Princess Zhao of Pingyang: The woman guarding Niangziguan, using rice soup to repel the enemy
Pingding County is affiliated to Yangquan City, Shanxi Province, located on the east side of central Shanxi Province, at the western foot of the middle section of Taihang Mountain, and southeast of Yangquan City. Niangziguan is located 45 kilometers northeast of the county. It is a famous pass on the Great Wall of China and a chokepoint for entry and exit from Shanxi and Hebei.
Yuan Haowen (1190-1257), whose courtesy name was Yuzhi, whose name was Yishan, and who was known as Mr. Yishan in the world. A native of Xiurong, Taiyuan (now Xinzhou, Shanxi). A writer and historian from the late Jin Dynasty to the Mongolian period. His poem "You Chengtian Hanging Spring" contains these lines:
The poet loves the mountains to the core, and in October the ice and snow come from the east.
I can't move forward for hundreds of miles, but my hair is awakened by the rapids.
The old immortal has been gone for a long time, and the stone wall is slippery with moss.
This old man is 61 weng . Forty-three years have passed like an electric wipe.
The mountains and rivers of Bingzhou are covered with waves, and the mountains and rocks are cracked by the waves.
I only know Jinyang The world is rare in the west of the city, and the moment for a lady is even more strange.
It is said that this is the earliest poem in which the name Niangziguan appears, and the "Da Qing Yi Tong Zhi" compiled in the 29th year of Qianlong (1764) is the first official document to include the name Niangziguan. This means that Niangzi Pass was not called Niangzi Pass before, at least not in official documents. But Niangziguan is indeed related to women.
"Wei Shu·Topographic Records 1" says: "Leping County...has Jingxing Pass, Weize Pass, Dongzhuocheng, Jealous Girl Spring and the temple."
Leping County was established in the 24th year of Jian'an (219) and governed Zhan County (southwest of today's Xiyang County). Its jurisdiction is roughly equivalent to the cities and counties of Yangquan, Heshun, Xiyang, Pingding in Shanxi today.
The ancients said that the land was high and flat on all sides, while the middle part was as low as a well, so it was called Jingxing. Jingxingguan , The original site is on Beijingxing Mountain in Jingxing County, Hebei Province today (affiliated with Shijiazhuang City, located in the west of Shijiazhuang City and at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain), hence the name. There is actually a narrow sense and a broad sense. The broad sense of Jingxing Pass refers to the region and refers to the entire Jingxing Pass, including Tumen Pass at the east entrance, Gu Pass and Niangzi Pass at the west entrance.
"Tang Shu·Geography" says that Zhenzhou (the seat of governance is now Zhengding County, Hebei Province, and its jurisdiction is similar to today's Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province and Zhengding, Gaocheng, Lingshou, Xingtang, Jingxing, Fuping, Luancheng, Pingshan County and other places) Huolu (now Huolu Town, Luquan District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province) had Jingxing Pass, also known as Tumen Pass.
Since the Qin Dynasty, Tumen Pass has been built with a majestic and rare fort, which is a battleground for military strategists. Han Xin's battle to defeat Zhao took place with Tumen Pass as the center, extending from Jinjingxing Weishui in the west to Huolu County in the east, within a range of about thirty miles. According to historical records, Li Zuoche of the State of Zhao at that time taught Chen Yu to gather heavy troops at Tumen Pass, and to fortify the wall without fighting. Instead, he intercepted it with a strange military route, which allowed Han Xin to enter the old pass without leaving the Tumen Pass, which would be like throwing a tiger into a trap, thus preventing his death. But Chen Yu was stubborn and did not fortify Tumen Pass, but stationed troops in the open space northeast of Xianhuolu County. As a result, Han Xin had the opportunity to use a strange strategy to destroy Zhao in one battle.
The old pass was located in Jiushili east of Pingding, Shanxi Province, and is now called the old pass. "Yuanhe County Chronicles": "The old pass of Jingxing is eighty miles east of Guangyang County."
The ancient road in Jingxing is the first-line channel of the intestines that has been recorded in history as "on the road to Jingxing, cars cannot square the track, and riders cannot line up." Therefore, Jingxing has always been a shield for Jifu Youfan, and it is connected to Shenjing in the north ( Beijing ), reaches Heshuo in the east, and is a must-pass tunnel to the Qin, Jin and Bashu in the west. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" and "Huainanzi" call it one of the nine fortresses in the world.
Taihang Mountain meanders from north to south, with almost uninterrupted mountains and ridges. The average altitude is more than 1,500 meters. The mountains are even higher in the Jingxing Ancient Road area. Because Taihang Mountain is a folded fault-block mountain with a large fault cutting through its eastern foot, the eastern slope is particularly steep and difficult to climb, becoming a major obstacle to transportation between Shanxi and Hebei.Fortunately, there are many fault zones within the Taihang Mountains. Some rivers develop along the fault valleys, passing through the ridges from west to east and into the North China Plain. They provide natural channels for communication between the east and west of the Taihang Mountains.
Jingxingguan is such a tunnel. There, the Mianhe River (also known as Taohe River), a tributary of the Hutuo River, flows out across the fault valley. Its defile along the river is "Jingxing", which is the fifth pass of Taihang. From "Jingxing" to the east, you can go directly to Zhending Prefecture (now Zhengding, Hebei), an important town in ancient Hebei, and enter the North China Plain; if you go west, you can go up to the Shanxi Plateau, to Taiyuan, the political center of central Shanxi, and to the Guanzhong area. This passage connects the east and west sides of Taihang Mountain and the vast area, greatly facilitating transportation in the north. ,
The stone walls on both sides of "Jingxing" are steep and narrow. Cars cannot square the track, and horses cannot ride parallel to each other. It is dangerous and difficult to travel. However, in ancient times, there were wars between Shanxi and Hebei or in the north, and the east and west marches often took this route. In particular, this is the ancient political center, and the post road from Guanzhong area to Hebei passes through. This post road connects with the north and south post roads at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain in Zhending Prefecture, and leads to Jiyan and Liaodong in the north. This further enhances the important status of "Jingxing".
Weize Pass is Niangzi Pass.
Dong Zhuocheng is also called Dong Zhuolei. "Book of Wei Topography" says that there is "Dong Zhuocheng" in Shiai County, Leping County, in the northeast of Pingding County, Shanxi today.
Jenvquan is also called "Jianvquan". Volume 6 of "The Chaoye Qian Zai " by Zhang Jue of the Tang Dynasty: "There is the Jealous Girl Spring in the two boundaries of Bingzhou Shiai (now Pingding County, Shanxi, Shouyang ( Shouyang in the Tang Dynasty, now Shouyang County, Shanxi)) , there is a temple, and the spring water is pure and clear for thousands of feet. The sacrificer threw money and sheep bones, and they were all visible. "There are many flying springs in Niangziguan, and the "Xuanquan" on the northwest side is the most famous. It is also known as Niangziguan Waterfall and Shuiliandong Waterfall. The waterfall is 6.5 meters wide and has a drop of 40 meters. Wang Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty wrote a poem praising it: "The spray of jade high comes from the West Pole, and the cliffs are majestic from the giant spirit. "The locals said that "Xuanquan" is the Jealous Girl Spring.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a popular legend about the Jealous Girl Spring: the spring is gentle, the water is clear, but the temperament is extremely jealous. If there is a woman in rich and gorgeous clothes, or holding Shandan, lily Any flower that passes this spring will be attacked by wind, rain, thunder and lightning without exception.
The Temple of Jealous Girl is a temple, which is said to be associated with the Monument of the God of Jealousy. The Monument of the God of Jealousy is located in Chunyang Palace in present-day Taiyuan City, formerly in Niangziguan. The inscription "Ode to the God of Jealousy with Preface" was engraved in the eleventh year of the Tang Dynasty, that is, in 776 AD.
meson (? - 636 BC), also known as meson htm, also known as meson , a native of Jin Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period. He is deeply remembered by the world for his feats of "cutting his stock to serve the emperor" and living in seclusion "not talking about his salary". Duke Wen of Jin once wanted to reward the reclusive Jie Zitui, so he set fire to the mountain, but Jie Zitui was burned to death. In order to express his regret, Duke Wen of Jin changed the name of the mountain where Jiezi Tui was burned to death to Jieshan Mountain (southeast of Jiexiu City, Shanxi Province), and ordered the people not to light fires on this day to comfort Jiezi Tui's spirit in heaven.
In order to commemorate Jie Zitui, people not only light fires for one day, but also do not light open fires and eat cold food during the month when Jie Zitui died. Later, this month gradually reduced to The day before Qingming Festival is the "Cold Food Festival".
But Jieshan, Jie Zitui’s sister, couldn’t bear to see the people eating cold food for Jie Zitui, and some even paid the price of their health. At that time, the Jieshan family got married and moved to Weizeguan. She thought that her brother should not be able to evade the marriage at that time, so she wanted to change this custom. However, no matter how she persuaded people, people refused to give up. So, starting from the winter solstice, she went up the mountain to accumulate a salary every day, and after a hundred days, she set herself on fire and became an advocate of "changing the customs of cold food and changing the festival to Qingming". After her death, the "Juannu Temple" was built for her next to the hanging spring in Niangziguan, and the spring next to it was also called Jealous Girl Spring. In the Tang Dynasty, worship at the Temple of Jealous Girl was very popular, and she was revered as the "God of Jealousy".
Jieshan's deeds are recorded in "Shanxi General Chronicles" and "Pingding Prefecture Chronicles", but no one can explain why she became the "Jealous God". Regarding the "jealous god", " Old Tang Book " has such a record:
Emperor Gaozong was fortunate to Fenyang Palace , and Renjie was appointed as his envoy. Li Xuanchong, the governor of the state, announced the Temple of Jealous Women. As the saying goes, anyone who worships the temple will suffer wind and thunder disasters, so tens of thousands of people were sent away to open the royal road. Renjie said: "The emperor's journey is filled with thousands of rides. Feng Bo clears the dust, and the rain master sprinkles the road. How can he harm his jealous daughter?" He gave the order. When Emperor Gaozong heard this, he sighed and said: What a man! "
At that time, the scope of Bingzhou referred to the entire territory of Shanxi. Emperor Gaozong wanted to come to Fenyang Palace, because the road passed through the Jealous Girl Temple, and the governor of Bingzhou, Li Xuanchong, actually planned to recruit tens of thousands of people to open a new royal road. , because the jealous god would be angry when he saw someone dressed up. Di Renjie gave up the plan and was praised by Emperor Gaozong as a great man. It can be seen that there was a person in Niangziguan who truly and concretely surpassed her. The person is Princess Pingyang Zhao of Tang Dynasty , the third daughter of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan.
Princess Pingyang Zhao, whose name is unknown, was born in Didao, Longxi (now Lintao County, Gansu Province). His mother is Li Yuan's direct wife Dou (Queen Dou). A female general who truly passed the test of a woman.
The existing Guancheng was built in the 20th year of Jiajing reign of Ming Dynasty (1542). The ancient castle is located high up on the mountains and rivers, and has two gates. The east gate is The general brick city gate is inscribed "Zhili Niangziguan" on the forehead, with a platform for city guards, which seems to be used for reviewing soldiers and observing the enemy's situation. The dangerous building at the south gate is tall, majestic, thick and solid, and built with bluestone. The "Sujiang Tower" stands majestically on the city gate. According to legend, it was the place where Princess Zhao of Pingyang gathered her generals to defend against the enemy. The four characters "Gyeonggi Fanping" written on the forehead of the doorway show the importance of Niangziguan. On the southeast side of Guancheng, the Great Wall winds along the Mian Mountain, towering and straight. To the west of the city is the Tao River, which is surrounded by water all year round. Dangerous mountains, river valleys, and the Great Wall build a natural barrier between Shanxi and Hebei.
There are many historical relics related to Princess Pingyang Zhao left before and after Niangziguan City, such as the Princess Washing Pool, the "Dianjiang Terrace" and the "Summer Pavilion" on the top of Mianshan Mountain. There are also more than ten scenic spots such as Chengtian Village, Laojun Cave, Beacon Tower , Dianjiang Terrace, Washbasin, Summer House, etc., which were built by Princess Zhao of Pingyang when she was stationed. According to current records, during the Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty, Weize County was established in this area. Niangzi Pass was originally called "Weize Pass". Because Princess Pingyang Zhao of the Tang Dynasty once led troops to garrison, her troops were called the "Niangzi Army" by people at that time. Therefore, people gradually called Weize Pass Niangzi Pass. There is a legend like this:
After Princess Pingyang Zhao led the women's army to station in Niangziguan, she relied on the natural dangers to build fortifications and set up tight defenses to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of it. Once, Liu Heita's troops launched a massive attack. Princess Pingyang Zhao saw the enemy's ferocity. While facing Taiyuan, she ordered the women's army and residents to defend to the death. Due to the insufficient military strength in the pass, the situation at Niangzi Pass is very dangerous.
Faced with an army several times her size, Princess Pingyang Zhao was extremely anxious. She paced anxiously on the tower, thinking of ideas, while looking far into the distance, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Unintentionally, she saw the harvest of millet in the fields in the distance, and she suddenly became anxious and came up with a plan. So she ordered the soldiers and civilians in the city to immediately harvest, set up pots, and use the new rice to make rice soup. meters After the soup was boiled, she ordered her men to pour it all from the gate into the ravine in front of the gate at night.
The next day, rice soup overflowed in the ravine in front of Niangziguan. When the enemy sentry discovered it, he suspected it was horse urine and hurriedly reported it to the commander. The coach came out of his tent to wait and see, and saw flags waving on the tower of Niangziguan, soldiers and civilians shouting loudly, and war drums beating. He mistakenly judged that reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty had arrived, and because he was afraid of being ambushed, he finally retreated without a fight. Waiting for the enemy coach to learn that this is Pingyang Zhao Just when the princess was suspicious, reinforcements from Taiyuan had arrived, and they could only look back and sigh.
Rice soup defeated the enemy, and her wit and bravery were vividly displayed, but this is only a microcosm of Princess Pingyang Zhao's experience. Princess Pingyang Zhao's deeds are recorded in "Old Tang Book" and "New Tang Book ". When she was old enough to get married, Li Yuan married her to Chai Shao as his wife.After marriage, they settled in Chang'an City.
Chai Shao (588-638), courtesy name Sichang, was born in Linfen, Jinzhou (now Linfen City, Shanxi Province). A famous general in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, he was the son of Chai Shen, the Duke of Julu County. He is a chivalrous man, agile and brave. When he first served in the Sui Dynasty, Zuo Qianniu prepared himself to protect Prince Yuande (the eldest son of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty). After marrying Princess Pingyang Zhao, the world of Sui Dynasty was full of chaos. The flames of peasant uprising have spread across the country, and three main peasant uprising armies have gradually formed, led by Li Mi, Dou Jiande, and Du Fuwei. They are active in today's Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Jianghuai areas respectively. The belt, which disintegrated the rule of the Sui Dynasty with overwhelming force, separated the Sui ruling group and the main force of its army into Jiangdu (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu), Luoyang , and Chang'an, and the country fell into a state of fragmentation. Seeing that the Sui Dynasty was over, some Sui nobles and local officials also took advantage of the opportunity to occupy counties and counties, establish separatist regimes, and proclaim themselves kings and emperors. The rule of the Sui Dynasty was already declining and dying.
Before Li Yuan raised troops in Jinyang, he secretly sent someone to summon Chai Shao and his wife who were still in Chang'an at that time. After receiving the letter, Chai Shao said to Princess Pingyang Zhao: "Your father is about to raise an army to bring peace to the troubled times. I plan to go to meet his righteous flag. It is not feasible to leave together. I am afraid that you are in danger after leaving alone. What should I do?" Princess Pingyang Zhao said: "You should hurry up Leave, I am a woman, it is easy to hide when I am in danger, I will be able to do something by then. "
"Old Book of Tang": Princess Pingyang Zhao, the third daughter of Emperor Gaozu, was born to Queen Taimu. The rebels were about to rise. The princess and Shao were in Chang'an, and they sent envoys to summon them secretly. Shao said to the princess: "Your Majesty will clear up the difficulties. Shao wants to meet the banner of justice. But we can't go with you. If you go alone, you may suffer from trouble later. What's your plan?" The princess said, "You should go quickly. I am a woman. It is easy to hide for the time being, so I have to make my own plans."
So Chai Shao immediately went straight to Taiyuan from the trail. Princess Pingyang Zhao was making various arrangements at the rear. She soon returned to the Li family's manor in Hu County (today's Hu County, Shaanxi Province). She disguised herself as a man and called herself Mr. Li. She sold local properties to provide relief to the victims, and soon recruited a team of several hundred people.
"Old Book of Tang": Shao Ji went to Taiyuan. The princess then returned to the village in Hu County, dispersed the family property, attracted refugees from the mountains, and gained hundreds of people to raise an army to respond to the emperor.
Afterwards, Princess Pingyang Zhao contacted the rebels against the Sui Dynasty everywhere. In more than three months, she recruited four or five rebel armies that had a considerable scale in the world. The largest of them was Hu Shang He Panren. Princess Pingyang Zhao sent her family boy Ma Sanbao to persuade He Panren to surrender.
He Panren only brought a group of Hu merchants and raised the banner to rebel because his money and goods were confiscated by the Sui army and he had no way to surrender. Although he has 30,000 bandits under his command and has defeated Sui soldiers, he is still a businessman in essence. It is his nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. If he wants to truly fight alone to rebel, he is still a little scared in his heart. Ma Sanbao seemed to have used no clever means to make He Panren, who was far more powerful than Princess Pingyang Zhao, willing to be Princess Pingyang Zhao's subordinate.
Later, Princess Pingyang Zhao recruited He Panren and then successively recruited rebels such as Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, Qiu Shili, and her power increased greatly. During this period, the imperial court continued to send troops to attack Princess Pingyang Zhao. The rebel army led by Princess Pingyang Zhao not only defeated every attack, but also conquered Huxian, , Zhouzhi, , Wugong, and Shiping in succession.
This rebel army, led by a woman, has very strict military discipline. Princess Pingyang Zhao must carry out her orders, and the entire army respects her. In those years of rebellion, this army gained widespread support. The common people called Princess Pingyang Zhao "Ms. Li" and her army the "Women's Army". The Detachment of Women's Army was famous far and wide, and many people came from thousands of miles away to defect to it. Soon, Princess Pingyang Zhao's army of women exceeded 70,000.
"Old Book of Tang Dynasty": From time to time, there was a gangster He Panren who gathered in Sizhu Garden and claimed to be the general manager, but he had no affiliation. The princess sent Sanbao, a boy and a horse, to talk about the interests and dangers. Pan Ren attacked Hu County and trapped it.Sanbao also said that the bandits Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, Qiu Shili, etc. each led thousands of people to the meeting. At that time, the capital stayed behind and frequently sent troops to attack the princess. Sanbao and Pan Ren repeatedly defeated them. The princess plundered the land to , Wuxi, , martial arts, and Shiping. Every time the decree was issued, soldiers were prohibited from invasion and plunder, so many people rushed from far and near, and they gained 70,000 soldiers.
In September 1617, Li Yuan's main force crossed the Yellow River and entered Guanzhong . He was very happy to see that his daughter had laid down a large territory for himself in Guanzhong. He sent Chai Shao with hundreds of cavalry to meet Princess Pingyang Zhao. Next, Princess Pingyang Zhao selected more than 10,000 elite soldiers to join Li Shimin on the north bank of the Weihe River to jointly attack Chang'an. Chai Shao belonged to Li Shimin's subordinates and was on the same level as Princess Pingyang Zhao. The couple each leads an army, and each has its own shogunate (headquarters). In November, they attacked one area and quickly captured Chang'an.
After Guanzhong was pacified, Li Yuan named his beloved daughter with outstanding talents "Princess Pingyang Zhao". Because of her unique military achievements, every reward is different from other princesses.
After conquering Chang'an, Princess Pingyang Zhao once again made contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Because although Li Yuan captured Chang'an at that time, he only roughly controlled half of Guanzhong, and he was surrounded by enemies. After stabilizing Chang'an, Li Yuan immediately turned around to deal with Xue Ju who occupied Longxi and Li Gui of Liangzhou (now Wuwei City, Gansu Province). Li Yuan ordered Li Shimin to conquer. Li Shimin spent about two years sweeping away these forces. The battle that established Li Tang's world was the destruction of Wang Shichong . In this battle, the Tang army surrounded the city for reinforcements and eliminated Dou Jiande who came to rescue Wang Shichong. Chai Shao participated in these battles.
Princess Pingyang Zhao's main task at this time was to defend Shanxi, the Li family's base camp. Shanxi is the barrier between the Central Plains and Guanzhong. Without Shanxi, the Central Plains and Guanzhong would be unstable. Princess Pingyang Zhao led her army to garrison Niangziguan in order to prevent the enemy from entering Shanxi from here. After that, the deeds of Princess Pingyang Zhao were no longer recorded in historical records. It was not until the beginning of the sixth year of Wude (623), Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, that news of her death was suddenly recorded in the history books.. The reason why this was recorded was mainly because her funeral was unique and she was buried with military honors.
"Old Book of Tang": Six years later, he died. And before the burial, the imperial edict added the front and back feathers, large chariots, command pillars, forty men with swords, and soldiers with tigers and armor. At that time, the etiquette officer suggested that the use of drums for women's burials was inconsistent with the ancient etiquette. Emperor Li Yuan refuted him: "The drums are military music. In the past, Princess Pingyang always went to the battlefield in person, taking the lead, beating drums and making gold, and consulting on military affairs. From ancient times, Has there ever been a woman like this before? What's wrong with burying a princess with military honors? "So he made an exception to bury Princess Pingyang with military honors, and according to the posthumous title law, "people with outstanding virtues are called 'Zhao'." Princess Pingyang was given the posthumous title "Zhao". "Zhao".
This is why later generations called her "Princess Pingyang Zhao". She was also the only woman in Chinese feudal history whose funeral was carried out by the army. And there is an even more magical legend behind her.
Warrior Yun (577-635), courtesy name Xin, was born in Wenshui, Bingzhou (now Wenshui County, Shanxi Province). The founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, the son of Wuhua, the Prime Minister of the Eastern Capital, and the father of Emperor Wu Zhou and Wu Zetian . During the Sui Dynasty, he became rich in business and later became the captain of the Yingyang Mansion. In the thirteenth year of Daye (617), he supported Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang Dynasty, to raise an army in Jinyang, and was awarded the title of General Kai Cao to join the army. Then he followed Li Shimin's army to pacify Chang'an. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, he was listed as one of the "Heroes of Taiyuan Yuanmou". He was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Industry and granted the title of Duke of the State.
It is said that before Princess Pingyang Zhao died of a serious illness, the warrior Yu came and visited her. Princess Pingyang Zhao said: "After I die, I have nothing to ask for but to be reborn as a daughter in the public family in the next life. In this life I will conquer the world with my three-foot sword, and the people will call me Wu Zhao. There is a sword next to the golden word. I will kill all the corrupt officials and inherit the unsatisfactory career in this life. "The warrior Tong promised. In the second year after the death of Princess Pingyang Zhao, a girl was born in the home of the warrior Yu, and was later named Wu Zhao. She was the future Wu Zetian.
Princess Pingyang Zhao, as a female, used her courage and strategy to clear the way for Li Yuan to become emperor, and she can be called a hero among women. This legend is more like a novel. Maybe people thought it was a pity that Princess Pingyangzhao left in peace, which gave history and future generations some comfort. In her sonorous rose of the Tang Dynasty, the road from Chang'an to northern Shanxi and even beyond is blooming.
The pictures in this article come from the Internet, thanks to the original author!
