After the Eastern Wei regime was established, all state power was completely in the hands of Prime Minister Gao Huan. To guard against attacks from the Western Wei and the Southern Dynasties and ensure the safety of the Eastern Wei, Gao Huan sent the general Hou Jing to defend the southern bank of the Yellow River.
Hou Jing was originally a soldier in Huaishuo Town of Northern Wei. After the Six Towns Rebellion broke out in the late Northern Wei period, he defected to Erzhu Rong. Later, during the suppression of the rebellion, Hou Jing captured the rebel leader Ge Rong and was appointed Governor of Dingzhou. After Gao Huan eliminated Erzhu Rong, Hou Jing switched his allegiance to Gao Huan. By nature, Hou Jing was cruel and extremely cunning, but whenever he plundered goods, he would generously distribute them to his soldiers without hesitation. This earned him the soldiers' support, and he often won battles. Gao Huan highly valued Hou Jing and, after taking control of Eastern Wei, sent him to guard the frontier.
In 547 AD, Gao Huan passed away, and control of the imperial court fell into the hands of his son, Gao Cheng. Fearing that Hou Jing might lead his troops in rebellion, Gao Cheng transferred him back to the capital, intending to strip him of his military command. Hou Jing had always looked down on Gao Cheng, and knowing that returning to the capital could mean death at Gao Cheng's hands, he led his forces to defect to the Western Wei.
Yuwen Tai, suspecting that Hou Jing was not genuinely defecting to Western Wei, planned to summon him to Chang'an and strip him of his military command. Fully aware of Yuwen Tai's intentions, Hou Jing refused to go. Subsequently, Wang Sizheng, the governor of Jingzhou under Western Wei, occupied Yingchuan, which originally belonged to Hou Jing, forcing Hou Jing to relocate his main army elsewhere. Furious, Hou Jing decided to defect to the Liang Dynasty in the south, offering to cede thirteen prefectures east of Hangu Pass to Emperor Wu of Liang.
Emperor Wu of Liang said that he dreamed of a peaceful world under heaven one night, and the very next day he received a request for surrender from Hou Jing, which perfectly matched his dream. Thus, ignoring the objections of his ministers, he insisted on accepting Hou Jing's surrender, appointing him as the Prince of Henan, Grand General, and Grand Chief Administrator, and sent Yang Yaren to lead a large army to receive Hou Jing. Subsequently, Emperor Wu of Liang also sent his own nephew, Xiao Yuanming, the Governor of Southern Yu Province, to lead a large army to attack Eastern Wei. Xiao Yuanming stationed his troops at Hanshan (present-day south of Xuzhou, Jiangsu), built a dam on the Sishui River to divert water to flood Pengcheng. Eastern Wei, while holding firm at Xuzhou, dispatched Murong Shaozong and Gao Yue with a hundred thousand troops to rush to Pengcheng's rescue, and also launched an attack on the Liang army's positions. The Liang army repelled the Eastern Wei attack, but during the pursuit, they were counterattacked by Eastern Wei forces, resulting in a rout. The commander Xiao Yuanming was captured, and countless soldiers were killed or wounded. Afterwards, Murong Shaozong led his troops to attack Hou Jing, who retreated to Woyang. After several months of stalemate, Murong Shaozong sent five thousand elite cavalry to attack Hou Jing from both sides, achieving a great victory. Hou Jing, with only eight hundred men left, fled to Shouyang, which was under the jurisdiction of Southern Liang.
Although Eastern Wei fought several battles with Southern Liang, the two sides had no major conflicts. To repair relations with Southern Liang, Eastern Wei expressed willingness to return Xiao Yuanming. When Hou Jing learned of this news, he worried that Xiao Yan might betray him and wrote to Xiao Yan, who solemnly swore he would not do so. However, Hou Jing remained suspicious and sent someone to impersonate an Eastern Wei envoy, telling Emperor Wu of Liang that if Liang handed over Hou Jing to Eastern Wei, Eastern Wei would return Xiao Yuanming. Emperor Wu readily agreed to this condition, infuriating Hou Jing, who then raised troops in Shouyang to rebel against Liang and secretly colluded with Prince Linhe, Xiao Zhengde, to serve as an inside agent in Jiankang. Upon learning of Hou Jing's rebellion, Emperor Wu of Liang immediately sent Prince Shaoling, Xiao Lun, to lead a large army to Shouyang to suppress Hou Jing.
Hou Jing knew that if he stayed in Shouyang to face the Liang Dynasty's main army head-on, he would only be passively beaten and eventually defeated. Therefore, he decided to turn the tables by taking the initiative, leading a light cavalry force to launch a surprise attack on Jiankang. He ordered his subordinate Wang Xiangui to hold Shouyang, while he himself left the city under the pretext of hunting. Afterwards, Hou Jing spread rumors that he was planning to attack Hefei, but in reality, he led his troops to capture Liyang and Qiaozhou, then advanced to the banks of the Yangtze River. Minister Yang Kan advised Emperor Wu of Liang to send two thousand men to occupy Caishi (present-day Ma'anshan, Anhui) while dispatching a large army to attack Shouyang, trapping Hou Jing in a dilemma. This strategy was brilliant, but Emperor Wu did not adopt it. Instead, he appointed Xiao Zhengde as General of Pacifying the North, placing him in charge of the military affairs of the capital Jiankang, and Xiao Zhengde led his troops to garrison at Danyang Commandery (southwest of present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu).
Hou Jing's massive army was about to cross the Yangtze River, but Liang Dynasty's Ningyuan General Wang Zhi was patrolling the river with his naval forces, deterring Hou Jing from acting rashly. Later, taking advantage of a shift change in the Liang navy, Hou Jing led 8,000 men across the river, capturing Caishi and then attacking Cihu (present-day northwest of Dangtu, Anhui). The Liang court, from the emperor down to his ministers, was thrown into shock. Emperor Wu of Liang hastily ordered Xuan Cheng Wang Xiao Daqi to defend the city of Jiankang and released prisoners from the main jail to bolster the army.
When Hou Jing led his massive army to the south of Jiankang City, Xiao Zhengde opened the Xuanyang Gate and let Hou Jing's forces into the city. Afterwards, Hou Jing sent troops to surround the Taicheng, the inner city where Emperor Wu of Liang resided; once Taicheng fell, the emperor would be captured. The soldiers and civilians inside Taicheng fought desperately against Hou Jing's assault. After stubbornly resisting for four months, Taicheng was breached, Emperor Wu of Liang was taken prisoner, and ultimately starved to death there.
After this, Liang Dynasty ministers including Liu Zhongli came forward to surrender to Hou Jing, who then occupied Jiankang City and seized control of the Liang Dynasty's military and political power. In 551 AD, Hou Jing proclaimed himself emperor.
Just after Hou Jing declared himself emperor, Xiao Yi of the Liang Dynasty proclaimed himself emperor in Jiangling and sent a large army to attack Jiankang. Hou Jing's rebel forces were quickly defeated, and Hou Jing himself was killed by his own subordinates while fleeing. Thus, the Rebellion of Hou Jing was finally put down.