Analysis of Shuidonggou Tibetan Soldier Cave

On October 22, 2019, I took a small yellow car from the through train of Ningxia tourist attractions to Shuidonggou, an AAAAA-level scenic spot. The through train of Ningxia tourist attractions is marked with yellow, and the body advertisements and work clothes are They are yellow, so they are very easy to find when you arrive at the tourist distribution center at the train station. They are flying around like little bees.

Introduction to Shuidonggou Zangbing Cave:

Fold the overall introduction:

Feel the rise and fall and ups and downs of that time on the cliff of Hongshanbao Grand Canyon This black hole is the famous "Hidden Soldier Cave". The so-called Hidden Soldier Cave is a tunnel where the defenders of Hongshan Fort moved from the ground to the underground to hide their troops, protect themselves, wait for attacks, or set up ambushes in open areas. This is the only best-preserved ancient three-dimensional military defense system in the country. Among my country's Great Wall defense systems, there is no place in the country where the Great Wall, castles and underground soldier caves are closely connected. This is the only place in the country. The Tibetan Soldier Cave excavated so far is the earliest tunnel warfare site and prototype in my country. If during the Anti-Japanese War, the tunnel warfare of the Eighth Route Army and the guerrillas made the enemy tremble with fear, then we can imagine that the border defenders of the Ming Dynasty used the same wisdom and bravery to block the invaders from the Great Wall more than 500 years ago. In the past, due to lack of development, there were no conditions for visiting the cave. People only know that the "Tibetan Soldier Cave" has twists and turns, like a maze. In addition, the roof of the cave has collapsed and many places are covered by soil. There are traps in the cave and there may be snakes and scorpions, so people dare not go far into the cave easily. . No one can tell what the scene is like inside the cave. In this way, the "Hidden Soldier Cave" has become a very mysterious place that people are afraid of.

Introduction to the Cave:

The Tibetan Soldier Cave meanders in the overhanging wall, connected up and down, and connected to the left and right. There are many branches in the cave, turning left and right. The end is indeed like a maze. Generally, it is difficult for those who are not familiar with the conditions inside the cave to get out. In addition to the cave passage, there are earthen houses on the left and right of the cave where people can live. They are probably dedicated to the commanders. There are also food storage rooms, wells, kitchens, etc. in the cave. As long as a certain amount of food is stored, within a corresponding period of time, the soil hidden in the cave will not come out of the cave, and you can still survive. Because Zangbing Cave is more than 10 meters above the bottom of the ditch, it is not afraid of flooding. Over the years, even if there have been flash floods, Zangbing Cave has never been flooded. We are truly amazed by the wisdom of the ancients. In addition, after we enter the Zangbing Cave, we will find many small niches scattered on the cave wall. These are where the ancients placed cave lanterns to illuminate the cave. During the cleaning, we found some broken pottery from time to time in the small niche, which we thought belonged to oil lamps; we also picked up a lot of fragments from the Ming Dynasty on the ground, which should be fragments of daily necessities for the defenders in the cave during the Ming Dynasty. What's more important is that in the armory and hall of the Cangbing Cave, we can see ancient weapons such as knives, guns, halberds, swords, arrows and quivers, as well as unearthed military artifacts such as helmets and shields. For many young friends, this may be the first time they have seen these treasures! As for the grain and vegetable samples displayed in the niches, they are all food leftovers from the Ming Dynasty defenders that were obtained when cleaning the Tibetan Soldier Cave. , with a history of nearly 500 years, can be described as a rare cultural relic.

Structure of the Shidonggou Hidden Soldier Cave:

Folding Tunnel

This is the main body of the Hidden Soldier Cave, and its function is to be used for military transportation and passage during wartime , attack or enter the cave, it can be used as a resting residence for soldiers at ordinary times.

Folding conference hall

It is mainly used for gathering people to hold meetings to discuss military aircraft, research, arrange military operations, conduct combat deployment, etc.

Folding observation port

We call it the observation port. In fact, it has a multi-functional role. It can be used as a watch port to observe the movements outside the cave and inside the cave. The equipment is ventilated and light-transmitting, and at the same time, attacks can be made from here when necessary. Judging from the facilities at the entrance of the cave, after the sergeant enters the cave, the place can be guarded by more than one soldier. Even if the city is surrounded, it will be difficult for the enemy to enter the cave.

Folding bedroom

Passage? There is a bedroom at a certain distance inside, which is probably for the residence of command officials and can also be used as the headquarters of the command post.

Folding storage room

It is mainly used to store grain and other food. No matter what the situation is, when the army withdraws into the cave, as long as there is enough food, it can hold on for a certain period of time. .

The folding kitchen

can be used to prepare cooked food. The clever thing is that the kitchen has a chimney outside. Even when cooking and lighting a fire, the smoke can still escape out of the cave through the chimney. They would stay in the cave and poison their own people.

Folding armory

It is mainly used to store arrows, ammunition, etc. in preparation for war.

Folding forts

Set up forts at key locations in the cave. If necessary, you can attack invading enemies and change passive defense into active defense.

Folding well

This can be said to be the lifeline of the defenders in the cave. If there is no water, survival is not easy. Can we still hold on and attack?

Folding trap

About one foot deep, with many deer antlers inside. Because the cave only allows one person to pass through, once an enemy enters the cave, they can only follow up in a single line. In addition, if they are not familiar with the terrain in the cave, it is easy to fall into the antlers of the trap and be either killed or injured. The defenders in the cave guard the opposite side of the trap, making it difficult for enemies entering the cave to pass.

Seeing this, we can't help but marvel at the wisdom of the ancients. Only here can provide us with three-dimensional combat facilities in ancient times where the ground and underground work together to guard each other. It's really eye-opening!

Tibetan Soldiers The function of the cave: The construction of the Zangbing Cave is unique, so what role does it play? We know that in the Ming Dynasty, the Tatars and Walas settled in Hetao, and the line of the Linglong Great Wall was the northernmost defensive line of the Ming Dynasty in Ningxia and other places. The terrain around Hongshan Fort was flat, which made it easier for enemy cavalry to spread out over a large area. This area became the first place where Tatars and other nobles led their troops to attack south. We also know that the purpose of the Tatars and other nobles riding south was mainly to plunder people and property. After they succeeded, they quickly retreated. Therefore, it is up to them to decide when to attack and when to retreat. But after the mid-Ming Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall was only an all-weather passive defense. The Tatar and Wala nobles broke down the wall from Lingzhou to Yanzhou and went south several times, plundering Lingzhou, Ningxia (today's Yinchuan), etc., and then returned to the north after plundering. However, several times they demolished the wall and moved southward, they never attacked from Hongshan Fort. Probably the three-dimensional defense fortifications of Hongshan Fort, including the cave for hiding soldiers, played a great role.

First, once Hongshan Fort is besieged, the defenders enter the Tibetan Soldier Cave, which turns the military struggle underground, and the effective forces are preserved, making it difficult for the enemy cavalry to capture. The defenders entered the Tibetan Soldier Cave and waited for the arrival of reinforcements. This was obviously disadvantageous to the enemy cavalry who advanced in a blitz and quickly robbed and retreated.

Second, when the enemy cavalry attacks, the gap opened can definitely be used as a retreat. Once the defenders of Hongshan Fort enter the Tibetan Soldier Cave, they can still attack with surprise troops when the enemy cavalry retreats. Once the enemy cavalry succeeds in plundering, they will bring with them a large number of people, livestock, cattle and sheep, etc., which will never be as light as when they attack. It is not easy to be blocked by the defenders in the cave and they can retreat northward smoothly. The inner defenders and arriving reinforcements have set up battle formations here, making it even more difficult for the enemy cavalry to retreat. It's something like this. The Tatar and Wala nobles went south several times but never attacked from Hongshan Fort. This may be inseparable from the military role of the Tibetan Soldier Cave.

After learning about the Tibetan Soldier Cave, we took a luxury convertible and left the place of wisdom of the ancients.

Changed to? Ningxia? Tourist express train, return to the city to enjoy delicious food?

? Ningxia? Tourist express train from the scenic spot to the urban area is 15 yuan/person, two Get off at Crescent Square and Railway Station Distribution Center.