It’s a bloody confusing period to be sure. So I’ve gone ahead and rendered the back and forth between Emperors Taiwu and Wen between 429 and 450. They’re by no means perfect, but will hopefully serve to let you better visualize where all this hullabaloo was taking place…

A general guide of the Northern Wei and Liu Song borders ca. 440, with major cities and rivers:

In Fall 429, Liu Song armies strike at 4 key targets to retake the lands south of the Yellow River. N. Wei forces fall back and wait for winter:

Winter of 429/430 arrives. N. Wei armies come barreling down from Shengle to retake the cities and territories they’d retreated from previously. Luoyang and Qiaoao are abandoned, leaving the garrison at Huatai to defend all alone:

A relief column from Jiangkang (nanjing) tries to reach Huatai, but is intercepted by N. Wei forces and forced to turn back. Huatai will fall to Wei shortly thereafter:

The Xiongnu tribesman and nominal Liu Song vassal Gai Wu initiates a rebellion from Xingcheng. It is quickly stomped out and he forced to flee into the mountains. This will be used at a pretext for war by N. Wei:

In and effort to pre-empt plans to invade the North once again, Emperor Taiwu uses the Song’s support of Gai Wu as pretext to initiate another invasion of Liu Song aimed at Xianhu. It is repulsed, with great damage to both sides:

Liu Song initiates its own invasion to retake the lands on the south bank of the Yellow River. The Song armies seize Qiaoao and lay siege to Huatai, but prove unable to take the walled city:

Northern Wei counter-attacks with an enormous force, forcing the Liu Song expedition to retreat, and retreat again:

Taiwu of Northern Wei commences a punitive invasion of Liu Song, claiming to harbor designs on Nanjing itself. He takes and burns most of northern Liu Song, before halting at the banks of the Yangtze. He’ll eventually turn back for Shengle, leaving the souther Yellow River Valley a burnt-out ruin:

Credits: Base-map created by Ian Kiu. All labels and modifications are my own.