Huan Wen's expeditions
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Huan Wen's Northern Expeditions were a series of expeditions launched by the Eastern Jin general Huan Wen and aimed at attempting to reclaim Jin's territory north of the Huai River. Due to the lack of support from the Jin court, the expeditions were unsuccessful.


Background

During the first half of the
4th century The 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini/Common era) was the time period which lasted from 301 (Roman numerals, CCCI) through 400 (Roman numerals, CD). In the West, the early part of the century was shaped by Constantine the Grea ...
, the Jin dynasty gradually lost control over its northern territories to the so-called ' Five Barbarians' in a period that would come to know as the
Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...
period. Jin moved its capital south to Jiankang in 318, and by 330, northern China was effectively unified by Shi Le's
Later Zhao The Later Zhao (; 319–351) was a dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity. The Jie were most likely a Yeniseian people and spoke next to Chinese one of the Yeniseian languages.Vov ...
. Before 330, Jin in the south was held back by numerous threatening rebellions which they ultimately put down. After 330, the aftermath of said rebellions and Zhao's supremacy over the north dissuaded many from supporting further military conflicts and instead settle for a north and south divide for the time being. Nonetheless, expeditions to the north were attempted before and after Zhao's unification, namely by Zu Ti (313-321), Yu Liang (339) and Yu Yi (343-344), but these had little support and failed in the end. Genuine interest in recapturing the north sparked in 349 when Later Zhao finally fell into civil war among its princes after the death of its third monarch, Shi Hu. That year, the Jin general,
Chu Pou Chu Pou (303 – 1 January 350), courtesy name Jiye, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Eastern Jin. His daughter was Chu Suanzi, the wife of Emperor Kang of Jin and empress dowager to three subsequent emperors. He was at first ...
, was first to take advantage of the situation, beginning a series of northern expeditions that continued into the late 350s. However, Chu Pou was badly defeated at Dai Slope (代陂, east of present-day
Tengzhou Tengzhou () is a county-level city of Zaozhuang, Shandong province of the People's Republic of China, and is the site of the feudal vassal Teng (state), State of Teng during the Spring and Autumn period. Tengzhou was likely the birthplace of the ...
,
Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
), and soon died in shame. Huan Wen was a subordinate and friend of the general, Yu Yi. Following the death of Yu Yi in 345, Huan Wen took over Yi's military command over Jingzhou with the help of the key minister, He Chong. Between 346 and 347, Huan Wen conquered the state of Cheng Han and helped Jin recover the lost territories of Yizhou and
Liangzhou Liangzhou District () is a district and the seat of the city of Wuwei, Gansu province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the east. Geography Liangzhou District is located in east Hexi Corridor, north to the Qilian Mo ...
. The defeat of Cheng Han elevated Huan Wen to high prestige and influence, but it also made the court secretly fearful of him due to his power and ambition. To counter Huan's influence, the court propped up another general named Yin Hao. After Chu Pou's death, Yin Hao was given the responsibility to carry out the northern expeditions. Between 352 and 353, Yin Hao led two northern expeditions, both of which failed. In the second campaign in 353, Yin Hao's hostility towards his contemporary,
Yao Xiang Yao Xiang (331–357), courtesy name Jingguo, posthumously honored Prince Wu of Wei, was an ethnic Qiang warlord during the Sixteen Kingdoms and Jin dynasty (266–420) in Chinese history. He was the fifth son and heir of the Later Zhao gener ...
, led to Yao breaking away from Jin, killing more than 10,000 Jin soldiers and seizing much of Jin's supplies in the process. This embarrassing loss allowed Huan Wen to persuade the court into dismissing Yin Hao, leaving Huan Wen the sole power over the Jin military. With the expeditions under his control, Huan Wen sought to conquer the north and at the same time use them as a means to realize his political ambitions.


Expeditions


1st expedition

During the first expedition (354), Jin forces moved up the river to engage the army of Former Qin. Jin forces won a decisive victory at Lantian and defeated a Qin army of over 50,000 soldiers, reaching Chang'an. However, due to lack of food, the Jin army was forced to retreat, leaving the area under enemy control. Over 10,000 Jin soldiers died in the retreat.


2nd expedition

Huan Wen headed north again in 356 with the hopes of capturing Luoyang. At the time, Luoyang was held by a Jin general turned rebel named Zhou Cheng (周成). Coincidentally, Zhou Cheng was attacked by Yao Xiang, who was leading a roving army under the vassalage of Former Yan. When Huan Wen reached Luoyang, he battled Yao Xiang along the Yi River and was victorious. Yao Xiang fled with his army while Zhou Cheng surrendered Luoyang and himself to Huan Wen.


3rd expedition

Jin launched a major campaign against Former Yan in 369. The Jin forces defeated Yan forces and reached Fangtou, causing panic in the Yan court. However, the Former Yan general Murong Chui led 50,000 troops and stopped the Jin advance at the Yellow River. Meanwhile, Xianbei cavalry cut off the Jin supply lines and forced them to retreat. During the retreat, Murong Chui led an army to pursue the Jin forces and over 30,000 Jin soldiers were killed in the resulting battle.


Aftermath

Huan Wen left the north humiliated by his greatest defeat at Fangtou. Dissatisfied, Huan Wen made one last attempt at seizing power by forcing Emperor Fei to abdicate through slander in 371. He was successful at first, replacing the emperor with Sima Yu ( Emperor Jianwen of Jin) but the efforts of Xie An and Wang Tanzhi stopped him from furthering his ambitions. Huan Wen died in 373, never becoming emperor. Huan Wen was succeeded by his brother Huan Chong, and his family would remain influential up until the fall of their short-lived state of
Huan Chu Huan may refer to: People * Marquis Huan of Cai (died 695 BC), ruler of Cai * King Huan of Zhou (died 697 BC) * Huan Yi (), Qin general * Emperor Huan of Han (132–168) * Sun Huan (Jiming) (194–234), Eastern Wu military general * Sun Huan (Shu ...
in 404. Due to the failure of Jin to reclaim the Northern heartlands, Jin forces were soon faced with the gigantic threat of Qin.Li and Zheng, pg 392 Jin's conquest of Yan proved beneficial for Qin, as in its weaken state, Qin quickly annexed them in 370. With Jin not capable of carrying out another expedition, the 370s was a period which saw rapid progress in Qin's conquest, a growth that was only stopped in 383 at the
Battle of Fei River The Battle of Fei River, also known as the Battle of Feishui (), was a battle in AD 383 in China, where forces of the Di-led Former Qin dynasty was decisively defeated by the outnumbered army of the Eastern Jin dynasty. The location of the bat ...
.


References


Sources

*Book of Jin *Li, Bo; Zheng Yin (Chinese) (2001) 5000 years of Chinese history, Inner Mongolian People's publishing corp, ,


External links

{{16 Kingdoms Jin dynasty (266–420)