During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Former Qin ruler Fu Jian grew powerful and frequently raided the northern borders. After capturing Xiangyang, he sent his general Peng Chao to attack Pengcheng, defended by the Jin general Dai Lu. In response, the Jin emperor ordered Xie Xuan, nephew of famed minister Xie An and a general himself, to lead reinforcements alongside Gao Heng and He Qian.
Xie Xuan, a brilliant military strategist who famously commanded the historic Battle of the Fei River, learned that enemy general Peng Chao had stockpiled all his supplies and heavy equipment at Liucheng. Xie Xuan ordered his generals Zhang Yang and He Qian to feign an attack on Liucheng while secretly marching toward Pengcheng. Fearing the loss of his supplies, Peng Chao hastily abandoned Pengcheng and rushed back to Liucheng. Without shedding a single drop of blood, Xie Xuan lifted the siege of Pengcheng.
Fu Jian's generals Ju Nan and Mao Dang joined forces with Peng Chao at Xiangyang, leading 60,000 troops southward to besiege San'a City. They swiftly captured Xuyi, terrifying the Jin army commanders resisting along Tuzhong and Tangyi, throwing the imperial court into panic. Xie Xuan then attacked Ju Nan's forces from behind Guangling while sending He Qian to lift the siege of San'a and occupy Baima City. Without pausing, he pressed forward relentlessly, slaying enemy generals like Shao Bao in successive battles, forcing Ju Nan and his allies to retreat. Xie Xuan pursued, crushing the enemy at Junchuan, and dispatched staff officer Liu Baizhi to destroy their warships and supply vessels, driving Ju Nan and his commanders to flee northward, barely escaping with their lives.
Xie Xuan's decisive action turned defeat into victory, earning him the title "Marquis of Dongxing County." Later, the idiom "Only Oneself Escaped" came to describe barely escaping with one's life in a crisis.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Xie An"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "仅以身免" came to describe how barely escaping with one's life in a crisis.