Geng Gong Temple, the highest point in the city, is the true soul of the old Kashgar!

Kashgar 5A-level scenic spot-in the northeast corner of the old city, there is a wetland, which brings a breath of spirit to the ancient city. This is Jiulong Spring, Uyghur Brakbexi. In addition to these two names, it also has a name-Geng Gongquan. Who is Geng Gong? What is his relationship with Kashgar?

(Jiulongquan)

Since ancient times, the Western Regions has never lacked legends. During the Han Dynasty, there were many people who broke their wrists with the Huns: Li Guang, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Ban Chao, etc. They won victory and glory for the country, and realized their ideals. They returned to their hometowns, were appointed officials, and their names were also included. Into the annals of history.

There is also such a person who broke his wrist with the Xiongnu in the Western Regions. He was not as famous as them, and he was not even known in history. Although there was only one contest with the Xiongnu, the action was more vigorous, like a thunder explosion, making the Xiongnu think that the gods had come. This explosion of thunder has also become the last in history. This person is Geng Gong.

Geng Gong, whose name is Bozong, was born in Fufeng Maoling (now Xingping, Shaanxi). His uncle Geng Yi is a famous general in the world. "The Biographies of Geng Gong" contains, Geng Gong "Shaogu. How generous and generous, there are generals and talents."

Dong Han Yongping 17th year (AD 74) winter, Geng Gong used the post of Sima, and Ban Chao used the fake Sima. (On behalf of Sima), he followed Fengche Duwei Dou Gu and led 14,000 horses from Dunhuang to the Western Regions, defeated the Northern Huns and King Huyan Corps in Baishan (the eastern section of the Tianshan Mountains), and then surrendered the front and rear chariots to restore the Western Han Dynasty. At that time, the guard of the Western Regions and Lieutenant Wuji. Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty ordered Chen Mu to be the guardian of the Western Regions, Geng Gong as the emperor and Guan Chong as his captain. Geng Gong was stationed in Jinmancheng (also known as Jinpu City, located in Beiting Town, Jimsar) at the rear of Cheshi, and Guan Chong was stationed in Liuzhongcheng (located in Lukeqin Town, Shanshan) in front of Cheshi.

Geng Gong firmly controlled the main throat of the Xiongnu to enter and exit the Western Regions. This place became the center of the Han army in the Western Regions. Later, it was called the Beiting. It was because of Geng Gong guarding here that Ban Chao was able to lobbi freely in Yutian, Loulan, Shache and other places, shaking these kingdoms to break diplomatic relations with the Xiongnu and belong to the Han Dynasty. Ban Chao was in motion and Geng Gong was in silence. At that moment, Geng Gong echoed Ban Chaoyao, and Ban Chao boldly attacked. The Huns had Geng Gong desperately blocking Jinmancheng! Perhaps it is precisely because Ban Chao took the initiative to attack and Geng Gong defended in place, so Geng Gong's reputation is not as big as Ban Chao, but Geng Gong's credit cannot be ignored.

In March of the eighteenth year of Yongping (AD 75), in order to compete with the Han Dynasty for the Western Regions, the Northern Huns sent 20,000 cavalry to attack the chariot division. Although Geng Gong had few soldiers, he sent 300 troops to the rescue. Unfortunately, this reinforcement of the Han army encountered the Huns and was outnumbered, and the entire army was killed. The Northern Huns attacked the Cha Division by victory, killed the Queen of Cha Division, and then moved to attack Jinman City. There were few soldiers in the city, and the situation was critical. Geng Gong personally went to the city to command the battle. In view of the strength of the Huns, Geng Gong decided to outwit. He asked his subordinates to smear poison on the arrowheads, and shouted to the city: "The arrow god of the Han family, the sores must be different." Then he fired poisonous arrows with a strong crossbow. The wounds of the arrows hit by the Huns were quickly festered by the poison. As a result, the whole army was shocked. When the rain fell from the sky, Geng Gong took the opportunity to go out of the city and attack the enemy line. The Xiongnu soldiers were frightened and frightened: "The God of Han soldiers is really terrifying!" So, the Xiongnu led their troops to escape.

Geng Gong expected that the Xiongnu would re-offend. In May, he gave up Jinmancheng and chose Shule City (Magou Liangshichengzi, Banjiegou Town, Qitai, Banjiegou Town) to defend him and recruit thousands at the same time. Soldiers bravely, training day and night to prepare for another battle. In July, the Huns really launched another offensive. Geng Gong waved his army straight into the enemy's line, but the Huns were unable to stand firm and caught off guard and were forced to retreat. Unbeatable, the Xiongnu camped under Shule City and besieged the Han army.

(The Stele of General Geng Gong)

At this time, Yanqi, Qiuci and other countries rebelled against the Han and joined the Huns to attack and kill the Western Regions to protect Chen Mu. The Huns also surrounded themselves in Liuzhong City. Xiao Wei Guan Chong. In November of the same year, Emperor Ming of Han died, and the court had no time to take care of the war in the Western Regions. Che Shiguo seized the opportunity of the Han army to rescue the soldiers, betrayed the Han Dynasty, and joined forces with the Xiongnu to attack Shule City. Geng Gong encouraged the soldiers to resist the enemy.

A few months later, the Han army ran out of food and fell into trouble.In the meantime, although there was a Madam Wang (whose ancestor was a Han Chinese) "privately confessed to the captives and gave them food and wages, but they were helpless. It was useless. The Han army boiled the crossbow and eats its muscles." Geng Gong and the soldiers "received the same death and life, so the whole army worked together and did not retreat."

As the war became more brutal, many soldiers died of starvation, and there were only a few dozen people left. The fierce Huns have always respected the hero, and when they knew that they were too distressed, they sent messengers to try to surrender him. The messenger shouted under the city: "If you come down, you should be named the king of the white house, and your wife will be a woman." Geng Gong pretended to lure the messenger to the city, beheaded and killed him, and roasted his meat in the city. It. Shan Yu was furious, increased troops to besiege the city, but could not attack for a long time. Thousands of years later, Yue Fei wrote the impassioned "Man Jiang Hong": "Hungry for a hungry meal of Hulu meat, laugh and talk thirst for the blood of the Huns", which is published here.

Seeing that the surrender could not be achieved, the Huns cut off the waterway outside the city. The situation was extremely critical. The soldiers once "drinked it with dung juice". Later, Geng Gong and the soldiers dug a well to fetch water. There was no water. Later, Geng Gong bowed down to the heaven and the earth and attacked the stone with a sword. Perhaps it was Geng Gong’s tenacity that touched the heaven and the earth. Perhaps it was because the Huns intercepted the upper reaches of the river and the water seeped into the ground. Finally, the spring gushed out. Encouraged, Geng Gong ordered people to pour water down the city. Seeing this scene, the Huns believed that there was a god to help. In the 2003 movie "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" starring Jiang Wen, "the old immortal" fought the ground with a sword on a dry river bed, and the underground river gushed out. Could this bridge also come from this? The endgame "Geng Gongbaijing" in Chinese chess really originated from this.

(Geng Gongbaijing)

When Liu Zhongcheng was just besieged, his school Wei Guan Chong hurriedly sent a letter to the court, asking for rescue. At this time, Emperor Zhang of the Han had just ascended the throne, and after the report, he called for a collegial discussion. For a time, opinions were divided. Sikong Fifth Lun (an upright official in the Han Dynasty, the "fifth" is the Fu surname) listed many difficulties, thinking that the distant water is difficult to quench the thirst, and it is not suitable to send troops to rescue. Emperor Han Zhang heard it and hesitated. Situ Baoyu believed that Geng Gong and Guan Chong had only a hundred military officials left. The Xiongnu besieged them for a long time, but failed to capture them. It can be seen that although they are few and powerful, they can do their best to serve the court and should be dispatched to Dunhuang immediately. , Jiuquan troops went to rescue. He said laudably: "Today, people are in distress and abandon them in a hurry. Outside they are barbarians' violence, and inside they are wounded officials. Sincerely, there is nothing left for the future, and the Huns will be invaders if they repeat offenses, your majesty. How will the general be used?" Bao Yu said, with many followers. The young Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty was moved by Bao Yu's words, and he made up his mind: Send the general Geng Bing to conquer Jiuquan in the west to do the prefect; send Qin Peng (also known as Duan Peng) and the evangelist Wang Meng and Huangfu to assist the three counties of Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang A total of more than 7,000 soldiers from Shanshan and Shanshan drove to Liuzhongcheng in the first month of the first year of Jianchu (AD 76) to attack the chariot.

In February, the reinforcements arrived in Liuzhong City, but the Guan Chong subordinate had already been wiped out. The angry Han army captured Jiaohe City occupied by the Northern Huns in one fell swoop, beheaded 3,800 people, captured more than 3,000 people, and seized 37,000 heads of camels, donkeys, horses, cattle and sheep. The Huns retreated in a hurry.

Qin Peng, Wang Meng and others judged that Geng Gong’s subordinates had also suffered the same fate as Guan Chong, so they decided to withdraw their troops. They did not expect that Geng Gong’s subordinate, who had been fighting hard for a year, was still waiting in the wind and snow desperately for the reinforcements of the Han family. Fortunately, among the reinforcements, there was Fan Qiang, one of Geng Gong's former troops. He was sent by Geng Gong before and returned to Dunhuang to receive soldiers' winter clothes, so he accompanied him in the army. When the army decided to return to the court, Fan Qiang repeatedly begged to rescue Shule City. Qin Peng and Wang Meng only scored 2,000 troops to rescue Geng Gong.

Fan Qiang led his army in a rush, and the road was several feet deep in heavy snow. Fan Qiang's tribe finally arrived at Shule City through hardships. The remnants in the city heard the sound of horses and soldiers at night, thinking that the Xiongnu would attack the city again. In shock, they all hold the heart of death. Fan Qiangchi rushed to the city and shouted: "I am Fan Qiang, and the court sends troops to welcome the school Wei Er." Long live the city. When the city gate opened, the two armies hugged and wept. At this time, there were only 26 people left in the city.

The next day, Geng Gong and others returned with the army. Along the way, the Xiongnu guerrillas kept chasing and harassing, and the Han army was fighting and fighting. The soldiers under Geng Gong were weak, and there were many dead along the way. When they arrived at Yumen Pass in March, there were only 13 people left, all of whom were "clothed and worn, described as withered."

(created by contemporary painter Zuo GuoshunThe oil painting "Thirteen Soldiers Returning to Yumen")

Geng Gong insisted on guarding Shule City, staying a hundred deaths and unswervingly, maintaining the dignity of the big man. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the Han dynasty mustered the courage to expedition for thousands of miles, which is also a powerful act of blood. Because of Geng Gong, the pride of "swearing to order Shule to leave Feiquan" in Wang Wei's poems, and Yue Fei's lofty ambition to "hungry for Hulu meat, laugh and thirsty for Xiongnu's blood". What it inherits is the loyalty and martial arts spirit that has been flowing in the blood of our nation for thousands of years.

More than one thousand eight hundred years later, with Zuo Zongtang’s west expedition to expel Akoub, and regain Liu Jintang of Kashgar, because he admired Geng Gong’s hard work in guarding the city of Shule for more than 300 days. Admired by his spirit and integrity, and because Hancheng of Kashgar is also called Shule, he ordered the construction of Geng Gong Temple, also called Geng Gong Temple and Geng Gong Building, at the highest point of the city in Kashgar. Geng Gong’s admiration. In 1880, Geng Gong Building was completed. Later, the highest place was called Genggongtai, and the Jiulongquan at the foot was called Genggongquan. Even this area was called Genggong District from the Republic of China to the early liberation period, and was later renamed Yawage Street.

During the Revolution of 1911, the Kashgar Brotherhood recruited many soldiers, with members of the Brotherhood as the backbone, and formed the Kashgar New Army in accordance with the army’s organizational system at that time. Three battalions of Zuoan, Youan, and A total were set up, each with 500 soldiers. The leaders of the Gelaohui, Bian Yongfu, Wei Dexi, and Chen Degong were the battalion commanders. They were stationed in Kashgar Huicheng, and their headquarters was located in Geng Gong Temple. The new army not only has a neat lineup and strong strength, but also has strict military discipline and no offense in autumn. It patrols the streets day and night, eliminates violence and maintains law and order, and has won the support of people of all ethnic groups. It has also become the center of the Xinhai Revolution in southern Xinjiang, and it has written a brilliant stroke in history.

Yuan Guoxiang, who once served as a photographer for the Political Department of the Second Army of the People’s Liberation Army, recorded in 1950 that the Genggong Building was "5 rooms wide from north to south, 3 rooms wide from east to west, and three rooms in the middle of the building are covered by red walls. Enclosed, possibly the main hall, on both sides are wide corridors and raised cornices. The tall building above has no walls, and 20 columns support a large herringbone roof. The two-story cornices are covered with simple tiles, just like inland temples. It is said that there is a colorful statue of Geng Gong, a lieutenant of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Western Regions in the main hall. In the past, people often came here to burn incense and worship on the first and fifteenth day of the new year. However, we were not able to go inside because there was no guard after liberation and people did not find the key to open the door. On the northeast side of this tall building, there is also a two-story small building, one large in the middle and two small on both sides, except that part of the lower wall has collapsed, and there is no veranda covered by cornices, the upper floor and its roof structure It is similar to the main building, but more than half shorter than the main building. From the photo, it looks like a stage and a place for tourists to feast and enjoy the scenery. There is a small house nearby, which may be a house or a caretaker's residence. ”

In addition to Geng Gong, Geng Gong Temple also enshrines Ban Chao, Liu Meng, Kuixing and Emperor Wenchang. The Kashgar earthquake on March 5, 1956 knocked down the disrepaired and crumbling Geng Gong Temple. Later, under the anti-feudal superstition and the eradication of the so-called "Hanism" thought, the Geng Gong Temple was completely demolished, and In the Republic of China era, this Genggong district was renamed Yawag district, and Genggongquan under Genggong stage was changed to Brackbexi. So much so that most people in Kashgar don't know that there was such a monument here. As General Yuan Guoxiang said, "The establishment of Genggong Tower was a historical misunderstanding, so the disappearance of Genggong Tower was also a historical misunderstanding."

(former Genggong Building)

After more than 60 years, the People's Government has repaired and transformed the Old City of Kashgar. On the stage of Geng Gong, the famous Geng Gong Temple was erected again.

(Geng Gong Shrine under reconstruction, taken by Wu Yong on September 19, 2015)

(Geng Gong Shrine under reconstruction)

The brown-red mountain gate is not very wide, but it is exquisite and solemn. The three golden characters of "Geng Gongci" are written by the national calligraphy master Qiu Ling. A couplet on both sides of the column is impressive: "Loyalty and bravery shines in the sky, and righteousness makes the soul". This couplet is written by Jing Ge, chairman of the Kashgar Calligraphers Association.It is neat, concise and concise, and expresses the courage and vigor.

(山门)

In the corridors of the stele on both sides of the mountain gate, there are reliefs of portraits and allusions of famous generals. The record of Geng Gong in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. When it comes to the Western Regions, many people know Zhang Qian and Ban Chao, but they don't know much about Geng Gong. Reading the stele gallery, they know that they have a lot of merit.

(Stele Corridor Relief)

There are passages on both sides of the towering Genggong Terrace, and you can reach Genggong Temple directly from the stairs. In the middle of the steps, there stands a respectful bronze statue, with a magnificent figure straddling a galloping horse, the front hoofs of the horses are high and the manes are flying. The entire statue is lifelike, showing the heroic state of the Han army soul.

(Geng Gongxiang)

In front of Geng Gongci, Qiu's "Geng Gongci" three Phnom Penh characters and exquisite couplets: "Weeping blood for the future, "Bei Shiqin" all amazed tourists.

(Weeping blood to raise the edge of the Qianqiu industry, the heart to report to the country Baishiqin)

The main building of Geng Gong Temple has two floors, mainly wooden structure, lightly raised eaves , Light and smooth. Inside the gate, there is a couplet written by Cai Shanrui, the executive vice chairman of the Kashgar Book Association: "Ride across the exquisite springs, flow the sun and the moon, watch Guanshan majestic and powerful." Inlaid with a large wooden sculpture in the middle: the soldiers stood on the head of the city and shot the poisonous arrowheads at the enemy. The scene was fierce and tragic. It was really bloody and bloody, and there was no sound here!

Behind the main building of Geng Gongci is Dingyuan Building. It is a five-story attic with exquisite bridges and wooden ladders hovering up. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Kashgar from the top.

Compared with the Geng Gong Building built in 1880, the Geng Gong Temple, which was carefully designed by the Shanghai authorities, is both magnificent and exquisite, demonstrating the spirit of complementarity between civil and martial arts. Zhao Xiangcheng, honorary chairman of the Writers Association of Kashgar, worked hard for this, thinking of ways, giving ideas, and constantly improving the plan. It can be said that he has racked his brains and worked hard!

(Geng Gong Temple and Dingyuan Building)

Although Geng Gong has never been to Kashgar, there is a Banchaoshou plate in East Hannan In Lucheng, there is Geng Gong guarding Shule City in the north, and the south and the north echo each other. Its spiritual power is enough to inspire the future generations to guard the frontier. That's why Kashgar Genggong Temple is a place of interest. Coincidentally, now Kashgar not only has Banchaocheng Park (Panlu City), but also rebuilt Geng Gong Temple. It has to be said that it is a blessing to let the elements of Banchao and Geng Gong merge in Kashgar.

(Panlucheng)

Gradually wipe away the heavy dust of history, revealing those glorious journeys that have stirred the years, and let future generations remember the heroic deeds and inherit the backbone of China. Standing at the highest point, Geng Gong Temple is the true soul of Kashgar.

(Night view of Geng Gong's Temple)

The Bloody Battle of the Thirteen Generals of Han Shule City: Bloody battle to the end, rather than death!

PS: "The Bloody Battle of the Thirteen Generals of the Han Dynasty" is a film adapted from the deeds of Geng Gong. It is currently available on Youku video, and friends who are interested can check it out.

Author: Shule salt, freelance writer.