Ma Xiyin

Ma Xiyin (馬希隱) was a member of the Ma ruling house of Chu, one of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms states of China. After Chu's fall, he briefly continued to hold control of Chu's Jingjiang Circuit (靜江, headquartered in modern Guilin, Guangxi) before abandoning it in face of a Southern Han attack, allowing Southern Han to seize control of the circuit.

Background

Ma Xiyin was a son of Chu's founder Ma Yin (King Wumu) — the youngest, according to the ''Zizhi Tongjian''.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 290. During the subsequent reign of Ma Xiyin's older brother (Ma Yin's fourth son) Ma Xifan (Prince Wenzhao), Ma Xiyin was made the deputy military governor of Jingjiang.''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', vol. 71.

By 950, Chu was embroiled in a civil war between Ma Xiyin's older brothers Ma Xiguang (Ma Yin's 35th son), who had taken the throne after Ma Xifan's death, and Ma Xi'e (Prince Gongxiao, Ma Yin's 30th son), who considered himself to have a superior claim on the throne.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 289. In light of Chu's civil war, Liu Sheng, the emperor of Chu's southern neighbor Southern Han, sent the eunuch general Wu Huai'en () to the border between Southern Han and Jingjiang, trying to see if he could take advantage of the situation, so Ma Xiguang sent the general Peng Yanhui () to Longtong (龍桐, in modern Guilin) to help defend the circuit. After Ma Xi'e defeated Ma Xiguang around new year 951 and took over the throne, Ma Xi'e promoted Peng to be the overseer of Jingjiang's capital Gui Prefecture () and acting military governor, displeasing Ma Xiyin. Ma Xiyin secretly summoned the general Xu Keqiong, who was then serving as the prefect of Meng Prefecture (蒙州, in modern Wuzhou, Guangxi), to come to Gui to oppose Peng with him. Xu thereafter arrived at Gui and defeated Peng in battle; Peng abandoned Gui and fled to Hengshan (衡山, in modern Hengyang, Hunan), where Ma Xi'e was at that time after being overthrown by another brother, Ma Xichong. Xu stayed at Gui, in alliance with Ma Xiyin.

After Chu's fall

Xu Keqiong's abandoning of Meng allowed Wu Huai'en to seize it, and then approach Gui, pillaging the territory of Jingjiang. Meanwhile, Ma Xichong, finding his own position untenable, surrendered the remaining parts of the Chu realm that he still had control over to Southern Tang, leaving Ma Xiyin without possible reinforcements from Chu proper. Ma Xiyin and Xu did not know what to do, and then spent time drinking and crying together.

Liu Sheng (whose father Liu Yan had married Ma Xiyin's sister as his empress, and therefore would refer to the Ma brothers as uncles even though he was not born of her), then wrote a letter to Ma Xiyin, claiming that his intent was to aid Ma Xiyin:

Ma Xiyin considered surrendering to Southern Han, but could not decide immediately. When Wu quickly reached Gui Prefecture, Ma Xiyin and Xu instead abandoned it and fled to Quan Prefecture (全州, in modern Guilin). Wu subsequently captured the rest of Jingjiang for Southern Han.

Ma Xiyin later went to Southern Tang and was settled at Yang Prefecture (揚州, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) with Ma Xichong and the rest of the Ma family. In 956, Southern Tang came under attack by its northern neighbor Later Zhou, and Yang Prefecture fell to the invading Later Zhou forces. Later Zhou's emperor Guo Rong ordered that Ma Xichong (along with Wang Jiyi (), the son of Min's last emperor Wang Yanzheng, who was also settled by Southern Tang at Yang) be located and comforted.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 293. Subsequently, when Later Zhou forces were forced to abandon Yang, Ma Xichong took 17 brothers and/or cousins to the Later Zhou capital Daliang, including Ma Xiyin. Ma Xiyin was made an army commander under a military governor.''New History of the Five Dynasties'', vol. 66. That was the last historical reference to Ma Xiyin, and it is not known when he died.

Notes and references

* ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', vol. 71.
* ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 290.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Xiyin
10th-century births
Politicians from Changsha
Generals from Hunan
Ma Chu politicians
Ma Chu generals
Later Tang people
Later Jin (Five Dynasties) people
Liao dynasty people
Later Han (Five Dynasties) people
Southern Tang people
Later Zhou politicians
Year of death unknown