Hou Andu

Hou Andu (Chinese: 侯安都; pinyin: Hóu Āndū; Cantonese Yale: Hau4 On1 Dou1) (520–563), courtesy name Chengshi (成師), was a Chen Dynasty general, whose military accomplishments under Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen made him one of the most powerful individuals in the state, but whose arrogance and rudeness raised suspicions from Emperor Wen, and Emperor Wen arrested him and forced him to commit suicide.

Hou Andu came from a prominent clan of Shixing Commandery (始興, roughly modern Shaoguan, Guangdong). In his youth, he was known for being skilled at calligraphy, playing the qin, riding, and archery. When the rebel general Hou Jing (no relation) attacked the capital Jiankang and captured it in 549, the local general Chen Baxian decided to try to raise an army to try to assist in recovering Jiankang. Hou Andu gathered 3,000 men and joined Chen's army. He, as one of Chen's three key lieutenants (along with Du Sengming (杜僧明) and Zhou Wenyu (周文育)) subsequently assisted Chen in his campaigns against local warlords Cai Luyang (蔡路養) and Li Qianshi (李遷仕), and, when Chen served as the lieutenant of Emperor Yuan's general Wang Sengbian in 552 in defeating Hou Jing and recapturing Jiankang with contribution from Hou Andu, Emperor Yuan awarded Hou Andu with a general title and created him as the Viscount of Fuchuan.

In 554, Western Wei attacked Emperor Yuan's new capital Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), capturing it, and Western Wei forces put Emperor Yuan to death around the new year 555. Initially, Wang and Chen prepared to declare Emperor Yuan's only surviving son Xiao Fangzhi the Prince of Jin'an emperor, but after Wang's forces suffered defeats by Northern Qi forces, Wang accepted the proposal by Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi to declare Emperor Yuan's cousin Xiao Yuanming emperor. Chen, then stationed at Jingkou (京口, in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), was displeased with Xiao Yuanming's elevation and, in fall 555, upon hearing rumors that Northern Qi may attack, decided to overthrow Wang and Xiao Yuanming. In doing so, he consulted only with Hou, Zhou, and Xu Du (徐度), and then launched a surprise attack on Jiankang under the guise that he was only making troop movements to defend against a possible Northern Qi attack. However, as the army departed, Chen hesitated, and only followed the army after Hou chased him down and told him, "Today, we are all prepared to be bandits. Why hesitate? Do you think that your hesitation can save you from decapitation?" Chen thereafter resolved to launch the attack, and Wang was caught by surprise when Hou entered his headquarters at the fortress of Shitou, near Jiankang. Wang was unable to resist, and Hou captured him. Chen put Wang to death and deposed Xiao Yuanming, declaring Xiao Fangzhi emperor (as Emperor Jing). Subsequently, when Chen was away from Jiankang to attack Wang's son-in-law Du Kan (杜龕), Hou and Du Leng (杜稜) were left in charge of the capital, and Hou fended the capital against a surprise attack by the generals Xu Sihui (徐嗣徽) and Ren Yue (任約), who were loyal to Wang. When Northern Qi sent forces to aid Xu and Ren, Chen returned to the capital and commissioned Hou to defend against Northern Qi attacks. After Hou repelled Northern Qi forces, the armies stalemated, and around the new year 556, Northern Qi forces sued for peace.

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