Why did Xie An become a historical myth, and why did Dongshan become the starting point for all poets to pursue their dreams?

Dongshan Comeback and Xie An

Dongshan and Feishui

To the north of Lin'an Xijing Mountain is a mountain named Dongshan, with cang cliffs and dredged valleys. It is quiet and peaceful, according to historical records Xie An (320-385), the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, once lived here in seclusion, leaving behind the "Xie Fu Dongshan", a cultural landscape through the ages, with a historical origin of nearly 1,700 years ago.

Xie An, courtesy name Anshi, was born during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Before Xie An became an official, he lived in seclusion in Dongshan, Xijing for a long time. He did not come out to help the world until he was forty-one years old. From then on, he could not stop his efforts. His official position became bigger and bigger, and his reputation became higher and higher. Especially after he successfully commanded the eternally famous "Battle of Feishui", he established his immortal achievements and became a famous politician and military strategist in history. This is where the classic idiom "come back from the mountain", known to all women and children, comes from. According to what the predecessors said, this is an edict to the world that Xijing Shanshui is not only a beautiful place where one can cultivate one's moral character, but also a place with good Feng Shui that is full of accumulation and waiting for success.

Obviously, Xie An enjoys a high status in the entire Xie family. Dongshan, where he has lived in seclusion for a long time, and Feishui, where he established his great achievements, are two symbols that the Xie family will always be proud of.

The Battle of Feishui was a milestone in Xie An's political career and a famous battle in Chinese history in which a small number defeated a large number. The Battle of Feishui took place in 383 AD. At that time, the former Qin Emperor Fu Jian had unified northern China and attempted to further destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Fu Jian mobilized all the troops from across the country, with 600,000 infantry and 300,000 cavalry, known as a million-strong army, and launched an attack on the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, the Eastern Jin Dynasty had only 80,000 available troops, and there was a huge disparity between the enemy's and our own forces. It stands to reason that as the prime minister of a country, Xie An should be busy with military affairs and discussing good strategies to deal with the enemy at this very moment. However, after he casually arranged the talented soldiers one by one, he still had a good time. Leisurely days spent playing in the mountains, playing chess, calligraphy and painting. In the face of a formidable enemy, people are in panic, but Xie An is still calm and relaxed.

In the end, due to the pride of the former Qin commander Fu Jian and his underestimation of the enemy, the Battle of Feishui ended with a complete victory for the Eastern Jin soldiers. When the news of victory came, Xie An was playing Go with his guests. After reading the good news, he gently put the letter aside and continued to play chess. It wasn't until the chess game was over and the guests asked what news there was from the front line that he said slowly: "Young men, we have won." However, after the guests left, he finally couldn't restrain his inner joy. When he ran across the threshold, he took off his clogs. The teeth underneath were broken without even noticing. Some people commented that Xie An was "pretending to be calm", but it was his calmness that calmed the hearts of the soldiers at the front, and also calmed the hearts of the people across the country.

The Battle of Feishui not only preserved half of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but also brought the Xie family into its heyday. After the war, in terms of merit and rewards, four members of the Xie family were granted the title of Duke of the Jin Dynasty. They were one family with four Dukes, unparalleled in the world!

The Battle of Feishui also made a contribution to the history of literature, leaving behind the classic idioms of "rising from the mountain again", "the wind is roaring and the cranes are shaking", and "the grass and trees are all soldiers".