from sending their agents to carry out drafts and levies and instead let the local offices to handle these issues. Feng Yi's advice was taken.(时燕调发繁数，官司各遣使者，道路旁午，郡县苦之。太尉、领中书监封弈请「自今非军期严急，不得遣使，自馀赋发皆责成州郡，其群司所遣弹督先在外者，一切摄还。」俊从之。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 100 Murong Jun's son,

Murong Wei Murong Wei (; 350 – January 385), courtesy name Jingmao (景茂), also known by his Southern Yan-accorded posthumous name as the Emperor You of Former Yan (前燕幽帝), was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Former Yan dynasty. He b ...

, ascended the throne after his father died in 360. Feng continued to serve as Grand Commandant until his death on 15 June, 365. He was posthumously named Duke Kuang and his position of Grand Commandant was succeeded by Yang Wu.

References

* Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

''. * Cui, Hong (501-522). ''

Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiliuguo Chunqiu'' () is a Chinese biographical historical work of the Sixteen Kingdoms compiled by the Northern Wei official Cui Hong between 501 and 5 ...

'' (''Shiliuguo Chunqiu'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Feng, Yi Former Yan generals Jin dynasty (266–420) people 365 deaths Year of birth unknown