Dou Chong was serving as the General of the Forbidden Guards of the Left at the time and participated in quelling the rebellion by leading cavalries.
[5] The following month, Fu Jian led a campaign north against Yao Chang, who had broken away and formed his state of Later Qin.
With Dou Chong serving as General of the Left, Fu Jian camped at Fort Zhaoshi (趙氏塢; in present-day Tongchuan, Shaanxi) and defeated Yao Chang numerous times.
There was lack of ration and widespread hunger in Chang'an at the time, so Dou Chong and the generals ordered for the bodies of dead enemies to be carved up and used as food.
Once it reached Dou Chong, he quickly occupied Zichuan (兹川; southeast of Chang'an), where he gathered thousands of followers under his command.
Following the succession, Dou Chong was made Governor of Southern Qinzhou and Grand General of Chariot and Cavalry.
Not long after, Dou Chong attacked Later Qin, capturing the cities of Qiancheng (汧城; present-day Long County, Shaanxi) and Yongcheng (雍城; present-day Fengxiang District, Shaanxi) and killing the generals, Yao Yuanping (姚元平) and Zhang Lue (張略).
In 389, after Fu Deng was forced back into Fort Hukong (胡空堡; in modern day Xianyang, Shaanxi) by Yao Chang, Fu Deng had Dou Chong promoted to Grand Marshal, Chief Controller of Longdong (隴東, roughly modern Baoji, Shaanxi), and Governor of Yongzhou.
He then ordered Dou to advance from Fanchuan (繁川; in modern day Xi'an, Shaanxi) to Later Qin's Chang'an to serve as the vanguard in capturing the city.
Dou Chong reached his highest position in Qin in 392, as Fu Deng made him his Prime Minister of the Left.
From there, he attacked Jin's Administrator of Pingyang (平陽; in modern Linfen, Shanxi), Zhang Yuanxi (張元熙), at Huangtian Castle (皇天塢).
By the middle of 393, Dou Chong's patience had waned, resulting in him rebelling and declaring himself the King of Qin, thus challenging Fu Deng's claimant.
[10] Fu Deng responded to Dou Chong's declaration by attacking him at Fort Yeren (野人堡, in modern Pucheng County, Shaanxi), Dou Chong asked Later Qin for aid, and at the advice of Yin Wei, Yao Chang sent his son Yao Xing to help him.
Dou Chong reached Qianchuan but a Di leader named Chou Gao (仇高) arrested him and sent him to Yao Xing.