Hou Andu came from a prominent clan of Shixing Commandery (始興, roughly modern Shaoguan, Guangdong).
He, as one of Chen's three key lieutenants (along with Du Sengming and Zhou Wenyu (周文育)) subsequently assisted Chen in his campaigns against local warlords Cai Luyang (蔡路養) and Li Qianshi (李遷仕), and, when Chen served as the lieutenant of Emperor Yuan's general Wang Sengbian in 552 in defeating Hou Jing and recapturing Jiankang with contribution from Hou Andu, Emperor Yuan awarded Hou Andu with a general title and created him as the Viscount of Fuchuan.
[3] Chen thereafter resolved to launch the attack, and Wang was caught by surprise when Hou entered his headquarters at the fortress of Shitou, near Jiankang.
Subsequently, when Chen was away from Jiankang to attack Wang's son-in-law Du Kan (杜龕), Hou and Du Leng (杜稜) were left in charge of the capital, and Hou fended the capital against a surprise attack by the generals Xu Sihui (徐嗣徽) and Ren Yue (任約), who were loyal to Wang.
Eventually, when Northern Qi forces ran out of food supplies, Chen's armies crushed them.
For Hou Andu's contributions, Chen initially promoted him to marquess, and then further created him the Duke of Xijiang.
In spring 557, when Xiao Bo (蕭勃) the Marquess of Qujiang and governor of Guang Province (廣州, modern central Guangdong) declared an uprising against the Chen-led imperial administration, Chen initially sent only Zhou to fight Xiao Bo's forces.
When they eventually engaged Wang's at Dunkou (沌口, in modern Wuhan, Hubei), Wang dealt them a crushing defeat—so completely that both Hou and Zhou, as well as their lieutenants Xu Jingcheng (徐敬成), Zhou Tiehu (周鐵虎), and Cheng Lingxi (程靈洗), were all captured.
Wang put Zhou Tiehu, who insulted him, to death, while imprisoning the others, including Hou, in a lower deck on his own command ship.
While Hou Andu was still on the campaign, however, Emperor Wu suffered a sudden illness in summer 559 and soon died, creating a succession crisis—as Emperor Wu's only surviving son, Chen Chang, was then detained by Western Wei's successor state Northern Zhou at its capital Chang'an.
He even proceeded toward Empress Zhang, with his hand on his sword hilt, requesting her to yield the imperial seal.
Only then did Empress Zhang issue an edict having Chen Qian take the throne (as Emperor Wen).
In winter 559, after hearing that Emperor Wu had died, Wang Lin, with Northern Qi assistance, launched a major attack on Chen, hoping to destroy it and reestablish Liang.
After news of Emperor Wu's death reached Northern Zhou, Northern Zhou had sent Chen Chang back to Chen, but because his way was blocked by the territory under Xiao Zhuang's control, he was forced to stop at Anlu (安陸, in modern Xiaogan, Hubei).
Emperor Wen, displeased, nevertheless put on a calm face and summoned Hou Andu, telling him, "The Crown Prince is about to return.
Liu fled to Jin'an (晉安, in modern Fuzhou, Fujian), to his son-in-law Chen Baoying (陳寶應).
(Subsequently, the other generals were able to defeat Chen Baoying and another warlord, Zhou Di (周迪), largely integrating their territories into direct imperial control.)
Emperor Wen initially refused to answer, but after Hou asked again, he responded, "Although it was by the will of Heaven, it is also by your contributions."
Hou began to sense that something was wrong, and he sent his assistant Zhou Hongshi (周弘實) to try to get information from the Cai Jingli.
Cai recorded details of Zhou Hongshi's contact and secretly accused Hou of planning a rebellion.