The Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Feishui

A strategic decisive battle to lay the foundation for Cao Cao's unification of the North

Guandu, located in the north of Xuchang (now Xuchang City, Henan Province) and south of the Yellow River, is a military stronghold from Hebei to Henan and is famous for its Guandu War, which shocked the world.

Although the vigorous peasant uprising at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was suppressed, it dealt a heavy blow to the rule of the landlord class and made the decadent Eastern Han regime exist in name only. In the process of suppressing the Yellow turban insurrectionary, state and county officials monopolized the military and political power, and the landlords organized a trilogy (private armed forces) to occupy the territory, forming separatist forces of all sizes, which evolved into a long-term struggle for power and profit and mutual annexation, resulting in the tragic scene of "white bones exposed in the wild, thousands of miles without chickens crowing" in the Central Plains. At that time, the separatist forces mainly included Yuan Shao in Hebei, Zhang Yang in Hanoi, Cao Cao in Yu Yan, Lu Bu in Xuzhou, Yuan Shu in Yangzhou, Sun Ce in Jiangdong, Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Gongsun Zan in Youzhou and Zhang Xiu in Nanyang. In the years of these separatist forces, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao gradually developed and expanded.

In the third year of Jian 'an (198), Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan and occupied the land of Qing, You, Ji and Sizhou. In the first year of Jian 'an, Cao Cao took Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty to Xuchang, forming a situation of "holding the emperor to make the princes" and gaining political advantage. In the spring of the second year of Jian 'an (197), Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province). Cao Cao attacked and destroyed Yuan Shu in the name of "Feng Zhao can't be a minister". Then destroy Lu Bu and use the infighting of the propaganda department to obtain Hanoi County. From then on, Cao Cao's influence reached Guanzhong in the west and Yanzhou, Henan and Xuzhou in the east, controlling most of the areas south of the Yellow River and north of Huai Han, thus forming a confrontation with Yuan Shao in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Yuan Shao's strength at that time far exceeded that of Cao Cao, so he was naturally unwilling to be under Cao Cao. He is determined to fight against Cao Cao. In June of the fourth year of Jian 'an (199), Yuan Shao selected 65,438+10,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 war horses in an attempt to attack Xu Changnan, and the battle of Guandu began.

The news of Yuan Shaoju's troops going south reached Xuchang, and Cao Cao thought that Yuan Jun was powerful and invincible. However, according to his understanding of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao thought Yuan Shao was ambitious, lacking in courage, despicable and ungrateful, headstrong, too many soldiers to command clearly, and he would be arrogant and have different orders, so he decided to confront Yuan Shao's attack with tens of thousands of troops he could concentrate. In order to gain the strategic initiative, he made the following arrangements: sending elite troops into Qingzhou (now Linyi North, Shandong Province), occupying Qi (now Linzi, Shandong Province), Beihai (now Changle, Shandong Province), Dong 'an (now Yishui County, Shandong Province) and other places to contain Yuan Shao, consolidate the right wing and prevent Xuchang from attacking from the east; Cao Cao led his troops into Liyang, Jizhou (now east of Xunxian County, Henan Province, on the north bank of the Yellow River), and ordered him to ride two thousand men to guard the important ferry on the south bank of the Yellow River (now north of Henan Province), assist the prefect of Dongjun to guard Baima (now east of Huaxian County, Henan Province, south bank of the Yellow River), prevent Yuan Jun from crossing the river, and at the same time set up a base in Guandu (now northeast of Zhongmou, Henan Province) to stop Yuan Shao. Send someone to subdue Guanzhong, take Liangzhou and stabilize the flank. Judging from the above arrangements, Cao Cao's strategic policy is not to divide his troops to defend the south bank of the Yellow River, but to concentrate his forces, guard key passes and focus on fortifications for the enemy. Judging from the situation at that time, this deployment was appropriate. First of all, there are more Yuan Shaobing than Cao Cao and Serenade, and there are many places to cross the Yellow River. If we divide our forces to stop the code from going south, it will not only be difficult to stop Yuan Jun from going south, but also make his already inferior forces more dispersed. Secondly, Guandu is located in the upper reaches of the gap and is close to Bianshui. Xiaqu, which connects Hulao Pass, Gongguan and Luoguan in the west and Huaisi Pass in the east, is a barrier between the north and the south of Xuchang, an important Tianjin and a battleground for Yuan Shao to seize Xuchang. In addition, Guandu is close to Xuchang, and the logistics supply is more convenient than Yuan Jun. In December of the fourth year of Jian 'an (199), when Cao Cao was deploying to fight against Yuan Shao, Liu Bei rose up against Cao Cao, occupied Xiapi, and moved the capital to Pei County (now Pei County, Jiangsu Province). Increase to tens of thousands of people, and contact Yuan Shao, intending to jointly attack Cao. In order to keep Xuchang in touch with the Qing and Yan States and avoid fighting on both sides, Cao Cao personally led a good soldier to crusade against Liu Bei in February of the following year, quickly occupied Pei County, turned to Xiapi and forced Guan Yu to land. Liu Bei was wiped out and fled to Hebei alone to go to Yuan Shao. At the height of the fierce battle between Cao and Liu, Tian Feng, Yuan Shao's counselor, suggested that Yuan Shao "lead the army to attack the rear", but Yuan Shao refused to adopt it on the grounds that his son was ill, which led Cao Cao to defeat Liu Bei calmly and return to Guandu.

In the first month of the fifth year of Jian 'an (200), Yuan Shao sent Chen Lin to write a campaign and published it, in which Cao Cao was cursed. In February, he marched into Liyang, attempted to cross the river, and sought a decisive battle with the main force of Jun. First, he sent Yan Liang to attack Ada, the satrap of Baima East County, in an attempt to seize the south bank of the Yellow River to ensure that the main force crossed the river. In April, in order to take the initiative, Cao Cao won the first battle and personally led the troops to the north to rescue the white horse. At this time, Xun You, the counselor, thought that Yuan Shaobing was numerous, and suggested that a diversion should be made to disperse troops. First led the troops to Yanjin, crossed the river in disguise, attacked the rear of Yuan Yuan, let Yuan Shaobing divide his troops and March westward, and then sent a light horse to attack Yuan Jun, who was attacking the white horse, so as to defeat Yan Liang. Cao Cao adopted this suggestion, and Yuan Shao was sure to divide his troops and delay Tianjin. Cao Cao took the opportunity to lead a Qingqi and sent Zhang Liao and Guan Yu as pioneers, eager for a white horse. Guan Yu quickly approached Yan, Yan Liang was killed and Yuan Jun was defeated. After Cao Cao solved the siege of Baima, the people who migrated to Baima retreated westward along the Yellow River. Yuan Shao led the army to cross the river in pursuit, and the army went south to Yanjin, and sent generals Wen Chou and Liu Bei to continue to lead the troops in pursuit of Jun. At that time, Cao Cao had only 600 cavalry, stationed under Nansakan (Baima South), while Yuan Junda rode five or six thousand, followed by infantry. Cao Cao ordered the soldiers to untie their saddles and release their horses, deliberately leaving the trench by the roadside. As soon as Yuan Jun saw the recruits, he began to fight for property. Cao Cao suddenly attacked, finally defeated Yuan Jun, killed Wen Chou and returned to Guandu smoothly.

Yuan Jun lost the first battle, but his troops still had the upper hand. In July, he marched into Wu Yang (now Zhongmou North, Henan Province) and prepared to attack Xu Changnan. In August, Yuan Jun's main force approached Guandu, and camped in the sand pile, which was about dozens of miles wide from east to west. Cao Cao also camped and confronted Yuan Jun .. In September, Cao Jun once attacked, failed to win, and returned to the camp to hold on. Yuan Shao built a tower and a mountain, and hit Cao Ying with an arrow. Cao Jun built a mine car with a riprap device, which destroyed the building built by Yuan Jun ... Yuan Jun dug a tunnel to attack again, and Cao Jun also dug a long trench in the camp to resist. After three months of stalemate between the two sides, Cao Cao almost lost the confidence to persist, because of the difficult external environment, the lack of food in the front serenade, the fatigue of the foot soldiers and the instability in the rear. Hey? Tunnel. Cao Cao is determined to stick to the crisis and strengthen defense. Ren Jun, who is in charge of logistics supply, was ordered to take the 10 road column as one, shorten the distance between the front and rear of the motorcade, and adopt multiple arrays (two arrays) to strengthen the escort to prevent Yuan Jun from attacking. On the other hand, he actively sought and captured fighters, defeated Yuan Jun, and quickly sent Huang Xu and Shi Huan to intercept and burn thousands of grain trucks in Yuan Jun, which increased the difficulties in Yuan Jun.

In October of the same year, Yuan Shao sent a car to transport grain, and Chunyu Qiong led the troops with 10,000 escorts, stationed in the old city (in Yanjin County, Henan Province) and Wu Chao (now southeast of Henan Province) about 20 kilometers north of Yuan Jun Daying. Just then, Yuan Shao's counselor Xu You surrendered to Cao Cao and suggested that Cao Cao take the Wu Dynasty lightly and burn his trench. Cao Cao immediately put it into practice, leaving Cao Hong and Xun You to guard the camp, personally led the troops to ride 5,000, falsely used the banner, tied the horse's mouth with medals, each with a pile of firewood, and attacked Wu's lair in the dark. Upon arrival, they immediately surrounded and set fire to it. Yuan Shao heard that Cao Cao attacked the Wu Dynasty and made a mistake. He only sent an army to save Wu Chao, and then rushed into Cao Jun's camp in Guandu with his main force. I just know that Cao Caoqiang can't attack. When Jun rushed to Wu Chao Chunyu Qiong Barracks, Yuan Shao's reinforcements were approaching. Cao fought to the death, defeated, killed Chunyu Qiong and burned all his food. The news that Wu Chao's grain and grass were burned spread to the front line in Yuan Jun, which shook people's hearts and divided them internally. Cao Jun took advantage of the situation and defeated Yuan Jun .. Yuan Shao returned to Hebei in a panic with 800 riders, and successively annihilated and trapped more than 70,000 Yuan Jun. The battle of Guandu ended in Yuan's defeat. Later, Cao Cao went north to destroy Yuan Shang, the son of Yuan Yuan and Yuan Shao, and wrote "Viewing the Sea" on Jieshi Mountain.

The battle of Guandu was the key battle for the transformation of Yuan Cao's power. At that time, the northern part of China was divided and unified, which had an extremely important impact on the development of the history of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Jun's victory in this battle was not accidental. Although the dispute over the merger of Yuan and Cao belonged to the struggle between feudal separatist forces, it objectively satisfied the people's desire to achieve regional reunification.

Cao Cao suppressed the strongmen politically and won the support of the small and medium-sized landlord class; "Holding the emperor to make the princes" put him in a favorable political position; Pay attention to recruiting talents and get the support of landlord class intellectuals; Reclaiming farmland economically not only effectively solved the logistics supply, but also stabilized social life to a certain extent and won the hearts of the people. In addition, excellent operational guidance is also an important factor in his victory. According to the specific situation that the enemy is strong and we are weak, Cao Cao adopted the operational policy of taking a step back, waiting for success, and then attacking it. In defensive operations, we can strive for initiative and flexible command from passivity; In the face of crisis, we must be firm and calm; Be good at capturing fighters and implementing them decisively; Be good at listening to the opinions of subordinates, firmly grasp the key link of surprise attack on Wu Chao, and finally win. On the other hand, Yuan Shao indulged the strongmen politically, annexed land and plundered wantonly, so he was opposed by the people. Yuan Shao was divided internally, arrogant and headstrong, unable to adopt the correct suggestions of the Ministry, hesitant and repeatedly missed opportunities. In the end, the grain and grass were burned, the roads in the rear were copied, the morale of the army was shaken, the internal division was broken, and the whole army was wiped out.

Battle of feishui

Feishui in 383 (now Wabu Lake in Anhui)

The Battle of Feishui is a famous example in the history of China. Decided the long-term division pattern of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

The corrupt politics at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty triggered great social unrest, and the history of China entered the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the south, Si Marui, the evil king of Jinlang, proclaimed himself emperor in Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) in 3 17 A.D. and established the Eastern Jin Dynasty, occupying most areas south of Hanshui River and Huaihe River. In the north, there are many disputes between ethnic minority regimes. The pre-Qin Dynasty established by Di Ren destroyed, Dai and other separatist countries, and unified the Yellow River basin. Later in 373 AD, the Eastern Jin captured Liang (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and Yi (now Chengdu, Sichuan), and its influence extended to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Hanshui River. Fu Jian [URL], the former emperor of Qin Dynasty, was ambitious, hoping to destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which was partial to the south of the Yangtze River, and unify the north and the south with the trend of "autumn leaves sweeping the south".

In August 383, Fu Jian led 600,000 infantry, 270,000 cavalry and 30,900,000 guards from Chang 'an to the south. At the same time, Fu Jian ordered Zitong prefect Pei Yuanlve to lead 70,000 navy divisions down the river from Bashu to March on Jiankang. Nearly a million marches "travel thousands of miles back and forth, moving in opposite directions." East and West Wan Li, land and water go hand in hand. Fu Jian proudly declared: "Take my countless trips and throw the whip in the river to stop it from flowing." "This is the origin of the famous allusion" pumping out traffic ".

The Eastern Jin Dynasty faced a critical moment of life and death under the pressure of a strong enemy, and the hawks headed by Prime Minister Xie An decided to stand up and resist. On the recommendation of Xie An, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty appointed Xie Shi, Xie An's younger brother, as the conquering viceroy, and Xie Xuan, Xie An's nephew, as the pioneer, led 80,000 "Beifu soldiers" with strong fighting capacity to meet Qin Jun's main force along the west of Huaihe River, and Hu Bin was sent to lead the water army to reinforce Shouyang (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province). Huan Chong was also named Jiangzhou Secretariat, and led the 654.38+ Wanjin Army to control the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, preventing the Qin and Bashu armies from going down the river.

10 On June 8th, Fu Jian's brother Fu Rong led Qin Jun's vanguard troops to capture Shouyang, and captured Xu Yuanxi, commander-in-chief of 8 Jin Army. At the same time, Qin Jun Mu Rongchui captured Yuncheng (now Yunxian County, Hubei Province). On the way, Hu Bin, who was ordered to lead the water army to rescue Shouyang, learned that Shouyang had been breached by Fu Rong, so he retreated to Shi Xia (now southwest of Fengtai, Anhui) and waited to meet the armies of Xie Shi and Xie Xuan. Fu Rong led an army to attack Shi Xia. Fu Rong led Liang Cheng to attack Luo Jian (east of Huainan, Anhui Province) with fifty thousand troops, blocking the Huaihe River traffic and Hu Bin's retreat. Hu Bin was trapped in Shi Xia, and the food and grass were exhausted, making it difficult to support. He wrote a letter for emergency use, but the money for delivering the letter was caught by Chi, and the letter fell into Fu Rong's hands. Fu Rong immediately reported to Fu Jian that 8 Jin J serenade was short of food and grass, and suggested that he arise quickly to prevent 8 Jin J from escaping. Fu Jian was rewarded and left the army in Xiangcheng, leading 8,000 cavalry to Shouyang.

As soon as Fu Jian arrived in Shouyang, he immediately sent Zhu Xu, the former commander of Xiangyang in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, to 8 Jin Army Camp to surrender. When Zhu Xu arrived at Jinying, he did not surrender, but provided Qin Jun with information. He said, "Although Qin Jun has a population of one million, it is still marching. If we concentrate our forces, the Jin army will be hard to resist. Things are different now. We should take advantage of Qin Jun's incomplete arrival to launch an attack quickly. As long as we can defeat its vanguard troops and demoralize them, we can break the Qin million-strong army. " At first, Xie Shi thought that Qin Jun was very strong and planned to stick to it until the enemy was tired and then waited for an opportunity to counterattack. He listened to Zhu Xu's words and felt very reasonable, so he changed his operational policy and decided to turn from defense to attack and take the initiative to attack.

165438+ 10 In June, Xie Xuan sent Liu Laozhi, a valiant general, to attack Luo Jian with 5000 soldiers, which started the battle of Feishui. Qin Cheng led 50,000 troops to line up against the enemy by the river. Liu Laozhi divided his troops and made a detour to Qin Jun to cut off his retreat; Led the troops to storm waterinfo and attack Qin array. Qin Jun panicked, barely resisted for a while, and then collapsed. The commander Liang Cheng and his brother Liang Yun died in battle, and the officers and men rushed to the Huaihe River to save their lives, killing more than 1.5 million people. Luo Jian's victory greatly boosted the morale of 8 jin j.. Xie Shi went hand in hand with land, arrived at the east bank of Feishui (now Nanhe Feihe River in Shouxian County, Anhui Province), camped on the side of Bagong Mountain, and faced Qin Jun in Shouyang across the river. Fu Jian stood on the Shouyang rostrum, and saw at a glance that the Jin army on the other side was well-groomed, and a good soldier would be strong. Even the vegetation on Bagong Mountain looks like people, mistaking it for A Jin soldiers. He was quite alert and said to Fu Rong: "This is also a strong enemy. What is weakness? " This is the origin of the famous allusion "all plants are soldiers".

Due to the pressure on the west bank of Feishui, 8 Jin Army could not cross the river, so they had to confront each other across the river. Xie Xuan sent an emissary to Fu Rong, who dared not say, "You are a long-term plan, not someone who wants to make a quick decision. Why don't we move less and let the nomads cross the border to decide the outcome? " Qin Jun's generals all expressed their opposition, but Fu Jian thought that we could play along and let the troops retreat a little. When the Jin army crosses the river halfway, the cavalry will kill it again, so as to win. Fu Rong also agreed to Fu Jian's plan, so he agreed to Xie Xuan's request and instructed Qin Jun to retreat. However, the morale of Qin Jun soldiers was low, and as a result, they lost control as soon as they retreated, and the battle was in chaos. Xie Xuan led more than 8,000 cavalry to Qin Jun, and Zhu Xu shouted after the battle of Qin Jun: "Qin Jun was defeated! Qin Bing was defeated! " Chixin believed it and turned and ran. Seeing that the general trend was not good, Fu Rong rode to stop it in order to stabilize his position. Unexpectedly, the horse was washed down by the mutinous soldiers and killed by the pursuers of 8 Jin Army. The loss of main qi became more and more chaotic and completely collapsed. The rout of the striker caused panic in the follow-up troops, and it also ran away in a chain reaction. As a result, the whole army fled and retreated northward. Qin Jun routed troops didn't dare to stay along the way. When he heard the jittery wind, he thought that the Jin army was chasing him (this is the origin of the famous allusion "jittery wind"). 8 jin j 56-point thrashing, arrived at Cyclobalanopsis near Shouyang. Qin soldiers and horses marched step by step, covering mountains and irrigating rivers. Fu Jian himself was wounded by an arrow and fled back to Lao Yang alone.

The Jin army recovered Shouyang, and Xie Xuan sent a flying horse to Jiankang to report good news. Xie An is playing chess with the guests at home. After reading the good news from Xie Shi, he put aside the good news with a straight face and played chess as usual. Knowing that it was the battle report coming from the front, the guest couldn't help asking Xie An, "How is the battle?" Xie An said slowly, "The child finally defeated the Qin people." Hearing this, the guest was so happy that he didn't want to play chess again. He wanted to tell others the good news quickly and then left. Xie An sent the guests away and returned to the inner city. His excitement could no longer be contained. When he crossed the threshold, he tripped and broke the clogs' teeth. This is the origin of the famous allusion "broken tooth".

At the battle of water, more than 700,000 * * were completely annihilated, scattered in former Qin Jun, and only the 30,000 troops of Xianbei Mu Rongchui Department were still intact. Fu Jian's hope of reunifying the north and the south was completely dashed. Not only that, the temporary unification of the north has also collapsed, and it has once again split into more local ethnic regimes. Mu Rongchui of Xianbei nationality and Yao Chang of Qiang nationality rose again and established new countries respectively. Fu Jian himself was captured and killed by Yao Chang two years later, and the former Qin Dynasty perished. Although the winner of this war, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, failed to restore the sovereignty of China, it effectively curbed the intrusion of northern minorities on the South, creating conditions for the social and economic recovery and development in the south of the Yangtze River.

The battle of Feishui confirmed the long-term division of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Later, Emperor Wu of the Southern Dynasties entered Chang 'an in 4 17 A.D. and could not stay long. Hou Jing rebelled repeatedly in the Northern Dynasties, was trapped in Jiankang in 548 AD, and was soon killed by his subordinates, which was far from the goal of reunifying the whole country. It was not until 589 AD that Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty wrote One World and One Family in the Region. So far, 206 years have passed since the Battle of Feishui.

The battle of Feishui has also become a famous example of how to win more with less, which has been recorded in military history and has had a long-term impact on the war view and decisive battle thought of later strategists.

During the period of Wuhu and Sixteen Kingdoms, the former Qin Dynasty, which basically unified the north, and the Eastern Jin regime, which occupied the left bank of the Yangtze River, launched an "earth-shattering" war in Lishui, Huainan in 383 AD. This is a century-long confrontation between the northern glory and Jiang Zuo's graceful and indifferent spirit, and it is also the intersection that determines the fate of China in Wuhu era. The result of this war was completely unexpected to many people at that time. History books tell us that the Eastern Jin army was outnumbered by fewer troops, and 80,000 Jin troops defeated the former Qin army, which claimed to be 970,000.

This earth-shattering war has far exceeded the war itself and changed the political situation in China in the 3rd and 4th centuries. The Battle of Feishui directly led to the disintegration of the former Qin Dynasty, and later Fu Jian, the ruler of the former Qin Dynasty, was also killed by Yao Chang, a rebel. However, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which favored Jiang Zuo, continued to maintain political power because of this war, and the Chinese culture was also passed down. The great division and chaos in China not only did not end, but intensified, and the reunification of the North and the South was postponed for two centuries. It can be said that without the collapse of the former Qin Dynasty after the Battle of Feishui, there would be no rise of Tuoba Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which lasted for more than 160 years, would be out of the question, let alone the inheritance of Sui and Tang Dynasties by the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties.

The historical influence of the Battle of Feishui is so great that people are keen on the legendary account and ignore the real history. For thousands of years, idioms such as "beyond the reach of the whip" and "the wind is rustling, and the grass and trees are all soldiers" are familiar. Fu Jian's headstrong attitude and Xie An's theory on soldiers have become the talk of countless scholars and historians. Many people think that the battle of Feishui is a war in which contingency overwhelms inevitability. However, the Battle of Feishui is not an isolated historical event. If we want to understand the motivation, influence, process and details of the Feishui War, we can't leave the general process of North-South history since the May 4th Movement. This paper attempts to explore the inevitable factors behind "accidental events", focusing on process analysis rather than giving simple conclusions easily.

First, the rise of the former Qin Dynasty and the trip to unify the North

The Five Rebellions in China began at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, with the rebellion of the Eight Kings. From the disaster of Yongjia, the Hu people in the Great Wall stepped onto the historical stage of China and successively ruled the central areas of ancient China-Guanzhong, Kanto and North China. During this period, the Han people gradually withdrew from the northern political arena. Before the Northern and Southern Dynasties, for more than a hundred years, the land in the north was divided into five parts, and there were endless wars, and various forces competed for the male. The Huns, the Jie people, the Bian people, the Qiang people and the Xianbei people were called Wang Jianguo. This period is called the Five Lakes and Sixteen Countries Period.

Fu Jian in the former Qin Dynasty was a very successful monarch in the period of Five Hu and Sixteen Countries. In 357 AD, Fu Jian ascended the throne of the former Qin Dynasty after launching a palace political revolution. During the twenty-six years from 357 A.D. to the Battle of Feishui, the pre-Qin army moved eastward and westward, and finally unified most of the northern regions.

In 357 AD, the former Qin Dynasty destroyed the Qiang people headed by Yao Xiang, and then destroyed the local governors in Zhangping, Zhao. In 366 A.D., the former Qin Dynasty put down the rebellion of Xiongnu Right King and Zuo Liu.

In 370 AD, the former Qin ordered Wang Meng and Deng Qiang to ride Murong Xianbei's 60,000-foot Yan Qian. In terms of economy, population, territory and military strength, Yan Qian was superior to the former Qin Dynasty. Perhaps Fu Jian's original intention was just to crusade against the former Yan, and he did not attempt to destroy Yan. However, the progress of the war was far beyond the expectations of both sides. Wang Meng and Deng Qiang defeated more than 400,000 Yan Qian troops led by former Yan Taifu Murong Ping. Subsequently, Fu Jian led hundreds of troops to support Wang Meng, thus completely eliminating Yan Qian's military power. More than 60 years after the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), Yan Qian passed away.

In 373 AD, the former Qin Dynasty sent 50,000 troops to capture Liangzhou (now Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and Yizhou (now Sichuan), which belonged to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and extended its influence to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Hanshui River basin. Liang Yizhou is the place where Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Dynasty, and Liu Bei, the Emperor of Shu Zhaolie, rose respectively. In the early years, Huan Wen in the Eastern Jin Dynasty recovered Liangyi County and soon merged into the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Belonging to the strategic edge of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was in a semi-independent state of local warlords. Therefore, the loss of Liang Yizhou is great for the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but it does not hurt its vitality.

In 376 AD, the former Qin Dynasty opened two battlefields, the East and the West, almost at the same time. The former Qin ordered Gou Jian, Liang, and Yao Chang to ride 130,000 troops into Liangzhou ancient collection, while the former Liang advocated that Tian Xi was defeated and surrendered, and the former Liang perished. The war on the western front is not completely over. Fu Jian appointed Luo as the northern commander-in-chief, led 100,000 soldiers in secluded places, and led 200,000 troops to ride. He also dispatched 8,000 cavalry from the Liangzhou battlefield on the western front to attack Tuoba Xianbei's Daiguo by shunt, and Daiguo declared its demise. In this campaign, the former Qin dynasty used about 300 thousand troops. After Liang Qian and Daiguo were destroyed, Fu Jian basically unified most of the northern regions.

Qin's journey to the north before reunification was a history of conquest with unparalleled martial arts. "Jin Shufu Ji Jianzai" said, "(Pre-Qin) Yan Ping Ding Shu, who seized the generation and swallowed the cold, spanned two thirds, ranking seventh in Kyushu." Before the Battle of Feishui, the world had won. Except Jingzhou, Huainan and Jiangnan, the former Qin Dynasty won seven or eight times. The territory of the former Qin Dynasty was "the sea in the east, Qiuci in the west, Xiangyang in the south and desert in the north" [1]. Silla and Su Shen in the East, Dawan, Kangju, Yutian and Tianzhu in the Western Region all sent envoys to establish friendly relations with the former Qin Dynasty. During this period, the pre-Qin period was very powerful. "Although the five lakes are prosperous, they are unparalleled." [2]

However, when we open the relevant chapters in the Book of Jin and the Sword of Purple Tongzhi, we will find that this history of conquest with superb martial arts is also a history of constant rebellion, frequent wars and ethnic conflicts. From Fu Jian's accession to the throne in 357 AD to the Battle of Feishui in 383 AD, the frequency of wars in the former Qin Dynasty was quite amazing. There was a war every year except 362 and 363. These wars, apart from the above-mentioned unified war of "Yan pacified Shu, captured the next generation and swallowed the cold" and a series of small-scale wars with the Eastern Jin Dynasty, mostly belonged to quelling various rebellions. The frequency of civil war and foreign war is similar, which shows that the rule of the former Qin Dynasty was not stable.

After quelling the rebellion or conquering neighboring countries, the former Qin dynasty adopted punitive immigration, and moved a large number of enemy tribes into Guanzhong, Kanto and Hebei by compulsory measures in an attempt to disintegrate the rule of the other side in its original place of residence. For example, in 358 AD, Fu Jian moved more than 3,000 households from Zhangping to Chang 'an. In October 360, tens of thousands of soldiers from Dugu Department of Wuhuan and Xianbei Wei Department surrendered to Qin, first moving to the south and then to the north. In 365, the former Qin defeated Gu Cao, the right sage king of Xiongnu, and then moved his hero to Chang 'an. 370 years ago, after Qin destroyed the former Yan, more than 40,000 Xianbei Haozu under Murong moved to Chang 'an. In 37 1 year, Fu Jian moved 150,000 heroes from Kanto and Zayi to Guanzhong, moved Wuhuan tribe to Fengyi and Beidi, and moved Dingling Zhabin Department to Xin 'an and Mianchi. In September 376, more than 7,000 powerful families moved to Guanzhong after the former Qin Dynasty destroyed the former cool. In the same year, the extinct Xianbei tribe was dispersed and settled in the northern border. [3]

Forced migration measures have a long history, and there are records of large-scale migration of strongmen and Hu nationality in Han Dynasty, Cao Wei, Western Jin Dynasty and post-Zhao Dynasty. In order to eliminate the influence of these forces in the original place of residence, the ruling class often adopts this means of immigration. This kind of migration under the rule of the former Qin dynasty was far more than that of the previous dynasty, which was related to frequent ethnic conflicts. Fu Jian's practice is slightly different from that of the previous dynasty. He always moved the defeated party to the core areas of strategy, such as Guanzhong and Zhongyuan, as well as northern fortresses such as Beidi and Yanmen. After these immigrants moved to their new residence, many nobles became poor. For example, after Yan Qian was destroyed, some Xianbei nobles actually sold straw sandals at the head of Chang 'an Street. Although this immigration policy did not really strengthen the rule, it greatly aggravated the hatred between different ethnic groups. Once the world changes, these tribes will become unstable factors.

Second, various ethnic forces hidden under the appearance of northern reunification.

Fu Jian's unification of the north is the inevitable result of the expansion of military power. The integration of political and military affairs between various internal forces and the integration of various ethnic groups in the north is far from complete. At this time, the military potential of all parties was temporarily suppressed by the powerful military forces of the former Qin Dynasty. These forces were all important factors that led to the collapse of the former Qin Dynasty after the Battle of Feishui. With a little analysis, the military forces divided or hidden in the pre-Qin version at that time were roughly divided into the following cadres [4]:

Murong Xianbei. Murong Xianbei was the most powerful Xianbei clan at that time. Although the former Yan State established by Murong was destroyed by the former Qin Dynasty, Xianbei people were moved to Guanzhong, Kanto and other places in large numbers, and they still lived in groups and were easy to gather, causing trouble. The dignitaries of Murong aristocratic family, such as Murong Yong, Mu Rongchui, Mu Rongchong, Murong Hong and others, all served as senior officials of the former Qin Dynasty and had certain military power. This scattered but not extinct force made a comeback after the Battle of Feishui, and established Xiyan and Houyan.

Tuoba Xianbei. Because the Tuoba department was still braided, people at that time also called it "Suotou" Xianbei. Tuoba Xianbei once established Daiguo, and the vast area from the north of Shanxi to the south of Mobei was under the actual control of Daiguo. After the demise of the former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian once said in the imperial edict: "Suotoushi crossed the northern part of Shuozhou, divided into regions, attracted Wusun to the east, controlled the string by a million, and looked at the clouds." [5] It can be seen that Tuoba Xianbei is powerful. The last ruler of Daiguo was Tuoba Shiyi. Only three years after the Battle of Feishui, in 386 AD, Tuoba Youshi's grandson Tuoba Xuancheng became the king of Mengniu Chuan, which opened the prelude to the establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Qiang people. Qiang nationality is one of the main nationalities in Guanlong area. During the post-Zhao period, Ju moved to Kanto. At the end of the post-Zhao Dynasty, Yao Gezhong, its leader, was promoted. After Yao Gezhong's death, his son, Yao Xiang, rebelled against Jin in an attempt to establish a country based in Luoyang. Yao Xiang was first defeated by Huan Wen in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and then destroyed by the former Qin Dynasty. Yao Chang's younger brother, Yao Chang, led his troops to surrender to the State of Qin, and Yao Chang repeatedly made meritorious military service and became one of Fu Jian's favorite generals. After the Battle of Feishui, Yao Chang led the Qiang people to establish the post-Qin Dynasty. In 385 AD, Fu Jian was captured by Yao Chang and hanged.

Used to be cool. In 376 AD, Zhang's former coolness was destroyed by the former Qin Dynasty. In the Battle of Feishui, Tianxi Zhang surrendered to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. After the Battle of Feishui, Zhang's power was devastated. The former cool environment was later controlled by Lu Guang, an Adi, in Lueyang.

Lu Guangbu is from Lueyang. Lin Wei's Di family and Lu family in Lueyang are both Longyou people. Lu Guang, a former general of the Qin Dynasty, made outstanding achievements and was loyal to Fu Jian. Before the Battle of Feishui, Lv Guang led 70,000 troops to the Western Regions to make peace with 36 countries in the Western Regions. After the Battle of Feishui, Lu Guangbu did not return to Guanzhong to rescue Fu Jian, but defeated the former secretariat of Liangzhou, Qin, and established a separatist regime in Liangzhou, which historically claimed to continue to control the Western Regions.

Tiefu Xiongnu Liu Bu. Northerners call Khufu Xianbei's mother "Iron Father". Liu, the iron-rich Xiongnu, fell from Qin to Yan in the early stage, which was capricious. After the demise of the former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian was bounded by the Yellow River, and Hexi was owned by Liu. After the Battle of Feishui, Liu occupied the northern land and was later destroyed by Tuoba GUI of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Liu's son, Liu, was the king of Helian Bobo who later established the Daxia Kingdom. Daxia was also destroyed by the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Tiefu Xiongnu Liu Kuren Department. Liu Kuren was originally an adult in the south, but joined the former Qin after the elimination of the former Qin Dynasty and was named General Guangwu. To the east of the Yellow River, Liu Kuren is in charge of Yanmen, Shanggu and Dai Jun. After Liu Kuren died, his younger brother Liu Tou took over as soon as possible.

Wu Huan. Attached to Wu Huan, scattered in Hebei and Kanto. After the Battle of Feishui, most people in Wuhuan were loyal to Mu Rongchui, which became an important force against the former Qin Dynasty and contributed to the establishment of the post-Yan State. The strongest people in Wuhuan are Zhang Xiang, Liu Dawei and Luli. In 398 AD (the first year of Tianxing), Zhang Xiangzi and Zhu Kezhang claimed to be the King of Wu Wan in Nanpi, Bohai County (now Nanpi County, Hebei Province), which was destroyed by the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Ding Ling family Zhai family. Dingling Department moved to Xin 'an and Mianchi after the former Qin Dynasty unified the north. After the Battle of Feishui, Zhai Bin, the leader of the alliance, took the lead in the crusade against Qin, and Ding Ling under Zhai competed with Xianbei people in the Central Plains for a long time. Ding Ling once ruled seven counties in Hebei with a population of more than 30,000 households. Zhai Bin led Ding Ling clan to join Houyan Mu Rongchui and was killed. All clans were included in Houyan.

Longxi Xianbei begging for Fu Guoren. The Xianbei people who migrated to Longxi area were led by Qi people. He was ruled by the former Qin Dynasty and led the rebellion in 383 AD (the year of the Battle of Feishui). In 385 AD, Qi claimed to be a viceroy, a general and a great Khan, which was called the Western Qin in history.

The remnants of the post-Zhao era. Zhang Ping, Li Li and Gao Chang, the generals of the post-Zhao Dynasty, successively sent envoys to surrender to the post-Yan, then to the Eastern Jin Dynasty and finally to the former Qin Dynasty, each receiving a title, and some even held the titles of the three countries at the same time. The purpose of their vacillation is to be neutral and stable, which also makes the situation in the Central Plains variable. The most powerful person is Zhang Ping, who once occupied the whole of Shanxi. After Zhang Ping was destroyed by the former Qin Dynasty, Zhang Ping himself was appointed as a general. Zhang Ping's adopted son, Zhang Hao, was a brave soldier who had participated in the Battle of Feishui.

Although Fu Jian unified the north, the tribal military system still exists, the military forces of all ethnic groups have not been completely eliminated, and the root of national chaos still exists. As Fu Rong exhorted Fu Jian in 360 AD, although the Hu nationality apparently surrendered to the pre-Qin Dynasty, "greed is insatiable, not for Huaide; I dare not invade the border, but I am afraid of military power and I am not grateful. " [6] When the former Qin Dynasty attacked the Eastern Jin Dynasty on a large scale, all ministries were waiting for the end of the Feishui War. The victory of the former Qin dynasty was not bad for them, and the leaders of all ministries could be promoted to ranks and titles. If the former Qin Dynasty is defeated, maybe this is what they hope. They can wait for an opportunity to rise again and become kings. For Fu Jian, the battle of Feishui is a decisive battle, and there can be no winning or losing.