"There are millions of people in Western Qin, and Ge Jia is like Yuntun." Throwing a whip can fill the river and sweep away the inadequacy theory. ”
These two poems are from a nostalgic poem by Li Bai to hang the famous Eastern Jin Dynasty general Xie An. The famous "Battle of Shuishui" is condensed in these short twenty words.
After Former Qin unified the north, Jian Jian's self-confidence exploded, he planned to swallow the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and also blew out the indispensable cowhide to "throw whips and break the stream".
Map of the situation in former Qin and Eastern Jin at its peak
At that time, two of the generals around Jian Jian, Murong Chui of the Xianbei people and Yao Cang of the Qiang tribe, tried their best to encourage him to march south, and successfully broke the big balloon of Former Qin.
It was 383 AD, and after the war, Former Qin fell apart. Jian Jian's face was very painful, and he later died at the hands of Yao Cang.
The following year, Murong Chui, who had been under the fence for fifteen years, realized his dream of restoring the country and established Later Yan. Under murong chui's leadership, Later Yan became the most powerful state in the north.
Until the rise of Tuoba Jue, who was also a humble man, stirred up the situation in the north.
Anhui Shou County "Battle of Shuishui" site
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During the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there were six main departments of Xianbei that were active in the vast north, the most well-known being Murong, Tuoba and Yuwenbu. Murong Bu was a branch of the Liaodong Xianbei, originally named Mo Hu, who changed his surname to Murong during the Wei and Jin dynasties.
The Tuoba clan is a humble branch in the central region of the north. In 337, shortly after Murong Hao established himself as the King of Yan, Tuoba Jue's grandfather Tuoba Shiyiqian established the Daiguo, the predecessor of Northern Wei.
Objectively speaking, Murong Shi's performance during the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms period was much more than that of civilizations such as the Xiongnu and the Xiongnu. There are also some well-known cattle people.
Murong Chui and his brother Murong Ke explained very well what Biao Huan was, known as the "God of War" of the Sixteen Kingdoms. They were all sons of Murong Hao, the former Lord of Yan.
Murong Chui's original name was Murong Ba, and since he was thirteen years old, he had followed his father and brother on the Eastern Expedition to the West, bravely championed the three armies, and had great talent.
Illustration
In 369, Murong Chui was forced into exile in Former Qin because of his great merits, and was suspected by his uncle Murong Jue and his nephew Murong Wei, the former Yan ruler. Jian Jian was overjoyed and entrusted Murong Chui with a heavy responsibility.
At that time, Tuoba Jue had not yet been born.
Later, Former Qin destroyed Former Yan, and from then on, Murong Chui secretly resolved to restore the country. He eventually completed what Murong Fu failed to accomplish in Jin Yong's martial arts novels.
In 386, two years after Murong Chui's restoration, he ascended the throne as emperor and made his capital Zhongshan (zhongshan) (in present-day Hebei).
At its peak, Later Yan occupied the area of present-day Liaoning, Hebei, and Shandong, as well as most of Henan Province.
Situation map for 394
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As early as 371, when Murong Chui was serving Jian Jian, Tuoba Jue, the grandson of Tuoba Shiyi, the acting lord of the state, was born.
When Tuoba Jue was five years old, the Dai kingdom was destroyed by Former Qin. His father was wounded in a military ensuite and died soon after. Tuoba Jue followed his mother through a turbulent and displaced life. Because of his identity, he was jealous of his relatives and was almost killed several times.
As a teenager, Tuoba Jue showed his superior ability and gradually gained prestige. After many twists and turns, he eventually gained the support of his relatives and the heads of various tribes.
In the year that Murong Chui became emperor, Tuoba Jue succeeded to the throne as acting king. A few months later, Tuoba Jue changed his name to King of Wei.
The early dynasty capital of shengle tu
At that time, Murong Chui was already sixty years old, and Tuoba Jue was only fifteen years old. In a few years, the two northern tyrants, one old and one young, will inevitably collide.
Prior to this, Murong Chui dominated the north, and the nascent Northern Wei had to submit to Later Yan. As the suzerainty, Later Yan did not help Tuoba Jue, and Tuoba Jue's rise was inseparable from Murong Chui's support.
In August 386, Tuoba Jue's uncle Tuoba Gu was vying for the throne of Wei, and there were also people within the State of Wei who openly supported Tuoba Guru. Tuoba Jue was tired of coping, so he had to temporarily defect to his uncle Helan's department, and at the same time sent someone to Hou Yan for help.
Murong Chui sent his son Murong Lin (慕容麟) to lead troops to Aid Tuoba Jue, quell the rebellion, and help him survive the crisis.
Later, Liu Xianbu and his brother tribes in the northern central region, which were humble and strong, fought fiercely, and Tuoba Jue wanted to take the opportunity to annex Liu Xianbu. However, Northern Wei did not have this strength, so it borrowed troops from Later Yan again.
Unfortunately, Liu Xian did not have long eyes, and sent someone to snatch a group of horses from other tribes to pay tribute to Later Yan. Murong Chui was furious and sent troops to defeat Liu Xian's main force. Tuoba Jue's troops followed Murong Lin's Yan army in pursuit and attacked Liu Xian.
After this war, Yan gained tens of millions of cattle and sheep, while Tuoba Jue gained territory and men. The strength of the Northern Wei Dynasty was greatly enhanced.
When Later Yan fought with the remnants of Former Qin, as well as Western Yan, Tuoba Jue was also constantly expanding its territory.
The Northern Wei people in the drama
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In 388, Tuoba Jue was seventeen years old and secretly started The idea of Hou Yan. Murong Chui was already old, the crown prince Murong Bao had no ability, and most of the other Murong disciples were mediocre. Tuoba Jue sent emissaries to the Yan kingdom to spy on the virtual reality, and the information he received was very satisfactory to him. (Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 17)
Tuoba Jue, as the founding lord of northern Wei and the title of Daowu Emperor, knew his great power from this "wu" character.
However, the time was not yet ripe for the use of troops against Later Yan, and Tuoba Jue still needed to use the power of the Yan state to seize territory. Murong Chui was not defensive at first, and each time agreed to Tuoba Jue's request to borrow troops.
In 390, Murong Lin was once again ordered to take the Yan generals and help Tuoba Jue annex several tribes.
Murong Lin was worried about the momentum of the development of the State of Wei and said to Murong Chui: "If this continues, Tuoba Jue will inevitably become a major problem for our confidants. Your Majesty please transfer Tuoba Jue to the capital and let his brother take charge of the state affairs. Murong Chui didn't think so.
At that time, Murong Chui was already living a semi-retired life, and the crown prince Murong Bao was in charge of state affairs. Later, Tuoba Jue sent his younger brother Tuoba Yao to Pay Tribute to Later Yan, but was detained by Murong Family's sons and extorted good horses from Northern Wei.
Tuoba Jue was very angry and refused the other party's request. Subsequently, he put up with it and sent the famous founding hero Zhang Gong to the Yan kingdom to ask for reconciliation.
Tuoba Jue continued to be patient, conquering the Xiongnu descendant Liu Weichenbu, and annexing several tribes in the north, looking around, only Hou Yan was left as a strong opponent. As a result, Tuoba Jue began to send troops to attack the tribes in the border area of the Yan state.
It was 395 AD. The Zizhi Tongjian records this as, "In the twentieth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty (Eastern Jin Dynasty), Xia, April... King Jue of Wei rebelled against Yan and invaded the vassals. ”
A mountain does not allow two tigers, and Northern Wei and Later Yan have torn their faces here.
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Murong Chui had dominated the north for more than ten years, and now he was provoked by a descendant, and he was furious and decided to teach Tuoba Jue a lesson.
Murong Bao the Prince of Later Yan, Murong Lin the Prince of Zhao, and Murong Nong the Prince of Liaoxi were ordered to lead 80,000 horses to attack the State of Wei, and Murong De the Prince of Fanyang and Murong Shao the Prince of Chenliu took 18,000 horses as follow-up troops.
Murong Chui's attendant Gao Hu dissuaded him, saying, "Yan and Wei are in-laws, and the State of Yan has great kindness to the State of Wei, and the two countries have been friends for a long time. But we detained Tuoba Jue's younger brother first, and we didn't care. Besides, Tuoba Jue has courage and strategy, and cannot be taken lightly. The prince was young and vigorous, and let him lead the army, in case there was a mistake, it would be too late to regret it. ”
Murong Chui did not listen, and also removed Gao Hu from his post.
The humble man in the painting
It was May 395. In July, the Later Yan army reached the Wuyuan region, and tens of thousands of Wei soldiers and civilians surrendered.
Wuyuan is the area around wuyuan county in inner Mongolia today. Tuoba Jue adopted the strategy of the great strategist Zhang Gun and decided to avoid the Yan army's attack first and retreat his troops. Wait for the Yan army to be tired before looking for an opportunity to attack. At the same time, Tuoba Jue sent reinforcements from Later Qin.
In September, when the Yan army had built ships and prepared to cross the Yellow River, more than 200,000 people of the Northern Wei Third Road army had been deployed. Among them, Tuoba Zun, the Duke of Luoyang, led 70,000 horses and horses to the east and cut off the return route of the Yan army. Tuoba Jue personally led his troops to line up on the other side of the river. For several days, the wind was fierce, and the large troops of the Yan army could not cross the river.
The orientation of the five originals
Yan Jun's messengers were captured by Wei Jun on the road and could not get in touch with the country. Murong Chui was lying ill in bed at the time, and tuoba jue received information and asked the emissaries of the Yan army to shout across the river, saying that Murong Chui had died of illness.
The Yan troops believed it to be true, and the military was in disarray. After a few days of confrontation with the Wei army, Murong Lin's generals Mu Yousong and others plotted a rebellion and installed Murong Lin as the monarch. The plan was revealed, and the mastermind Mu Yousong and others were executed. However, Murong Bao and Murong Lin became suspicious of each other.
Before the battle had even begun, the general of the Yan Army had become like this, and naturally had no chance of victory.
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In desperation, Murong Bao had no choice but to order the ships to be burned at night and the whole army to retreat. It was early winter in October, and the river had not yet frozen. Murong Bao thought that the Wei cavalry would certainly not be able to cross the river, and withdrew all the scouts who were scouting the enemy's situation.
A certain day in November 395. The Yan army turned back to the area of Sanhepi, and the weather was abnormal, and the black fog accompanied by the fierce wind struck from behind.
Zhi Tanmeng, a strategist with the army and a famous monk in the Yan Kingdom, thought that this was an ominous omen, and the Wei army's pursuit was about to arrive, and it was necessary to prepare for battle.
There are two theories about the orientation of The Samhepi. The history of the dynasty recorded in the "Literature Examination" writes, "Tuoba Liwei's young son ... Divided into three parts... North of IchijuDai County, Sanhepi, in present-day Datong Province, there is a city of Sanhe in the east hundred miles. ”
According to the orientation of the ancient dai county, Samhepi was in the area of today's northern Shanxi and the junction of Inner Mongolia, and northeast of Liangcheng, which is the mainstream of modern theory.
The approximate orientation of The Samhepi
Zhi Tanmeng had always expected things like gods, but this time Murong Bao couldn't listen. He felt that Wei Jun could not come after him. Zhi Tan persuaded fiercely, and even wept bitterly, Murong Bao sent Murong Lin to take 30,000 people to guard against the Wei army.
Murong Lin did not believe that the Wei army was coming, and went hunting without any defense. Murong Bao felt that he was not far from home and that there would be no accidents, and ordered his generals to camp and rest.
In fact, not long after the Yan army withdrew, just in November, the Yellow River froze. Tuoba Jue personally crossed the river with more than 20,000 cavalry and pursued the Yan army day and night.
When the Wei cavalry arrived near Sanhepi, it was dusk. The Yan army was still resting on the eastern side of Sanhepi, unaware of it.
How could Tuoba Jue let go of such a good opportunity. He deployed a raid plan overnight, with the cavalry biting small wooden sticks and tying the mouths of the horses to no sound. More than 20,000 cavalry quietly climbed the hillside next to the Yan army camp.
Map of Dai County
At dawn, the Wei cavalry condescended to storm the Yan camp. The Yan army was caught off guard and fell into panic, and everyone scrambled to escape for their lives. Fighting turns to slaughter. The Yan army alone drowned in the water and was trampled to death by horses.
The Wei general Tuoba Zun, who was not far from Sanhepi, also arrived with troops, and the Yan army of 40,000 or 50,000 people was captured, including several thousand civil and military officials such as the King of Luyang and the King of Guilin in the Yan Kingdom. Subsequently, most of these captives were buried alive.
The Yan army was almost completely annihilated, and only a few thousand people escaped. Murong Bao was lucky enough to escape on horseback alone, and was devastated.
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The history books do not record how Murong Chui reacted to the defeat of Sanhepi, presumably because of his shame and indignation, and he regretted it.
Murong Bao's performance disappointed him too much.
After Murong Bao fled back, he urged Murong Chui to personally go out to attack Northern Wei and shame himself. Later Yan's situ Murong De also advised Murong Chui to march in person. Murong Chui decided to send a large-scale army the following year.
However, the morale of the Yan army was low, and many people suffered from "Wei-phobia syndrome".
In the first month of 396, Murong Long, a General of Later Yan and the King of Gaoyang, led the army of Longcheng to the capital Zhongshan to assemble. Murong Long was experienced in hundreds of battles, and this army was reorganized, which slightly boosted the fighting spirit of the Yan people.
Ruins of Zhongshan Ancient City in Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang
In March, Murong Chui, at the age of seventy, led troops transferred from all over the Yan state to secretly send troops.
The Yan army reached the vicinity of the Wei state of Pingcheng (present-day Datong), and Murong Chui sent Murong Nong the Prince of Western Liaoning and Murong Long the Prince of Gaoyang as forward troops to attack the city.
The Pingcheng defender Tuoba Qian, known as the number one fierce general in the North of Dai, brazenly went out of the city to meet the battle, and was killed by the Yan army. All the soldiers and civilians of Pingcheng surrendered.
However, many Yan generals were still afraid of the Wei army because of the defeat in the last battle. Only the Longcheng troops led by Murong Long fought bravely. Murong Long's forces once again boosted the morale of the Yan army.
Murong Chui fought all his life, except for the "Battle of Shuishui" for the sake of acting and taking the initiative to retreat, and never lost. If he had been on the horse himself the last time, the ending would not have been like that.
Ruins of Pingcheng
Tuoba Jue was only twenty-five years old, full of vigor. But when the time came, he was still afraid of Murong Chui, the old northern overlord. Fear the fame he's built up over decades.
The Book of Wei records this as follows: "Descend to the northwest of Pingcheng, and camp over the mountains." Emperor Wen is coming, but to build a city to defend itself. The "emperor" here refers to Tuoba Jue, which means that he sent troops to meet Murong Chui, and the two armies confronted each other.
However, this is obviously to put gold on Tuoba Jue's face. The Book of Wei regards Northern Wei as orthodox and a secret for His Holiness, and naturally does not mention Tuoba Jue's fear of Murong Chui.
The Zizhi Tongjian records that at that time, Tuoba Jue was in The Yin Mountains, and after Murong Chui swung his army to capture Pingcheng, "the King of Wei was terrified and wanted to leave, and all the troops heard that they were devotion to death, and all of them had a bad heart." Jue didn't know what to do. ”
In other words, as soon as Tuoba Jue heard that Murong Chui had come in person, he wanted to run in horror. Moreover, the Generals of the State of Wei heard that such a fierce general as Tuoba Qian had been killed in battle, and many people planned to defect from Tuoba Jue. Tuoba Jue was at a loss.
It seems that ginger is still old and spicy.
Yin Mountain
However, no matter how strong Murong Chui was, after all, he was already in the middle of the year. He had no chance to avenge the Yan kingdom.
After capturing Pingcheng, Murong Chui took his troops to Sanhepi to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers. The corpses in the wilderness were piled up like mountains, and the soldiers of the Yan Kingdom witnessed such a tragic situation and made earth-shaking cries.
Murong Chui could no longer control his emotions, and grief and shame and indignation struck at the same time, vomiting blood on the spot, and he could not afford to be ill. He braced himself and continued his march in a carriage. After driving for dozens of miles, I had to camp and rest. The forward generals of the Yan army learned that Murong Chui had fallen ill and were forced to withdraw.
Ten days passed, Murong Chui's condition worsened, and he had to decide to return to China. Before leaving, he also ordered that a Yanchang City be built on the spot, northwest of Pingcheng.
A few Yan soldiers who defected to the State of Wei claimed that Murong Chui was dead. Tuoba Jue breathed a sigh of relief and led his troops to pursue the Yan army, and when he heard that Pingcheng had fallen, he gave up the pursuit and returned to Yin Mountain.
The Southern Song Dynasty scholar Hu Sansheng, who wrote an annotation to the Zizhi Tongjian, humorously said that Tuoba Jue heard that Murong Was dying, but did not dare to pursue the Yan army, which is similar to "death Zhuge scared away zhongda".
In April 396, Murong Chui fell ill and died on his way back to Zhongshan, ending a generation of northern overlords.
As soon as Murong Chui died, the young Tuoba Jue was no longer invincible in the north, becoming a new generation of overlords, and paving the way for a century-old empire of Northern Wei.
bibliography:
Zizhi Tongjian
Book of Wei