风声鹤唳 — “Wind sounds, crane cries”

In 383 AD, Emperor Fu Jian of Former Qin organized an army of 900,000 to march south and attack the Eastern Jin dynasty. The Eastern Jin dynasty dispatched Xie Shi as general and Xie Xuan as vanguard, leading 80,000 elite soldiers to meet the challenge. Fu Jian, confident in his vast army and numerous generals, believed he was certain to defeat the Jin forces. He gathered his troops along the Fei River, east of Shouyang (modern-day Shou County, Anhui), planning to launch an formidable attack once his reinforcements arrived.

To win against superior numbers, Xie Xuan devised a strategy. He sent an envoy to the Qin camp, proposing to the Qin vanguard: “Your army is encamped by the Fei River, clearly aiming for a prolonged battle rather than a swift victory. Wouldn't it be better if your forces retreated slightly, allowing our army to cross the Fei River for a decisive battle?” During internal discussions, the Qin generals all believed that holding their ground by the Fei River would prevent the Jin army from crossing. They argued that once their reinforcements arrived, they could completely crush the Jin forces, and therefore, Jin's suggestion should not be accepted. However, Fu Jian, eager for victory, disagreed with his generals. He said, “If our army retreats just a little, then when half of the Jin army has crossed the river and the other half is still crossing, we can unleash our elite cavalry and surely achieve a great victory!”

Thus, the Qin army decided to retreat. Fu Jian had not anticipated that the Qin forces, being a hastily assembled contingent with uncoordinated command, would panic. Upon receiving the order to retreat, they mistakenly believed that their front line had been defeated and fled in disarray. Seeing the enemy's retreat, Xie Xuan commanded his troops to quickly cross the river and attack.

During their rout, the Qin army abandoned their weapons and armor, fell into utter chaos, and countless soldiers were trampled to death by their own comrades. Those soldiers who managed to escape the Jin army's pursuit, hearing the whistling wind and the cries of cranes along their escape route, all mistook them for the Jin army resuming their chase. They then fled desperately, day and night. In this way, the Jin army achieved a significant victory in the 'Battle of Fei River'.