Murong Nuohebo

Who was Murong Nuohebo?

Murong Nuohebo, regal title Wudiyebaledou Khan or, in short, Ledou Khan, Tang Dynasty noble title Prince of Qinghai, was the last khan of the Xianbei state Tuyuhun. He had become khan in 635 after his grandrfather, the Busabo Khan Murong Fuyun and his father, the Gandou Khan Murong Shun, had both been killed in the same year: Murong Fuyun during a Tang invasion and Murong Shun assassinated by his own people in the aftermaths of the Tang conquest. Murong Nuohebo's control over his people was initially tenuous and required Tang military affirmation on at least two occasions, but once his control was firmer, he faced the threat of Tufan to the south-west. In 663, unable to stand Tufan pressure, he took his people and requested refuge in Tang territory, and by 672, Tufan had taken over all of former Tuyuhun territory. The Tuyuhun people were settled within Tang territory, and Murong Nuohebo was made a Tang prefect. While he continued to carry the title of khan until his death in 688, typically, Tuyuhun was considered destroyed by either 663 or 672.