In 383 AD, a particularly famous war broke out in Chinese history – the Battle of Feishui. The Eastern Jin Dynasty had only 80,000 troops, but it defeated the Former Qin army, which was said to have more than 800,000 troops (in fact, more than 200,000 troops), becoming a classic example of defeating the enemy with fewer troops. This battle not only changed the political landscape of the confrontation between the north and the south in China at that time, but also profoundly influenced the course of history for hundreds of years. The military wisdom and historical significance it contains are still worth in-depth discussion. This article will analyze this classic battle from the perspectives of the root causes of the conflict, the course of the war, and its historical consequences. 

Root causes of conflict

In 383 AD, the situation of confrontation between the north and south of China was completely rewritten by a battle. After Fu Jian, the emperor of the Former Qin Dynasty, unified the north, he led a million-strong army (actually about 300,000 vanguards) southward with the intention of annexing the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The Eastern Jin Dynasty, with 80,000 Northern Army as the main force, fought back under the coordination of uncle and nephew Xie An and Xie Xuan .

War Introduction

The Battle of Feishui was a decisive battle between the Former Qin and the Eastern Jin. Fu Jian of the Former Qin, despite opposition from his ministers, insisted on launching a war against the Eastern Jin in an attempt to unify China in one fell swoop. The Former Qin assembled a huge army, claiming to have a million people, and launched an attack on the Eastern Jin from multiple directions. The Eastern Jin, with Xie An as the commander, led 80,000 troops including the Northern Palace Army to resist. The two sides confronted each other on both sides of the Feishui River. In the early stages of the war, the Former Qin army won some victories in Shouchun and other places, but in the decisive battle of Feishui, the Eastern Jin army seized the opportunity and took advantage of the internal contradictions and command errors of the Former Qin army to launch a sudden attack, causing chaos in the Former Qin army, and finally won a brilliant victory with fewer troops. This battle not only demonstrated the military wisdom and tenacious fighting spirit of the Eastern Jin army, but also exposed many problems of the Former Qin army in strategic decision-making and internal management. 

Preparations for war (382-383)

Fu Jian summoned his ministers to the Taiji Hall and proposed the idea of attacking the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the hope of unifying the country. However, most of the ministers opposed the idea, believing that the Eastern Jin Dynasty had the natural barrier of the Yangtze River and was relatively united internally, so a rash attack would be difficult to win. But Fu Jian was blindly confident and believed that his million-strong army could easily crush the Eastern Jin Dynasty. 

Fu Jian waved his hand and issued a death order: to carry out large-scale conscription across the country. 

One out of every ten people in a civilian family had to be drafted into the army; young men under the age of 20 who had some martial arts skills, were brave, or whose families were rich and had some status were all drafted to serve as officers in the Imperial Guard. Not only that, all horses from all over the country, whether public or private, were also drafted for military use. In the end, more than 600,000 infantry and 270,000 cavalry were assembled and marched towards the Eastern Jin Dynasty. 

Outbreak and early period of the war (August-October 383)

Fu Jian sent Fu Rong as the vanguard, with Zhang Hao, Liang Cheng and other generals, leading 250,000 infantry and cavalry to lead the charge, while he himself led a large force to follow behind. When Fu Jian arrived in Xiangcheng, the troops of Liangzhou had just reached Xianyang, the troops of Shu were going east along the Yangtze River, and the troops of Youzhou and Jizhou had just arrived in Pengcheng. Before the armies had assembled, Fu Jian was eager to fight the Eastern Jin. 

Battle of Feishui (November 383)

Xie Xuan sent Guangling Xiang Liu Laozhi to rush to Luojian with 5,000 elite soldiers from the Northern Palace. Liu Laozhi took advantage of the night to attack the Former Qin army led by Liang Cheng, catching the enemy off guard. This battle directly killed Liang Cheng and ten other generals, and wiped out 15,000 Former Qin troops. Then, Xie Xuan personally led his troops, advancing both by land and water, and confronted the Former Qin army on the bank of the Fei River. 

Xie Xuan sent someone to tell Fu Rong of the Former Qin: “You have come all the way here, but you are defending your army by the Fei River. It is obvious that you are planning to waste time, not like you want to have a good fight. Otherwise, you can withdraw your position and let our Jin army cross the river. Isn’t it a good thing for both sides to have a good fight?” The generals of the Former Qin were anxious when they heard this, and they all opposed the retreat, but Fu Jian thought it was a good opportunity – when the Jin army crossed the river, they would suddenly launch an attack and they would definitely be able to win in one fell swoop! So Fu Jian waved his hand and ordered the army to retreat. The Former Qin army was out of control once it retreated. Zhu Xu shouted behind the formation: “The Qin army is defeated!” The Former Qin army completely collapsed. Fu Rong rode his horse into the chaotic army, trying to get everyone to stop, but his horse tripped and he was killed on the spot by the Eastern Jin soldiers. 

Xie Xuan seized the opportunity and led his army in a frantic pursuit, all the way to Qinggang. On the way to escape, the Former Qin army trampled on each other, countless casualties, corpses scattered all over the fields, and even the river was blocked. Those soldiers who escaped by chance, hearing the wind blowing, the cranes calling, and the birds singing, thought that the Eastern Jin army was coming. They dared not stop day or night, and could only endure hunger and cold in the wilderness. Along the way, seven or eight out of ten people died. Fu Jian himself was shot by an arrow, and fled to Huaibei alone in a panic. 

Impact of the Battle of Feishui

The Battle of Feishui established the situation of confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which made the pattern of division between the north and the south of China last for a long time. This battle also promoted cultural exchanges and ethnic integration between the Han and ethnic minorities. The northern ethnic minority regimes continued to absorb Han culture during the war, accelerating their own development and progress. In addition, the military strategies and examples of winning with fewer troops demonstrated in the Battle of Feishui provided valuable experience and reference for military research in later generations, leaving a strong mark in Chinese military history.