Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Huan Wen of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the heroic life of a "treacherous official"

In many modern TV dramas, especially in romance dramas, certain villains, especially those villains who are good at intrigues and tricks, who are so angry that the audience can't wait to rush up and bite a few bites, often have such a common line: "A real man, either he will be famous forever, or he will be infamous for thousands of years." The first person who said this saying, many people don't know, he is Huan Wen, a famous power minister in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. If you don't understand the historical truth, and compare this line with the person who said it, it is easy to conclude that this person is a bad person, or at least a traitor.In official historical records, as a rare hero in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, historians of later generations have different evaluations of Huan Wen. Some say that he helped the country, and some say that he is a national hero. The great Confucianists with the concept of loyalty to the emperor all gave him one evaluation: a traitor and a traitor.However, among the famous intellectuals in Chinese history, many people highly praised him, especially Wang Fuzhi and Huang Zongxi, who were famous for studying historiography among the famous three men in the late Ming Dynasty, gave him the highest evaluation. Skipping people", Huang Zongxi said that he was "the first person to help China", and he was able to get the appreciation of two most outstanding thinkers in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. This person is undoubtedly the first-rate outstanding figure in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

If we really study this person's life, we may have to change the name we call him.No matter whether he is loyal or treacherous, it is wrong to say that he is "first-class". He should be the most outstanding figure in the Southern China regime in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Stand shoulder to shoulder with him. But his loyalty and traitors are difficult to distinguish, and later generations have different evaluations. In the final analysis, it is because of his excellence. Huan Wen, born in 312 AD, his ancestral home is Huaiyuan, Anhui. Compared with many outstanding figures in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties who came from poor families, Huan Wen's family is not simple.Long before the establishment of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Huan family he belonged to was one of the four major families of Jiangnan Wang, Huan, Yu and Xie.These four families are the four most famous and noble families in the south of the Yangtze River, and they were the absolute leaders in the area throughout the Three Kingdoms and Jin Dynasties.Born in such an excellent family, Huan Wen's starting point in life is naturally very high.

Huan Wen was not only born well, but also had outstanding talents.He first became famous when he just turned one year old, and his method was also very special-crying out.That year, Wen Qiao, a well-known scholar at that time, visited Huan's house and heard little Huan Wen crying loudly.After touching it, he said in admiration, "Your son cries loudly, he has a heroic look, and his bones are even more peculiar. He will definitely be a person who will achieve great things in the future."The Huan family were naturally very happy when they heard this comment, because it was Mr. Wen who said it.In order to make this prophecy come true, he was given a name with the character "Wen": Huan Wen.

Although Mr. Wen was confident at the time, judging by the achievements of Huanwen's parents, it is quite difficult for little Huanwen to surpass his family, especially his father.Huan Wen's father, Huan Yi, was a famous general at the time. He used to be the prefect of Xuancheng. .During his military career, he repelled the attacks of the northern regime and also suppressed the rebellion within the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He has made great military achievements over the years.When Huan Wen was 16 years old, the famous "Su Jun Rebellion" in the history of the Eastern Jin Dynasty occurred. Huan Yi, who was ordered to suppress the rebellion, died in the battle with the general Han Huang.The battle was fierce. Huan Yi had less than one-third of the enemy's strength, but he fought tragically to the end, and finally died for his country. His generosity and loyalty moved all the celebrities in the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time.It was a tragedy for Huan Wen to lose his father when he was young, but he also took the first step in his life. Afterwards, in order to appease Huan Wen who lost his father, the royal family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty married his daughter Princess Ankang to him. The 16-year-old Huan Wen , Just like that, he turned into a son-in-law.With his status as the son of a loyal minister, coupled with his special status as a son-in-law, the young Huan Wen has already ushered in a broad road to success.Of course, the loyal past of Huan Wen's father became an excuse for many people to criticize Huan Wen. A dash of guts that his father would have fought to the death.

Huan Wen's path to wealth seems unimaginable to us today, but it was normal at the time.The main evaluation criteria for the selection of officials in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was his family status, and high-ranking positions were reserved for those high-ranking families, such as the Huan family where Huan Wen lived.This hereditary system was a unique political phenomenon in China during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. As a result, a large number of idiots became the helm of the country, which had an important impact on the weakening of various regimes in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.Huan Wen's period was still in the early days of the hereditary system of the gentry. At this time, the gentry class was still in the stage of elites, and Huan Wen was the most shining one among them.His political talent began to emerge. At the age of 23, he was appointed as the internal historian of Langya. This is a local official whose main task is to resettle the refugees who fled from the north to the south.Generally, the main way for young people to prove themselves is to bury their heads in work and be a low-key person.At this time, Huan Wen did the opposite. He didn't keep a low profile, and he didn't work. Instead, he swaggered and played big, clearly saying no to the Eastern Jin government and refusing to take up the post.Such a boy who does not know the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth, would definitely be criticized in modern times, but who made him a nobleman at that time?As a result, Yu Yi, a famous scholar from the Yu family who was also from a noble family and had a good relationship with Huan Wen's family for generations, spoke good words for Huan Wen. He recommended to Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: "Huan Wen is a talented person. Your majesty, you can't treat ordinary people like that." Look at him, not to mention that he is your son-in-law, you should use him, if the country is in trouble, he will definitely be the one who saves the disaster and helps the country." Emperor Cheng of Jin also agreed with Yu Yi's words, so At the age of 23, Huan Wen was able to serve as the governor of Xuzhou at the time.At that time, Xuzhou was facing the attack of the northern regime, and the military pressure was extremely high. Before Huan Wen's arrival, the main way for the local defense frontier generals was to close the city gates and passively defend. As a result, even the farmland was barren.When Huan Wen arrived, he thought that by doing so, he would only get poorer and poorer, so he used violence to control violence.He recruited a large number of local farmers who had been plundered by the enemy, and organized an elite army. Whenever the enemy harassed an incident, he would organize the army to go deep into the enemy's rear and retaliate against the enemy. disturb.

Yu Yi, who recommended Huan Wen, has been good friends with Huan Wen since he was young. When he was a boy, Huan Wen had "great ambitions" and had a lot of friends, including many famous people at that time.When they talked together, they often discussed the northern land, and Huan Wen would be very excited every time this happened.Talking about the shame of the Western Jin Dynasty's demise once, Huan Wen cried bitterly and couldn't help his grief.In his youth, Huan Wen was a full-fledged "patriotic and angry youth" and a kind-hearted person.However, the performance of the governor of Xuzhou proves that Huan Wen is not only an "angry youth", but also a "fierce youth".

Speaking of Yu Yi who once recommended Huan Wen, he was an important person in Huan Wen's early life. For example, when Huan Wen married Princess Ankang in the early years, Yu Yi was the matchmaker.Yu Yi's recommendation to Huan Wen came from his personal relationship with Huan Wen on the one hand, and another reason was that the gentry politics at that time was still in a relatively clear and rising period.Today, when we think of the hereditary "gentry" who hold great power, we often associate it with words such as "decay" and "decline", but at that time, the Eastern Jin gentry still maintained a vigorous vitality.The gentry nobles of that generation were mostly sages who took the world as their own responsibility, and their moral cultivation and tolerance were very high. The "Wei and Jin demeanor" that people yearn for later reached its peak during this period.In terms of national planning, the gentry are even more proud of recommending talents and respecting the virtuous. This relatively clear political environment of the gentry allows Huan Wen to quickly emerge.When Huan Wen was flexing his muscles in Xuzhou, Yu Yi passed away. Ordinarily, the death of a person who admired him was not a good thing for Huan Wen, but the death of this person gave Huan Wen another chance.Yu Yi held the post of governor of Jingzhou during his lifetime. This position was of great importance at the time. He not only occupied the Jingzhou area with rich resources, but also took on the responsibility of defending the country against the invasion of the northern regime. It can be said that he was the "best governor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty" at that time ".The most outstanding official must naturally find the most outstanding person. According to the rules of the gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when the previous generation of officials passed away, the next heir would directly choose his immediate family members from the descendants of his family, mainly sons to inherit.At that time, Emperor Jin'an intended to let Yu Yi's son Yu Aizhi take over, but many noble ministers strongly opposed it.For example, He Chong, who served as the supervisor of Zhongshu at that time, played to Emperor Jin'an seven times in a row, thinking that if a young man with a hairy head was allowed to take on such a major responsibility just to follow the law of family inheritance, it would not only be irresponsible to him, but also It is a joke about the future and destiny of the country.Finally, with the insistence of many gentry and nobles, Huan Wen, who had made great achievements in Xuzhou, was officially appointed as the governor of Jingzhou. Assassin".In other words, at this time, Huan Wen was no longer a simple local official, but in charge of all the civil, judicial, and military affairs of Jingzhou, the most important border town in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Such an important position was obtained through such a simple method.The political atmosphere of the Eastern Jin gentry during this period can indeed be seen to be clear and upward.

Huan Wen served as governor of Jingzhou in AD 346. He was 34 years old this year. It was an era when a politician was in his prime, and he continued his "Fenqing" road.Before he took office, most of the main administrative strategies of any Jingzhou local official revolved around how to strengthen Jingzhou's defense. After Huan Wen took office, he immediately put forward a crazy idea-active attack.Huan Wen believes that the northern part of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was the post-Zhao regime established by Shi Le, a hero of the Jie tribe. This regime was the strongest in northern China at that time.At this time, the Eastern Jin regime, which was in the southeast, faced powerful enemies on its north and west sides. Once the opponents jointly attacked, the Eastern Jin Dynasty would become very dangerous. No matter how to strengthen the defense, it would not be able to last for a long time.Comparing the later Southern Song Dynasty regime, we will know that in the late Southern Song Dynasty, it is hard to defend against the invasion of the Mongolian army. The Diaoyu City with an iron wall and a strong city even created a battle to kill the Mongolian Khan, and the Jingxiang defense line made of flesh and blood is even more let The invincible Mongolian army paid a heavy price.However, when Dali in the west of the Southern Song Dynasty was conquered, the Southern Song Dynasty, which was attacked from the front and back, immediately collapsed across the board.The border defense situation of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time was similar to that of the Southern Song Dynasty, and it could even be said to be worse, because the Eastern Jin Dynasty was far inferior to the later Southern Song Dynasty in terms of population, military resources, and the most critical economic strength.This dangerous strategic loophole was discovered at a glance by Huan Wen, who was in Jingzhou.

Huan Wen not only discovered the problem, but also had to solve it. Shi Le in the north and Cheng Han in the west, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty had to solve at least one of them.Huan Wen's proposition is "easy before difficult", that is, to focus on defense against the Shile regime in the north, concentrate forces, and eliminate the Chenghan regime entrenched in Sichuan.As soon as his memorial came out, it immediately caused an uproar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.Since ancient times, the road to Shu is difficult to climb to the blue sky, which is the consensus of the Chinese people. The Shile regime in the north ruled the plains, which is easier to attack from a geographical point of view; the Chenghan regime in the west, protected by the natural dangers of the Sichuan Basin, is the Three Kingdoms At that time, Liu Bei also tried his best to get in by cheating.On the surface, Huan Wen's proposition is irrational.In this regard, Huan Wen stated his own opinion. He believed that Shile in the north was still in the rising stage of the regime at this time, with strong military power and political skills in the ruling area, and was very good at winning the hearts of the people in the north. .The Chenghan in Sichuan is different. At this time, the Chenghan regime has become increasingly corrupt, and it is the best opportunity to eliminate it when it is alienated from the people of Sichuan.Although he was born in a noble family, Huan Wen at this time already understood the truth of people's support.

However, most of the gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty did not understand, so Huan Wen's memorial was opposed by many ministers, including He Chong who recommended Huan Wen. He firmly stood by Huan Wen's side.At this time, Liu Yan was gaining the favor of Emperor Jin'an, and his words were very important. He believed that Huan Wen's proposition was feasible, and even said to Emperor Jin'an, "If you don't have to win, then don't do it" to Emperor Jin'an.His words really spoke to Huan Wen's heart. The main feature of Huan Wen's war is to plan before he moves. He will never fight if he is not 100% sure.

In March 347 A.D., Huan Wen led the Jingzhou army and started the battle of Xiping Chenghan regime.After entering Sichuan, Huan Wen adopted a crazier style of play. He left all the old and weak soldiers and horses in the army in Pengshan County on the outskirts of Sichuan to guard the baggage, and he personally selected strong soldiers to form a commando team. I only brought dry food for 3 days to show my determination to advance and never retreat.Before the battle, he delivered a speech in person and showed the soldiers that he, like the soldiers, had only three days of dry food, and if he could not win, he would die together.This move really stimulated the morale of the three armies.After the battle broke out, the Eastern Jin army made a bold assault, took a small road from Pengshan County and entered Chengdu, and fought a decisive battle with Cheng Han Emperor Li Shi in the southwest of Chengdu, giving the Cheng Han regime a "black tiger's heart".In the subsequent battle of Chengdu, the Cheng-Han army was even more miserable by Huan Wen. This battle was extremely difficult. The Cheng-Han army fought to the death, and each of them charged bravely. .At the most dangerous moment, Gong Hu, who joined Huan Wen's army, died in battle, and Huan Wen's own horse was shot by the enemy's crossbow arrows. In a critical situation, Huan Wen changed his horse and fought again, standing with his head held high at the place where the enemy's bows and crossbows were the most dense. With the heart of the whole army to fight to the death, the three armies charged bravely, and the Chenghan army, which fought to the death, finally fell in front of the more tenacious Huan Wen.In this battle, more than 20,000 Cheng Han troops were beheaded, and almost the entire army was wiped out.The Eastern Jin army also suffered heavy casualties. Huan Wen himself was wounded in 5 places, the most serious one, his shoulder was shot through by the enemy's bow and arrow, bleeding profusely.But Huan Wen acted as if nothing had happened, chatting and laughing happily with the soldiers, and received treatment only after condolences to the soldiers, which was quite Wei-Jin demeanor.After the war, Li Shi, the lord of the Chenghan Dynasty, surrendered, but Huan Wen fell in love with Li Shi's younger sister at first sight, married her as his concubine, and left a feeling of "I feel pity when I see her".Since then, the land of Sichuan, which has been occupied for nearly half a century, has been basically recovered. The recovery of Sichuan is of great significance to the consolidation of the Eastern Jin regime. Sichuan is rich in natural resources. Needless to say, it is of great economic significance, but it is also of great military significance.The entire Han land in southern China was basically connected by the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Sichuan became a firm rear area for the Eastern Jin Dynasty to resist the aggression of the northern regime.The significance of the political appeal is even more immeasurable.The Eastern Jin Dynasty used actions to tell the world, especially the people in the occupied areas, that the Eastern Jin Dynasty was not a peaceful regime, and they would use every opportunity to realize their dream of restoring rivers and mountains. After regaining Sichuan, Huan Wen became famous in the first battle, and he seemed to be the number one God of War in the Eastern Jin court.But the suspicion of the "master of high merit" also came immediately.Recovering Sichuan is only the first step in Huan Wen's strategic plan. His biggest dream in life is to recover the mountains and rivers in the north.Compared with the smooth internal and external situation before the war, the political situation in the Eastern Jin Dynasty after that was even more unfavorable to Huan Wen.At this time, in the Eastern Jin regime, the gentry was in power. Although the gentry at this time still maintained a sense of responsibility to the country, the opinions within the Eastern Jin Dynasty were not unified on the issue of recovering the north.The disputes between the various factions before the battle to recover Sichuan were actually just superficial. The key issue is that the Eastern Jin regime took root only by relying on the support of local prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River. If the Eastern Jin Dynasty successfully recovered the northern land, it would inevitably move its capital back to a more developed economy and population. In the northern region, the Jiangnan aristocratic families were of little value to the Eastern Jin Dynasty.If this is the case, it will lead to the loss of power of the entire Jiangnan gentry, so on the issue of defending the country, the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River can unite as one, and Huan Wen's military exploits in guarding Xuzhou in the early years can also be appreciated by the gentry, because Huan Wen at this time, is their protector.Although there are different opinions on the Western Expedition to Sichuan, this is not a matter of principle. After all, the acquisition of Sichuan can strengthen the defense of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and it is also in the interests of the Jiangnan gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, except for the Northern Expedition.The Northern Expedition meant destroying the interests of the entire Jiangnan gentry, and the only one who benefited was Huan Wen, who took advantage of his military exploits to establish his status. Therefore, after Huan Wen regained Sichuan, although he called for the Northern Expedition several times, all of them fell into the sea.At this time, Huan Wen was already a "national hero" with high prestige, and Emperor Jin'an's personal status was also inseparable from the support of Huan Wen's family.At that time, the main army of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was composed of northern Han people who fled to the south. The main reason why they fought bravely was that they could fight back to their hometown one day. If they did not put on a gesture of the Northern Expedition, it would be difficult to appease the mood of the army. .Therefore, Huan Wen's face still has to be given. In the end, Emperor Jin'an made a compromise and agreed to Huan Wen's request for the Northern Expedition, but in terms of candidates, he chose his relative Yin Hao.Ruyi Suan played very well. If he wins, it will be due to Yin Hao, who can just use Yin Hao to suppress Huan Wen. If he loses, as long as he can bring back most of the main force, he can also give an explanation to his superiors.This Yin Hao had no ability at all, not only was he defeated, but his entire army was almost wiped out.After the news of the defeat came, the whole country was excited, especially the "Northern Expedition Sect" among the gentry, who strongly demanded that Huanwen Northern Expedition be launched.In this way, Huan Wen, who Emperor Jin'an didn't want to use, became a must. In 354 AD, Huan Wen launched the first Northern Expedition in his life. This time his target was the former Qin regime established by Fu Jian, a member of the Di tribe who occupied the Guanzhong Plain at that time.In the north at that time, the originally powerful Hou Zhao regime had perished, and Fu Jian's former Qin Dynasty became the strongest among the regimes in the Central Plains. At this time, it was expanding its territory and intending to unify the north.Huan Wen set out from Jiangling and attacked by land and water. Compared with the madness of conquering Sichuan, this time he knew that his opponent was very strong, so he took a cautious approach, advancing troops in two ways, and advancing slowly.In addition, he also ordered Sima Xun, the governor of Liangzhou, to leave the Meridian Trail in the north.From a strategic point of view, his tactic is very safe. It can be said that he has taken all the difficulties into consideration, including land attack, water outflanking, and surprise attack. The progress of the Northern Expedition was also unexpectedly smooth.At that time, the Han people in the north still had feelings for the regime of the Jin Dynasty. When they heard that the Eastern Jin army was coming, the people took the initiative to welcome it.But the trouble started from here. This is not the time for Huan Wen to recover Sichuan with only 3 days of dry food. To recover the vast Central Plains, morale and a mass base are not enough, and a stable supply of supplies is needed.At this time, the minister in charge of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was Wang Yan who was good at "clear talk". He was the best at boasting and had no administrative ability. Huan Wen ran out of food not long after entering Guanzhong.Fu Jian, who was facing him, was also a well-known and experienced general. Originally, Huan Wen planned to snatch the wheat in the Guanzhong Plain once there was no food. But when he arrived, he discovered that the wheat in the Guanzhong Plain had been harvested by Fu Jian before he retreated. Huan Wen There is no way, but still not reconciled, stationed in Bashui to rest.At this time, he had two choices, one was to return to the army, and the other was to fight to the death, fight to the death, and attack Chang'an with all his strength, just like he took down Sichuan back then.But this time the chances are much smaller than last time. Former Qin's military strength is far stronger than Cheng Han's, and he was just a rookie back then, so he could fight it out. Now that he has become famous, it's not easy to fight it out.Naturally, he would not be reconciled if he retreated at this point, so Huan Wen adopted a compromise method to garrison troops in Bashui, while recruiting local celebrities and buying people's hearts, while waiting for an opportunity.Even Wang Meng, a well-known Huayin scholar who was visiting at that time, misunderstood his approach. Huan Wen was very happy with Wang Meng's arrival. What do you want to do?Later generations often blamed Huan Wen for this matter, saying that Huan Wen was selfish and deliberately retreated, but the fact is that Huan Wen's material supply had already been cut off at that time. In such a dangerous situation, as long as there is a glimmer of life, no one will He will gamble rashly, after all, he will be responsible for tens of thousands of Northern Expeditionary troops.In the end, Huan Wen had no choice but to return to the army in the face of the strong walls and clear fields of the former Qin Dynasty.Generally speaking, this Northern Expedition was laborious and futile. For Huan Wen, the Northern Expedition still earned him glory. After all, the Eastern Jin army defeated the enemy in the battle.After Huan Wen came back, his status was further improved because of his military exploits. Two years after the failure of the Northern Expedition, Huan Wen came out of his sheath again. This time he won a big victory. Taking advantage of the war in the north, he defeated the army of Yao Xiang, the Qiang regime, and regained Luoyang, the former capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.This victory was a shot in the arm for the Eastern Jin regime.The fall of the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty has always been a great shame and humiliation. Although this time it took advantage of the enemy's internal friction to succeed in the sneak attack, the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was recovered after all.After winning this battle, Huan Wen made a suggestion, which offended the entire Eastern Jin gentry group.He asked the Eastern Jin Dynasty to move the capital to Luoyang. This suggestion caused a lot of waves. As far as the Eastern Jin emperor himself was concerned, he was naturally unwilling to move the capital. The political situation in Jiankang had already stabilized, and he had long been satisfied with the peaceful situation.The Northern Expedition was just a political slogan, but who knew that Huan Wen was going to come true, which is not bad.The aristocratic families of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were even more reluctant to relocate. Their value to the Eastern Jin Dynasty was to become the backing of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. If the capital was moved, their use value would no longer exist.As a result, voices of opposition poured in, and everyone criticized Huan Wen. Huan Wen, who had won a great victory, suddenly changed from a national hero to a sinner of the gentry.This time, the painstaking Huan Wen was silent. When later generations talked about this incident, few sympathized with Huan Wen. Even though they knew that his purpose of doing this was for the country, they still accused him of "seeking credit for war".This is mainly because what Huan Wen offended was not an emperor, nor a treacherous official, but the entire vested interest group that had benefited from the Eastern Jin Dynasty's migration to the south, including his own family.Later generations always accused Huan Wen of using the Northern Expedition to improve his status, but looking at Huan Wen's actions throughout the process, after the two Northern Expeditions, he gave most of the credit to various gentry, and he was very humble and never took credit for himself. Said to be low-key to the extreme.Especially during the first Northern Expedition, he didn't dare to complain too much, even though it was obviously delayed by the aristocratic families in the rear.During the second Northern Expedition, Huan Wen regained Luoyang. Facing the ruins of Luoyang, he remembered that the Eight Kings Rebellion destroyed the great rivers and mountains of the Western Jin Dynasty. Zhiyuan was never as good as a slack."It means to compare Wang Yan and other aristocratic families who held power at that time to "a thousand catties of cattle". This has also become a traditional Chinese idiom used to describe idiots. This period was also a period of reverse elimination for the gentry of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Although the gentry of the Eastern Jin Dynasty had disagreements with Huan Wen in the early days, there were still many celebrities who were dedicated to the country.As time went by, the gentry class in the Eastern Jin Dynasty became more and more "stupid", because the official position of the gentry was hereditary. After the death of the previous generation of gentry, the next generation of gentry who grew up in rich clothes and jade food naturally lacked the enterprising spirit of their predecessors.Moreover, at this time, "clear talk" was popular in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the gentry advocated sitting and talking, boasting, and seldom paid attention to practical knowledge. The degradation of the quality of the entire gentry class made Huan Wen's dream of the Northern Expedition more and more difficult. After the second Northern Expedition was opposed by the whole country, Huan Wen remained silent for 13 years. In 369 AD, Huan Wen launched the Northern Expedition again.The scale of this troop dispatch was the largest among Huan Wen's previous expeditions. A total of 50,000 troops were mobilized. He sent troops from Dangtu, Anhui, with the intention of attacking the former Yan regime of the Xianbei people who were entrenched in the Central Plains.On the way of this march, Huan Wen passed by Jincheng, which was the place where he served as the internal historian of Langya 30 years ago. In the early years, he planted willows there to appease the refugees. Now, the saplings he planted at that time are already Become a towering tree.Huan Wen, who has experienced the ruthlessness of time, burst into tears facing this scene, and murmured, "The tree is like this, so how can people be embarrassed." Huan Wen would not let the dream of the Northern Expedition be wasted at any time. He launched an attack, and the Eastern Jin Army crossed the Huai River and entered the Central Plains.At this time, God also opposed him. Originally, Huan Wen wanted to transport grain by water to solve the problem of insufficient grain and grass supply that had occurred several times before, but at this time the drought in the north continued for several months, and the grain fleet could not reach the front line.Under the hardships and hardships, Huan Wen made one mind and launched a fierce attack on Qianyan. The Eastern Jin army descended like a tiger, defeated Qianyan's border guards in one fell swoop, and went to Jinxiang, Shandong.Yecheng, the capital of the former Yan, was already under Huan Wen's nose. Just like when he marched into Guanzhong in the early days, Huan Wen, who was victorious but ran out of ammunition and food, also had two choices. , This can be regarded as a victory in the Northern Expedition and consolidate his position in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.If Huan Wen was only doing it for personal gain, he, who knew the situation on the battlefield, would have done it.His subordinate Xi Chao did persuade him to do so, but he refused. He has passed the age of seeking fame, and what he wants is the dream of regaining the Central Plains.In this way, he was left with another option, to attack Yecheng with the fastest speed.At this time, the former Yanxin was defeated, and it was the time when it was on the verge of collapse. If he fought to the death, he might win, but just like when he marched into Guanzhong, Huan Wen hesitated again this time. After all, this was another risky decision. As a result, Huan Wen chose to be cautious.He first stationed troops in Jinxiang, watching the situation and waiting for the arrival of reinforcements.At this time, Qianyan assembled an army of 50,000, and the famous general Murong Chui attacked them.Murong Chui was a well-known cunning character. Instead of confronting Huan Wen, he detoured to Henan, cut off Huan Wen's retreat, and then launched an attack on Huan Wen's retreat, defeating Huan Wen, who was exhausted by his veterans.This was Huan Wen's first disastrous defeat in all previous wars. It was worse than every time he had gone to the Northern Expedition. After all, he brought back the troops in the previous few times, but this time they were wiped out. The glory and military exploits of his life, because of this Failed and almost lost everything. The failure of the third Northern Expedition dealt a heavy blow to Huan Wen, who was nearly sixty years old.As early as the second Northern Expedition, he had the feeling of being a "thousand catty bull". This time, his mentality was even different, and because of the "stupidization" of the Eastern Jin gentry during this period, the original good friends left one after another. , he became more and more lonely in the entire gentry class, which changed his own concept.In the early days, he was a Fenqing, and later he became a general who sacrificed his life and blood for the Northern Expedition, but when all his dreams came to nothing, he naturally became confused about his life. He struggled all his life, but now he is empty-handed.what is the root cause? Regarding Huan Wen's transformation, it is generally said in historical materials that he held power for a long time at that time, so he developed a disobedience.But judging from Huan Wen's own behavior, the most important reason is probably that he was in his twilight years. When he looked back on his life, he found that he was empty-handed. Just like the historical records, he often said to himself: " A man will either live forever, or he will remain infamous forever."Take a closer look at the meaning of this passage: To live forever was Huan Wen's pursuit in the early days, but the three Northern Expeditions failed, especially because of the obstruction of the Eastern Jin family, and the last failure ruined his personal past. exploits.Under such a situation, it is naturally impossible to talk about a long-lasting reputation, and as for a long-lasting stigma, it is natural to want to usurp it. Huan Wen started to do this, and what made him make up his mind was his confidant Xi Chao who persuaded him to join the army in Jinxiang, Shandong. Huan Wen first abolished the then Eastern Jin Emperor and established Jin Jian'an Emperor.Although his prestige was greatly reduced at this time, he had the most powerful army in the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time, so it was easy to do this.But the following things will not be easy. At this time, the aristocratic family of the Eastern Jin Dynasty is in power, which is an obstacle for him to seize power.Huan Wen first killed the Yin and Yu clans who opposed the most fiercely, and then he stationed troops in Gusu to remotely control the capital. Just like everything he did before, this time he hesitated again. He neither directly abolished the Eastern Jin imperial family, nor reined in the precipice. The reason is that his own ideas were at work. For my own reputation, I don't want to bear the infamy of a traitor, so even if I change the dynasty, I still have to get the support of the aristocratic family.In 372 A.D., Emperor Jian'an of Jin Dynasty, who was supported by Huan Wen, died of illness, which gave Huan Wen a good opportunity to usurp power. In the spring of the following year, Huan Wen led his troops to Jiankang, the capital city. .In fact, Huan Wen is not so cruel, all he wants is the recognition of himself from the aristocratic family, he can kill the two families of Yin and Yu, but for the most influential Xie family and Wang family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he still allows three points. The two families had too many connections in the Eastern Jin Dynasty at that time, and if they acted rashly, they might attract the attack of the entire Eastern Jin family.So when Huan Wen arrived in Jiankang, he found Wang Tanzhi, a famous scholar from the Wang family, and Xie An, a famous scholar from the Xie family, intending to gain the support of the two families.Xie An is a smart man. Compared to Wang Tanzhi, who turned pale with fright when facing Huan Wen's army, Xie An was calm and composed. His neither humble nor overbearing attitude won Huan Wen's respect. On the issue of Huan Wen's ascension to the throne, Xie An pretended He supported him, but deliberately delayed, delaying the enthronement ceremony for Huan Wen.Because Xie An got the news, Huan Wen was already terminally ill at this time.In August 373 A.D., Huan Wen died of illness. Until his death, he did not complete the last step to usurp the throne. Although there have been many controversies about Huan Wen in history, no matter whether it is those who criticize him or those who praise him, they all acknowledge his contribution.When he was in power, the military strength of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was rapidly rising. The army he built in Jingzhou, like the Beifu Army, became the main force in fighting against Fu Jian's southward movement in the Battle of Feishui.And his personal ability and meritorious service belonged to a rare hero among the increasingly corrupt gentry class at that time.His excellent strategic vision and prudent use of troops are also worthy of being the leader of the Eastern Jin Dynasty at this time.After Huan Wen's death, his younger brother Huan Chong succeeded him and worked together with Xie An, so the Eastern Jin regime was united.All of this had a very important impact on the famous battle of winning more with less - the Battle of Feishui. But in the end, Huan Wen, who wanted to be infamous for thousands of years, never dreamed that his ideal would be realized by his son.Thirty-two years after Huan Wen's death, Huan Wen's son Huan Xuan launched a rebellion, abolished the Eastern Jin royal family, and established the "Chu regime". So over the addiction to the emperor.But after enjoying themselves, it was a disaster for their entire family. Huan Xuan was later defeated by Liu Yu, a new warlord in the late Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Huan Wen's family was labeled as a thief and slaughtered.The Huan family, who used to play an important role in the Jiangnan land, was finished just like that.And Huan Xuan's incident also made wedding clothes for his opponent Liu Yu.Liu Yu, who came from a poor family, did not have so many rules and regulations in Huan Wen's head, and finally ended the Eastern Jin Dynasty cleanly with his military exploits, and started the Southern and Northern Dynasties era.