Conquest of Ran Wei by Former Yan

Wei-Xianbei war
Date 352 CE Location Northern China Result Decisive Xianbei victory
Belligerents
Ran Wei	Former Yan
Commanders and leaders
Ran Min	Murong Jun Murong Ke
Strength
100,000+	120,000+
Casualties and losses
Completely wiped out.	Thousands.

The Wei-Xianbei war was a conflict in North China in 352 CE that brought about the downfall of Ran Wei and the end of a brief period of native rule in North China.

Background

In 350 CE, Ran Min restored native rule to North China and issued a cull order. Thousands of Wu Hu, as a result, were killed and uprisings of Wu Hu tribes were suppressed with the exception of the Xianbei tribe in Northeast China. In 352 CE, the Xianbei invaded Ran Wei.

Course of the war

Although initially successful, the Ran Wei army was ambushed by the Xianbei army, who used heavy cavalry to charge into Wei lines. Ran Min himself was personally captured and when asked why he had usurped Later Zhao, Ran Min replied: "If beastly barbarians like you can be emperor, why not me, a descendant of the Hua Xia!". He was then executed.

Aftermath

With the fall of Ran Wei, Xianbei forces now controlled much of North China and native rule would not be restored until the Liu Song dynasty.

Sources

• Li, Bo; Zheng Yin (Chinese) (2001) 5000 years of Chinese history, Inner Mongolian People's publishing corp, ISBN 7-204-04420-7,