In 317, Sima Rui, a member of the royal
clan, was proclaimed emperor under the support of Wang Dao and set up his capital
in Jiankang (today's Nanjing, Jiangsu province). This is known as Eastern Jin Dynasty
in history. In the north, the minorities who had moved inward and Han set 16 authorities
in the Yellow Rover basin, which is called the "16 States".
In the lateter half of the fourth century, Fu Jian, the ruler of the Former Qin
Dynasty, united the north. In 383, Fu Jian led an army south hoping to wipe out
Eastern Jin in one attack. Before the war, some people firmly advised against Fu
Jian doing so, arguing that Eastern Jin Dynasty, with Yangtze River as a natural
barrier, was very difficult to attack. Fu Jian insisted and sid, "We will overwhelm
with numerical strength, so long as every one of us throws a whip into Yangtze River,
its water can not keep flowing!"
Facing the attack from the Former Qin Dynasty's army, Eastern Jin Dynasty decided
to make concerned efforts to fight against the enemy. At that time, the leaders
of Jin army were Xie Shi, Xie Xuan and Liu Laozhi. They had an army of only 80,000
soldiers. In the 10th lunar month Fu Jian's army captured Shouyang (today's Shouxian
county, Anhui province). Fu Jian sent Zhu Xu, a Jin general captured by the Former
Qin army, to Jin army to induce them to capitulate. Seizing the chance of going
to Jin camp, Zhu Xu told Xie Shi that there were only 250,000 Former Qin soldiers
in the front line, and he suggested Jin army launch an attack first.
In the 11th month, Liu Laozhi attacked the Former Qin army with 5,000 crack soldiers
and wiped out 50,000 Former Qin soldiers. Xie Shi and other general advanced on
the crest of the victory and confronted the Former Qin army with each army on one
side of Feishui River. One day, Xie Xuan proposed that it was not convenient for
the two belligerent parties to fight on different sides of the river, and asked
the Former Qin army to draw back. Fu Jian had planned to attack Jin army with his
cavalry when they crossed the river, so he ordered his army to retreat. However,
his soldiers did not known the real meaning of the retreat, and many of them thought
that they had lost the battle. Just at that time, Zhu Xu shouted loudly, "Qin's
army has lost the battle!" This threw the Former Qin's soldiers into great confusion
at once. Jin army took advantage of the occasion and crossed Feishui River. Fu Jian's
soldiers fled desperately and Fu Jian himself got wounded by an arrow. At last,
Fu Jian returned to Chang'an with only a little more than 100,000 soldiers.
This was the famous Battle of Feishui in history, in which a small army defeated
a big one. After the Battle of Feishui, the Former Qin Dynasty fell, and North China
was again rent by independent regimes. Eastern Jin ensured stablity in the south.
Later, Jin's authority was taken by the general Liu Yu who founded Song Dynasty.
During the 170 years from 420 to 589, the south went through four dynasties, namely,
Song, Qi, Liang and Chen, historically know as Southern Dynasties. In 439, Northern
Wei Dynasty unified the northern regimes, and entered into a confrontational situation
with Southern Dynasties. Thus, the history entered a period known as Northern and
Southern Dynasties.
Reference data
The Origin of "Every Bush and Tree Looks Like an Enemy
During Feishui campaign, the Former Qin army and Jin army paddled across Feishui
River, preparing for a decisive battle. One day, Fu Jian boarded the defense wall
of Shouyang city to observe the situation of Jin army. Glancing afar, he found that
Jin army's tents were arranged in an orderly fashion, studying further, the bushes
and trees on opposite Bagong Mountain were shaking, which did not allow one to know
how many Jin soldiers were hidden there. He said to his brother, who was just beside
him, that this was a powerful enemy, how could people say they were weak. After
saying that, his face showed an expression of fear, and he ordered Qin army to keep
a close watch. This is the origin of Chinese idiom of "Every bush and tree looks
like an enemy", which is a metaphor for extreme timidity when one is in extreme
fear.
Previous Next