383 battle where the Former Qin Empire (Di tribe) was decisively defeated by the Eastern Jin (Sima Jin)
The Eastern Jin's defeat of the much larger Former Qin army preserved Han-ruled southern China and triggered the collapse of Former Qin, keeping South China independent until 589 AD.
Key Facts
- Year
- 383 AD
- Location
- Fei River (near modern Lu'an, Anhui)
- Outcome
- Decisive Eastern Jin victory
- South China independence until
- 589 AD (reunified under Sui dynasty)
- Battle type
- Outnumbered defender defeats larger invader
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Di-led Former Qin dynasty, having unified much of northern China, launched a massive military campaign southward in 383 AD with the aim of conquering the Eastern Jin dynasty and reunifying China under its rule. The Eastern Jin, though significantly outnumbered, mobilized to resist the invasion.
In autumn 383 AD, Former Qin forces met the Eastern Jin army at the Fei River in what is now Anhui province. Despite their numerical superiority, the Former Qin troops were routed by the smaller but better-organized and higher-morale Eastern Jin forces, resulting in a decisive defeat for the invaders.
The defeat shattered the Former Qin dynasty's cohesion, triggering a massive civil war that led to its eventual collapse. Eastern Jin and Han-ruled regimes in South China survived, and South China remained independent from northern rule for over two centuries, until the Sui dynasty reunified China in 589 AD.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent