Battle of Canhe Slope facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Canhe Slope
Part of Sixteen Kingdoms
Date December 8, 395 AD Location Liangcheng County, Inner Mongolia Result Northern Wei victory
Belligerents
Later Yan	Northern Wei
Commanders and leaders
Murong Bao Murong Nong Murong Lin Murong De Murong Shao	Tuoba Gui Tuoba Qian Tuoba Yi Tuoba Zun
Strength
98,000	20,000–30,000
Casualties and losses
~60,000	Unclear, but appeared to be low

The Battle of Canhe Slope was a very important battle in the history of China. It happened in the year 395. In this battle, the Later Yan dynasty fought against the Northern Wei dynasty. Both of these groups were led by people called the Xianbei.

The Later Yan dynasty used to rule over northern and central China. The Northern Wei dynasty was once a smaller state that looked up to Later Yan. But then, Later Yan decided to attack Northern Wei.

The Later Yan army was led by their crown prince, Murong Bao. They started well, but the Northern Wei ruler, Tuoba Gui, used smart tactics. He avoided direct fights and made the Later Yan army frustrated.

Because of this, the Later Yan army decided to leave. But Tuoba Gui chased after them. He caught them at a place called Canhe Slope. There, he defeated the Later Yan army badly. Many Later Yan soldiers were captured. Sadly, the captured soldiers faced a tragic end, as the Northern Wei leader feared they might rejoin the fight later.

This battle completely changed who was more powerful. Before, Later Yan was stronger. After the battle, Northern Wei became much stronger. When Later Yan's emperor, Murong Chui, died in 396, Murong Bao became the new emperor. Northern Wei then launched a huge attack. By 398, Northern Wei had taken over most of Later Yan's land. Later Yan became a very small state.

A Look at Past Relations

Before this big battle, the Northern Wei state was called Dai. Dai used to be a smaller state that followed the Former Yan, which was Later Yan's older version. Both Dai and Former Yan were later defeated by another state called Former Qin.

After Former Qin lost a major battle in 383, it started to fall apart. This allowed new states to rise. Later Yan was formed by Murong Chui. Northern Wei was formed by Tuoba Gui, who was a grandson of Dai's last leader.

Once Later Yan and Northern Wei were set up, their old relationship continued. Northern Wei was still seen as a smaller state under Later Yan.

Early on, Tuoba Gui, the leader of Northern Wei, faced problems within his own state. He often needed help from Later Yan to stop rebellions. For example, in 386, Later Yan forces helped Tuoba Gui put down a rebellion. They even worked together in 387 to defeat another powerful group.

However, Tuoba Gui had plans to become more powerful than Later Yan. In 388, he sent his cousin, Tuoba Yi, to visit Later Yan. Tuoba Gui told Tuoba Yi to secretly check for any weaknesses in the Later Yan court.

Murong Chui, the Later Yan emperor, was not happy that Tuoba Gui didn't visit himself. But he let Tuoba Yi leave. Tuoba Yi told Tuoba Gui that Murong Chui was old. He also said that Murong Chui's son, Murong Bao, was not a strong leader. Tuoba Yi believed that Later Yan would have problems after Murong Chui died. He suggested that Tuoba Gui wait for that time to attack. Even with these plans, Tuoba Gui continued to work with Later Yan for a while. They fought together against other tribes in 390 and 391.

But in 391, something happened that broke their friendship. Tuoba Gui sent his brother, Tuoba Gu, to give gifts to Murong Chui. Murong Chui's sons and brothers kept Tuoba Gu. They demanded that Tuoba Gui send good horses to get his brother back. Tuoba Gui refused. He then ended his friendship with Later Yan. He even made a deal with Western Yan, another rival state.

Tuoba Gu stayed with Later Yan, but he was treated well. In 394, Murong Chui attacked Western Yan. Tuoba Gui sent soldiers to help Western Yan, but they could not save it. Western Yan was destroyed.

The Later Yan Attack Begins

By 395, Tuoba Gui was no longer listening to Later Yan. He was even attacking other tribes that were loyal to Later Yan.

Murong Chui, the Later Yan emperor, decided to punish Northern Wei. He put his son, Murong Bao, in charge of 80,000 soldiers. Murong Bao was helped by his brothers, Murong Lin and Murong Nong. They were ordered to attack Northern Wei. Another 18,000 soldiers were led by Murong Chui's brother, Murong De, as a second army.

Tuoba Gui's advisor suggested a clever plan. He told Tuoba Gui to pretend to be weak. Tuoba Gui agreed. He moved his soldiers and animals far away from his capital city. They crossed the Yellow River into a desert area.

Meanwhile, the Later Yan army moved forward. They reached a place called Wuyuan. About 30,000 families who were loyal to Northern Wei surrendered to Later Yan. The Later Yan forces then built a fort and started building boats to cross the Yellow River.

Tuoba Gui also sent someone to ask another state, Later Qin, for help. Later Qin sent soldiers, but they did not arrive in time for the main battles.

The two armies faced each other across the Yellow River. Neither could easily cross. But Tuoba Gui found a way to cut off Later Yan's messages. He captured Later Yan messengers. Then, he made them announce that Murong Chui, the Later Yan emperor, had died. This made Murong Bao's army very worried.

A sorcerer told Murong Bao that disaster was coming and they should leave. Murong Bao refused. Meanwhile, one of Murong Lin's officers thought Murong Chui was dead. He planned to make Murong Lin the new emperor. This plot was discovered, and the officer was killed. But it made Murong Bao and Murong Lin suspicious of each other.

As winter came, the armies were still stuck. Murong Bao decided to pull his army back. He burned his boats and started to leave on November 23, 395. There was ice on the Yellow River, but it wasn't completely frozen. Murong Bao thought Northern Wei could not cross easily.

However, on December 1, a sudden storm hit. The temperature dropped, and the Yellow River froze solid. Tuoba Gui quickly gathered 20,000 cavalry soldiers and chased after the retreating Later Yan army.

The Battle of Canhe Slope

When the Later Yan army reached Canhe Slope, it became very dark, probably because of the storm. A Buddhist monk warned Murong Bao that Northern Wei forces must be close. But Murong Bao thought they were far ahead of Northern Wei. He didn't listen. Only after Murong De also urged him, did Murong Bao send Murong Lin with 30,000 soldiers to guard the rear. Murong Lin, however, also didn't believe the warning. His soldiers went hunting instead of watching for the enemy.

Tuoba Gui arrived west of Canhe Slope at sunset on December 7. The Later Yan forces were east of Canhe Slope. They had no idea Northern Wei was so close. Tuoba Gui kept his army completely silent. During the night, he set up his soldiers on the hills around the Later Yan camp.

On December 8, at sunrise, Northern Wei forces attacked. They completely surprised the Later Yan army.

In a panic, thousands of Later Yan soldiers died. Many were trampled by their own comrades. Others drowned by jumping into a nearby river. Tuoba Gui's cousin, Tuoba Zun, blocked their escape route. Between 40,000 and 50,000 Later Yan soldiers surrendered in their panic. Only a few thousand managed to escape, including Murong Bao and other important leaders. Murong Shao was killed in the battle. Some Later Yan nobles were captured, including Murong Chui's son and nephew.

Tuoba Gui kept some skilled Chinese officials from Later Yan who were captured. He first thought about letting the captured Later Yan soldiers go. He wanted to gain a good reputation among the Later Yan people. However, his general, Kepin Jian, suggested that releasing them would just allow Later Yan to attack again later. Because of this, all the captured soldiers faced a tragic end.

What Happened Next

Murong Bao and Murong De both believed that Northern Wei would be a problem in the future. So, they urged Murong Chui to lead another attack against Northern Wei in 396. Murong Chui won some big victories and even killed Tuoba Qian, a Northern Wei leader.

However, when his army reached Canhe Slope, Murong Chui stopped to honor the soldiers who had died there. His own soldiers, many of whom had family members who died at Canhe Slope, cried sadly. Murong Chui felt ashamed and became very sick. He returned to his capital and died soon after. Murong Bao then became the new emperor.

Tuoba Gui quickly launched a huge attack. In 397, Murong Bao was forced to leave his capital. He retreated to an older city. He was later killed in a fight within his own state in 398. Northern Wei took over most of Later Yan's land. Only a small northern area remained under Later Yan control. Another small southern area became a new state called Southern Yan, led by Murong De.