Chapter 12 11. Liu Yu's last glory

In the twelfth year of Yixi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 416), Yao Xing, the second emperor of the Later Qin Dynasty, died of illness, and the prince Yao Hong succeeded to the throne, taking over the mess of domestic and foreign difficulties left by Yao Xing's ineffective rule in his last years.At the end of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, rebellions and wars abounded. As long as it was profitable, no one would do less to "add insult to injury".Later Qin's western and northern neighbors Xiqin and Daxia took advantage of the new master's accession to the throne and all came to attack. The Yang family of Qiuchi in the southwest attacked Qishan fiercely, and the powerful Qiang chieftains from all over the territory of Later Qin also joined forces and rebelled.Faced with such a situation, Yao Hong, who is "filial, friendly and kind" but "useless in the world", is obviously helpless.

The northern countries have been fighting each other for a hundred years, and it has been more than 30 years since the former Qin split after the Feishui War. At this time, the situation has gradually become clearer.Only the Northern Wei and Northern Yan remained in the Kanto area. The Northern Wei occupied You, Ji, Bingzhou and a large area of ​​Monan north of the Yellow River, while the Northern Yan only retained a small part of Youzhou and Pingzhou.With such a huge advantage, Tuoba Si was naturally not satisfied with dominating the Kanto region. His power had penetrated into the Henan area ruled by the post-Qin Dynasty, and he was always concerned about the competition in the Central Plains.

There are still five countries in the Guanzhong area. After the former powerful country, the land of Qin is shrinking, and it only controls the narrow strip of the Weishui River Basin in the Guanzhong Plain, as well as the Luoyang and Xuchang areas in the Guandong area. The army continued to harass and erode the post-Qin border.Liangzhou in the west is divided into three countries, Xiqin, Beiliang, and Xiliang from south to north, and from east to west. Among them, under the management of the third generation monarch, Qifu Chipan, Xiqin has grown stronger and stronger, and it has also imposed great pressure on Yao. The regime poses a great threat.

The situation is so favorable, Liu Yu, who has long had the ambition to annex Guanzhong and Luoyang, will certainly not miss the opportunity, not to mention that he has to use the land in Guanzhong and the blood of the Qiang people to add great gifts to his usurpation of the throne. In August of this year, Liu Yu decided to send troops to attack Qin.He appointed his son Liu Yifu as the general of the Chinese army, and stayed at the Taiwei Mansion in Jiankang. The Shangshu Liu Muzhi was the left servant who managed the affairs of the capital area. In fact, he took charge of the government on behalf of Liu Yu himself.He also arranged Zuo Sima Xu Xianzhi, Zuo General Zhu Lingshi and other cronies in the capital to prepare for unexpected events.

After arranging the affairs of the base camp, Liu Yu can safely lead the army to the Northern Expedition.The preparations for the Northern Expedition this time are more adequate than ever before. Liu Yu's general strategic plan is to attack from multiple points in Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, etc. on the Qin and Jin borders, and form a half-basket for the Later Qin from the east and south. With a circular encirclement posture, they won the Kanto region in one fell swoop, and then attacked Tongguan together. The Jin army is divided into five groups, consisting of two parts: the infantry and the navy: the first is the forward of the infantry, led by General Longxiang Wang Zhen'e and the champion general Tan Daoji, from Huaishui and Feishui to Xuchang and Luoyang The second direction is led by Zhu Chaoshi, the prefect of Xinye, and Hu Fan, the general of Ningshuo, from Xiangyang to attack Yangcheng (southeast of Dengfeng, Henan) to support the main force of the forward; the third is led by Zhenwu General Shen Tianzi and Jianwei General Fu Hongzhi. Xiangyang attacked Wuguan (now southwest of Shang County, Shaanxi); the fourth route was the water army, led by Jianwu General Shen Linzi and Pengcheng Internal History Liu Zunkao, out of Shimen (now northwest of Xingyang, Henan), entered the Yellow River from Bianshui, and approached Luoyang The fifth route is also the water army, which is the vanguard army led by Wang Zhongde, the governor of Northern Yanzhou, and opened Juyeze (now Juyebei, Shandong) into the Yellow River.The armies of the five routes advanced side by side, with momentum like a rainbow.Liu Muzhi acted bravely for Wang Zhen'e, and said to him: "Your Excellency is now entrusted with the important task of defeating Qin by Liu Gong, so you have to work hard!" I will never cross the river to return to my hometown again!"

The ruling center of the Later Qin Dynasty was in Guanzhong, and the Guandong area was taken by Yao Xing during the civil strife in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. However, in more than ten years, the military strength was relatively weak.Wang Zhen'e and Tan Daoji entered the territory of the post-Qin state this way, and they were invincible and won consecutive battles.The Qin army had no determination to resist, and the general Wang Gousheng used Qiqiu (northeast of Shangqiu, Henan Province) to subdue the king to suppress evil, and the Xuzhou governor Yaozhang used Xiangcheng to subdue Tan Daoji.Most of the rest of the fortress defenders surrendered in anticipation. Only the prefect of Xincai, Dong Zun, defended to the death, and Tan Daoji easily captured him, and Dong Zun was captured and killed.Tan Daoji continued to advance and conquered Xuchang, and captured Yao Yuan, the prefect of Qin Yingchuan, and Yang Ye, the general.

After Shen Linzi's navy entered the Yellow River, he was assisted by the powerful Dong Shenhu in Xiangyi (now Suixian, Henan), and soon conquered Cangyuan (northwest of Kaifeng, Henan), and Wei Hua, the governor of Yanzhou in the later Qin Dynasty, had to surrender.Shen Linzi got rid of Dong Shenhu in the name of Dong Shenhu returning to Xiangyi without authorization. Wang Zhongde's navy, which entered the Yellow River from the east, went up the river and approached Huatai (now east of Huaxian County, Henan Province), the stronghold of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Henan. Weijian, the governor of Yanzhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty, was stationed here.Yao Xing had just married his daughter, Princess Xiping, to Tuoba Si in the first year, and Qin and Wei had married. In other words, Emperor Yao Hong of the Later Qin Dynasty should call Emperor Tuoba Si of the Northern Wei Dynasty "brother-in-law".With such a close relationship, it must be supported in times of crisis, but Wei Jian felt timid and led the crowd to abandon the city and cross the Yellow River north.Surprised and delighted, Wang Zhongde picked up a slippery platform city for nothing. Although it was an empty city, it was enough to recuperate the army.

When Tuoba Si heard the news, he was furious (it is estimated that the queen Yao family also blew a lot of pillow wind), and immediately sent generals Shusun Jian and Gongsun Biao to lead the army across the river, beheaded Wei Jian, and the soldiers approached the city, shouting to Wang Zhongde, Ask him why he invaded Wei. Wang Zhongde was not panicked, he understood that the Eastern Jin Dynasty could not form an enmity with the Northern Wei Dynasty at this time.He asked his Sima Zhuhe to answer at the top of the city: "Our Taiwei Liu attacked Luoyang from the Yellow River. We just wanted to clean up the tombs of the Jin family and did not want to invade Wei. Unexpectedly. Wang Zhenglu (Wang Zhongde) only took advantage of the city to stay for a while, and will soon go west, which will not affect the friendship between Jin and Wei. Why do you raise your flags and drums and show off your power?" Liu Yu learned of this He also attached great importance to it, and personally wrote a letter to apologize, saying that he only wanted to attack Hou Qin, who was his enemy, and only borrowed from the Northern Wei Dynasty, and had no other intentions.

It turned out that the army of the Northern Wei Dynasty had just quelled the rebellion of the Huns in the Shangdang area, and it also needed to rest and reorganize. The questioning of the Jin army was more of a bluff, and it had no intention of having a major conflict with the Jin army. Let’s talk about the road of Wang Zhen’e and Tan Daoji. Yangcheng and Xingyang in the later Qin Dynasty surrendered one after another. up.The guard of Luoyang was Yao Huan, the clan of the later Qin Dynasty. He asked for help from Chang'an and discussed countermeasures with his subordinates at the same time.General Ningshuo Zhao Xuan suggested to concentrate the main force to stick to Jinyong (now northeast of Luoyang, Henan Province) and wait for reinforcements.Yao Ming, unwilling to show weakness, divided his troops to guard the key points, and ordered Zhao Xuan to lead more than a thousand soldiers to guard Baiguwu (now southeast of Yanshi, Henan) in the south, and General Shi Wuyu of Guangwu to guard Gongcheng (now Gongxian County, Henan) in the east. southwest).

The mistake of this decision soon became apparent due to the fall of Chenggao and Hulao. Wang Zhenye and others drove forward and fought Zhao Xuan in Baigu. Zhao Xuan was outnumbered and died with more than a dozen wounds on his body. Wuji walked halfway, seeing that the situation was not good, he turned around and retreated back to Luoyang.Seeing that the general situation was over and Chang'an's reinforcements were too late to arrive, Yao Kuang left the city and surrendered.Facing the more than 4,000 captured Qin troops, Tan Daoji did not accept the suggestion of his subordinates to kill and surrender soldiers (not many people could do such a good thing during the Northern and Southern Dynasties). All captured soldiers were released back to their places of origin.This behavior was quite popular at the time (Liu Yu later lost Guanzhong, which was not unrelated to his massacre of Yao's Qiang people, but a series of behaviors by the Eastern Jin Dynasty to calm the people in the Kanto area made it retain the status of the Later Qin in the Kanto region. Most of the land and most of Henan and Shandong previously occupied laid the foundation for the basic territory of the southern regime in the early Southern and Northern Dynasties).

After tidying up the Guandong, Liu Yu was a little proud. He sent Zuo Changshi Wang Hong back to Jiankang, and tentatively asked the court to add Jiuxi.Only then did Liu Muzhi, who stayed in Jiankang, fully understand Liu Yu's wolfish ambitions. He thought that his superior, who had been working in logistics all his life, was actually a rebellious minister who wanted to usurp the throne. (This reminds me of Cao Cao's adviser, Xun Yu, who is also very talented. In terms of political stance, he is loyal to the previous dynasty at a good level, but very pedantic at a bad level. In troubled times, such a person is probably the most alive Depression is the most painful.) The Jin court named Liu Yu the Duke of Song, who was above the princes and kings, and added Jiuxi.Liu Yu resigned very coolly and refused to accept it. At this time, Jiankang's attitude has already explained everything. It doesn't matter whether he wants this title or not. At this time, Hou Qin was in civil strife again, and there was not much force and time to deal with the Jin army in the east.Liu Yu left his son Liu Yilong, Duke of Pengcheng, in Pengcheng, and led the water army westward.Wang Zhen'e seized the opportunity and quickly rushed to Tongguan. Tan Daoji and Shen Linzi crossed the Yellow River from the north of Shancheng to attack the Hedong area of ​​the later Qin Dynasty. Join forces and attack Tongguan with all our strength. The three generals joined forces again, and the Jin army was brave and invincible, and soon captured Tongguan. Later Qin guard Yao Shao was defeated and retreated to Dingcheng (now west of Tongguan, Shaanxi), and refused to defend.Yao Shao sent troops to break the Jin army's food roads and block the waterways, but Shen Linzi defeated them.Yao Shao guarded the area for a month, and then sent Chief Shi Yaoqia, Ningshuo General An Luan and others to lead 2,000 troops to set up river defenses in Jiuyuan (now north of Xinjiang, Shanxi), hoping to force the Jin army to retreat again by cutting off food aid. military.Shen Linzi sent troops to intercept in the middle of the road, and killed all the generals of the Qin army.Poor Yao Shao, when he heard that Yao Qia was defeated and died, he was so angry and ashamed that he vomited blood and died.Dongping Gong Yao Zan took the military power on his behalf, led troops to attack the enemy Shen Linzi, and was defeated again. Soon, Liu Yu, who fought back the Wei soldiers with the Queyue formation on the bank of the Yellow River, also arrived in Shancheng (see); and the two groups of people in Xiangyang also took their positions, and Shen Tianzi, Fu Hongzhi and others entered Qingni (now Lantian, Shaanxi) . Emperor Yao Hong was going to lead an army against Liu Yu himself, but he was afraid that Shen Tianzi would cut off his retreat, so he decided to eliminate Shen Tianzi first, and then send all the soldiers of the whole country out of Tongguan to fight to the death with the Jin army. Shen Tianzi's army had less than a thousand people, and they were originally sent as suspicious soldiers. Fu Hongzhi thought that the enemy was outnumbered and it was difficult to resist, so it was better to withdraw the army.Shen Tianzi disagreed, saying: "War lies in the use of ingenuity, not in the number of soldiers. Now that the strength of the troops is disparate and the situation is at odds, we will surely win if we take advantage of the enemy's precarious position and attack suddenly!" He killed the Qin army by surprise and beheaded tens of thousands. Yao Hong fled back to Bashang in embarrassment, and dared not attack easily again. (The two brothers of the Shen family are indeed fierce generals in war. With the addition of Wang Zhen'e, Tan Daoji and other outstanding people, the Eastern Jin Dynasty's generals who defeated Qin are simply an all-star super luxurious lineup.) When Liu Yu's army arrived at Tongguan, Wang Zhen'e asked to lead a navy from the Yellow River into the Weishui River, and go straight to Chang'an, and Liu Yu agreed.Later Qin Huiwu General Yao Nan returned to rescue Chang'an from Xiangcheng (now east of Chaoyi, Shaanxi), and Wang Zhen'e led his troops to pursue along the Wei River.Seeing this, Yao Hong led his troops from Bashang back to Tunshiqiao (now northeast of Luomen in Chang'an City) to rescue Yao Nan.Mao Dezu, a general of Wangzhen's villainous faction, attacked Yao Nan and won a big victory. He beheaded Zhenbei general Yao Qiang, and Yao Nan fled to Chang'an.Yao Hong hastily ordered Yao Pi to guard the Wei Bridge to prevent Wang Zhen'e from going ashore. How can this stop the Jin army who is swallowing thousands of miles like a tiger?Wang Zhenxi led the army to abandon the boat and landed by the Weiqiao, fought back and defeated Yao Pi.Yao Hong and others came to rescue, but bumped into the defeated Yao Pi's defeated soldiers. The soldiers of the Qin army trampled on each other and were defeated. Wang Zhen'e invaded Chang'an from Pingshuo Gate.The next day, Yao Hong, who had nowhere to go, led his concubines, princes, and all civil and military officials to kneel in front of the door, begging to surrender to the arrogant Wang Zhen'e, who once dominated Guanzhong. country perish.This year was the thirteenth year of Yixi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, that is, 417 AD. Liu Yu and his generals wantonly collected materials, funds, silver, treasures, jewels and jade in Chang'an, which can be said to be satisfied.The so-called "extreme joy begets sorrow" began from then on.A few months later, news came from Jiankang that Liu Muzhi had died of illness, and Liu Yu had lost a large arm, and there was no suitable substitute. One of the reasons for the serious internal strife) After much deliberation, he reluctantly promoted Xu Xianzhi, Liu Muzhi's deputy, to take his place.As far as the project of "staying in the capital" is concerned, Liu Muzhi is a qualified project manager, while Xu Xianzhi is not qualified. All matters that Liu Mu could handle alone had to be sent to Guanzhong to ask Liu Yu for instructions. Liu Yu wanted to focus on the Guanzhong area in order to deal with the enemies further north, but now he had to prepare for returning to the south of the Yangtze River.Inside and outside the city of Chang'an, there are dangers everywhere.