Battle of Canhe Slope

Battle of Canhe Slope
Part of Sixteen Kingdoms
DateDecember 8, 395 AD[1]
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[2] 20,000–30,000[2][3]
Casualties and losses
~60,000[2][4] Unclear, but appeared to be low

The Battle of Canhe Slope, alternatively the Battle of Canhebei (Chinese: 參合陂之戰), was a battle in the history of China in 395 where the Xianbei-led Later Yan dynasty, then ruling over northern and central China, had launched a punitive campaign against its former vassal, the Northern Wei dynasty, also of Xianbei extraction.

Later Yan forces were led by its crown prince Murong Bao and enjoyed some initial successes, but after being frustrated by the containment strategy of the Northern Wei ruler Tuoba Gui (Emperor Daowu), withdrew.

Tuoba Gui then gave chase and crushed the Later Yan forces at Canhe Slope (Canhebei, 参合陂). He captured a large number of the Later Yan forces, but in fear that releasing them would allow a future Later Yan campaign against the Northern Wei, slaughtered them.

The battle reversed the power relations between the Later Yan and Northern Wei. After Later Yan's emperor Murong Chui (Emperor Wucheng) died in 396 and Murong Bao (Emperor Huimin) succeeded to the throne, the Northern Wei would launch a debilitating campaign of conquest against the Later Yan, and by 398 had captured most of the Later Yan's territory, reducing the Later Yan to a small regional state.[5]

  1. ^ 兩千年中西曆轉換
  2. ^ a b c Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 108.
  3. ^ The Zizhi Tongjian also contained indications that in addition to the troops directly under Tuoba Gui, Tuoba Qian had 50,000 cavalry soldiers, Tuoba Yi had 100,000, and Tuoba Zun had 70,000, but this appears to contradict the portrayal of the battle as one in which Tuoba Gui defeated an overwhelmingly larger Later Yan force. Further, it would appear unlikely that had there been such massive Northern Wei manpower advantage, that Northern Wei would seek aid from Later Qin, which it did.
  4. ^ The Zizhi Tongjian indicated that the total Later Yan strength was 98,000, and indicated that only several thousands escaped. However, it also indicated that just before the battle, Murong Bao had sent Murong Lin away with 30,000 soldiers, so those soldiers would not have been involved in the battle.
  5. ^ Bo Yang, Outlines of the History of the Chinese (中國人史綱), vol. 1, pp. 414-416.