Battle of Liangzhou

Battle of Liangzhou

Background

The Xianbei people are an ancient nomadic people living in northern China. Their history can be traced back to the early Shang and Zhou Dynasties in my country. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Xianbei leader Tan Shihuai once unified the Xianbei tribes, but soon after they split into the Budugen Group and the Kebineng Group. The latter once affiliated to Cao Wei, and the Cao Wei regime still appeased these leaders.

The drought that occurred in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, due to the wrong strategic measures of the imperial court, caused the Xianbei leader Tufa Shufeng to lead the Xianbei people in armed resistance.

The Jin army suffered repeated defeats

In the sixth year of the Shitai period of the Western Jin Dynasty (270), Bald Hair Tree Function and Hu Lie fought at Wanhu (hu)dui (now Zhongwei in Ningxia and Jingyuan in Gansu junction area), Hu Lie was defeated and died. After Hu Lie's death, the morale of Shuji's army was greatly boosted, and he led his troops to capture Gaoping in one fell swoop.

Emperor Sima Yan of the Jin Dynasty sent the famous generals Du Yu as the governor of Qinzhou and Shi Jian as the general of Anxi to lead the army to the west. However, Du Yu refused to blindly send troops against the Xianbei rebellion and was framed by Shi Jian. Because Du Yu He was pardoned because he was the grandson of Du Ji, a famous minister of Cao Wei, and the consort of the Sima family. Shi Jian still failed to defeat the Xianbei army.

After more than a year of fighting between the Western Jin army and the Xianbei army, not only did they not eliminate Shujian, but they also caused ethnic minority rebellions in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia and Shanxi regions. The ethnic minorities in the northwest region supported each other and fought side by side. , causing the Western Jin government to lose its city and territory.

In the seventh year of Taishi, that is, in 271 AD, Bald Hair Tree function occupied Jincheng County and killed Qianhong, the governor of Liangzhou in Jin Dynasty. At this point, the Xianbei army controlled most of Hexi and posed a threat to the Jin Empire from the west.

In the first month of 279, Tufashu function captured Liangzhou. This move directly affected the Jin court's strategy of going south to destroy Wu.

Ma Long went on an expedition

Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty was extremely angry and sighed at the court: "Who can help me conquer this captive?" Sima Governor Ma Long stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, what are you doing? If you can appoint me, I can pacify the tree function."

Emperor Jin Wu said: "If you can certainly pacify the thieves, why should I not use you? What about your strategies?" Ma Long said; "I I plan to recruit three thousand warriors, no matter where they come from or what they did in the past, and lead them westward. Even one tree function is not enough for me."

Emperor Jin Wu agreed, and he appointed Ma. Long was the protector of the captives and the prefect of Wuwei.

The officials all said: "We already have a lot of soldiers at present, and we should no longer set up rewards and recruitment arbitrarily. This young general Ma Long is just talking nonsense, and he is not worthy of belief." Emperor Wu of Jin did not listen.

Ma Long’s recruitment criteria are as long as he can draw a bow with a force of 120 kilograms and a crossbow with a force of nine stones, he will be admitted. He set up a standard examination selection and recruited 3,500 people from morning to noon. Malone said: "That's enough." He also asked to go to the weapons arsenal to select weapons in person. The arsenal commander quarreled with him angrily.

Yu Shi Zhongcheng reported Ma Long to the emperor. Ma Long said: "I am going to the battlefield to do my best, but the arsenal order gives me decayed weapons from the Wei Dynasty. This is not the intention of your majesty in appointing me." Emperor Wu ordered Ma Long to choose from the weapons in the arsenal, provide him with military supplies for three years, and then send him out.

Ma Long crossed the warm water to the west, and Bald Hair Shuji and others led tens of thousands of tribesmen to resist by relying on dangers. Because the mountain road is narrow, Malong built a flat box truck according to the Eight Formation Diagram, and also built wooden houses and placed them on the truck. When encountering open areas, he would use the cart to set up camp. When the mountain road was narrow, he would put wooden houses on the cart to travel while fighting. Move forward. Wherever the Jin army's arrows hit, the Qiang soldiers responded and fell.

According to the "Book of Jin·Biography of Malong", Malong piled up magnets on both sides of the road to attract the bald tree functional tribesmen wearing iron armor, making it difficult for them to move, and the Jin army all Being covered with rhinoceros armor, he can advance and retreat freely.

The Bald Tree Functional Department was greatly shocked and regarded the Jin army as their gods. After walking for more than 1,000 miles, the enemy was beaten to death, injured and suffered heavy losses. Since Malong went to the west, there has been no news. The court is worried about him. Some people say that they are all dead.

Later, Malong's envoy arrived at night, and Emperor Wu of Jin clapped his hands and smiled happily.

In the early morning, he summoned the ministers and said to them: "If you had listened to your opinions, there would be no Liangzhou." So he issued an order to give Ma Long the Talisman Festival and the official title of General Xuanwei.

When Ma Long arrived in Wuwei, the leader of the Xianbei tribe, Tuoba Han, led more than 10,000 tribesmen to surrender. In December, Ma Long fought against Shu Jie Neng and killed Shu Jie Neng, and Liangzhou was pacified. In this battle, Ma Long advanced despite the difficulties and had the courage to innovate. He was particularly clever in the combination of tactics and weapons. Therefore, he was able to fight long distances, win more with less, and stabilize the frontier.

In the early years of Taikang, due to the devastation of Xiping (which ruled present-day Xining), the Jin Dynasty appointed Ma Long as the Pinglu Guard and the Prefect of Xiping, and led his troops south to revive it. Malong guarded the border for more than ten years. He worked hard to defend the border and gained great prestige. He later died in office.

Significance

After the Battle of Liangzhou eliminated the power of the Xianbei people, the security risks in the rear of the Western Jin Empire were relieved. Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan, was able to free up his hands and devote himself to pacification. Wu State in the South. In 279 AD, the Jin army began a large-scale attack on Soochow.

In order to win the victory quickly, the Jin army divided into five routes along the north bank of the Yangtze River and attacked the Wu army head-on. The sixth route of the Jin army started from Badong and Yizhou, went eastward along the Yangtze River, and went straight to Jianye, the capital of the Wu army. Because Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty was fully prepared, the timing was right, and the strategy was correct, it took only more than four months to achieve complete victory in the war to destroy Wu.

From then on, all the prefectures, prefectures, and counties of Soochow were officially incorporated into the territory of Jin. In 280 AD, the situation of the Three Kingdoms completely ended. Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, finally unified the country and ended the division that had lasted for nearly a hundred years.

Controversy

The record in the Jin Dynasty about Ma Long placing magnets on the roadside to attract the enemy's armor and defeat the enemy is widely circulated, but it is not consistent with common sense.

"Book of Jin·Biography Twenty-Seven" (Volume 57): "Maybe the road is full of magnets, and the thieves are carrying iron armor, unable to move forward, but the soldiers are all covered by rhinoceros armor, leaving no hindrance. , Thieves think it is a god."

In the Song Dynasty, Sima Guang believed that this matter was too absurd and not credible. Although natural magnets are magnetic, the magnetism of natural magnets cannot make it difficult for an adult man to move even at a very close distance, let alone piling them on both sides of the road at a certain distance from the enemy.

Furthermore, subsequent records stated that the soldiers under Malong were wearing leather armor and were not affected, which is also quite strange. During the Jin Dynasty, all military weapons were made of iron. If the magnetic properties of magnets were strong enough to hinder the movement of enemy troops, then even if Malong's soldiers were wearing leather armor, they would not be unaffected if they were holding iron weapons.

Judging from the fact that Malone went to the arsenal to request equipment before, it was impossible for Malone to re-build a batch of weapons alone in terms of time and cost.

Therefore, this record in the Book of Jin is too bizarre and not credible.