Murong Chong

Murong Chong (Chinese: 慕容沖; c. 359–386), formally Emperor Wei of (Western) Yan ((西)燕威帝), was an emperor of the Western Yan. He was a son of the Former Yan emperor Murong Jun and a younger brother of Former Yan emperor Murong Wei.

It is not known when Murong Chong was born — although as his older brother Murong Wei was born in 350,¹ he must have been born later than that, but before 359, when he was created the Prince of Zhongshan.² In 368, after his uncle Murong Ke, the regent for his brother Murong Wei, had died in 367, he succeeded Murong Ke in his post as the commander of the armed forces, but there is no evidence that he actually commanded armies. After Former Yan was destroyed by Former Qin in 370, he and his brothers were made local officials throughout the Former Qin realm. Historical accounts indicate that he had a sexual relationship with the Former Qin emperor Fu Jiān—and that Fu Jiān's favors for him and his sister Consort Murong, whom Fu Jiān took as a concubine, were the talk of the Former Qin capital Chang'an.

By 384, he was the governor of Pingyang Commandery (平陽, roughly modern Linfen, Shanxi). When he heard that his uncle Murong Chui and his older brother Murong Hong had rebelled against Former Qin in light of Fu Jiān's defeat at the Battle of Fei River in 383, he rebelled as well. He was soon defeated by the Former Qin general Dou Chong, and he joined his brother Murong Hong.

In summer 384, as Murong Hong was advancing on Chang'an, Murong Hong's strategist Gao Gai (高蓋) and other officials felt that Murong Hong's reputation was not as great as Murong Chong's, and that Murong Hong's punishments were overly harsh. They therefore killed him and supported Murong Chong to be the new ruler. As Murong Wei was still alive but under Former Qin control in Chang'an, Murong Chong took the title of . Fu Jiān made a peace overture to him with an apparent sexual undertone—by sending him a robe and a message reminding him of their personal relationship, but Murong Chong rejected the overture.