Huan Wen's expeditions

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Huan Wen's expeditions
Part of Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period
Huan Wen expeditions.png
Date354 - 369 CE
Location
Result Stalemate
Belligerents
Jin dynasty Former Qin, Former Yan
Commanders and leaders
Huan Wen Fu Jian, Murong Wei
Strength
50,000-100,000 100,000+
Casualties and losses
40,000+ Heavy losses

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

Contents

Background

Huan Wen was a general who took control of Jin forces in the 350s. Determined to expand his own prestige and reclaim the territory of China, Huan Wen led several campaigns against the barbarian states of Former Yan and Former Qin.

Expeditions

1st expedition

During the first expedition (354 CE), 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. The Jin army was widely applauded by the Chinese civilians, who offered food and provisions for the soldiers. However, due to lack of food, the Jin army was forced to retreat, leaving the area under barbarian control. Over 10,000 Jin soldiers died in the retreat. [1]

2nd expedition

In 356 CE Jin forces captured Luoyang from Former Yan but was forced to withdraw due to lack of support. [2]

3rd expedition

Jin launched a major campaign against Former Yan in 369 CE. 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. [3]

Aftermath

Due to the failure of Jin to reclaim the Northern heartlands, Jin forces were soon faced with the gigantic threat of Former Qin. [4]

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History of the Jin dynasty (266–420)

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Sixteen Kingdoms period of Chinese history (304–439), beginning with the overthrow of Western Jin, after which northern China fractured into a series of transient states founded by the "Five Barbarians"; ended with the unification of northern China by Northern Wei

The Sixteen Kingdoms, less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from 304 to 439 CE when the political order of northern China fractured into a series of short-lived dynastic states, most of which were founded by the "Five Barbarians," non-Chinese peoples who had settled in northern and western China during the preceding centuries and participated in the overthrow of the Western Jin dynasty in the early 4th century. The kingdoms founded by ethnic Xiongnu, Xianbei, Di, Jie, Qiang, as well as Chinese and other ethnicities, took on Chinese dynastic names, and fought against each other and the Eastern Jin dynasty, which succeeded the Western Jin and ruled southern China. The period ended with the unification of northern China in the early 5th century by the Northern Wei, a dynasty established by the Xianbei Tuoba clan, and the history of ancient China entered the Northern and Southern dynasties period.

Military history of the Jin dynasty (266–420) and the Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439)

The military history of the Jin dynasty encompasses the period of Chinese military activity from 266 AD to 420 AD. The Jin dynasty is usually divided into the Western and Eastern Jin eras. Western Jin lasted from its usurpation of Cao Wei in 266 to 316 when the Uprising of the Five Barbarians split the empire and created a number of barbarian states in the north. The Jin court fled to Jiankang, starting the era of Eastern Jin, which ended in 420 when it was usurped by Liu Yu, who founded the Liu Song dynasty.

References

  1. Li and Zheng, pg 390
  2. Li and Zheng, pg 390
  3. Li and Zheng, pg 391-392
  4. Li and Zheng, pg 392

Sources