The Battle of Fei River

The battle of Fei River in AD 383 marked the defeat of the Qin kingdom by the Jin Dynasty, leading to 200 years of war and the beginning of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 420 – AD 589). The Sui government then attacked the southern part of the Tran dynasty, unifying the two dynasties south and north and ending the wars and strife for many years. It was Emperor Wen of Sui, one of the most notable rulers in ancient China, who established the framework for the Tang dynasty that flourished thereafter. The Five Lakes and the Six Kingdoms can be considered the most chaotic period in Chinese history. This is also the period that the Chinese are least willing to talk about because the Chinese eat all the onions of foreigners. Perhaps few people know about the battle of Fei River, one of the biggest battles of this period as well as the most important event in ancient China.

In a nutshell, the battle of Fei River had about 800,000 Dong Jin troops defeating 900,000 soldiers of Former Qin and Zuo Xuan. Casualties in this entire battle are not well documented. Fang Xuanling gave the number of casualties as more than 700,000 Qin troops, while the Qin Dynasty side suffered insignificant casualties. But in general, the defeat of Fei River weakened the Old Qin at the root. Just a short time later, a series of Qin generals rose up, established different kingdoms, and re-established the division of the North. It was not until 439 that the north was unified again thanks to the Northern Wei dynasty of the Tuoba dynasty. On the Jin side, this victory consolidated their power and influence in the Jiangnan region. The Jin dynasty lasted another 37 years before being usurped by Liu Yu.