Battle of Geshibao City: One general will be successful and ten thousand bones will be withered.

In the history of the war between Tang Dynasty and Tubo, Shibaocheng was a sad place. Shi Bao City is located in the southwest of Huangyuan County, Qinghai Province, with Huashi Mountain as its back and Yaoshui River as its face. It is only a stone's throw from Riyue Mountain, the boundary between Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Loess Plateau. Shibaocheng, named Chengcheng, is actually a military fortress and a tiny place. However, due to its important geographical position and steep terrain, it was paid attention to by the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, and a protracted tug-of-war was launched, with heavy casualties. (This picture is selected from Historical Records, Volume III of Three Rivers Source published by Qingdao Publishing House, Photography/Zheng Yunfeng)

Shibaocheng is located on a reddish-brown cliff, facing the Qinghai-Tibet Highway today. The cliff is steep, and the mountains on both sides are steep and steep, which is dangerous. Because of its danger, Tubo calls it "the city of iron blade". Its construction dates are one when Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty and the other when the struggle between Tang Dynasty and Tubo was the fiercest.

It is not easy to climb this stone castle. There are few passages on the mountain wall, and there are many thorns and weeds. In most places, you must use your hands and feet

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Climb the ridge, only one person can pass through the path, and you can also see the traces left over from ancient times. Tubo built this dangerous stone castle on the basis of three cliffs and a narrow path, with the aim of guarding Qinglong and controlling Hehuang. In order to control this place, Tang and Fan fought four large-scale battles in 80 years, and no fewer than 100,000 people were killed or injured on both sides, so that Du Fu issued an eternal lament: "You can't see the Qinghai head of the Yellow River, you are completely abandoned old bones. The new ghost is wailing there now, and the old one is loudest in the stormy dark sky. "

In the four wars between Tang and Fan, both sides lost and won. The most striking victory in the Tang Dynasty was the battle of Geshuhan in 749 AD. In June of this year, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered Ge, the new Longyou envoy, to command more than 60,000 military forces in Longyou, Hexi and Shuofang and storm Shibaocheng. Tubo was defended by hundreds of defenders, and the only mountain road leading to the city was firmly blocked by logs and rolling stones. The broken bricks in the picture may be the building materials of Shibao City.

This small platform has become the core of fierce competition between Tang and Fan Bing. Tang Jun stormed for several days, with heavy casualties, and it was still difficult to break the city. Geshuhan wanted to make an example of him. He wanted to kill Gao Xiuyan and Zhang Shouyu, the deputy commanders of the siege pioneer officer. Gao Hezhang asked for a three-day grace period. If they can't break through Shibao City, it's not too late to kill again. In the end, Geshuhan launched a night attack, occupied Shibao City and captured more than 400 Tubo soldiers at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties.

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Although Geshuhan's battle of Shibao City paid a heavy price, it was of great significance. The Tang Dynasty took this opportunity to advance step by step, while Tubo lost the springboard to the east. Since then, the Tang Dynasty has dominated the battlefields in Hexi and Longyou. Now most people in this area don't know the ins and outs of this famous war in history, but they know a little about its tragic degree. They called Shibaocheng a "platform for thousands of people" and said there was a "mass grave" at the foot of the mountain.

Standing on the ruins of Shibao City, you can overlook the magnificent scenery at the foot of the mountain, and the Sun, Moon and Mountain are far away. In the Tang Dynasty, Sun Moon Mountain was the dividing line between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. If you have the opportunity to visit here, you may feel a little confused while marveling at the beautiful scenery: where did the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty climb up, with such narrow roads and steep surroundings?