What Huan Wen said

If we can regain the north, we will be famous for a thousand years; if we seize the throne ruthlessly, we will be notorious for a thousand years

Huan Wen (312 AD - AD 373) Zi Zizi, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, was born in Longkang, Qiao State (now Huaiyuan, Anhui). Married to Princess Nankang, the daughter of Emperor Ming, as his wife. Her father was Huan Yi, who went on three Northern Expeditions. Huan Wen

Character: Fuzi

Gender: Male

Died in 373 and lived 61 years.

A native of Longkang, Qiao State (now Huaiyuan, Anhui).

Served in: Eastern Jin Dynasty

Official arrival: General Zhengxi, Da Sima, Duke Xuanwu of Nanjun. Huan Xuan was posthumously named Emperor Xuanwu of Chu, and his temple name was Taizu.

Appearance description: bold and elegant, with a majestic appearance and a seven-star face. ... When I was young, I had a good relationship with Liu Zong of Pei State, and Zong once called him: "Warm eyes are like purple stone ridges, and they must be made into wretched hair, just like Sun Zhongmou and King Xuan of Jin."

Life story

Rarely ambitious, longing for the deeds of Liu Kun and Tao Kan. In the seventh year of Xiankang (341), he served as the prefect of Langya. In the first year of Yonghe (345), Huan Wen was appointed governor of Jingzhou, replacing Yu Yi in military power. The following year (346), Huan Wen took advantage of the internal instability of the Cheng Han Dynasty and led his army up the Yangtze River to pacify Shu. King Li Shi of the Han Dynasty surrendered, paid homage to the General of the West, and was granted the title of Duke Linhe. In April of the fifth year of Yonghe (349), Shi Hu, the leader of Hou Zhao, died, and the north was once again in chaos. Huan Wen repeatedly requested the Northern Expedition but failed. In the sixth year of Yonghe (350), the imperial court appointed Yin Hao as the general of the central army and the governor of the five states' military affairs, and entrusted him with the important task of the Northern Expedition to counter Huan Wen. As a result, Yin Hao was defeated and returned, and Huan Wen took power.

In the 10th year of Yonghe (354), Huan Wen made his first Northern Expedition to the former Qin Dynasty. He personally led more than 40,000 infantry and cavalrymen. The navy went directly to Nanxiang (Jun County, Hubei Province), and ordered Sima Xun, the governor of Liangzhou, to lead the army. Advancing on the Ziwu Road (Qinling Plank Road, leading to Hanzhong), he captured Shangluo (Shangxian County, Shaanxi Province) along the way, defeated Fu Jian's army of tens of thousands of Di people in Lantian, Shaanxi Province, and stationed in Bashang (east of Chang'an). Fu Jian retreated with thousands of people In Chang'an, the local people "were holding cattle and wine to welcome Wen Wen on the road. The elders cried and said: 'I don't want to see the army again today!'" ("Book of Jin"). Huan Wen did not take advantage of the victory to pursue Chang'an, but waited for the enemy to collapse. , during this period, they originally wanted to harvest spring wheat as army grain, but the Qin army had already harvested it first, and the Jin army could not continue to harvest food, and was forced to retreat to Xiangyang. In the twelfth year of Yonghe (356), Huan Wen launched his second Northern Expedition, defeated Yao Xiang of the Qiang people, and regained Luoyang. In the first year of Longhe (362), Huan Wen proposed moving the capital to Luoyang, and also suggested that the nobles who had moved south should return to their hometowns. However, he was fiercely opposed by the dignitaries. Qian Yan took advantage of the mutual suspicion and containment between the emperors and ministers of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to reoccupy Luoyang. In the fourth year of Taihe (369), in order to establish a higher prestige, Huan Wen decided to lead 50,000 troops in the Northern Expedition to Qianyan, and he was unstoppable along the way. When passing through Jincheng, "I saw that the willow trees planted during the Langya period in front of me were all around ten. I said with emotion: 'The wood is like this, how can people be embarrassed!' Clinging to the branches, tears ran down." (Shishuoxinyu) In Fangtou (now northeast of Ji County, Henan Province), he suddenly stopped patrolling and tried to "sit down and win the victory". Soon the army was out of food, and they heard that reinforcements from the Qin Dynasty were coming, so they burned their boats, abandoned their armor, retreated from the land route, dug wells to drink from, and marched more than 700 miles. On the way, they were ambushed by the Qin cavalry and lost more than 30,000 people. Returned defeated.

Huan Wen had been in power for a long time and had always been disloyal. He envied Wang Dun's actions. Once, he stroked his pillow and sighed: "It can't last forever, but it can't last forever?" In the first year of Xian'an (371), he led his army to attack Shouchun (today's Shouxian County, Anhui), captured and executed Yuan Jin. In the same year, Huan Wen deposed Emperor Sima Yi as King of the East China Sea, and established Emperor Jian Wen instead, giving Sima the exclusive power. The following year, Emperor Wen died, and Huan Wen had a plan to succeed the Jin Dynasty. He died of illness soon after, and was succeeded by his younger brother Huan Chong.

Huan Wen's motivation for the Northern Expedition was probably similar to that of Liu Yu, in an attempt to establish his authority and gain control of the government.

Before the Northern Expedition, Huan Wen had forced the Jin court to give him special gifts and place him above the princes and kings. Obviously, Huan Wen wanted to take advantage of the remaining power of the Northern Expedition to usurp the throne when he returned, or at least prepare for usurping the throne, but he was really unlucky.

Murong Chui was still alive in Qian Yan at that time, and his commanding ability was well known. In addition, Huan Wen was a gambler by nature and dared to take risks. However, the Northern Expedition was too late and he did not listen to Xi Chao's plan. As a result, Lien Chan won the battle. Under such circumstances, he finally ran out of food and retreated, and was defeated by Murong Chui.

After Fangtou's defeat, Huan Wen's prestige was greatly reduced, and he fought in a small war, so he wanted to re-establish his authority by deposing Li, so he deposed Sima Yi and established Emperor Jian Wen, so that he would get a similar power as Huo Guang The next step was to usurp such auxiliary power, but it was a pity that he died of illness and could not realize it.

As for Sima Yi, although he was deposed by Huan Wen, after Huan Wen died, Xie An and others had no intention of deposing him, so they could only honestly be his King of East China Sea.