In September of the 8th year of Tianhui (the 4th year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty, 1130), the Jin army defeated a Song counteroffensive in the Fuping region (north of present-day Fuping County, Shaanxi), as part of their campaign to conquer Shaanxi.
In July of the 8th year of Tianhui, Emperor Taizong of Jin, Wanyan Sheng, recognizing that Wanyan Zongbi had failed in his southern campaign across the Yangtze River and that Wanyan Louzhi's attacks in Shaanxi had stalled, adopted the strategy proposed by Left Deputy Marshal Wanyan Zonghan to shift the main focus of the Jin offensive from Jiang-Zhe to Shaanxi. He appointed Right Deputy Marshal Wanyan Zongfu as the commander for the Shaanxi campaign and transferred Wanyan Zongbi’s forces westward from Liuhe (present-day Jiangsu) to Luoyang (present-day Henan), aiming to concentrate their strength, first secure Shaanxi, and then advance into Sichuan.
Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, who had fled to Yuezhou (present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang) under Jin pursuit, believed the Jin’s primary assault would still target Jiangnan. Thus, he ordered Zhang Jun—serving as Chief Councillor and Commissioner for Pacification in Sichuan and Shaanxi—to launch an offensive in Shaanxi to tie down Jin forces in Huainan. Eager to shift from defense to offense, Zhang Jun reorganized his armies, adjusted deployments, advanced five years’ worth of civilian taxes from the Sichuan-Shaanxi region, and amassed large quantities of grain, forage, money, and cloth to meet military needs. He resolved to first divide his forces to capture Tongzhou, Fuzhou, and Yanzhou (present-day Dali, Fuxian, and Yan’an in Shaanxi), then seek an opportunity to engage the Jin in decisive battle.
In August, Zhang Jun ordered Wu Jie, acting commissioner of the Yongxing Army Circuit, to lead his troops to recapture Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), and commanded Zhao Zhe, Military Governor of the Huanqing Circuit, to retake Fuzhou and Yanzhou. Upon learning of the large-scale Song counteroffensive, the Jin court urgently ordered Zongbi to lead 20,000 elite troops on a forced night march from Luoyang into the pass; simultaneously, they ordered Louzhi to advance with several tens of thousands of troops from Hedong to garrison Suidejun (present-day Suide, Shaanxi), to block the Song forces. After learning that the main Jin forces had entered Shaanxi, Zhang Jun mobilized five armies: Liu Xi of the Xihé Circuit, Liu Qi of the Jingyuan Circuit, Sun Wo of the Qinfeng Circuit, along with Zhao Zhe and Wu Jie—totaling 180,000 troops,号称 400,000—concentrating them in the Fuping area of Yaozhou (present-day Yaoxian) on the Guanzhong Plain. Zhang personally went to Binzhou (present-day Binxian) to oversee the campaign, appointing Liu Xi as Commander-in-Chief to coordinate all forces, intending to fight a decisive battle with the Jin.
In September, Zongfu led his army to Xiagui County east of Fuping, while Liu Xi brought the five Song armies to the Fuping region, with the two sides positioned over 80 li apart. The Song army used a marshland thick with reeds as a natural barrier, setting up camp and formation behind it. Civilian porters transporting supplies and equipment from various routes guarded the outer perimeter of the camp with carts and horses. Several generals advised attacking Zongbi’s forces before the Jin armies could unite, but Zhang Jun, confident in his numerical superiority, instead sent a letter challenging the Jin to a set-piece battle. After receiving the challenge, Zongfu made no reply, deliberately stalling to await the arrival of Louzhi’s army. When Louzhi arrived at Fuping, he observed that although the Song forces were numerically superior, their fortifications were weak and disorganized. Zongfu then decided to fight, but on the agreed day, still feigned weakness and refused to engage. Zhang Jun mistakenly assumed the Jin were afraid to fight and ordered a general advance. Wu Jie suggested moving the army to higher ground to counter Jin cavalry, but Liu Xi and others argued that their larger force, combined with the reed marsh blocking the front, would prevent effective Jin cavalry maneuvers, so the suggestion was not adopted.
On the 24th, Liu Xi first dispatched over a thousand men in a probing attack against the Jin. Louzhi set an ambush from a strong position, using light troops to lure the Song vanguard into the trap, then launched a pincer attack from front and rear, annihilating or capturing nearly all the attackers. Subsequently, Louzhi ordered the valiant general Wanyan Zhehe to lead 3,000 cavalry, using earthen bags to create paths across the marsh, crossing the bog to directly raid the small civilian camps surrounding the Song army. The fleeing civilians rushed into the Song camp, causing widespread panic and disorder among the troops. Seizing the moment, Zongfu launched a coordinated assault with Louzhi’s army as the right wing and Zongbi’s as the left wing. The Song army responded hastily, losing unified command, with each of the five armies fighting independently. Liu Qi led the Jingyuan forces to intercept Zongbi’s army first, successfully surrounding them and inflicting heavy casualties. The Jin general Han Chang was struck in one eye by a stray arrow but continued to fight fiercely on horseback, eventually breaking through the encirclement with Zongbi, though forced to retreat. Seeing the dire situation, Louzhi led his right-wing forces in a fierce assault on Zhao Zhe’s Huanqing army, personally directing the battle to regain momentum. Due to lack of mutual support among the Song armies, Zhao Zhe’s isolated force was overwhelmed; he abandoned his post during battle, triggering mass desertion among his troops. By dusk, the Jin forces launched a concentrated assault, causing the Song army to collapse completely. They retreated toward Binzhou, abandoning vast quantities of military supplies and equipment.
Capitalizing on their victory, the Jin army rapidly captured most of Shaanxi. The Song forces withdrew to defend strategic positions such as Heshangyuan (southwest of present-day Baoji) on the northern slopes of the Qinling Mountains, and Jizhou and Chengzhou (present-day Wudu southeast in Gansu and Chengxian), establishing defenses on rugged terrain and entering a stalemate with the Jin forces.
This battle was a major engagement in the Song-Jin wars. The Southern Song rashly assembled a large army and launched a hasty counteroffensive, displaying overconfidence in their numbers, underestimating the enemy, and suffering from poor coordination, which led to a disastrous defeat. In contrast, the Jin army timely adjusted their strategy, concentrated their forces, and achieved a swift and unexpected victory.