Struggles within the Jie Later Zhao regime had resulted in the benefit of Ran Min, who by 350 CE has taken over the regime and massacred the entire ruling Shi family, with the exception of one cousin of Shi Jian, the last emperor of Later Zhao, who leads an uprising against him, beginning the Wei–Jie war.
Shi Jian's cousin, Shi Zhi, had been a Later Zhao general at Xiangguo.
On hearing that Ran Min had massacred the Shi family and declared himself emperor, Shi Zhi had raised a rebellion against Ran Min.
He is quickly joined by several other Later Zhao border armies, mostly composed of Jie soldiers and who despise Ran Min's rule, as well as many other Wu Hu nations.
When he hears of the Jie revolt against him, Ran Min issues his famous "extermination order", in which he calls on the Chinese to kill all the Wu Hu who had conquered them half a century earlier.
The effect is immense; some two hundred thousand Jie are killed in Yecheng (the Wei capital) in a few days, and brutal fighting breaks out between Chinese and Wu Hu throughout North China.
Meanwhile, Ran Min's army meets the main rebel forces under Shi Zhi and defeats them at the Battle of Yecheng.
In spring 351, Ran Min besieges Shi Zhi's capital Xiangguo.
Shi Zhi seeks aid from Former Yan's prince Murong Jun and is able to deal Ran a major defeat.
At this time, the Xiongnu soldiers in Yecheng rebel, capture his son Ran Yin, and surrender to Shi Zhi, who executes Ran Yin.
Ran Min is thought to be dead, but when he appears in Yecheng, the city is calmed.
Shi Zhi has his general Liu Xian besiege Yecheng, but Ran Min defeats Liu in battle and awes him so much that Liu agrees that once he returns to Xiangguo, he will kill Shi Zhi and surrender.
He does so and sends Shi Zhi's head to Ran Min, and Ran Min has Shi Zhi's head burned on a busy street in Yecheng.
Later Zhao is at its final end.
The city of Xiangguo is burned, and its population moved to Yecheng.
Following the victory at Xiangguo, Ran Min's forces proceed northwards and defeat two Later Zhao border armies.
Wherever he capture territory from the rebels, Ran Min's forces massacre any Wu Hu living there, burying them in large pits.
Some one hundred thousand are reputedly killed in this way.
Thousands of Wu Hu flee China or are killed.
