Battle of Fei River The Battle of Fei River or “ Feishui ” ( ) was a battle in 383 , where Fu Jiān ( ) of the Di Former Qin Empire was decisively defeated by the numerically inferior Jin ( Han Chinese - lead ) army of Eastern Jin . ( The location of the battle , the Fei River , no longer exists , but is believed to have flowed through modern Lu ' an , Anhui , near the Huai River ) . The battle is considered to be one of the most significant battles in the history of China . The aftermath of the battle includes the Former Qin empire falling into massive civil war and its eventual destruction , ensuring the survival of Eastern Jin and other Chinese regimes south of the Yangtze River ( Chang Jiang ) . Background . The state of Former Qin , led by ethnic Di ( 氐 ) tribesmen , rose rapidly from a string of successes in the 350s . Fu Jiān , nephew of the founder Fu Jiàn , was a vigorous leader of tremendous drive and ambition . In 370 he conquered the state of Former Yan and in 373 seized modern Sichuan and Chongqing from Jin . In 379 the strategically important city of Xiangyang , gateway to the Middle Yangtze , fell to Qin . By 381 he had conquered all of north China and was preparing for an invasion of the south . In May 383 a Jin army of 100 , 000 commanded by Huan Chong attempted to recover Xiangyang but was driven off by a Qin relief column of 50 , 000 men . In response , Fu Jiān ordered a general mobilization against Jin : 6 of every 10 able - bodied men were conscripted , and 30 , 000 elite guards ( 羽林郎 ) were gathered . In August 383 Fu Jiān sent his brother , Fu Rong , the Duke of Yangping ( who had opposed the campaign ) , with an army of 300 , 000 as the advance force . Later that month Fu Jiān marched with his army of 270 , 000 cavalry and 600 , 000 infantry from Chang ' an . In September Fu Jiān reached Xiangcheng . Separate columns were to push downstream from Sichuan , but the main offensive would occur against the city of Shouchun on the Huai River . Emperor Xiaowu of Jin hurriedly made preparations for defense . He gave Huan Chong responsibility for the defense of the Middle Yangzi . The pressing defense of the Huai River was given to Xie Shi ( 謝石 ) and Xie Xuan ( 謝玄 ) and the elite 80 , 000 - strong Beifu Army ( 北府兵 ) . Prime Minister Xie An oversaw overall strategy and , while he lacked military abilities , he calmed the panicking officials and people by himself acting in a calming manner . Former Qin Army . Fu Jiān ' s force was composed of many smaller armies levied from the conquered northern territories , along with cavalry drawn from the nomadic peoples of the north ( the Xianbei and Xiongnu ) . Most men had little or no loyalty to the Former Qin , and many were forced to join or joined only because of military ration s and pay . Many battalion s had problems following orders as instructed by their commanding officers . Fu was warned of the poor training of his heterogeneous army , but instead chose to rely on the vast number of men that made up the army , saying , " My army is so huge that if all the men throw their whips into the Yangtze , its flow will be stopped , " ( 投鞭断流 ) Jin Army . Xie Xuan ' s local army were well motivated to protect their homeland and had a good knowledge of the local terrain — an advantage that would allow them to engage advance elements of the enemy and withdraw quickly . Battle . In October 383 the Former Qin forces under Fu Rong captured the important Jin city of Shouyang ( 壽陽 , in modern Lu ' an , Anhui ) . Fu Jiān , seeing the possibility of achieving a quick victory , left his main force at Xiangcheng and led 8000 light cavalry to rendezvous with Fu Rong . Fu Jiān sent captured Jin official Zhu Xu ( 朱序 ) as a messenger to try to persuade Xie Shi to surrender . Instead , Zhu tipped Xie Shi to the fact that the entire Former Qin force had not yet arrived , and that he should try to defeat the advance Former Qin forces to cripple the Former Qin ' s campaign . At Zhu ' s suggestion , Xie Xuan and Liu Laozhi ( 劉牢之 ) led 5000 elite troops to engage the advance Former Qin force and scored a devastating victory , killing 15 , 000 men . Afterwards , Jin troops were lined up in a wide formation to give the illusion that the Jin forces could match Former Qin ' s manpower . Because of the early minor defeats and the Jin formation , Fu Jiān overestimated the amount of Jin forces . In November 383 the Former Qin troops set up camp west of the Fei River . The Jin forces stopped east of the Fei and could not advance . Xie Xuan sent a messenger to Fu Rong , suggesting that the Former Qin forces retreat slightly west to allow Jin troops to cross the Fei River so that the two armies could engage . Most Former Qin generals opposed that plan , since maneuvering such a large army in that manner was too complicated for the benefits that might be obtained , especially with so many poorly trained troops . Fu Jiān overruled them , however , planning to attack the Jin army as it was crossing the river to seize a tactical advantage , as the Jin would be split in two . Fu Rong agreed , and ordered a retreat . The Jin ' s tactic of ambush and bribery now paid off . Many soldiers in the Former Qin army began to wonder why a sudden retreat order was given . Already retreating and demoralized , the Former Qin army went into a panic when Zhu Xu raised a cry of " the Qin army has been defeated " and it was routed . Xie Xuan and generals Xie Yan ( 謝琰 ) and Huan Yi ( 桓伊 ) crossed the river and launched a major assault . The " Qin is Defeated " rumor spread like wildfire , and chaos followed . Fu Rong personally tried to halt the retreat and reorganize his troops , but his horse suddenly fell and he was killed by advancing Jin troops . The Jin generals noticed the chaotic footprints and wheel marks , and declared that the Former Qin army was not in an organized retreat but was indeed in total disarray . The Jin soldiers continued their pursuit , and the entire Former Qin force collapsed . A large amount of food and supplies were abandoned as Former Qin soldiers tried to escape with their lives . In the ensuing retreat and pursuit , an estimated 70 % - 80 % of the Former Qin troops died from combat , starvation and exposure to the elements . Legend has it that , as Fu Jiān escaped , he screamed to the sky , " 天亡我也 ！ " , which means " The heaven has annihilated me ! " . Aftermath . The Jin army defeated the overwhelming Former Qin forces , with only minor casualties . The Jin had routed and killed most of the escaping soldiers of the Former Qin army , greatly weakening the pool of troops from which the Former Qin could draw . Fu Jiān ' s forces were not able to be reorganized , even after he eventually withdrew to Luoyang under the protection of Murong Chui , whose 30 , 000 - man army was one of the few that did not collapse . Meanwhile , agrarian rebellions arose after news of the defeat at Fei River . Murong Chui used this opportunity to ask Fu Jiān to let him try to lead an army to pressure the rebels in the eastern empire back into submission . Instead , Murong Chui himself rebelled in early 384 , which started a chain reaction of many Xianbei and Qiang uprisings . The Former Qin capital Chang ' an would fall in 385 to the Xianbei forces of Western Yan , and Fu Jiān himself would die later that year at the hands of his former general Yao Chang , the founder of Later Qin . While Former Qin would last until 394 , it would never regain its power and glory . In addition , after the battle , Jin forces advanced to the Yellow River and recovered much of the Chinese heartland , forming a basis for Liu Yu ' s expeditions and the Southern and Northern Dynasties period that would follow soon afterward . This battle is famous not only because of its significance in history , but also because it demonstrated the importances of troop training , morale , loyalty and organized battle command . The battle was also significant in that it ensured South China would remain independent until 589CE , when North China was again under a Chinese regime .