Wu Hu uprising
Encyclopedia
Wu Hu forces rose up against the Jin Dynasty
of China, who they had formerly served, in 304 CE, and by 316 CE their victory was complete. The Jin Dynasty's control was thus limited to territory south of the Huai River
.
, the Jin Dynasty was exhausted and unable to control the Wu Hu peoples it had moved into its territory several decades earlier to provide labour. Taking advantage of this, Xiongnu
Chieftain Liu Yuan
rebelled against the Jin Dynasty and soon thousands of other barbarians joined his army in its fight against the Jin.
After Sima Yue's death, the main Jin forces in Henan, led by Wang Heng, decided to proceed to Shantung to defeat Shi Le (one of the Wu Hu generals), but was defeated by the Wu Hu forces and more than 100,000 soldiers perished, resulting in the loss of much of Jin's army.
. The Jin emperor was also captured and later killed. Although another Jin regime was set up in Chang'an, it too was destroyed in 316CE by Liu Chong. Following this, millions of Chinese fled to South China to escape barbarian rule.
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
of China, who they had formerly served, in 304 CE, and by 316 CE their victory was complete. The Jin Dynasty's control was thus limited to territory south of the Huai River
Huai River
The Huai River is a major river in China. The Huai River is located about mid-way between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the two largest rivers in China, and like them runs from west to east...
.
Background
Most of the Wu Hu tribes had been moved into Jin China by the Chinese imperial government in order to serve as labourers for the Chinese economy (which was badly damaged during the Three Kingdoms period). They had revolted before; for example, the Xiongnu revolted against Jin rule in 294 CE when forced to migrate into Chinese territory. Many Jin officials identified this potential threat and recommended extermination or expulsion of the barbarians. This advice was not heeded by the Jin court.Beginnings of the uprising
After the devastating War of the Eight PrincesWar of the Eight Princes
The War of the Eight Princes or Rebellion of the Eight Kings or Rebellion of the Eight Princes was a civil war for power among princes and dukes of the Chinese Jin Dynasty from AD 291 to AD 306. It was fought mostly in northern China and devastated the country, later triggering the Wu Hu ravaging...
, the Jin Dynasty was exhausted and unable to control the Wu Hu peoples it had moved into its territory several decades earlier to provide labour. Taking advantage of this, Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
Chieftain Liu Yuan
Liu Yuan
Liu Yuan is a Chinese musician. He is recognized as one of the two most prominent jazz musicians in China, the other being the saxophonist Du Yinjiao.-Biography:...
rebelled against the Jin Dynasty and soon thousands of other barbarians joined his army in its fight against the Jin.
Jin response
The Jin Dynasty was ineffective in its attempts to halt the uprising. The Jin capital, Luoyang was open to Liu Yuan's son Liu Chong (who was now commander of the Wu Hu forces), and he attacked Luoyang in 309 and 310 CE twice, without success. However, the Jin Chancellor Sima Yue fled Luoyang in 310CE with 40,000 troops to Xiangcheng in Henan in an attempt to flee this threat.After Sima Yue's death, the main Jin forces in Henan, led by Wang Heng, decided to proceed to Shantung to defeat Shi Le (one of the Wu Hu generals), but was defeated by the Wu Hu forces and more than 100,000 soldiers perished, resulting in the loss of much of Jin's army.
Capture of Luoyang and Chang'an
After the defeat of Wang Heng's forces, Jin forces were no longer able to hold Luoyang, who fell to the Wu Hu in 311CE. Upon entering the city, the Wu Hu engaged in a promiscuous massacre, killing over 30,000 people and turning the city into a pile of rubble. This event in Chinese history was known as the Disaster of YongjiaDisaster of Yongjia
The Disaster of Yongjia referred to events that occurred in 311 CE, when Wu Hu forces captured Luoyang, the Jin capital. After this victory, Wu Hu forces committed a massacre when entering the city, killing the Jin crown prince, a host of ministers, and over 30,000 civilians...
. The Jin emperor was also captured and later killed. Although another Jin regime was set up in Chang'an, it too was destroyed in 316CE by Liu Chong. Following this, millions of Chinese fled to South China to escape barbarian rule.
Surviving Jin forces in the North
Although the main Jin regime in the North was defeated, Jin forces continued to hold three provinces in the North, namely Yozhou, Liangzhou, and Binzhou. These provinces, however, were cut off from the main Jin forces now in the South and eventually conquered by the barbarian forces, reducing Jin control to the area south of the Huai river.Aftermath
In the aftermath of the uprising, the Jin dynasty lost control of North China and moved south of the Huai River, reestablishing the government in Jiankang, near modern day Nanjing. North China dissolved into the Sixteen kingdoms period many of which (but not all) were ruled by various Wuhu ethnicitiesSources
- Li, Bo; Zheng Yin (Chinese) (2001) 5000 years of Chinese history, Inner Mongolian People's publishing corp , ISBN 7-204-04420-7,