Murong Ping

Murong Ping (慕容評) was a regent of the Chinese/Xianbei state Former Yan during the reign of Murong Wei (Emperor You), after the death of the previous, far more capable regent Murong Ke. He, along with Murong Wei's mother Empress Dowager Kezuhun, is often blamed for Former Yan's decline and fall.

Murong Ping was one of the youngest, if not the youngest, sons of the Jin vassal, the Xianbei chief Murong Hui (慕容廆), the father of Former Yan's founder Murong Huang. Although historical records do not give his age, it was probably close in range to Murong Jun, Murong Huang's heir apparent. (This is corroborated in that his grandnephew Murong Wei, at one point, referred to him as an uncle rather than a granduncle, perhaps out of confusion in his young age.) It is not known who his mother was.

The first reference to him in history was in 339, when he was mentioned as one of Murong Huang's generals (along with another brother, Murong Jun (慕容軍, note different tone and character than his nephew who would later inherit the throne), Muyu Gen (慕輿根), and Muyu Ni (慕輿泥)) who conducted a successful raid against Later Zhao's border region.

In 348, Murong Huang died, and was succeeded by his son Murong Jun, who was then still using the Jin-created title Prince of Yan. In 349, Later Zhao's emperor Shi Hu died, and his state soon fell into internectine wars between his sons and his adoptive grandson Shi Min. Murong Jun therefore decided to advance south. In Murong Jun's campaigns over the next few years, which saw him seize much of Later Zhao's territory and capture Shi Min (who had by then changed him name to Ran Min, to the family name that his father had before his adoption by Shi Hu) and destroy his short-lived state Ran Wei, Murong Ping served as a major general. Murong Ping led the army that sieged Ran Wei's capital Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan, Hebei), after Ran Min's capture, in 352, against Ran Min's wife Empress Dong and son Ran Zhi, and the city fell to him, formally ending Ran Wei. He was put in charge of Yecheng's defenses. In 354, Murong Jun, who had by now completely broken from Jin and claimed imperial title, put him in charge of military operations in the Luoyang region (although Former Yan would not be able to capture Luoyang at this time) and also created him the Prince of Shangyong. Over the next few years, Murong Ping would be involved in leading armies against various former Later Zhao generals who were still trying to maintain independence and vacillating between Former Yan, Former Qin, and Jin. His campaigns were of mixed successes and failures.

...
Wikipedia