Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, why not Chang'an?

As a Luoyang person, I feel I must answer this question haha. In fact, I think I like both Luoyang and Chang'an very much. But comprehensive consideration, the Northern Wei Dynasty was first founded by a Xianbei man. He was originally in Datong, Shanxi and later moved to Luoyang. Why not go to Chang'an and move to Luoyang?

First of all, the first thing that comes to mind is of course geographical reasons. Of course, there are also social factors that are taken into consideration. Although Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty was from Xianbei, he required that his nation should be Sinicized. Therefore, Luoyang's advantages came out. First of all, it was located on the south bank of the Yellow River. It was in a relatively moderate position, with mountains to the south and water to the north. Positive. And the location is very concentrated, which makes it easier to attack. The geographical reason is the primary reason, because facts can also prove that after Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, the first thing he did was to go south to attack Nanyang.

Chang'an has been prosperous since ancient times and is a very good place, but it also has many disadvantages. In the empire's territory, it was in the southwest. If the capital was Chang'an, the main body of the Northern Wei Dynasty would be in the southwest. In other words, when people from other places come to Chang'an to do business, they need to cross the Yellow River, which is probably a few hundred miles away. It is very difficult to get to Chang'an, which is particularly troublesome, and Luoyang is located in Nanzhong, so it is very convenient for various places to mobilize money and troops here. But compared to Chang'an, if there is a famine, everyone may starve to death by the time the food is transferred.

And Luoyang is relatively safe in the middle. From the military and other comprehensive perspectives, although Chang'an is good, Luoyang is more suitable.