Tsifu Chipan

Young years

In the sources there is neither the year of birth of Tsifu Chipan, nor information about who his mother was. He was first mentioned in 393, when his father Tsifu Gangui declared him heir to the throne. Tsifu Chipan quickly became one of the key figures surrounded by Tsifu Ganggui.

In 400, Tsifu Gangui suffered a major defeat from the troops of the state of Late Qin . Having concluded that he would not be able to maintain his own state, he surrendered to the ruler of the state of South Liang Tufa Lilug . The South Liang authorities feared that Tsifu Gangui would try to restore Western Qin, and sent troops to monitor him. To restore Tufa's trust in Lilugu, Tsifu Gangui sent his wife and children (including Tsifu Chipan) to the Siping capital in the southern Liang capital as hostages. However, when his supervision weakened, Tsifu Gangui fled to Fuhang and surrendered to Late Qin.

Meanwhile, Tsifu Chipan married the daughter of Tufa Nutan - Tufa's brother Lilugu. Upon learning of his father's escape, Tsifu Chipan also tried to escape, but was caught; Tufa Lilugu wanted to execute him, but Tufa Nutan stood up for his son-in-law, and life was left to him. In 402, Tufa Lilugu died, and Tufa Nutan ascended the throne of South Liang. Tsifu Chipan fled again and this time was able to join his father, who became a general in the service of Late Qin; Upon learning of the escape, Tufa Nutan did not take revenge on his relatives, but sent his wife and children to Tsif Chipan.

The late Qin emperor Yao Xing placed Tsifu Ganggui at the head of Wanchuan , his former capital. Tsifu Gangui sent Tsifu Chipan to the capital Chang'an , and Yao Xing made Tsifu Chipan the head of one of the districts of the empire. In subsequent years, Tsifu Gangui began to act more and more independently, attacking without imperial permission on the tribes who recognized themselves as vassals of the Late Qin. Fearing his gain, Emperor Yao Xing made him minister at his court, forcing him to transfer troops under the command of Tsifu Chipan.

In 409, Tsifu Gangui was able to escape to Wanchuan to Tsifu Chipan, and again proclaimed the independence of Western Qin, introducing his own chronology.

During Father's Second Reign

Tsifu Chipan was again declared heir to the throne, and his father began to rely on him most of all in military matters. In the spring of 411, Gannui returned the figure to the late Qin of the captured officials and offered peace, agreeing to recognize himself as a vassal. Yao Xing bestowed on him the title of “Prince of Henan” (河南 王), and Tsifu Chipan - the title of “Pinchan Guna ” (平昌 公).

In the summer of 412, Tsifu Gongfu (the son of Tsifu Gorzhen - the founder of Western Qin) staged a coup and killed Tsifu Ganggui and more than 10 of his sons. Tsifu Chipan was able to suppress the coup, and sat on the throne himself, proclaiming himself "Prince of Henan."

On the throne

Taking advantage of the ongoing collapse of Late Qin and South Liang, Tsifu Chipan began to conquer the tribes emerging from the rule of these states. In 414, as a result of a lightning raid, he captured the southern Lebanese capital Ledu . Hearing about this, the South Lanka troops fled, and the abandoned Tufa Nutan was also forced to surrender to Western Qin; thus South Liang ceased to exist. At first, Tsifu Chipan accepted Tufa Nutan as a dear guest, gave him the title of “Zonan Gong” (左 南 公) and took his daughter as his wife. However, in 415, he ordered secretly to give Tufa Nutan poison. Realizing what happened, Tufa Nutan refused treatment and soon died.

By annexing Southern Liang, Tsifu Chipan changed his title by proclaiming himself the “Qin Prince” (秦王). He resumed skirmishes with Late Qin, but before that, South Liang served as a buffer between the state of Tsifu Chipan and Northern Liang , but now Tsif Chipan himself had to fight against the North Slavic ruler Jiuqiu Mensun . In 416, they made peace among themselves.

In 417, the Jin commander Liu Yu destroyed the state of Late Qin, and in 420 overthrew the Jin emperor and sat on the throne himself, founding the southern Song empire . Preoccupied with internal affairs, Liu Yu did not occupy its territory after the destruction of Late Qin, and the Hun state of Xia captured her. North Liang, having captured the state of Western Liang , secured its western border, and from 421 years renewed the war with Western Qin.

In 426, Western Qin launched a major offensive on Northern Liang. Juqui Mensun sent ambassadors to the Hun state of Xia with a proposal for joint action, and under attacks from two sides, Western Qin was seriously defeated. Tsifu Chipan was forced to relocate the capital from Fuhang to Dingliang (both points are in the territory of the modern city county of Linxia ). In the same year, Xia troops suffered a major defeat from the troops of the state of North Wei , and after the enemy left Tsifu, Chipan returned the capital to Fuhang. Subjected to constant attacks from North Liang and the state of Chоuchi and hearing that the Severo-Voyean troops captured the capital of Xia, Tsifu Chipan sent his uncle Tsifu Wotou to North Wei with a tribute.

In 428, Tsifu Chipan passed away and his son Tsifu Mumo succeeded him.

• Official Biographies of the Rulers of Western Qin in the Book of Jin ( Chinese )