What was the result of Liu Yu's battle against Southern Yan? And what are the historical impacts?
In the second year of Yuanxing (404) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Liu Yu defeated Huan Xuan, who had usurped the throne of Jin. In the following year, he restored Emperor An to the throne and took control of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Murong Chao, the lord of Southern Yan, saw the civil strife in Eastern Jin, and from the second year of Yi Xi (406), he repeatedly sent troops to attack the border of Eastern Jin, and traveled south to attack and plunder the northern part of Huaibei. The Jin people south of Pengcheng (present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province) had built fortresses to defend themselves against the Southern Yan army. At that time, the internal contradiction of the ruling group of Southern Yan was increasing, and Murong Chao credited the treachery and sycophancy, killing the virtuous and good, and the harshness of the service, which aroused the people's strong resistance.
Liu Yu, in order to fight against the Southern Yan and to promote the prestige of the outside world, wanted to be the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition. The courtiers were discouraged, but Liu Yu refused to comply. In April of the fifth year, he set off from Jiankang (present-day Nanjing) and led his boat division to the Surabaya River. In May, the Eastern Jin army arrived at Xiapi (present-day Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, south of the town of Gupi), leaving behind the ships and provisions, walking to Langxie (present-day Linyi, Shandong Province, north). All the cities were built and guarded by soldiers to prevent the cavalry of Southern Yan from attacking the rear. Liu Yu intends to choose a shortcut from Langxie through Juxian (now Shandong), over the Da Xian (now Yishan) straight to Linqu (now Shandong), Guanggu.
Dahan Mountain is 70 feet high, around 20 miles, on the Muling Pass, steep and narrow only allow a car to pass, known as "Qinan Heavenly Danger". Liu Yu's men were worried that if the Southern Yan army controlled Dahan, or if they held out their walls and cleared the area, they would not only fail in their endeavors, but would also be unable to return to their homes. Liu Yu thought that Murong Chao was greedy and could not defend the danger without far-sightedness. So, he supervised his troops to rush in. On the fifth day of the second month of the sixth year, Liu Yu ordered to attack the city on all sides, and the Yan army could not resist and surrendered. Murong Chao only led dozens of riders to break through the siege, and was captured and killed in Jiankang. Southern Yan died.
Passage of the war
Jin Yixi five years (Southern Yan Taishang five years, 409 years) in April to February the following year, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Liu Yu, general of the Central Army, led the army to capture the capital of Yan, Guanggu (today's Shandong Province, north-west of Qingzhou), the destruction of Southern Yan's famous war.
In the first month of the fifth year of YiXi, Murong Chao, the emperor of Southern Yan, thought that there were not enough musicians in his court, and wanted to use his army to plunder the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In February, Murong Chao lightly started the border provocation and attacked Suyu (southeast of Suqian, present-day Jiangsu Province) of Eastern Jin, and plundered 2,500 people. Liu Yu to fight against the South Yan, outside the prestige, in April from Jiankang (now Nanjing) rate of boat division back to the Huaihe River into the Surabaya.
May, arrived in Xiapi (now northwest of Suining, Jiangsu Province), leaving the ships and provisions, but by land to Langxie (now north of Linyi, Shandong Province). In order to prevent South Yan from breaking its back with strange troops, all the cities and barricades were built and troops were kept for defense. The Southern Yan Xianbei people, who were so brave and light-hearted, were not concerned about the Jin army entering their territory.
Murong Chao did not adopt the good advice of General Gongsun Wulou, who was a conquering general, to "rely on the dangers of Da Dan Shan (present-day Yishan in Shandong) so that the Jin army could not penetrate deeper" or to "hold the wall and clear the field" or to "cut off the Jin's grain route". The good policy of "break the grain road of Jin".
June, Liu Yu did not meet resistance, past Ju County (now belongs to Shandong), over the Da Xian Mountain. Murong Chao, the lord of Southern Yan, first sent Gongsun Wulou, He Lailu and left general Duan Hui to lead 50,000 foot and cavalry troops into Linqu (now Shandong). Murong Chao learned that the Jin army had already passed Da Dan Shan, and led 40,000 foot and cavalry troops to follow them. When the Yan army reached Linqu, Murong Chao sent Gongsun Wulou to lead his cavalry to take control of the Jiuyi Water (present-day Mia River in Shandong) south of Linqu. He encountered Meng Longfu, the front line of the Jin army, and Gongsun Wulou retreated in defeat.
Liu Yu pushed forward with 4,000 chariots divided into left and right flanks, with soldiers and chariots in between and cavalry at the back. The Jin army arrived in Linqu South, Murong Chao sent his elite cavalry to attack before and after. The two armies fought hard, but the victory was not yet decided. Liu Yu adopted the strategy of Counselor Hu Fan and sent Hu Fan, Counselor Tang Shao and General Xiang Mi to lead the army around the back of Yan's army, and took advantage of the weakness to conquer Linqu. Murong Chao fled to the camp of General Duan Hui in the south of the city. Liu Yu gave chase and defeated the Yan army, and Duan Hui and other ten generals were beheaded. Murong Chao fled back to Guanggu. Liu Yu pursued the Yan army northward and captured the outer city of Guanggu. Murong Chao retreated to the inner city.
Liu Yu builds a siege, invites the rebels to surrender, wins the hearts of the people, and takes food from the land to feed the war. Murong Chao was trapped in the inner city of Guanggu, and sent Zhang Gang, the minister of the Book of Changes, and Han Fan, the minister of the Book of Changes, to the Later Qin Dynasty to ask for help. In July, Yao Xing, the lord of Hou Qin, sent Yao Qiang, the general of Wei, to lead foot and cavalry troops of 10,000 to join Yao Shao, the defender of Luoyang (northeast of Luoyang, Henan Province), and united his troops to **** save Southern Yan. He also sent an envoy to Liu Yu, claiming that the Later Qin had 100,000 troops in Luoyang, and that if the Jin army did not return, he would drive into the city. Liu Yu realized that Yao Xing was bluffing and was not moved.
Soon, Yao Xing was defeated by Liu Huo, the lord of Xia, in the city of Ercheng (northwest of Huangling, Shaanxi Province), and Yao Qiang was ordered to retreat to Chang'an (northwest of Xi'an). Murong Chao was trapped in Guanggu for a long time and did not see any reinforcements from the Later Qin, so he wanted to cut the south of Da Da Nang Mountain and the East Jin as a condition to claim vassalage to the East Jin, but Liu Yu refused to allow it. Southern Yan ministers Zhang Hua, Feng Kai, Feng Rong and Zhang Jun, the Minister of the Shangshu, surrendered to the Jin Dynasty.
In September, Liu Yu intercepted Han Fan, who was on his way to Houqin to borrow troops, and made him go around the city to show that there was no hope of rescue from Houqin, and the defenders of Southern Yan in the city were alarmed. In October, Zhang Gang, a Yan minister, was captured, and the Jin army made a variety of siege equipment, such as flying buildings and chariots, to strengthen the offensive and defensive capabilities.
In February of the sixth year, He Lailu and Gongsun Wulou of Southern Yan led their troops to attack the Jin army by digging tunnels, but they were defeated and returned to the inner city. Liu Yu took the opportunity to attack the city on all sides. Yue Shou, the Southern Yan's minister, opened the city gate to welcome the surrender, and the Jin army attacked the inner city of Guanggu. Murong Chao led dozens of riders to break through the siege and left, but was chased and captured by the Jin army, and sent to Jiankang to be beheaded, and Southern Yan died.
Results of the war
In October, Zhang Gang completed the construction of siege equipment for Liu Yu's army. "The equipment was very skillful, and the wooden mantle and the flying tower were all ready. The city's flint bows and vectors were useless". Jin army due to have a good siege equipment, kill and injure Yan army day, coupled with Yan army has been trapped for a long time, the city food will be exhausted, Yan military officials have crossed the city to surrender to Jin. Yueshou (悅壽), a minister of the state, thought that Yan was "alone in the city and desperate for help from the outside". Although generals Gongsun Wulou and He Lailu had dug tunnels and led their troops out of the city to attack the Jin soldiers, they were unable to break the enemy, so they advised Murong Chao to surrender.
But Murong Chao said, "I would rather die with my sword than live with my jade!" Yi Xi six years (410 AD) February 5th, Liu Yu ordered to lead the army to attack the city, Yue Shou opened the city gate into the Jin army, Murong Chao rate dozens of riders to break the siege and fled, was captured by the Jin army, sent to Jiankang beheading. At this point, Liu Yu besieged Guanggu for 8 months before he destroyed Southern Yan. When Liu Yu entered the city of Guanggu, he wanted to kill all the men in the city and reward their wives and daughters to the generals, but he was persuaded by Han Fan to execute only 3,000 people below the princes and dukes of Yan.
Impact of the war
The campaign of the Eastern Jin Dynasty against Southern Yan lasted for 10 months, and finally destroyed Southern Yan, thus contributing to the unification of the northern region.
The destruction of Yan by the Eastern Jin Dynasty responded to the development trend of unification demanded by history
The Southern Yan Dynasty, originally a small force divided from the Later Yan Dynasty, ruled over an area only east of Jinan in present-day Shandong Province, north of Zaozhuang to the Bohai Sea, and in the later period of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was a district of small countries. It had neither enlightened political measures nor socio-economic development, but only closed rule and oppression. The people of North China have long hated this chaotic situation of fragmentation and division, and the wars of wars and disasters.
Specifically, the original from the north with the east of the eastern Jin Dynasty officials, more eager to unify the north, return to their hometown desire. Therefore, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the division of the Northern Expedition, adapted to the requirements of the people at that time, so that the division of the Jin Dynasty, wherever it went, showing a picture of "China and the barbarians are very happy" situation. This became the unique political advantage of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Strong war strength is another important factor in the victory of the Eastern Jin Dynasty
The Eastern Jin Dynasty, since the capital of Jiangnan, although internal strife, many times the size of the war, but basically maintain the unity of the country, unlike the northern multi-country strife, the scourge of war, the socio-economic devastation of the withering and dilapidated situation. After Liu Yu came to power, he took measures to reduce taxes and develop production, which, together with the natural economic and geographical conditions of Jiangnan, enabled the Eastern Jin Dynasty to gradually increase its economic strength, and to train and enlist a large number of powerful armies of vehicles, foot soldiers, watermen, and horsemen.
This army was significantly superior to the South Yan army in both quantity and quality, providing a solid material foundation for victory over South Yan.