Chapter 11 - The Southern Dynasties

Summary

When Liu Yu (r. 420–422, posthumously Song Emperor Wu) ascended the throne in the summer of 420, he had already been de facto ruler of the Jiankang regime for sixteen years. Some of his original close-knit base of supporters among the Northern Headquarters Troops (beifu bing) had died from combat or other causes over that span. However, Liu had greatly expanded his direct and indirect network of clients and supporters to include a wider range of fighting men and a broad cross-section of Jiankang society, including scions of its wealthiest and most influential families. He had engaged in numerous aggressive military campaigns, notably against the Southern Yan regime (based in modern-day Shandong) in 409–410 and into the Guanzhong region in 417–418, and had recruited new emigrants from the north to settle in his domain and help secure his authority. By 420 the reach of the Jiankang empire was as large as it would ever be, ranging from the banks of the Yellow River to what is now central Vietnam, and from the edges of the Tibetan massif to the sea.