NFBE Chapter 334: 8 vs. 8
Chapter 334: 8 vs. 8
[One of the 72 famous generals in ancient times, he fought against an army of 800,000 in the Battle of Feishui with only 80,000 men, and finally won a great victory. Historical trivia and historical figures]
8 men defeated an army of 80. This is the famous Battle of Feishui in history. At that time, the army of the Former Qin Dynasty was so large that it even blocked the course of the Feishui River.
The powerful Former Qin Dynasty never recovered from this defeat, and the newly unified North was divided again. So, who was the leader of this battle? What methods did he use to instantly defeat such a huge Former Qin army?
In 383 AD, the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Former Qin Dynasty in the north fought the Battle of Feishui. The Former Qin Dynasty had an absolute advantage of 80 soldiers, while the Eastern Jin Dynasty had only 8 soldiers.
However, unexpectedly, the Eastern Jin Dynasty won at a disadvantage and defeated the Former Qin Dynasty, creating a military miracle of defeating the larger force with the smaller one.
Of course, the protagonist of this battle was not the royal family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but the Xie family's courage and bravery, which enabled the crumbling Eastern Jin Dynasty to survive for more than 10 years. Among them, Xie Xuan showed amazing military talent.
In 343 AD, during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie Xuan of the Eastern Jin Xie family was born in Yangxia, Chenjun. His father was Xie Yi, the governor of Yuzhou at the time, and his uncle was Xie An, the imperial tutor of the time.
When he was young, Xie Xuan was very intelligent and had an ability to understand things beyond ordinary people.
After he became an adult, he demonstrated outstanding ability in governing the country, for which he was treated with courtesy and respect by Grand Marshal Huan Wen, and was appointed as the governor of Lingnan County.
At that time, the Former Qin was at its peak, and the imperial court was collecting food and money to resist foreign enemies. Xie An did not shy away from their kinship and recommended Xie Xuan to take up an important position.
Although the court was opposed to this, Xi Chao, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, who had always been at odds with Xie Xuan, was quite supportive because he had personally witnessed Xie Xuan's ability to use people wisely. The court therefore recalled Xie Xuan and appointed him as the Prime Minister of Guangling.
After Xie Xuan took office in Guangling, he began to recruit brave men and obtained many powerful generals such as Liu Laozhi and He Qian.
In particular, Liu Laozhi, who was appointed as a military officer, showed his prowess in a series of subsequent wars, and the elite division he led was invincible. Therefore, Xie Xuan's troops were given the title of "Northern Palace Soldiers", which frightened the soldiers and generals of the Former Qin Dynasty.
In 378 AD, Fu Jian of the Former Qin had successfully unified the north, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty became his only rival. Therefore, the Former Qin army attacked Xiangyang in two directions. Xiangyang fell the following year, and the Former Qin general Peng Chao took advantage of the victory to attack Pengcheng.
Xie Xuan originally planned to lead troops to rescue, but he could not find a way to advance, so he sent someone to sneak into Pengcheng to inform the garrison general and prepare to attack Peng Chao together.
However, the generals he sent out were killed by the enemy, so Xie Xuan adopted another strategy.
He learned from intelligence that Peng Chao's military supplies were stored in the grain road, so he adopted a strategy of feinting to the east and attacking in the west, threatening to seize the grain road. In order to make Peng Chao believe it, he also asked He Qian to lead his troops to march in the direction of the grain road.
When Peng Chao discovered that the Jin army was sending out troops, he immediately used his elite troops to protect the grain route, but he did not expect He Qian to suddenly change route and launch an attack on the Qin army in Pengcheng.
Pengcheng was relieved due to the reduction of Qin's military strength. Peng Chao then continued to attack Xuyi and surrounded Youzhou Governor Tian Luo with a force of more than 6 men.
Zhu Xu and other right-wingers of the Former Qin were preparing for a decisive battle with the Jin army. The Eastern Jin court immediately sent several generals to rescue them, but they suffered a defeat in Xuyi and had to retreat.
When the court of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was shocked, Xie Xuan stepped forward again and sent troops from Guangling to the west to attack Zhu Xu and others. His army was invincible and the enemy retreated step by step.
At the same time, He Qian took advantage of Xie Xuan's momentum to attack Peng Chao, who was defeated again, and Tian Luo was able to rescue him. The Jin army defeated the Former Qin at Bai Ma and killed two fierce generals.
Peng Chao and Zhu Xu could only lead their troops to retreat, while Xie Xuan led He Qian and Tian Luo to continue the pursuit and defeated them in Junchuan. The transport ships of the Former Qin were also destroyed by Liu Laozhi, and the Qin army was immediately defeated. Xie Xuan was promoted to General Guanjun for his outstanding achievements.
In 383 AD, Fu Jian personally led a million-strong army southward. In October of the same year, the Former Qin conquered Shouyang and captured many Jin army generals.
Xie Xuan then led 8 Northern Army soldiers with strong combat effectiveness to meet the Qin army, and at the same time sent Liu Laozhi to lead 5000 elite troops to attack the Qin army stationed in Luojian.
In one battle, he killed two enemy generals, and the Qin army's infantry and cavalry fled instantly. Liu Laozhi pursued the victory, captured several enemy generals alive, and annihilated many people in the Former Qin army.
Later, Fu Jian, who was stationed in Shouyang, stationed a large number of troops at Feishui in order to curb the offensive of the Jin army. He believed that Xie Xuan would not dare to cross the river to attack, but Xie Xuan saw the flaw of the Qin army.
Since the enemy's army is too large, if we cause them to panic, a serious stampede will easily occur, and we can then defeat them in one fell swoop.
Therefore, Xie Xuan sent an envoy to the Former Qin military camp, trying to provoke Fu Jian into ordering a retreat, meaning to leave a way for the Jin army to land, and then let the soldiers of both sides engage in a decisive battle.
Fu Jian's generals believed that this was not the right approach and that the status quo should be maintained to deplete the morale of the Jin army.
However, under Xie Xuan's provocation, Fu Jian insisted on changing his strategy, preparing to drive the Jin army into the river with hundreds of thousands of cavalry when they landed, and completely destroy the Jin army. Fu Jian's strategy was supported by General Fu Rong, who ordered the entire army to retreat.
This move was exactly what Xie Xuan wanted. He immediately led his troops across the river, while the Jin army on the other side cooperated with the Qin army from behind.
The huge Qin army was in chaos during the retreat, and the chain reaction caused serious trampling. At this time, Xie Xuan's 7 troops had crossed the Fei River and launched a fierce attack.
The Former Qin army had no power to fight back, and countless people trampled each other or drowned.
Fu Rong, a general of the Former Qin, was also killed in battle, and Fu Jian was seriously injured and fled. Xie Xuan's son Xie Yan won a great victory, and the seized supplies and treasures piled up like a mountain. More than 70 soldiers of the Former Qin were annihilated or fled. As a result, the north was once again divided into multiple regimes.
After the war, the court of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was ready to confer an additional title on Xie Xuan, but he refused to accept it and continued to serve as a vanguard, pacifying several prefectures and counties occupied by the Former Qin. However, the ministers in the court at that time believed that the war had lasted for a long time and that it was time to switch from offense to defense and recuperate, so they recalled Xie Xuan, who was still in his prime. Xie Xuan thought this move was inappropriate, but it was not approved.
In anger, he requested to be relieved of all his duties, but the court did not grant his request. Xie Xuan was later ordered to go to Huaiyin to rest, but he became depressed and ill due to his resentment.
He wrote a sad memorial to the court, hoping that the court would grant his request, so that he could rest assured and recuperate, and repay the court's kindness when he recovered.
However, his memorial was detained for a long time before he received a reply, and the result was that he went to Kuaiji to continue his post. At this time, Xie Xuan had completely lost confidence in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and became more anxious about such an imperial edict. He eventually died of illness on the way at the age of 46.
In 420 AD, Liu Yu replaced the Eastern Jin Dynasty and established the Liu Song Dynasty. Among the people who were granted titles in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, only five were not abolished, one of whom was Xie Xuan. He was also listed as one of the 5 famous generals in ancient times by later generations.
[The God of War Emperor Tuoba Gui insisted on marrying someone he shouldn't have, and ended up being ruined by their son. Historical trivia and historical figures]
He was originally a hero known as the "God of War" who unified North China with his outstanding military ability and great luck. However, he was also a brutal monarch with a murderous nature, and many of his meritorious officials were brutally killed.
In the end, he died at the hands of his own son because of a twisted marriage. Today, we will learn about Tuoba Gui, the founding emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
In 376 AD, northern China was in the Sixteen Kingdoms period. The Former Qin Dynasty had just destroyed the Dai Kingdom, and the six-year-old Tuoba Gui, a descendant of the royal family of the Dai Kingdom, almost became a victim of political struggle. The Former Qin Emperor Fu Jian originally planned to move Tuoba Gui to Chang'an, but at the suggestion of his ministers, he kept him in his hometown.
However, Tuoba Gui's life did not become stable. At that time, part of the territory of Dai was controlled by Liu Kuren of the Dugu tribe. Tuoba Gui, led by his mother He, lived in the Dugu tribe and was under the command of Liu Kuren together with other old officials of Dai. Although Liu Kuren still served Tuoba Gui and his mother with the old etiquette, their situation was still extremely dangerous.
In 383 AD, the Former Qin Dynasty fought against the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the south at the Battle of Feishui. The Former Qin army, which claimed to have 80 soldiers, was defeated and the north fell into division again. The former tribal regimes were restored one after another. Liu Kuren died in the battle against the Later Yan Dynasty, and Tuoba Gui lost an important security guarantee.
The death of Liu Kuren put Tuoba Gui in a more dangerous situation. Ambitious people began to make moves. As a descendant of the royal family of Dai, Tuoba Gui naturally became the target of public criticism. The first to bear the brunt was Liu Kuren's nephew Liu Xian.
Two years later, Liu Xian killed his uncle who had taken over his father's power, and planned to murder Tuoba Gui in order to establish himself as king.
Fortunately, the matter was leaked by Liu Xian's men, and Tuoba Gui fled to his mother's Helan tribe with the help of his mother. However, his uncle, He Rangan, the leader of the Helan tribe, also tried to kill him many times. Fortunately, someone informed him and Tuoba Gui was spared.
In February 386 AD, the 2-year-old Tuoba Gui was reinstated as King of Dai with the support of his supporters. In May of the same year, the country's name was changed to Wei, known in history as the Northern Wei Dynasty, with Shengle of Dai as its capital.
However, Tuoba Gui still faced internal and external troubles. His uncle Tuoba Gu colluded with Liu Xian in order to fight for the throne, which led to the internal turmoil of the Northern Wei regime.
At that time, the Northern Wei Dynasty was surrounded by enemies on all sides and the situation was very serious.
To deal with this situation, Tuoba Gui formed an alliance with Hou Yan and obtained strategic assistance.
In October of the same year, Tuoba Gui's uncle Tuoba Gu led his army to approach. Tuoba Gui joined forces with the Later Yan army and defeated the enemy. Tuoba Gu fled to the Helan tribe and was killed. After Tuoba Gui annexed his tribe, he gradually gained the strength to fight independently.
In the following four years, he successively defeated the Dugu tribe, the Meige tribe, and the Gaoche tribe. Liu Xian of the Dugu tribe was forced to surrender to the Later Yan, and the Gaoche tribe's population and livestock totaling more than 20 people were all owned by the Northern Wei.
In 391 AD, the 20-year-old Tuoba Gui had become increasingly powerful in the face of adversity and began to attack the Rouran who refused to surrender.
The Rouran retreated due to their ineffective resistance. Tuoba Gui pursued them like a hungry wolf, even slaughtering horses for food when there was no rations. Finally, he forced the Rouran leader to abandon his troops and surrender.
After that, Tuoba Gui turned his attention to his arch-enemy, the Xiongnu Tiele tribe, and drowned more than 5000 Xiongnu people in the Yellow River. The leader of the Tiele tribe, Shanyu Liu Weichen, was killed by his men while fleeing. By then, Tuoba Gui had defeated most of his powerful enemies and became one of the strongest forces in the north.
Feud with Hou Yan
At that time, the Northern Wei and the Later Yan were originally countries with a marriage alliance. Tuoba Gui became friendly with the Later Yan because of the latter's help in his early years of restoring his country.
However, as the Northern Wei became stronger, Tuoba Gui began to have the ambition to destroy the Later Yan. The Later Yan also had its own plans, and wanted to control the development of the Northern Wei, so it took the lead in provoking trouble.
In 394 AD, Hou Yan detained the envoys of Northern Wei and asked Tuoba Gui to provide military assistance to Hou Yan. The relationship between the two sides broke down due to Tuoba Gui's refusal, and Northern Wei began to unite with Hou Qin to deal with Hou Yan.
In 395 AD, the Later Yan sent out an army of 10 to attack the Northern Wei. Tuoba Gui knew that he could not fight head-on, so he led his troops to avoid the battle. The Later Yan directly surrendered more than 3 tribes of the Northern Wei, and then confronted Tuoba Gui on both sides of the Yellow River.
At that time, the Later Yan Emperor Murong Chui, who was in the capital, was already ill, and this expedition was commanded by his son Murong Bao.
During the confrontation, Tuoba Gui sent people to guard the road between Yandu and the front line, captured the envoy of Later Yan, and forced him to falsely tell the Yan army that Murong Chui had died of illness. This move really succeeded in shaking the morale of the Yan army and caused serious civil unrest.
Murong Bao was forced to burn his ships and withdraw his troops, and Tuoba Gui subsequently sent 2 cavalrymen to pursue and defeat the Yan army at Chanhe Pond, capturing more than 10 soldiers of the Later Yan. However, at the suggestion of his ministers, Tuoba Gui buried all the captives alive, which is known in history as the "Battle of Chanhe Pond".
Before Tuoba Gui's joy of victory faded, Murong Chui personally led his army to attack Wei again. More than 3 people in Pingcheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty were captured in a surprise attack, and Murong Bao was immediately ordered to press on the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Tuoba Gui was very frightened by the powerful offensive of Later Yan. He was originally prepared to abandon Shengle and avoid the sharp edge, but a dramatic scene happened at the critical moment: Murong Chui actually fell ill due to grief and anger after seeing the corpses in the Battle of Chanhebi. Later Yan had to retreat back to Yandu, and Murong Chui eventually died of illness on the way.
This enabled Tuoba Gui to successfully overcome the crisis. Of course, Murong Chui's death also became an opportunity for Tuoba Gui to fight back.
In 396 AD, after reorganizing his forces, Tuoba Gui personally led an army of 8 to attack Hou Yan in August of the same year. After two years of hard fighting, Tuoba Gui finally dominated North China.
At this time in the north, the Former Qin had been changed to the Later Qin, and the Northern Wei, which had been fighting for a long time, sent envoys with a thousand horses as a gesture of friendship in order to recuperate.
However, since Tuoba Gui had already made Murong his empress, the Later Qin Dynasty used this as an excuse to reject the Northern Wei's overtures and also detained the Northern Wei envoys.
Tuoba Gui then launched an attack on the Later Qin, and his momentum shook the Qin capital Chang'an. Later, Yao Xing, the monarch of the Later Qin, ordered an attack, but the army led by Qin general Yao Ping was besieged by Tuoba Gui at Chaibi.
Four months later, the Qin army was forced to break out due to the loss of food and grass, but ultimately failed. Yao Ping committed suicide by drowning, and more than 4 Qin soldiers and more than 2 important officials were captured. Tuoba Gui was ready to continue the attack, but was forced to withdraw his troops due to the rebellion of the Rouran.