What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
Before the Battle of Shuishui, Jian Jian adopted a series of energetic and promising positive measures, such as rectifying politics, cracking down on the powerful and powerful, developing the economy and education, and recruiting talents, and quickly straightened out the social chaos caused by the previous generations. In terms of martial arts, Jian Jian successively destroyed Former Yan, Former Liang, Yao Qiang, and Daiguo, and captured Bashu and Nanzhong, surrendered the Xianbei Duan clan, the Qiuchi Yang clan, the Xiongnu, and Goguryeo tribes, adopted a policy of appeasement toward the leaders of all ethnic groups that surrendered, and took pacifying measures against their people without interference or plunder.
After capturing Sichuan, in February of the third year of taiyuan (378), He Jian sent the southern generals Gong Pi and Shangshu Murong to lead 70,000 troops to attack Xiangyang, an important town in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Jin Liang Prefecture assassinated Shi Zhu Xu and did not worry about Qin Wushui's army. The mother of the Han clan found that the northwest corner of Xiangyang was not strong, so she added an inner city, commonly known as Lady City, to defend. At this time, the Qin champion general Murong Chui had already captured Nanyang, and together with the Zhipi division, xiangyang was strong and strong for a year, because the Jin governor Li Bohu was only able to capture Xiangyang, zhu Xu was captured. Jian Jian insisted on Xiangyang because Zhu Xu was loyal to Jin, worshiped Zhu Xu as a branch shangshu, and thought that he was for his own use, and beheaded Li Bohu, who opened the door to meet the surrender, for disloyalty to Jin.
The former Qin army's capture of Xiangyang showed that Jian Jian was pressing forward step by step and was determined to destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty, so in October of the seventh year of Taiyuan (382), a military conference was held at the Taiji Hall to discuss the attack on the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Jian Jian said to the courtiers: "Since I have inherited the inheritance, for thirty years, the four sides are slightly determined, only the southeast corner, not the king, now A little bit of my soldiers, can get 970,000, I want to ask for it myself, why not?" Secretary Supervisor Zhu Tong was the first to speak. He said: "Your Majesty will punish heaven with honor, there will be no war, and if the Lord of Jin does not hold the rank of Bi Junmen, he will go to the rivers and seas, and His Majesty will return to the Chinese soldiers and people, so that he can restore his zi, and then return to the east of the public opinion to tour the east and declare himself Emperor Daizong, which will be a thousand years and a thousand years." This was the only remark in favor of Vajaki at the meeting, and Jian Jian was very happy to hear it. The second speaker was Shang Shu Zuo Shu Shooting Power Wing. He said: "... Although the present Jin Dynasty is weak, there is no great evil, Xie An and Huan Chong are all great people in the river, the monarchs and ministers are harmonious, and the inside and outside are of the same heart, and they are looking at it as a subject, and they cannot be figured out. Although jian Jian was not happy to hear this, he still said, "All the kings have their own opinions." Prince Zuo Wei led Shi Yue to speak for the third time. He said, "In this year's town of Shoudou (斗指吴越), the merit is in Wu, and if you cut it, there will be natural disasters." And according to the danger of the Yangtze River, the people used it, and it was not cut down. After hearing this, Jian Jian retorted, "King Xiwu was cutting down the silk, disobeying the age, and the heavenly path is far away, and it is not easy to know." Fu Cha and Sun Hao both protected the rivers and lakes, and were not spared from death, and the people of present and my people threw themselves into the river, and cut off their flow, and what a thrifty foot!" Shi Yue said: "The kings of the Three Kingdoms are all adulterous and ruthless, so the enemy country takes it, and it is easy to pick up the relics, and although the jin dynasty has no virtue and has not committed any major crimes, may Your Majesty and the army accumulate in the valley to wait for them." In the subsequent speeches of the ministers, they did not agree with the Jin Dynasty. Jian Jian was very dissatisfied and announced the adjournment of the meeting. Only For Xiang Rong to stay, he said, "Those who have decided great things since ancient times are only one or two ministers." Now that all the words are being spoken and confused, I should decide with You. "There are three difficulties in this period: the heavenly path is not smooth, and the one is also; Jin Guo Wu Jie, Er Ye; I count the fatigue of the soldiers, and the people are afraid of the enemy, three also. Those who are invincible, all are loyal to their subjects, and may His Majesty listen to them. Jian Jian said unhappily, "Ru is the same, I hope to return!" I am strong and a million soldiers, and the staff is like a mountain; Although I have not been the Lord, nor am I a dark inferior, taking advantage of the momentum of the tide of victory, and attacking the kingdom of the fallen, how can I not be overcome, how can I leave this remnant behind, and make the country worry for a long time!" Gong Rong wept: "The Jin Dynasty is not perishable, it is clear that this laborer is making a great effort, I am afraid that there is no perfect achievement, and the worries of the subjects are more than this." His Majesty has pampered Xianbei, Qiang, and Qiang, and is full of Qidian, and this genus is my deep hatred. The prince alone and the weak pawns remained in the capital division, and the subjects were afraid that there would be a change in the abdomen, and they could not regret it. The stubbornness and foolishness of the subjects, the sincerity is not enough, Wang Jingluo (Wang Meng) is a heroic hero, His Majesty is often compared to the Marquis of Zhuge Wu, and he does not remember his dying words!" Xiang Rong's words can be described as a liver and gallbladder, exhausting loyalty, and leading Wang Meng's last words as a warning, but Jian Jian just wouldn't listen.
Shamen Dao'an, who was the most trusted of Jian Jian, also advised Jian Jian to say: "Your Majesty should be in the heavens and the emperor, and the fourth dimension is in the middle of the earth, self-sufficient than Long Yao and Shun, why should you take the wind and rain, after a little grace!" And the southeast is wet, the qi is easy to construct, Yu Shun swims and does not return, Dayu goes back and forth, how can it be enough to labor the big driver!" Shi Dao'an's advice was more subtle, and it was only from the aspects of climate and environment that it was not appropriate to march south. Jian Jian was a very sensitive person, and he knew his true meaning as soon as he heard it, so he replied: "Born to be a king of the people and a tree, so that the priest, how dare he be afraid of labor, and the other side is alone and is not favored!" As the saying goes, the emperors of the ancients did not have conquests. The meaning of Jian Jian's reply was that my southern expedition was a task entrusted to me by Heaven, and I could not resign my labor and leave the people of one side unkind. Dao'an listened to Jian Jian's defenses, and it was not good to dissuade him from going south, but said: "As a last resort, Your Majesty should be stationed in Luoyang, sending emissaries to serve the ruler in front, and the generals of the sixth division in the rear, and he will enter the army as the head of the audit, and there is no need to personally wade into the river and Huaiye." Dao'an's suggestion was actually the most prudent and good strategy, so that Jian Jian sent a large army in front, he sat in Luoyang to command in the rear, echoing back and forth, the front was defeated, the rear could support, even if defeated, it would not collapse the overall situation and be unmanageable. But Jian Jian still did not listen, but insisted on personally marching south.
Jian Jian was determined to take Jiangdong, and his heart was burning, and he could not be dan, and Zhi Rong said: "'Contentment is not humiliated, knowledge is not destroyed', since ancient times, the soldiers are extremely poor, and there is no one who is not dead." And the country Ben Rong Di ye, Zheng Shuo will not return to the people. Although Jiangdong is weak and only exists, chinese orthodoxy and Providence will not end. Jian Jian said, "The emperor's calendar, there is always evil, only the ear of virtue, Liu Chan is not a Miao descendant of Han, and eventually it will be destroyed by Wei." Ru is therefore inferior to me, and is sick and does not reach the ear of the change!" Not only did Jian Jian not accept the opinion, but he blamed Gong Rong for not being able to achieve the change. Its rigidity is hopelessly self-inflicted.
In August of the eighth year of taiyuan (383), Jian Jian ordered a large-scale conquest of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the courtiers were reluctant to go on the expedition, but Murong Chui, Yao Chang, and the sons of the Liang family persuaded them to do so. Xiang Rong once again risked death to enter the counsel: "Xianbei, Qiangfu, my enemy, often thinking about the change of wind and dust to fulfill his ambitions, so Chen Curated, How can he be from it!" The young men of the good family are rich children, not idle in the army, and they are obedient to his majesty's intentions. Now His Majesty believes in it and uses it, and does not do great things lightly, and the subjects are afraid that persuasion will not succeed, but there will still be troubles, and there will be no regrets!" Jian Jian still did not listen, and Gong Rong could only obey the order.
Jian Jian ordered Zhang Yu and Murong Chui to lead 250,000 infantry and horsemen as the forward, with Yanzhou Assassin Shi Yao Chang as the military governor of Longjun and Liang Erzhou, and Zhi Jian from Chang'an, with a total national strength of about 600,000 soldiers and 270,000 cavalry. Looking at each other with great might, thousands of miles back and forth, this is a big problem of serious dispersion of troops. In September, the headquarters of Zhijian had reached Xiangcheng (present-day Henan), the troops of Liangzhou had reached Xianyang, the soldiers of Shu and Han had gone down the river, and the troops of Youji had reached Pengcheng, thousands of miles from east to west, and land and water were advancing together, although there were tens of thousands of ships, but the logistical supply was really difficult. At this time, Xiang Rong led 300,000 troops, and had advanced to Yingkou (颍口, in present-day Yingshang County, Anhui Province, southeast of the Yinghe River into Huaizhikou) and prepared to launch an attack. The Eastern Jin Dynasty sent the general Xie Shi (襓石) to conquer DaduDu ( Dadu Governor ) , with Xie Xuan as the forward governor , and the auxiliary generals Xie Yan ( Xie Yan ) and Xizhonglang (西中郎 ) huan yi ( Huan Yi ) to lead 80,000 northern soldiers to resist the enemy , and sent the longjun general Hu Bin to lead 5,000 water troops to aid Shouyang ( present-day Shou County , Anhui ) . In October, Murong Rong led an army to capture Shouyang, and Murong Chui pulled out the city of Yun (郧城, in modern Anlu, Hubei). Hu Bin heard that Shouyang had fallen, surrendered to Jiaoshi (硖石, in present-day Fengtai, Anhui), and Xiang Rong continued to attack. The Qin Wei general Liang Cheng led an army of 50,000 men to Tunyu Luojian (羅水, which originated from Dingyuan County, Anhui, flowing northwest to Huainan City into the Huai River), and set up a fence to block the Jin army. Xie Shi and Xie Xuan led their army to Luojian twenty-five miles, but they did not dare to advance again for fear of Liang Cheng's army.
At this time, Hu Bin's army had run out of food, and the submarine emissaries told Xie Shi and others: "Now that the thieves have run out of grain, I am afraid that they will not see the army again." The emissary was captured by the Qin army, and Gong Rong immediately sent someone to secretly inform Jian Jian, who was convinced and said, "Thieves are easy to capture, but they are afraid to flee, so it is advisable to go there as soon as possible." Therefore, Nailiu's army was in Xiangcheng, and he only led eight thousand light horses, and went to Shouyang to see ZhiRong, and sent Zhu Xu to the Camp of the Jin Army to persuade him to surrender. Zhu Xu did not forget the motherland, and instead of persuading him to surrender, he said to Xie Shi and others: "If a million people know about it, Mo Ke and the enemy, and his failure to meet, will be able to strike at him, and he will be able to gain his will." Therefore, Xie Shi followed his plan and sent Liu Gaozhi, the minister of Guangling, to lead 5,000 elite troops to enter Shuishui, and Chen Rong was fused with Chen Shuishui, and the Jin army was not allowed to cross. Xie Shi made people say to Xiang Rong: "Junyuan travels far into my realm, and linshui is in a battle, and he does not want to fight quickly, please ask Jun to be a little more, so that the warriors can be given a good time, and the servants and the armies will slowly watch it, and they will not be happy!" Zhi Rong refused to retreat, and Jian Jian said, "But if you lead the troops less, make them half cross, I will kill them with iron horses, and I will not be able to overcome them!" As the Army retreated, Zhu Xu shouted behind the line, "The Qin soldiers have been defeated." The Qin army rushed back, there was no return, Xiang Rongchi rode a little Chen, tried to stop the retreat, the horse was killed, the Qin army was defeated, it was self-defeating, most of the dead, the middle of the arrow, and several horses abandoned the armor, and the wind and cranes were whispered, all thought that the soldiers were chasing and coming, the grass was sleeping, and the starvation and freezing of the dead were 78 out of 10. The Jin army captured the mica cart, dresses, equipment, military resources, and more than 100,000 cattle and horses that Jian Jian was riding. The Qin army suffered heavy losses, but strangely, all the armies collapsed, but Murong Chui had 30,000 troops alone. Jian Jian led more than a thousand horsemen to defect to Murong Chui. Murong Chui's subordinates all persuaded Qiu Jian to kill Him, but When He was in difficulty, he accepted and reused him, refused to do so, and gave 30,000 troops to Zhi Jian, who was scattered and dispersed, and when he returned to Luoyang, there were already more than 100,000 people, but in fact they were already rebellious and separated. Soon Murong Chui, Yao Cang, Qifu Guoren, Lü Guang, Murong Chong, and others established the state, and in August of the tenth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty (385), Yao Cang killed Cangjian, completely ending the early stage of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, and entering a period of more chaos in the Sixteen Kingdoms.
Why was Jian Jian defeated in the Battle of Shuishui?
First, Jian Jian overconfided his military strength, believing that with a million strong divisions, conquering the Eastern Jin Dynasty was like an autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves, and could easily win a complete victory, without seeing his own internal contradictions and crises. He also did not believe what Wang Meng, Gong Rong, and others said that the Xianbei, Qiang, and Qiang tribes were enemies of Former Qin, and they were always preparing for restoration. He was confident and capable of harnessing Murong Chui, Yao Cang, and other tyrants, and wanted to lead them to use them in wars of all ethnic groups.
Second, Jian Jian lacked the understanding of the orthodox prestige of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the stability of the political situation. At the beginning of the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the political situation was in a state of chaos for a long time. First there were Zhou Xun and Xu Fu rebelling against the Jin Dynasty, then there was the rebellion of Wang Dun, the rebellion of Su Jun, and the powerful ministers Yu Liang, Chu Qi, Yin Hao, Huan Wen, and others who fought for power in the Northern Expedition, and those in power were as uncertain as marquee lights, but after Huan Wen's usurpation of the throne and his illness died, the central government was ruled by Xie An, and Jingzhou was ruled by Huan Chong. Xie and Huan lived in harmony with the two politicians, and the political situation in the Eastern Jin Dynasty entered a period of stability. In view of the lessons of the repeated failures of the Northern Expedition, Xie An built a well-trained, brave and good soldier of the Northern Province, which gave the Eastern Jin Dynasty a strong backing. At this time, jian Jian's southern expedition could be said to have no certainty of victory, and he regarded the annihilation of Jin as a mustard, and this idea of light enemy was a big mistake and one of the factors in his defeat.
Third, mistakes in strategic and tactical direction. Judging from the overall situation of Former Qin and the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time, there was no need for Jian Jian to start this war at all, and this was a problem that Jian Jian's close associates and relatives could see very clearly. Because the Eastern Jin Dynasty had great statesmen Xie An and Huan Chong who held the central and local military and political power, internal stability and harmony, and elite Beifu soldiers defending, it can be said that they were impeccable, while former Qin, although there were many generals and generals, but there were many internal contradictions and huge hidden dangers lurking, but Jian Jian turned a blind eye. Even if we take a step back and say that Jian Jian has a reason to start this war, there is no need to "ride the royal conquest" in person.
Fourth, it is not necessary to mobilize troops from all over the country to make a large-scale dispatch, which has brought its total strength to more than 900,000 troops, but in fact it has not played its due role in the war, and the front line has been stretched and scattered, making it difficult to supply logistics and increasing the burden on the army.