Background

Xiao Ji was born in 508, as the eighth and youngest son of Emperor Wu. His mother was Emperor Wu's concubine Consort Ge. In his youth, he was considered studious, and his writing style was considered elegant and not overly flashy. In 514, Emperor Wu created him the Prince of Wuling, and once he got to adolescence, he was repeatedly promoted to more and more important gubernatorial positions, because he was a favorite son of Emperor Wu's. In 537, Emperor Wu made him the governor of Yi Province (modern Sichuan). While serving in that capacity, Xiao Ji carried out a greater development of the economy and also expanded Liang territory deeper into non-Han areas. During his rule, Yi Province became wealthy and strong militarily and economically.

During the Hou Jing Disturbance

In 548, the rebel general Hou Jing put the capital Jiankang under siege, and many provincial governors sent forces to Jiankang to try to lift the siege. Xiao Ji, however, initially failed to take any action. After Jiankang fell and Emperor Wu died in 549, Xiao Ji finally took action in spring 550, sending a 30,000-men force commanded by his heir apparent Xiao Yuanzhao (萧圆照), and he claimed that he was willing to have that force accept orders from his brother Xiao Yi the Prince of Xiangdong—the governor of Jing Province (荆州, modern central and western Hubei) and at that time the strongest Liang prince, who was exercising imperial authority at the time. Xiao Yi, apprehensive of Xiao Ji's intentions, made Xiao Yuanzhao the governor of Xin Province (信州, modern eastern Chongqing) and ordered him to halt at Baidicheng (the capital of Xin Province) and not advance any further.

In summer 550, the Buddhist monk Sun Tianying launched a peasant rebellion and attacked Chengdu (成都, in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), the capital of Yi Province. Xiao Yi engaged Sun and killed him.

in fall 550, the people of Li Province (黎州, roughly modern Guangyuan, Sichuan) -- a minor province part of Xiao Ji's domain—rebelled and expelled the governor of Li Province, Zhang Ben. The general Yang Fachen entered Li, and he instigated two major clans of Li Province, the Wangs and the Jias, to petition Xiao Ji that Yang be allowed to become governor. Xiao Ji refused and imprisoned Yang's sons Yang Chongyong and Yang Chonghu. In response, Yang surrendered his territory to Western Wei.

In winter 550, Xiao Ji departed Chengdu with his forces and headed east on the Yangtze River. Xiao Yi, suspicious of Xiao Ji's intentions, sent him letter to halt him, stating, "The people of Bashu Yi Province and surrounding regions are brave but ferocious, and they easily get emotional and difficult to control. I need you, my brother, to watch over them, so that I can destroy the bandit Hou Jing." He also attached a note, "Based on geography, you and I are like Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and we should each be satisfied with our territory. Based on our blood, we are like the states of Lu and Wei, and we can continuously communicate." Apparently in reaction to Xiao Yi's letter, Xiao Ji returned to Chengdu. Meanwhile, he sent the generals Yang Qianyun and Qiao Yan (谯淹) against Yang Fachen. In spring 551, Yang Qianyun defeated Yang Fachen, dislodging him and forcing him to flee, but Yang Qianyun then withdrew without capturing Yang Fachen.

In summer 551, an event would cause the already uneasy relationship between Xiao Yi and Xiao Ji to grow even more strained. Xiao Ji's son Xiao Yuanzheng (萧圆正) the Marquess of Jiang'an was the governor of Xiyang Commandery (roughly modern Huanggang, Hubei), and he enjoyed great support from the people, and his army had grown to 10,000-men strong. Xiao Yi became suspicious of him, and Xiao Yi bestowed him a general title. When Xiao Yuanzheng visited Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), the capital of Jing Province, to thank his uncle, Xiao Yi refused to see Xiao Yuanzheng, but instead had his cousin Xiao Ke (萧恪) the Prince of Nanping treat him to a feast and get him drunk. Xiao Yi then put him under arrest inside Xiao Yi's mansion and seized his army, an act that angered Xiao Ji.

Also in summer 551, Hou Jing launched a major attack on Xiao Yi, and Xiao Yi, hoping for support from Western Wei, ordered his cousin Xiao Xun (萧循) the Marquess of Yifeng, the governor of Liang Province (梁州, modern southern Shaanxi), to abandon the provincial capital Nanzheng (南郑, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and cede Nanzheng to Western Wei. Xiao Xun disagreed with the decision, believing that cession to be without reason, but received no response from Xiao Yi. Meanwhile, Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai, along with his generals Daxi Wu (达奚武) and Wang Xiong (王雄), launched a two-prongued attack on Nanzheng. Xiao Xun sent his secretary Liu Fan to seek aid from Xiao Ji, and Xiao Ji sent Yang Qianyun to assist Xiao Xun. Meanwhile, after hearing about the death of his older brother Emperor Jianwen at Hou's hands and Hou's subsequent seizure of the throne as the Emperor of Han, Xiao Ji, while rejecting his subordinate Liu Xiaosheng's request to take the throne himself, began to produce wagons and clothing that were only appropriate for the emperor.

Claim on the throne and death

In spring 552, after hearing that Xiao Yi was attacking Hou Jing—and, not knowing that Xiao Yi's general Wang Sengbian had already by this point defeated Hou and recaptured Jiankang—Xiao Ji made the comment, "My seventh brother Xiao Yi is a man of literature. How can he succeed militarily?" At that time, flowers were growing from the columns of his mansion, and he believed it to be a divine sign of favor, and he therefore declared himself emperor. When his subordinates Wang Senglüe (王僧略, Wang Sengbian's brother) and Xu Peng (徐怦) advised against the action, he had them killed—an action that caused his cousin Xiao Hui (萧撝), whom he had created the Prince of Qin Commandery, to sigh and comment that killing skillful men was a sign of impending disaster. Meanwhile, he also summoned Xiao Xun's assistant Liu Fan, intending to make Liu Fan a member of his staff, but Liu refused and insisted on returning to Xiao Xun, and Xiao Ji finally relented and did so. (Soon, however, with Yuwen Tai having put Nanzheng under siege for months and with Yang Qianyun unable to advance to lift the siege, Xiao Xun surrendered, and Nanzheng fell into Western Wei's hands.) Xiao Ji created Xiao Yuanzhao crown prince and created his other sons imperial princes.

Xiao Yuanzhao, still at Baidicheng, was meanwhile intentionally feeding his father incorrect information—that not only had Xiao Yi not defeated Hou, but that he was on the verge of destruction by Hou's forces. Xiao Ji therefore led his forces and departed from Chengdu, planning to confront Hou. He left Xiao Hui and his son Xiao Yuansu (萧圆肃) the Prince of Yidu in charge of Chengdu. in response, Xiao Yi carved Xiao Ji's likeness onto a wooden board, and personally hammered nails into the image to curse Xiao Ji. He also sent captives from Hou's army to Xiao Ji to show that Hou had already been destroyed. However, Xiao Yuanzhao detained Xiao Yi's messengers and continued to feed his father incorrect information, and Xiao Ji speeded up his troops. Xiao Yi, fearful of what Xiao Ji might do, requested Western Wei to attack Xiao Ji from the rear, and Yuwen, believing that Yi Province could be taken, sent his nephew Yuchi Jiong with an army to attack Yi Province. Both Yang Fachen and Yang Qianyun surrendered to Western Wei, and Yuchi quickly arrived at Chengdu and put it under siege.

Xiao Ji sent Qiao Yan to head back to Chengdu to try to lift the siege, and by now, he became aware that Hou had been destroyed. He rebuked Xiao Yuanzhao, but nevertheless decided to continue to head east to attack Xiao Yi (who by now had also claimed imperial title—as Emperor Yuan), notwithstanding his soldiers' wishes to return to Chengdu to save it. Xiao Ji was initially successful against Xiao Yi's general Lu Fahe (陆法和), and he fought through to the Three Gorges. Xiao Yi wrote him, proposing peace and promising to let him keep his domain and effectively act as emperor over that domain. Xiao Ji refused, but soon, hearing that Chengdu was in the danger of falling, and now with his forces stalled by Xiao Yi's, then tried to accept peace. By that time, however, Xiao Yi had become aware of the difficulties that Xiao Ji was in, as he was informed so by Xiao Ji's messenger Le Fengye, and therefore declined peace. Despite the difficult situation that he was in, however, Xiao Ji was refusing to distribute his considerable wealth to his soldiers to try to encourage them to fight; as a result, the morale sank.

By summer 553, Xiao Yi's generals Wang Lin, Xie Daren, and Ren Yue (任约), had defeated Xiao Ji's rear guards and cut off his retreat route, forcing Xiao Ji to continue east. Another of Xiao Yi's generals, Fan Meng (樊猛), crushed his remaining force and surrounded his ship to prevent him from fleeing. Xiao Yi sent a secret order to Fan, "If that person remains alive, then this is no success." Fan therefore boarded Xiao Ji's ship, and Xiao Ji threw a sack of gold at him, yelling, "Let me hire you with this gold -- take me to my seventh brother." Fan's response was, "How can you see the emperor? If I kill you, where is the gold going to go?" He approached Xiao Ji and killed him. Xiao Ji's son Xiao Yuanman (萧圆满), trying to protect his father to the end, was also killed. Xiao Yi, after Xiao Yuanzheng refused to commit suicide, starved him to death, while putting Xiao Ji's other sons under arrest. He excised Xiao Ji's line from status as members of the imperial household, and he posthumously changed Xiao Ji's surname to Taotie (饕餮, meaning "gluttonous").

Personal information

• Father

　• Emperor Wu of Liang

• Mother

　• Consort Ge, Emperor Wu's concubine

• Children

　• Xiao Yuanzhao (萧圆照), the Crown Prince (created 552)

　• Xiao Yuanzheng (萧圆正), initially the Marquess of Jiang'an, later the prince of Xiyang (remotedly created 552, starved to death by Emperor Yuan of Liang 553)

　• Xiao Yuanpu (萧圆普), the Prince of Qiao (created 552)

　• Xiao Yuansu (萧圆肃), the Prince of Yidu (created 552)

　• Xiao Yuanman (萧圆满), the Prince of Jingling (created 552, killed in battle 553)

Notes and references

• Book of Liang, vol. 55.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/lian6.htm

• History of Southern Dynasties, vol. 53.http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/ssh6.htm

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 147, 157, 159, 163, 164, 165.

生平

萧纪自小勤学，不好轻华。后封武陵郡王、彭城太守、扬州刺史等职，后出任益州刺史。。萧纪在治蜀之前，蜀地民生凋敝，当地百姓因为连年的战乱纷纷背井离乡远离蜀地，许多郡县都已经荒废，也导致了大量了獠人迁入了蜀地各部。萧纪在益州上任后，改变了以往官员对当地獠人的压迫的政策，以往益州的官员都会征讨獠人，掠夺獠人财物或者将他们作为家奴以补贴私用和公需，而萧纪则直接采用了抚慰的手段，比较成功地缓和了民族矛盾。而且还重新设置了荒废已久的郡县，设立邛州（今四川邛崃）和戎州（今四川宜宾）。萧纪治蜀期间，人民得以休养生息，蜀地并没有像之前很多时期一样经常发生大规模民变，并且使得蜀地和西域各国的商业通道保持畅通，向南开拓了长期远离南方的中央政府的宁州（今云南省东南部）、越巂（今四川攀西地区）两郡。《资治通鉴》评价他「内修耕桑盐铁之政，外通商贾远方之利，故能殖其财用，器甲殷积。」萧衍对萧纪的表现非常满意，于是加封他为征西大将军。有一年梁武帝很想念儿子，便派遣张僧繇到成都给萧纪画像以便带回京师观看。但是他的许多兄弟们很忌惮他，比如邵陵王萧纶在萧纪不断加封官职后愤愤不平，被萧衍斥责，觉得他无才能和萧纪争功。

侯景之乱时，萧纪坐拥益州军政资源，不前往平乱；梁武帝死后，萧纪在世子萧圆照的提议下，于西元552年四月乙巳（5月16日）于成都即帝位，年号天正。同年八月，萧纪率大军南下，想趁自己的兄弟萧绎刚刚在江陵称帝不久立足未稳，而且因为平定侯景之乱之后消耗巨大的时机攻灭他，摘取他平乱的胜利果实。萧绎大为惊恐，一面封锁了瞿塘峡，一面派人请求西魏出兵援助，准备偷袭萧纪的老巢成都，西魏遣大将尉迟迥带领大军直攻成都。

萧纪在与萧绎对战的时候，常常用金饼来激励士卒，所以刚开始经常取得胜利，但是后来将士们得胜回来后发现萧纪并没有兑现以军功赏赐金饼的诺言，导致萧纪军的军心受挫。后来西魏的军队已拿下汉中，即将要打到成都，将士们听闻家乡失陷，人人思归。萧纪断然拒绝了他们的要求，但是他知道继续和萧绎对战下去凶多吉少，于是派度支尚书乐奉业赴江陵向萧绎求和。乐奉业也实在不满萧纪的所作所为，向萧绎坦诚说川军人心涣散，一击即溃，千万不要同他讲和。之后萧绎命令部队反攻，一举夺取了三个城堡，其馀城堡的守军见状纷纷逃亡或者投降，萧纪的大军瞬间被击溃，兵败如山倒。萧绎平定了后方陆纳的叛乱，军队也集结完毕，便给萧纪回了信，即《又与武陵王纪书》，称「兄肥弟瘦，无复相代之期；让枣推梨，长罢欢愉之日」，表示拒绝讲和，彼此的兄弟之情已尽。

553年七月丙戌（8月20日），萧纪被梁元帝的部将樊猛围困，萧绎当时给樊猛下令务必杀掉萧纪，于是樊猛跳上萧纪的龙船，挺长矛直奔萧纪。萧纪见逃生不得，连忙求饶，将一袋金饼给樊猛，说道：「这袋金饼赠给将军。只求你送我去见见七官（萧绎）。」樊猛冷笑著说：「天子是你想见就见的吗？这些金饼，只要杀了你，还不都是我的？」，于是萧纪于硖口被一枪刺死，得年四十六岁。萧纪的儿子萧圆满见父亲被围，驾船赶来援救，也死于乱刀之下，益州全境很快被西魏占领。之后，梁元帝下令除去萧纪所属宗室户籍，改姓饕餮，其子萧圆照、萧圆正、萧圆满等皆改姓饕餮。萧纪之女萧妙瑜墓志中称其为「丞相武陵贞献王」。

家庭

父母

• 梁武帝萧衍

• 葛修容

兄弟

• 长兄 萧统：皇太子→皇帝（追尊），字德施，谥昭明太子→昭明皇帝

• 第二兄 萧综：豫章郡王，字世谦

• 第三兄 萧纲：晋安郡王→皇太子→皇帝，字世赞，谥简文皇帝

• 第四兄 萧绩：南康郡王，字世谨，谥简王

• 第五兄 萧续：庐陵郡王，字世欣，谥威王

• 第六兄 萧纶：邵陵郡王，字世调，谥携王/忠壮王

• 第七兄 萧绎：湘东郡王→皇帝，字世诚，谥孝元皇帝

子女

• 长子 萧圆照，皇太子

• 第二子 萧圆正，西阳郡王

• 第三子 萧圆满，竟陵郡王

• 第四子 萧圆普，南谯郡王

• 第五子 萧圆肃，宜都郡王，北周棘城郡开国公

• 萧妙瑜，淮南公主，嫁临贞忠壮公杨敷，杨素继母

• 萧氏，嫁唐朝蜀郡太守、许昌县伯郑诠