Chiyou was the grandson of the Yan Emperor. According to legend, Chiyou was known for his brutal and warlike nature. He had eighty-one brothers, all of whom were humanoid beasts capable of speech. Each brother had a copper head and iron forehead, and they ate stones and iron blocks as food. Initially, Chiyou was a vassal of the Yellow Emperor. He even attended a meeting of spirits and deities summoned by the Yellow Emperor.
At that time, the Yellow Emperor sat in a magnificent chariot drawn by elephants, with six dragons following behind. Chiyou led the way with a host of tigers, wolves, and other wild beasts, and behind him followed the Rain Master and the Wind King, who were responsible for clearing the dust on the path. The Rain Master, known as “Pinghao,” had a strange appearance, resembling a silkworm, but he had the power to summon heavy rains with a flick of his hand. The Wind King, known as “Feilian,” had the head of a swallow and a body like a deer, with the stripes of a leopard and the tail of a snake. His breath could summon violent winds. Behind them followed various deities, some with the bodies of oxen or horses, others with human faces and bird bodies, or snake heads—strange and otherworldly. Above, phoenixes flew, making the Yellow Emperor’s procession a truly awe-inspiring sight.
As they traveled, Chiyou saw the Yellow Emperor smiling contentedly from his chariot, and a burning jealousy rose within him. He thought to himself, “I have eighty-one brothers, and each one can command wild beasts. In terms of strength, I am no less than the Yellow Emperor. Why should I always be the vanguard for him? One day, I will sit in his position and command the gods myself!”
Chiyou, blinded by his own power, failed to see what the Yellow Emperor possessed—virtue, morality, and justice. Chiyou’s ambition to seize the throne grew, and he realized that to oppose the Yellow Emperor, he needed more than just brute strength. Each autumn, when the wild beasts were fat and plentiful, Chiyou would hunt and then visit the Wind King and Rain Master, offering them gifts and engaging them in friendly conversations. The Wind King and Rain Master, both quick-tempered and lacking subtlety, were soon swayed by Chiyou’s persuasive words and joined his cause.
Fate seemed to favor Chiyou, for during his time in Mount Lu, he discovered copper mines. With this resource, he and his followers forged weapons such as swords, spears, halberds, and shields, greatly boosting their military might.
However, Chiyou knew that before he could challenge the Yellow Emperor, he first had to defeat the Yan Emperor. Driven by his desire for power, he summoned his eighty-one brothers and commanded them to drive the beasts they controlled toward the Yan Emperor’s territory. The wild beasts charged through the forests, kicking up a storm of dust and filling the sky.
At the time, the Yan Emperor had the Fire God, Zhurong, on his side. Zhurong was a deity of great power, capable of evaporating the water from the earth and setting the forests ablaze. Zhurong launched a fiery attack, but Chiyou’s beastly forces were too vast to be stopped. Realizing the overwhelming threat, the Yan Emperor, unwilling to see innocent lives destroyed, decided to retreat to Zhuolu, which was under the Yellow Emperor’s domain. The Yan Emperor thought, “If I retreat to the Yellow Emperor’s land, Chiyou will be intimidated by the Yellow Emperor’s power and retreat as well. After that, I can persuade him, for he is my grandson.”
But the compassionate Yan Emperor underestimated Chiyou’s ambition. Chiyou had long coveted the Yellow Emperor’s position, and attacking the Yan Emperor was simply a stepping stone toward that goal. When Chiyou saw that the Yan Emperor had taken refuge in the Yellow Emperor’s territory, he thought that the Yan Emperor had truly been frightened and became even more arrogant. He sat himself in the Yan Emperor’s position and began expanding his army. He even sought to enlist the help of the Miao people from the southwest, a brave and skilled ethnic group. After some persuasion, Chiyou succeeded in forming an alliance with them, further strengthening his forces.
Meanwhile, the Yan Emperor, now in Zhuolu, sent Zhurong to negotiate with Chiyou, urging him to cease hostilities for the sake of the common people. He offered to give Chiyou all of the southern lands in exchange for peace, but Chiyou, now consumed by ambition, had no interest in negotiation. To him, the idea of peace seemed like a fairy tale.
With no other option, the Yan Emperor mobilized his forces to resist Chiyou. However, the Yan Emperor’s forces were outnumbered, and Chiyou’s preparations were thorough. After several battles, the Yan Emperor found himself unable to hold his ground and had no choice but to seek assistance from the Yellow Emperor. This marked the beginning of the epic struggle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou.