Murong Chong

Who was Murong Chong?

Murong Chong, formally Emperor Wei of Yan, 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, he must have been born later than that, but before 359, when he was created the Prince of Zhongshan. In 368, after his uncle Murong Ke, the regent for his brother Murong Wei, had died in 367, he scucceeded 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. 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.