The Turbulent Backdrop of Later Zhao

The mid-4th century was a period of chaos in northern China, as the Later Zhao dynasty (319–351) — founded by the Jie chieftain Shi Le — teetered on collapse under incompetent successors. Shi Hu, the brutal nephew of Shi Le, had expanded Zhao’s territories through relentless campaigns but left a legacy of ethnic tension between the ruling Jie elite and their Han Chinese subjects.

When Shi Jian ascended the throne in 349, he inherited a powder keg. His reign would become defined by the meteoric rise and catastrophic decisions of Ran Min (then called Shi Min), an ethnic Han general raised in the imperial household. The complex relationship between these two men — one a paranoid Jie ruler, the other a Han warlord with a personal army — set the stage for one of history’s most violent ethnic purges.

The Dance of Betrayals

Shi Jian’s reign began with apparent goodwill: he appointed Shi Min as Grand General and enfeoffed him as Prince of Wude, while making Han official Li Nong Grand Marshal. But beneath the surface, the emperor plotted relentlessly against his powerful subordinate.

The first assassination attempt came just months into Shi Jian’s rule. In a nighttime ambush at Kunhua Palace, conspirators Shi Bao, Li Song, and Zhang Cai failed spectacularly against Shi Min’s combat prowess. Panicked, Shi Jian executed his own agents at the Western Zhonghua Gate to maintain plausible deniability — a move straight from the Machiavellian playbook.

This began a cascade of five separate coup attempts within weeks:
1. Shi Jian’s brother Shi Zhi revolted from Xiangguo with Qiang and Di allies
2. Generals Shi Cheng, Shi Qi, and Shi Hui plotted another failed assassination
3. Longxiang General Sun Fudu led 3,000 Jie troops in a botched ambush at the Hu Tian altar
4. Shi Jian’s secret orders to border commanders were intercepted
5. The final straw came when Shi Jian was caught conspiring during Shi Min’s campaign against Zhang Hedu

Each failure tightened the noose around the Jie leadership. After the fifth attempt, Shi Min — now fully aware of the existential threat — took drastic action.

The Kill Order That Shook History

In early 350, Shi Min issued two transformative decrees that would alter northern China’s demographic landscape:

First, the “Heart Alignment Edict”:
“Those who share the government’s heart may stay; those who differ may leave freely.”

This seemingly neutral proclamation triggered an immediate ethnic sorting. Han civilians flooded into Ye City while Jie, Xiongnu, and other non-Han groups fled en masse, clogging the gates in their desperation to escape.

Then came the infamous “Kill the Hu Order”:
“Han officials presenting one barbarian head shall be promoted three ranks; military officers shall all become Yamen commanders.”

The results were apocalyptic:
– 20,000 heads delivered to Fengyang Gate within 24 hours
– Systematic slaughter of 200,000 non-Han residents in Ye
– Ethnic cleansing spread to border garrisons where Han officers turned on non-Han troops
– High-nosed individuals mistaken for Hu were massacred indiscriminately

The Birth of Ran Wei and Its Swift Demise

With the Jie leadership decimated, Shi Min (now reclaiming his Han surname Ran) declared the new Wei dynasty in 350. His justification blended pragmatism with ethnic mobilization:

“All of us were originally Jin subjects. Now the Jin court survives in the south… Let us divide the provinces and await their return.”

But his officials pushed for immediate imperial legitimacy. Historian Hu Mu’s argument proved decisive: “How can the distant Jin court command heroes across the land?”

Ran Min’s reign would be brief but consequential. His ethnic policies:
1. Erased three decades of Han collaborationist guilt
2. Forged a new Han identity through shared violence
3. Unintentionally created refugee warlords like Yao Yizhong and Pu Hong

The Murong Counterstroke

As Ran Min battled remnants of Later Zhao, the Murong Xianbei saw their opportunity. In 350, Former Yan’s ruler Murong Jun launched a three-pronged invasion through the passes his father had secured:

– Murong Chui (the legendary “White Horse General”) took the eastern route
– Murong Ke cleared the central path with trademark tactical brilliance
– Murong Gen secured the western flank

Their advance was methodical:
1. Capture of Jicheng (modern Beijing) by March 350
2. Defeat of Later Zhao’s last competent general Deng Heng
3. Establishment of Yan’s southern capital at Ji

Murong Jun’s patience proved wise. By letting Ran Min weaken the Zhao remnants, the Xianbei conserved strength for their eventual conquest of all northeast China.

Legacy of the Slaughter

Ran Min’s bloody interregnum (350-352) left enduring marks:
– Near-extinction of the Jie people as a distinct ethnic group
– Acceleration of Xianbei ascendancy under the Murong
– Blueprint for later ethnic-based mobilization in China
– Demonstrated the volatility of multi-ethnic empires

Modern assessments vary:
– Nationalist historians laud his Han revivalism
– Revisionists note the indiscriminate nature of the killings
– Comparative scholars highlight parallels with other collapsing multiethnic states

The stones of Ye City’s ruined palaces still whisper of this pivotal moment — when ethnic tensions, personal ambition, and historical grievances combusted into one of ancient China’s most consequential convulsions.