Emperor Theodosius II starts to reform the…

Emperor Taiwu, with only Cui Hao in support and most other officials opposing, launches a major attack on the Rouran in 429. (The officials who oppose this largely worry that Emperor Wen of Liu Song, who had for years wanted to regain the provinces south of the Yellow River that Emperor Mingyuan captured in 422 and 423, would attack.)

Emperor Taiwu points out that even if Liu Song could attack, it becomes even more crucial to defeat the Rouran first, lest that the Rouran attack at the same time that Liu Song does.

He surprises Yujiulü Datan, whose people scatter, forcing him to flee.

However, as he chases Yujiulü Datan, he himself becomes hesitant to advance further, and he withdraws.

Only later does he hear that he was in fact very close to Yujiulü Datan's position and could have captured the Rouran khan had he chased further, and he regrets his withdrawal.

On the way back, he also attacks Gaoche tribes, and along with the Rouran tribes that he captures, resettles them south of the Gobi Desert and has them practice agriculture.

From this point on, Northern Wei's northern provinces will become rich and no longer lack livestock and leather.

He greatly rewards Cui, and from this point accepts Cui's advice at all times.

Feng Ba, formally Wencheng, an emperor (but using the title "Heavenly Prince": Tian Wang) of the Chinese state Northern Yan, had become emperor after Gao Yun (Emperor Huiyi), whom he supported in a 407 coup that overthrew Murong Xi of Later Yan, was assassinated in 409.

During his reign, Northern Yan has largely maintained its territorial integrity but made no headway against the much stronger rival Northern Wei.

He is said to have had more than 100 sons.

In 426, Feng Ba's crown prince Feng Yong dies, and he creates another son, Feng Yi, crown prince.

Seriously ill in 430, Feng Ba issues an edict transferring authority to Feng Yi.

However, Feng Ba's favorite concubine Consort Song wants to have her son Feng Shouju inherit the throne, and therefore tells Feng Yi that Feng Ba will soon recover and that he should not be so anxious to take over authority; Feng Yi agrees and withdraws to his palace.

Consort Song then falsely issues orders in Feng Ba's name cutting off communications with the outside, and Feng Yi and Feng Ba's other sons, as well as imperial officials, are not allowed to see Feng Ba.

Only one of her trusted officials, Hu Fu, is able to enter the palace to be in charge of security.

However, Hu is secretly resentful of Consort Song's ambitions, and he informs Feng Ba’s brother Feng Hong, who is prime minister, of her intentions.

Feng Hong immediately attacks the palace and seizes control.

Feng Ba, hearing of this, dies in shock.

Feng Hong now takes the throne himself as Emperor Zhaocheng and, after defeating Feng Yi's troops, slaughters all of Feng Ba's sons.

Liu Song launches a major attack in spring 430, and Emperor Taiwu, judging his own defenses south of the Yellow River to be unable to withstand a Liu Song attack, withdraws them north, judging correctly that Liu Song forces would stop at the Yellow River, planning to counterattack in the winter after the river freezes.

Meanwhile, Emperor Taiwu, hearing that Liu Song and Xia had subsequently entered into a treaty to attack him and divide Northern Wei lands, judges correctly that despite the treaty Liu Song has no intention of crossing the Yellow River north, and he decides to destroy Xia once and for all.

In fall 430, he makes a surprise attack on the new Xia capital Pingliang (in modern Pingliang), while Helian Ding is engaging Western Qin's prince Qifu Mumo, putting Pingliang under siege, but although he now sends Helian Chang to Pingliang to try to persuade its defender, Helian Shegan, younger brother to both Helian Chang and Helian Ding, to surrender, Pingliang will not fall quickly.

However, the Northern Wei general Tuxi Bi engages Helian Ding as Helian Ding is trying to relieve Pingliang, defeats him and surrounds him at the Chungu Plains (also in modern Pingliang).

Northern Wei forces surrounds him, and his army becomes hungry and thirsty.

After several days, he forcibly fights his way out of the siege, but his forces mostly collapse, and he himself is badly injured.

He gathers the remaining forces and flees to …

…Shanggui.

Helian Chang surrenders around the new year, 431.

Nearly all former Xia territory is now in Northern Wei hands. (Upon recovering Daxi Jin from Xia captivity, Emperor Taiwu punishes him for his failures by temporarily making him the imperial porter in charge of serving meals, but soon pardons him and restores him to his princely title.)

The Northern Yan state is subject to incessant attacks by the neighboring rival Northern Wei, and becomes particularly true after Northern Wei annexes all of the territory of Xia in 431 and therefore no longer has a major western rival to deal with.

Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei makes periodic attacks to pillage Northern Yan territory and then withdraws, draining Northern Yan of food supplies and other resources and weakening it.

While Feng Hong had been the Duke of Zhongshan, his wife had been Lady Wang, who bore him at least three sons, Feng Chong, Feng Lang, and Feng Miao.

However, in 431, Feng Hong, now emperor, creates Lady Murong his princess instead.

Emperor Taiwu's generals, as he has instructed while on his Xia campaign, cross the Yellow River when it freezes in winter 430-31, and quickly recapture Luoyang and ...

...Hulao (in modern Zhengzhou, Henan).

They soon force the retreat of the main Liu Song force, under the command of the Liu Song general Dao Yanzhi, and ...

...trap the remaining Liu Song troops at Huatai (in modern Anyang, Henan).

A relief mission by the Liu Song general Tan Daoji can not reach Huatai, and by spring 431, Huatai falls.

All of the lands lost to Liu Song a year earlier have been regained. (Emperor Taiwu, in another action typical of him, rewards the Liu Song general Zhu Xiuzhi, who had held Huatai for months faithfully, by giving him a daughter of an imperial clan member in marriage.

Emperor Taiwu makes his first proposal of a marriage between the two imperial families to Liu Song in summer 431.

(Based on subsequent events, it appears to be a proposal of marriage between a son of his and a daughter of Emperor Wen's, but by this point it is not completely clear.)

Emperor Wen response is ambiguous.

From this point on, Emperor Taiwu will repropose the marriage on a near-annual basis, with the same kind of response from Emperor Wen.

At the same time, however, he does enter into peaceful relations with the Rouran by returning a number of captured Rouran generals.