Everything about The Battle Of Fei totally explained
The
Battle of Fei River or “Feishui” was a battle in
383, where
Fu Jiān (T.: ) of the
Former Qin was decisively defeated by the numerically inferior army of
Eastern Jin. (The location of the battle, the Fei River, no longer exists, but is believed to have flowed through modern
Lu'an,
Anhui, near the
Huai River). The battle is considered to be one of the most significant battles in the history of China. The aftermath of the battle includes the
Former Qin empire falling into massive civil war and its eventual destruction, ensuring the survival of
Eastern Jin and other regimes south of the
Yangtze River (Chang Jiang).
In May of 383, a Jin army of 100,000 commanded by
Huan Chong attempted to recover Xiangyang but was driven off by a Qin relief column of 50,000 men. In response, Fu Jiān ordered a general mobilization against Jin: 1 in 10 able men were conscripted, and 30,000 elite guards (羽林郎) were gathered. In August of 383, Fu Jiān sent his brother,
Fu Rong the Duke of Yangping (who had opposed the campaign) with an army of 300,000 as the advance force. Later that month, Fu Jiān marched with his army of 270,000 cavalry and 600,000 infantry from
Chang'an. In September, Fu Jiān reached Xiangcheng. Separate columns were to push downstream from Sichuan, but the main offensive would occur against the city of
Shouchun on the
Huai River.
Emperor Xiaowu of Jin hurriedly made preparations for defense. He gave
Huan Chong responsibility for the defense of the Middle Yangzi. The pressing defense of the Huai River was given to Xie Shi (謝石) and
Xie Xuan (謝玄) and the elite 80,000-strong Beifu Army (北府兵). The prime minister
Xie An oversaw overall strategy, and, while he lacked military abilities, he calmed the panicking officials and people by himself acting in a calming manner. Fu Jiān, seeing the possibility of achieving a quick victory, left his main force at Xiangcheng and led 8000 light cavalry to rendezvous with Fu Rong. Fu Jiān sent the captured Jin official Zhu Xu (朱序) as a messenger, to try to persuade Xie Shi to surrender. Instead, Zhu tipped Xie Shi to the fact that the entire Former Qin force hadn't arrived yet, and that he should try to defeat the advance Former Qin forces to cripple the Former Qin's campaign. Under Zhu's suggestion, Xie Xuan and
Liu Laozhi (劉牢之) led 5,000 elite troops to engage the advance Former Qin force and scored a demoralizing victory, killing 15,000 men. Afterwards, Jin forces were lined up in a wide formation, to give an illusion that Jin forces can match Former Qin's manpower. Because of the early minor defeats and the Jin formation, Fu Jiān overestimated the amount of Jin forces.
In November 383, the Former Qin troops set up camp west of the
Fei River. The Jin forces stopped east of the Fei River and couldn't advance. Xie Xuan sent a messenger to Fu Rong, suggesting that the Former Qin forces retreat slightly west to allow Jin forces to cross the Fei River, so that the two armies could engage. Most Former Qin generals opposed, since reallocating such a large army was too complicated for the benefits, specially with so many poorly trained troops. But Fu Jiān overruled them, planning to attack the Jin forces as they were crossing the river, to seize a tactical advantage, as the Jin forces would be split in two. Fu Rong agreed, and he ordered a retreat.
The Jin's tactic of
ambush and
bribery now paid off. Many soldiers in the Former Qin army began to wonder why a sudden retreat order was given. Already retreat with a lowered morale, Zhu Xu raised a cry of "the Qin army has been defeated", the Former Qin army went into a panic and was routed. The "Qin is Defeated" rumor spread like wildfire, and chaos followed. Fu Rong tried to personally halt the retreat and reorganize his troops, but his horse suddenly fell, and he was killed by advancing Jin troops.
The Jin generals noticed the chaotic footprints and wheel marks, and declared that the Former Qin army wasn't in an organized retreat, but is indeed in total disarray. The Jin soldiers continued their pursuit, and the entire Former Qin force collapsed.
A large amount of food and supplies were abandoned as Former Qin soldiers tried to escape with their lives. In the ensuing retreat and pursuit, in addition to famine and death from exposure to the elements, an estimate of 70-80% of the Former Qin force were killed.
Legend has it that, as Fu Jiān escapes, he screamed to the sky "天亡我也！", which means "The heaven has annihilated me!".
Aftermath
The Jin army defeated the overwhelming Former Qin army, with only minor casualties. The Jin army had routed most of the escaping soldiers of the Former Qin army, greatly weakening the pool of soldiers from which the Former Qin could draw from. Fu Jiān's forces were not able to be reorganized, even after he eventually withdrew to
Luoyang under the protection of
Murong Chui, whose 30,000-man army was one of the few which didn't collapse..
This battle is famous not only because of its significance in history, but also because it demonstrated the importances of troop training, troop morale, troop loyalty and organized battle command.
Further Information
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