Liu Song and Northern Wei Go to War

Tuoba Tao swallowed Northern Yan and Northern Liang. Northern Wei unified the north.

The north now had a new master. In the south, Liu Song did not want to bow. The frontier moved quickly toward open war.

Emperor Wen's First Northern Campaign

As early as 430, Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, wanted a northern campaign.

Northern Wei was still dealing with Xia remnants. Liu Yilong judged that the moment had come. He sent envoys to Tuoba Tao and claimed that the lands south of the Yellow River had once belonged to Liu Song and should now be recovered.

Tuoba Tao laughed.

He said he had known since childhood that Henan belonged to Northern Wei. Liu Song had existed only a few years. How could it call the land old territory?

After Tuoba Tao refused, Liu Yilong used the exchange as a reason to send 100,000 troops north.

Northern Wei generals asked to fight. Cui Hao advised against a direct clash. Summer was hot, people and horses would fall ill, and Wei was still tied down by Xia. Better to withdraw from the south bank of the Yellow River and counterattack in autumn.

Tuoba Tao accepted. He ordered garrisons at Huatai, Luoyang, Hulao, and other points south of the river to withdraw toward Ye.

Liu Song advanced almost without effort to the south bank of the Yellow River. Victories reached Jiankang, and Liu Yilong thought he might soon pressure Wei's core.

But this was space Northern Wei had chosen to give up.

When Tuoba Tao pulled strength back from the Xia front, Wei counterattacked. Luoyang, Jinyong, Hulao, and other places returned to Wei one by one.

Then Wei pressed toward Huatai.

Liu Yilong did not understand why Song forces had lost so quickly. He blamed frontline commanders and punished them instead of reconsidering the strategy.

He still had one great card: Tan Daoji.

Tan Daoji Measures Sand as Grain

Tan Daoji was a founding general of Liu Song. He had followed Liu Yu against Huan Xuan and Lu Xun, and had helped destroy Later Qin. He was one of the few Song commanders who could face northern armies.

Liu Yilong placed his hope for rescuing Huatai in him.

Tan Daoji knew northern cavalry were dangerous. He did not charge recklessly. He first moved to Licheng and prepared to use boats to relieve Huatai.

Liu Yilong disliked the plan, but the situation was urgent, so he accepted it for the moment.

Northern Wei learned of Tan Daoji's movement. Shusun Jian, who was besieging Huatai, left forces at the siege and joined Zhangsun Daosheng against Tan Daoji.

In direct encounters, neither could defeat him.

Just as Tan Daoji was about to cross the river, Shusun Jian sent men to burn Song's grain stores. Much of the supply was destroyed. Tan Daoji had to remain at Licheng and could not save Huatai in time.

Wei stormed Huatai. Song defenders held for months, then failed. The city fell.

Tan Daoji learned that Huatai was lost and that his own food was short. He prepared to withdraw to Yanzhou. Wei spies discovered this, and Shusun Jian ordered pursuit.

Panic spread in the Song army. Many soldiers began packing to flee.

Tan Daoji did not panic.

At night, he ordered soldiers to fill grain bags with sand and cover the sand with the remaining grain. During inspection, they shouted the numbers aloud.

Wei spies saw this and reported that Song still had plenty of food. Shusun Jian thought they had lied and killed them.

When Song soldiers saw the Wei spies killed, they too believed grain remained. Morale steadied.

The next day, Tan Daoji put the troops in armor. He wore white robes, rode in a carriage, and withdrew slowly along the main road. Wei feared an ambush and let him go.

When Tuoba Tao heard the story, he realized Jiangnan still had brilliant commanders. He gave up the idea of immediately striking Jiankang.

Soon floodwaters made movement in the Yellow River region difficult, and Tuoba Tao withdrew.

Liu Song Destroys Its Own Wall

Tan Daoji returned to court, but he was not fully trusted.

His achievements were too high, and his reputation in the army was too strong. That made the court suspicious. When Liu Yilong repeatedly became seriously ill, his brother Liu Yikang warned him that if the emperor died, Tan Daoji might be hard to control.

The warning sank deep.

In 436, Liu Yilong summoned Tan Daoji to court. When Tan arrived, the court set an ambush and executed him with many followers.

Before death, Tan Daoji angrily said that the court was destroying its own Great Wall.

Once he was gone, Liu Song no longer had a commander who could stand against Northern Wei in the same way.

Liu Yilong later regretted it, but the loss could not be undone. For a time Liu Song turned toward peace. Jiangnan's economy recovered in what later historians called the Yuanjia period of good rule.

After prosperity returned, Liu Yilong again planned a northern expedition.

Northern Wei Also Cuts Off Its Arm

Liu Song lost Tan Daoji. Northern Wei lost Cui Hao.

Cui Hao was Tuoba Tao's most trusted strategist, brilliant but poor at handling people.

He strongly supported Daoism. Later, when the Hu rebel Gai Wu rose in Guanzhong, Tuoba Tao passed through Chang'an while suppressing the revolt and found monks drinking and hiding weapons in a Buddhist temple.

Tuoba Tao believed monks had joined rebellion and ordered the monks there killed.

Cui Hao pushed further, urging a broader attack on Buddhism. The result was Emperor Taiwu's suppression of Buddhism, in which many monks and believers suffered and Buddhist images and temples were destroyed.

This made many people hate Cui Hao.

The chance to strike him soon came.

After Northern Wei unified the north, Tuoba Tao wanted an official history of the state. He appointed Cui Hao to lead it and told him to write truthfully.

Cui Hao did. He wrote bluntly, including early Tuoba history and weaknesses of the imperial house.

Then Tuoba Tao had the history carved on stone steles and placed by major roads. Tuoba clan members and Xianbei nobles saw it and were furious. They said Cui Hao had deliberately exposed the state's shame.

Tuoba Tao also became angry. He ordered Cui Hao executed and punished his clan.

Liu Song had killed its great general. Northern Wei had killed its great minister. Both sides weakened themselves before the next great war.

When news of Cui Hao's death reached Jiangnan, Song soldiers and officials thought the time for northern expedition had come.

The Siege of Xuyi

At the time, Northern Wei's main force was still in Guanzhong suppressing Gai Wu's remaining followers. Liu Yilong secretly had Yuzhou forces support Gai Wu, hoping to trouble Wei.

Tuoba Tao treated this as provocation. He led a great army south, attacked Xuyi, and sent royal commanders to raid nearby populations.

Liu Yilong was furious and sent Xuzhou troops to relieve the city. Northern Wei did not expect the sudden attack and withdrew.

After more than forty days of siege, Xuyi returned to Liu Song control.

Tuoba Tao was not satisfied. He wrote Liu Yilong a letter of blame and mockery. When the letter reached Jiankang, Liu Yilong decided on national mobilization and another northern expedition.

The infantry commander Shen Qingzhi urgently warned him.

Song armies relied mainly on infantry. Northern Wei relied mainly on cavalry. In open battle, Song would be at a disadvantage.

Liu Yilong would not listen.

He believed summer floods would let Song ships reach Qiao'ao directly. Huatai's defenders would collapse when they saw a waterborne advance. By winter, Song would have repaired fortifications, and if Wei crossed the river, its rear would be cut.

He appointed Wang Xuanmo as vanguard and Shen Qingzhi as deputy, sending them by water toward Qiao'ao.

Wang Xuanmo Ruins the Campaign

The second northern expedition opened smoothly. Song forces reached the Yellow River quickly, and Wang Xuanmo pressed toward Huatai.

Tuoba Tao did not hurry. He told his men that summer was hot and the horses were not yet fat. If Song pursued all the way, Wei could withdraw north of Yinshan and counterattack in winter.

When Song reached Huatai, Wang Xuanmo began the siege. Subordinates asked to use fire arrows. Wang refused, saying these things would soon belong to Liu Song and should not be burned.

At first, people saw this as humane. Local civilians responded to Song.

Then Wang wasted that goodwill.

The Huatai area produced large pears. Wang wanted to send them south for profit, so he tried to barter cloth for pears at a forced rate. When people refused, he sent soldiers door to door to seize pears, leaving cloth behind.

Civilians who had welcomed Song scattered. Some even went to Northern Wei with information.

Wang's attention turned toward profit, and Huatai still had not fallen after three months. Winter was near.

Tuoba Tao secretly arrived at Fangtou with 50,000 vanguard cavalry. He spread word that Wei had a million soldiers and would march to Jiankang. Local people also complained to him about Song abuses.

After learning the Song army's condition, Tuoba Tao ordered all forces to blow Hu horns and beat drums at night.

The sound shook for miles and reached the Song camp. Song troops had already heard that a million Wei soldiers were nearby. They thought the final attack had begun and collapsed.

Wang Xuanmo fled first.

Once the Song position at Huatai failed, Liu Yilong's whole northern plan collapsed. Wherever routed soldiers ran, nearby garrisons also fled.

Wei Reaches Guabu

Tuoba Tao led his army south all the way to Guabu on the north bank of the Yangtze. Across the river stood Jiankang.

When Liu Yilong heard that Wei had reached his doorstep, he panicked. He ordered Jiankang locked down and personally moved to Stone City.

But Northern Wei also had problems.

Wei lacked a navy and could not cross the Yangtze. Its army had marched deep into the south and had supply difficulties. Spring was approaching, disease spread in the army, and Song still held pockets behind the Wei advance.

Tuoba Tao chose peace.

He sent envoys to Jiankang with gifts. Liu Yilong wanted the Wei army gone and agreed at once.

Northern Wei withdrew.

The second north-south war ended. Wei had reached Liu Song's doorstep but suffered heavy losses. Liu Song had seen its northern defenses ripped open, and the Yuanjia northern expedition had failed completely.

The Chain Reaction

After returning north, Tuoba Tao began to doubt some of his own choices. His suppression of Buddhism and killing of Cui Hao had left court and social tensions. Soon, the eunuch Zong Ai launched a palace coup, and Tuoba Tao was killed.

When Liu Yilong heard that Northern Wei was in turmoil and Emperor Taiwu was dead, he again thought opportunity had come.

He launched a third northern expedition.

It failed too.

Several expeditions had not recovered the north. Instead, they consumed the strength accumulated during Yuanjia's recovery. Liu Yilong's prestige fell badly, and he was later killed by his crown prince Liu Shao.

Later, the Southern Song poet Xin Qiji would write of the Yuanjia campaign as a hasty bid for glory that ended in frightened retreat. That memory points back to Liu Yilong's failed northern dreams.

After his death, Liu Song's royal house entered a much darker round of internal violence.