In 548, when Hou Jing, formerly an Eastern Wei general, rebelled against Emperor Wu and quickly put the capital Jiankang under siege, Xiao Yi did not personally lead forces to aid Jiankang; rather, he sent his heir apparent Xiao Fangdeng (蕭方等) and Wang Sengbian. They arrived in Jiankang's vicinity in spring 549, and accepted command, as did the generals of the other provincial forces, of the general Liu Zhongli (柳仲禮).
In 548, when Hou Jing, a former Eastern Wei general, rebelled against Emperor Wu and quickly besieged the capital Jiankang, Xiao Yi did not personally lead forces to aid Jiankang; instead, he sent his heir apparent Xiao Fangdeng (蕭方等) and Wang Sengbian. They arrived in Jiankang's vicinity by spring 549 and accepted command from other provincial generals under Liu Zhongli (柳仲禮).