In 290 AD, Emperor Wu of Jin died, and Emperor Hui succeeded him. Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Jia, vied for power with Yang Jun, a relative of the empress who assisted in governing. The following year, Empress Jia killed Yang Jun, and the Prince of Runan, Sima Liang, took over as regent, thus beginning the "War of the Eight Princes" within the royal family.
During the civil wars, northern chieftains like Liu Yuan of the Xiongnu and Shi Le of the Jie tribe declared themselves kings and emperors, raiding the Central Plains. Officials and commoners of the Western Jin Dynasty fled south to escape the chaos. A man named Zu Ti led several hundred clansmen across the Yellow River, migrating south to the Huai River basin.
During the escape, Zu Ti always gave the carriage and horses to the elderly and frail, while he and the able-bodied clan members carried supplies on foot. He shared all his grain, clothing, and medicine without reservation. Because he shared hardships and had leadership skills, everyone unanimously elected him their leader. After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at Jingkou (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province).
During the Jin Dynasty's waning power in the north, Prince Sima Rui of Langya, stationed at Jianye (modern-day Nanjing, Jiangsu Province), still commanded some troops and held military and political authority over the Jiangnan region. He appointed Zu Ti as a military advisor. Zu Ti repeatedly requested troops to lead a northern expedition, but Sima Rui gave him no reply.
In 311 AD, the Xiongnu noble Liu Yao led his army to capture the Jin dynasty's capital, Luoyang. Emperor Huai, who had succeeded Emperor Hui, fled westward in panic, hoping to reach Chang'an, but was captured by Liu Yao's cavalry along the way. When news of this reached the south, it sparked deep unrest among patriotic scholars.
Zu Ti could no longer bear it. He went directly to Jianye and said to Sima Rui face to face, "The people of the Central Plains are suffering now, and everyone has the will to fight against the Rong and Di (referring to the minority ruling groups). Your Majesty should send troops on a northern expedition to rescue the people from their misery!"
Sima Rui, concerned only with preserving his own territory and power, had no intention of reclaiming lost lands or restoring the Central Plains. When he heard Zu Ti's words, he lowered his head and remained silent.
Zu Ti declared with fervor, "If Your Highness orders an expedition and sends me to reclaim the Central Plains, the people there will surely rally to our cause!"
"In that case, Sima Rui had no choice but to respond. After pondering for a moment, he said, 'Since you are so determined, I will appoint you as General of Valiant Might and Inspector of Yuzhou, and allocate provisions for 1,000 soldiers and 3,000 bolts of cloth. The rest you will have to raise on your own.'"
The situation was clear: Sima Rui had no real intention of sending Zu Ti on a northern campaign. He appointed him a general but gave him not a single soldier, not a single blade, and only the most meager supplies; the province of Yuzhou was still occupied by Xiongnu troops, and becoming its governor meant ruling over not even an inch of land.
Zu Ti knew that Sima Rui was only offering symbolic support for his northern campaign, but as long as he agreed to let him march, that was enough. So he immediately returned to Jingkou, gathered his troops, and crossed the Yangtze River to the northern shore.
When the boat reached midstream, Zu Ti gazed at the rolling eastward river and the vast wilderness north of the Yangtze, his heart surging with emotion and blood boiling. He suddenly stood up, raised the oar in his hand, struck the side of the boat, and vowed passionately: "If I cannot recover the Central Plains this time, may I be like this great river—gone forever, never to return!"
Zu Ti struck his oar against the boat's side midstream and swore to heaven, "If I cannot recover the Central Plains, I will never cross this river again!" His bold and heroic spirit deeply moved his followers, who resolved to follow him through life and death to reclaim their homeland.
After crossing the Yangtze River, Zu Ti stationed his troops near Huaiyin (in modern Jiangsu Province). There, he recruited soldiers and forged weapons, soon amassing a force of 2,000 men. He then marched north, capturing Qiaocheng and pressing on to Chenliu (in modern Henan Province). As Shi Le's territory shrank, Zu Ti's support swelled, and within a short time, he reclaimed most of the land south of the Yellow River.
Later, people used "Beating the Oar Midstream" to praise the fierce ambition and generous resolve to reclaim lost territory and serve the nation.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Zu Ti"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "中流击楫" came to describe how one person's strength cannot reverse a crumbling situation.