Xie Xuan, a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, had many auras in him, a writer and a military man; the nephew of the prime minister Xie An; at the age of 21 he was a general of Sima Huanwen; at the age of 40 he commanded the famous "Battle of Shuishui" and became a famous general in history. He died at the age of 45 and was posthumously honored by the Jin Emperor as a cheqi general with the posthumous title of Xianwu.
Xie Xuan was raised by his uncle Xie An at an early age, and the two had a deep relationship. Xie Xuan was brilliant and deeply valued by Xie An. When Xie Xuan grew up, he showed that he was talented by the state, and the imperial court summoned him several times, but he refused to resign. At the age of 21, he was recruited as a general by Sima Huanwen.
It is impossible to say that Xie Xuan cannot fail to talk about the "Battle of Shuishui", which is a famous example in Chinese history of winning more with less. Xie Xuan led an army of 80,000 to defeat former Qin's army of nearly one million at Shuishui, and this campaign determined the pattern of long-term division during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The significance is no less than the Battle of Chibi of the Three Kingdoms.
In 377 AD, Former Qin was strong and powerful, and Qin troops repeatedly invaded the borders of the Jin state. The imperial court ordered the recruitment of good generals who could resist the north, and Xie An recommended Xie Xuan. The imperial court appointed Xie Xuanjianwu as a general, Yanzhou Assassin History, leading the Guangling Xiang and Jianjiangbei military forces, and guarding Guangling (廣陵, in present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu).
Even Zhongshu Lang Xichao, who has always been at odds with Xie An, praised Xie An and said, "Xie An does not hold up like ordinary people: Xian avoids relatives, which is a manifestation of deep understanding of righteousness." Xie Xuan will definitely not dishonor the recommendation, he is a real talent. ”
Sure enough, Xie Xuan lived up to expectations, and he recruited Xiao Brave soldiers from Xu and Yan prefectures in Guangling (present-day Yangzhou), and strictly trained these peasants who had fled from the north and had gone through hardships into an elite army capable of recruiting good warriors, historically known as the "Northern Soldiers".
In August 383, Fu Jian, the King of Former Qin, led an army of one million from Chang'an to the south and marched to Jiankang. He wanted to use the "autumn wind to sweep away the fallen leaves" to sweep away the Eastern Jin Dynasty in one fell swoop and unify the north and south. Xie Xuan led 80,000 soldiers from the Northern Province to meet the battle. In November, Xie Xuan sent Liu Gaozhi to lead 5,000 elite troops to attack Luojian, opening the prelude to the Battle of Shuishui. Qin led Liang Cheng's 50,000 troops to line up on the edge of Luojian to meet the attack. After Liu Gaozhi's division of troops detoured back to the Qin army, it cut off its way back; he led his troops to cross the Luoshui River and attacked the Qin front. The Qin army panicked and barely resisted for a while, then collapsed, the main general Liang Cheng and his brother Liang Yun were killed in battle, officers and soldiers rushed to cross the Huai River to escape, and more than 15,000 people were killed. Luo Jian's great victory greatly boosted the morale of the Jin army. Xie Shi marched by land and water, reaching the east bank of the Mishui River (淝河, in the south of Shou County, Anhui), and camped at the Side of Bagong Mountain to confront the Qin army in Shouyang. Standing on the upper floor of Shouyang City, Jian Jian glanced at it, only to see that the Jin army on the other side was neatly arranged and the soldiers were elite. Even the grass and trees on the Bagong Mountain, he mistakenly thought that it was a Jin soldier, and he was quite panicked, and said to Zhi Rong: "This is also a strong enemy, what is weak?" This is the origin of the famous allusion "grass and trees are soldiers". In this battle, the Jin army won the first battle.
Xie Xuan took advantage of the victory and met with Xiang Rong, who was forcing shuishui to fight a decisive battle on the west bank of Shuishui. The Qin army retreated, trying to take advantage of the Jin army to attack when it was halfway across the water. However, the Qin army was unstable internally, and it could not be stopped when it retreated; the Jin army took advantage of the momentum to attack, and the Qin army collapsed on the road and heard the wind and cranes, and they all thought that it was the Eastern Jin Dynasty pursuing the troops. Xie Xuan's Beifu soldiers were mostly northerners and descendants who had fled to the south, who suffered greatly from national oppression, and they fought bravely and bravely.
In the Battle of Shuishui, the Jin army won a complete victory, writing a brilliant page in the history of Chinese warfare with fewer victories and more victories.
Character evaluation
Xie Xuan was both literate and martial, determined to save the peril and restore his inheritance; the "Beifu Soldiers" he created could fight good battles and become the most elite armed force in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In the Battle of Shuishui, the "Beifu Soldiers" were strictly organized, which made the Qin lord fearful, which showed its strength.
After the Battle of Shuishui, Xie Xuan also took advantage of the Northern Expedition and marched into the Central Plains, and the control area of the Eastern Jin Army once reached the Yellow River line, so Xie Xuanjia oversaw the military of Xu, Yan, Qing, Si, Ji, You, and seven prefectures, and was awarded the title of Duke of Kangle County. Xie Xuan died of illness in 388 AD, only five years after the Battle of Shuishui. Although the Si people died, the Battle of Shuishui, which he commanded, will never go down in history and be praised for a thousand years.