Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-Seven

As the old saying goes: There is no fortress that cannot be conquered.If Meng Ge, the Mongolian Khan who swept the world, heard this, would he be angry in the coffin? 1,000 years ago, he used the same words to inspire his brave warriors, and then again and again led the Mongolian tiger and lion that swept across Eurasia to launch a desperate charge under Diaoyu City, and finally lost his life. Along the Taotao Jialing River, above the majestic Diaoyu Mountain, is the place of death that broke the hearts of Mongolians - Diaoyu City.According to legend, when the chaos first opened, Emperor Qinghua once fished here and rescued the people in a famine, so Diaoyu Mountain got its name.When Yu Jie, the prefect of Chongqing in the Southern Song Dynasty, built this iron wall, he named it accordingly.A few years later, this steel fortress built by himself caught the largest fish in the history of human warfare in the 11th century.The torrent of history turned here, and the continuous expansion of the Mongolian Empire came to an abrupt end. The fate of countless suffering nations will be redeemed by this scarred town.

In 1258 A.D., Mongolian Khan Mengge led his army over Liupan Mountain and entered Sichuan in an attempt to open a breakthrough for the destruction of the Southern Song Dynasty.This is a king's division that gathers all the essence of the Mongolian Empire, including the Azov army composed of Cossack cavalry, the headquarters army horse composed of elite Mongolian cavalry, and the Mongolian navy led by the genius Shi Tianze of the Han navy.After suffering heavy casualties, the Mongolian army finally stumbled into the hinterland of Sichuan. From Chengdu to Yangpingguan, two-thirds of the prefectures and counties in Sichuan fell into the hands of the Mongols.Sichuan was in crisis, and the Southern Song Dynasty was in crisis. Meng Ge Khan's saber was already on the lungs of the Southern Song Dynasty.After the victory, the Mongols marched towards their last goal of this battle-Chongqing with high spirits.Their blades were on the gate of Chongqing-Hezhou Diaoyu City.

Diaoyu City is the key to the success or failure of Meng Ge's southern expedition. It can control the Sanjiang from the top and cover Chongqing from the bottom. It is the defensive fortress that supports the entire Sichuan battle.If Diaoyu City is lost, there will be no danger to defend the Sichuan area, and the Western Front of the Southern Song Dynasty will collapse across the board.Therefore, Yu Jie, the prefect of Chongqing, has always regarded building the defense line of Diaoyu City as a major project.Under his painstaking management, Diaoyu City has built strict fortifications. The defensive fortress built on the mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. All available troops in Sichuan in the Southern Song Dynasty are gathered here.On the opposite side is the ace army of the Mongolian Khan, Diaoyu City. At this moment, it is not just a fortification, but a bloody war bet that connects the fate of two dynasties at the cost of millions of lives.

When Mengge Khan came to Diaoyu City in person, facing the tight fortifications, he couldn't help but gasped.The dangerous terrain, the fortress that one man guards the gate and ten thousand men cannot open, it is absolutely impossible to take down this city with only conventional attacks, but this is a hard bone that the Mongolian army must gnaw down.Meng Ge first sent Jin Guobao, a general of the Southern Song Dynasty, into the city to persuade him to surrender. The guard Wang Jian didn't talk nonsense with him. Do not drop. attack!Attack across the board!Meng Ge knew that Diaoyu City was like a tough old vine growing along the Jialing River, the branches and leaves had to be cut first, and then the roots could be uprooted.From the first month of 1259 AD, bloody gunpowder smoke enveloped Diaoyu City.The Mongolian army successively occupied Liangshan City, Liyi Mountain City, Hezhou Old City and other surrounding areas, and the Mongolian navy blocked the north and south exits of the Jialing River.So far, Diaoyu City has been trapped into an isolated city, cut off from all contact with the outside world.After a month of mopping up the periphery, the Mongolian army launched a full-line offensive from February. 50,000 Mongolian elites showed their sharp sabers and rushed towards Diaoyu City like a pack of wolves.

It was only after the Mongols fought that they understood that this battle is really not something that humans can fight. Diaoyu City is located on Diaoyu Mountain, surrounded by water on three sides, and the mountain is dangerous, with a relative height of more than 300 meters.To fight Diaoyucheng, you have to climb the mountain first, and then climb the wall. This is a pain for those proud sons of heaven who grew up on horseback.I got off my horse and went to climb the mountain. When I climbed the mountain, I was greeted by the guards at the top of the city with bows, arrows and stones.Many Mongolian soldiers were beaten into the Jialing River by their opponents without even touching the city wall.Meng Ge looked from the Zhongjuntai, and the densely packed Mongolian soldiers fell into the Jialing River like raindrops and fed the bastards.Finally, Mongolian soldiers approached the city under the rain of guns and bullets. The guard Wang Jian had already made careful arrangements, and the spearmen protected the city wall like hedgehogs.The Mongolian warriors who had worked so hard to reach their destination were strung into twists one after another by the spears of the Song army.Meng Ge felt aggrieved for a while: He had been in the army for decades, how could he have fought such a useless battle.

If the land is not enough, come from the water, and the Mongolian Han dispatched Shi Tianze's navy.This elite fleet built by the Mongols at no expense to deal with the Southern Song Navy is really powerful.First wiped out the Song Army Navy at the east gate of Diaoyu City, and then escorted the death squad to land on the beach from the northeast of the city.After landing, the Mongolian army successively launched strong attacks on Dengqimen, Dongshengmen, Zhenximen and other places in the east of the city. They once attacked the northeastern city of Diaoyu City, but were finally beaten back by the stubborn defenders.The most dangerous time, the Mongolian army had completely occupied Dongshengmen, but the Song army who had retreated from Dongshengmen formed a death squad at night and launched a suicide charge, and even took the city back again.The fighter plane was fleeting, and the Mongolian army launched several counterattacks afterwards, but they never got closer to the top of the city.

If the water is not good, then continue to climb the wall. If you can’t climb the wall, you can come from the water.In the days that followed, from the water to the land, from landing to climbing the wall, the Mongolian army tossed back and forth, charging forward and backward.But the defenders of Diaoyu City are even more tenacious. It doesn't matter where you come from, and it doesn't matter if you hit you.In this way until April, tens of thousands of Mongolian troops were trapped at the foot of Diaoyu Mountain, unable to move forward. At the critical moment, Mongolia's backup troops came, and they also brought the weapon that Meng Ge dreamed of most-the return gun.This was the most powerful artillery in the world at that time, and it was specially used to attack cities and seize territory. It was the nightmare of countless defenders in the Southern Song Dynasty.Brother Meng has come to his senses, I can't beat you, and I can't kill you.The heavy artillery of the Mongolian army lined up, piled gunpowder, loaded shells, ignited, and fired!Only a loud bang was heard.Brother Meng was stunned: there was thunder, it was raining, the pouring rain was pouring down, and dozens of artillery pieces were all rendered dumb in the heavy rain.It's really unlucky to drink cold water and stuff your teeth.

Just when the Mongolian army was trapped under the Diaoyu City and suffered the crime of living, the whole country of the Southern Song Dynasty had already started a general mobilization.The armies from all walks of life in southern China, no matter how far or near they are, gathered together for the same goal - to reinforce Diaoyu City.The Battle of Diaoyu City was no longer a simple city offensive and defensive battle, but a hand-to-hand battle between Song and Mongolia for reinforcements.Around the small core of Diaoyu City, the area with a radius of hundreds of miles has been overturned.The Chongqing defenders went north for reinforcements several times, and fought bloody battles with the Mongolian reinforcements.Lu Wende, the governor of Sichuan Province, assembled an elite fleet to attack the north of the Jialing River, and had a tragic fight with the elite navy of Mongolian Shi Tianze.So far, Song and Mongolia have formed a dog-tooth hand-to-hand combat situation around Diaoyu City. By June, both sides were exhausted and no one could move forward.

It is not that there are no sensible people in the Mongolian army.In several military meetings, the general Shusu Kuli advocated the withdrawal of troops as soon as possible, but Meng Ge refused.I am a mighty Mongolian warrior, and I can't even defeat a small fishing city. Isn't this a joke?Wang Jian, the guard of Diaoyu City, didn't stop. He opened the city gate several times to launch a counterattack, and defeated the Mongolian attacking troops.From January to June, the Mongolian army became more and more exhausted, but Diaoyucheng became more and more energetic.Meng Ge Khan is going crazy, if he can't fight hard, he will be soft.Wang Dechen, the vanguard of the Mongolian army, was so bold that he came to the city alone to persuade him to surrender.This time Wang Jian had a good attitude and greeted Wang Dechen affectionately for a while. Finally, with a wave of his hand, large stones greeted Wang Dechen. Even if Wang Dechen hid quickly, he was smashed into internal bleeding and died within a few days after returning. up.Meng Ge deeply regretted Wang Dechen's death, and he sighed for several days.At this point in the battle, it is impossible to advance, and it is embarrassing to retreat. It is really difficult.

But Mengge Khan, you don't need to feel sorry for Wang Dechen's death, you will be able to see him soon. After Wang Dechen's death, Meng Ge was furious and decided to build a high platform outside Diaoyu City, place firearms on the high platform, and tried to launch the last desperate charge.The Mongols are good at engineering, and the high platform was built within a few days. Meng Ge came to inspect the site, but was caught by the defenders of Diaoyu City, and a cannon stone was accurately thrown at Meng Ge. Brother couldn't dodge in time, and was shot on the spot, which can be regarded as "died for the country".

When the news came, the entire Mongolian battalion was in grief, and finally retreated quietly.However, I believe that those Mongolian soldiers who were tortured to the point of madness by Diaoyucheng had another thought in their hearts: they were freed, this time they were completely freed, and they could finally withdraw. The Battle of Diaoyu City finally came to a successful conclusion with its tenacious defense and the bloody fighting of the soldiers and civilians in the city.Westerners call Diaoyu City the "Mecca of the East", because its victory really changed the course of history.Before Mengge's death, the other two Mongolian armies had penetrated into the hinterland of the Southern Song Dynasty on the eastern and western fronts. Without this battle, the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty would have been 20 years earlier.If this is the case, the fate of the Han people in southern China may be met with bloody genocide, just like the Mongolian army fought against Arabia.It was this battle that woke up the Mongols and made the Mongols finally give up their massacre-style conquest policy.More importantly, Mongol's death caused the Mongol Empire to fully withdraw its troops from the western front, and the expansion of the Mongol Empire to Western countries finally stopped.It is no exaggeration to say that the Battle of Diaoyu City saved the lives of countless peoples. Twenty years after Meng Ge died, the Yuan Dynasty established by Kublai Khan unified China, and the small Diaoyu City still withstood the attacks of the Mongolian army countless times.Under the background of the unification of the world, in 1279 AD, Wang Lizai, the guard of Diaoyu City, finally surrendered after receiving the promise of the Yuan army not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, and ended his mission in a peaceful way.The garrison of Diaoyu City resisted fiercely and perseveringly during the Mongolian army's southward march. Even the brutal and easy-to-kill Mongolian army sincerely respects it.Diaoyu City is not just a witness of a dynasty and a war.Westerners are right, it is the Mecca of the East and the witness of the blood and soul of the Chinese nation. The small Diaoyu City has caused headaches for several generations of Mongol Khans with its perseverance, but in contrast, the two important towns of Xiangyang and Fancheng on the Jingchu Plain are the big troubles for the Mongols.No matter how hard Diaoyucheng is, it is just a small town sitting on the top of a mountain. If it can’t be beaten today, it will be tomorrow, and if it can’t be beaten this year, it will be next year. It can be called at any time to start work at any time, even as the famous Mongolian general Shusu Kuli has suggested countless times: It’s really impossible. Diversion?Facts have proved that Kublai Khan, who inherited the leadership of the Mongol Khan and completed the unification of China, did just that. But the important town of Xiangfan is different.If the Diaoyu City is a hard bone that cannot be gnawed, the defense line of Xiangfan is a quagmire that cannot be pulled out. Either the quagmire will be stepped into the ground in the end, or there will be no bones left for the attackers!Get out of the way?That is a dream!If you don't win, you die. In the big picture of the Song-Mongolian War, the important town of Xiangfan on the Jingchu Plain was like a knife that was pointed straight at the chest of the Mongols.The Xiangfan line of defense was the core of the Southern Song Dynasty's national defense, and it was the springboard for the Mongolian army to march south. Whoever wins the Xiangfan battle will choke the fate of the war by the throat.The contest in Xiangfan is destined to be a bloody attack on Maimang with the needle point, and it must be done to the end. There will never be peace when the war starts. In the 1970s, a martial arts master named Jin Yong used this tragic history as a base material to describe three martial arts stories that are familiar to Chinese all over the world.It is also thanks to Mr. Jin's whimsical thinking that when mentioning that soul-stirring war, the first thing that comes to many people's minds is the big eagle flying around in the sky, Guo Jing's eighteen dragon-subduing palms, and Bao Luo's 18 palms. Wu Mu's suicide note, which is full of wisdom in the world, is Yang Guo's ecstasy and the brilliance of Xiaolongnv's fluttering sleeves. Under the packaging of modern TV art, the groundless story has set off wave after wave of miracles in ratings.Hong Kong filming, Taiwan filming, and CCTV filming followed, the four heavenly kings played, the four little heavenly kings played, and Super Girls and Fast Boys competed to play.The choice of an actor to cause a scandal will be thrown around by the boring media, but few people pay attention to: what was the real history like? The Great Eagle is extinct, the Eighteen Palms of Subduing the Dragon is just for fooling people, "Wu Mu's Suicide Note" does not exist, and the Legend of Condor Heroes is impossible.The only truth is the bloody war between the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the generosity of pledging to the country with one's own body, the passion of fighting unyieldingly, the sigh of a strong man breaking his wrist, and the sorrow of the country's broken mountains and rivers. Since the Mongolian army marched south in 1236 AD, the two cities of Xiangfan have been caught in violence and hatred for 37 years.Wokuotai collapsed, Mengge Khan continued to work, Meng Gong passed away, and the Lu brothers continued to guard. Millions of lives have been lost for generations. The glory of conquering the world and the responsibility of protecting the country are intertwined in these two Under the small town, in the relentless passage of time, it has been weathered into a blood-clotting chapter.About all of this, thousands of words, how many life-and-death fights, how many good generals' intrigues, and how many classic battle examples, can only be summarized into three words: destiny, faith, and people's hearts. Speaking of fate, Xiangfan was really unlucky.Not only because the enemy is too strong.As the old saying goes, fortresses are breached from within. For 37 years, the biggest enemy of Xiangfan soldiers and civilians was precisely the leader they swore to defend—the Southern Song Dynasty.To write a summary appraisal of the last days of this imperial court, I am afraid that there will only be a 4-character comment: nonsense!Nonsense! In 1236 A.D., the Mongolian army attacked Xiangfan for the first time. That time they got off to a good start. The Okuotai conquered by Yujia personally took the two towns of Xiangyang and Fancheng in succession. Only after that did he know that he had stepped into hell.The government army collapsed, Xiangfan people spontaneously formed a militia, the officials fled, and the villagers spontaneously formed a volunteer army. One day they pulled out a Mongolian stronghold, and the next day they attacked a transport team. The arrogant Mongolian army was dizzy, as if the air was full of themselves Song general Meng Gong reorganized the army to launch a counterattack from the front, and the volunteers from the two cities of Xiangfan continued to harass from the side, let you slaughter the city and destroy it, as long as you have a little strength, you will eventually fight you to the end.In the end, the invincible Mongolian army experienced the taste of collapse for the first time, and they retreated like bereaved dogs. Eighteen years later, Kublai Khan, the most intelligent prince in Mongolia, set foot in this land again. The bloody battle stopped him from advancing, and the blood and lives of countless people were only exchanged for a traitorous treaty from the traitor Jia Sidao.The Mongolian soldiers retreated again, but this time, they seemed to have found a solution to the problem. In 1268 AD, the third battle for Xiangfan, which decided Xiangfan, and even the fate of the whole of China, started again. The government of the Song Dynasty was still stupid, and Prime Minister Jia Sidao still accompanied the emperor to fight crickets in the palace as always.nation?North Korea bureau?National destiny?What's up with me!Xiangfan Junzhen sent three rescue envoys one after another.Both the first and the second were stopped by Jia Sidao, and the third envoy rushed into the palace desperately, and was beheaded by the palace guards before he could speak.But even if you say so, Xiangfan is in a hurry?The emperor of the Song Dynasty would be puzzled and ask: Where is Xiangfan? Xiangfan people are used to it, and they have come through this kind of solitary struggle in the past 30 years.But this time, they suddenly felt unaccustomed, not only because the Mongols were unexpectedly patient, digging trenches, building fortifications, surrounded by heavy troops, built a fort at Lumen Fort in the southeast of Xiangfan, and a fort in Baihe City in the northeast of Fancheng , the periphery of Xiangfan was cut off, the rear of Xiangfan was cut off, and even the connection between the two cities of Xiangfan was also cut off.With the help of the "administrative inaction" of the Southern Song Dynasty court, the tough Xiangfan defense line was cut into countless isolated points.Lu Wenhuan, the guard of Xiangfan, scolded bitterly on the top of the city wall: "This kind of immoral trick is probably only thought of by Han people." Yes, this is exactly what the Han people came up with.This time the Xiangfan people are not used to it most, that is, the enemy facing them no longer shouts Mongolian which they don’t understand, they also speak the same language as themselves, they come from the same race as themselves, they are the Han people of the Mongolian dynasty army. It was precisely two Han people who decided the fate of the battle in Xiangfan: Shi Tianze, a famous Mongolian Han general, and Liu Zheng, a surrendered general of the Southern Song Dynasty. For such a person, future generations can naturally scold him happily: Traitor!However, these so-called "traitors" seem to have as firm a belief in seizing Xiangfan as Xiangfan people have in defending their country.Needless to say, Shi Tianze was born in the north and grew up under the sunshine of alien rule. He didn't feel anything about the Southern Song Dynasty or the orthodoxy in his heart. Is Kublai Khan my true master?As for Liu Zheng, it’s true that he came from the Southern Song Dynasty, but it was the court that killed my old leader—Wang Jian, who made great achievements in killing the Mongolian Khan, and wanted to kill me even more.A treacherous minister is in power and destroys the Great Wall. Is such a court worthy of my allegiance?Yuan Taizu Kublai Khan wisely assigned the task of capturing Xiangfan to the Han people, because he knew that the belief power of the Han people was the most terrifying, and he also knew that only Han people understand the Han people. Thus, starting in 1268 AD, two armies from the same ethnic group fought for five years on the territory of their motherland.On the one hand, there are passionate men from the south who swear to protect the country to the death, and on the other hand, men from the north who swear allegiance to the new dynasty. This is a collision between beliefs.Shi Tianze's navy rampaged on the Yangtze River, and the Southern Song Dynasty's decades-old water warfare advantage has disappeared since then. Liu Zheng has formulated a nearly perfect attack strategy, and he is almost stuck in the timing of the attack and the choice of the attack location. It wiped out all the dead spots of the Xiangfan defense line.In the Song Dynasty, Zhang Shijie's reinforcements were repulsed, and Fan Wenhu's reinforcements were completely wiped out. Xiangfan defender Lu Wenhuan attempted to open a breakthrough in Wanshan Fort, but was surrounded by the Mongolian army and suffered heavy casualties.Xiangfan's battle for the periphery is developing in a direction that is beneficial to the Mongolian army. The encirclement is shrinking, the grain storage in the city is decreasing, the casualties of the troops cannot be replenished, and the reinforcements on the periphery are nowhere to be seen.In the Southern Song Dynasty, Jia Sidao was accompanying the emperor of the Song Dynasty to fight crickets on a flower boat.Xiangfan is hopeless. Mongolia's offensive was tenacious, and Xiangfan's resistance was still tenacious. Not only the government army, but also the people spontaneously formed a militia. Song generals Zhang Shun and Zhang Gui brothers recruited 3,000 militiamen, broke through the heavy encirclement of the Mongolian army, and finally entered the city of Xiangyang. It was the only rescue that the Xiangfan defense line had received in the past five years, and the soldiers and civilians who were suffering in the bloody battle were all rejoicing.But happiness is always short-lived. A few days later, Zhang Gui led his army out of the city in an attempt to contact Song Dynasty general Fan Wenhu to attack the Mongolian army, but unfortunately, he was heavily surrounded by the Mongolian army. All the soldiers who broke through the siege died heroically. When they were sent back to Xiangyang City, on that day, the whole of Xiangyang burst into tears, not only because of the loyalty of the martyrs, but also because they knew that Xiangfan's last hope had been shattered. Time passed day by day, the fortresses of the Xiangfan defense line were being eroded day by day, the Mongolian army was advancing patiently like ants gnawing on an elephant, all the outer strongholds of Xiangfan were lost, and there were only two lonely cities left on the huge Jianghan Plain.In the first month of 1273 A.D., when the frontal attack was blocked several times, Liu Zheng and Shi Tianze led their troops to attack from the waterway and bombarded a corner of Fancheng with return artillery. Tens of thousands of Mongolian troops swarmed in. The soldiers and civilians of the whole city fought with the enemy in the streets, and sacrificed in blood. None of the soldiers and civilians in the city surrendered.Fancheng completed its mission by burning everything together, and a corner of the Xiangfan defense line finally collapsed. Fancheng has been lost, and the only remaining Xiangyang has become a completely lonely city.Lu Wenhuan, the defender of Xiangyang, made one last effort and sent envoys to break out of the siege to Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, to ask for help. The documents for help were once again detained in Jia Sidao's hands. The food and arrows were all gone, and Xiangyang had lost its last hope. hope.The soldiers and civilians in Xiangyang finally doubted: 5 years, a full 5 years, we paid countless lives and fought alone without any assistance. What is it for? Yes, what is the purpose of allegiance to such an incurable dynasty? Xiangyang City is still there, but the fortress of Xiangyang people's faith has collapsed for the first time. In February 1273 AD, the Mongolian general Ali Hai led his troops to the city of Xiangyang, and a few cannons roared, and a corner of the scarred city of Xiangyang was blown away. After the smoke passed, a group of people who silently put down their weapons appeared in front of the Mongolian army. , there was no noise, no resistance, only the silent anger shining in the numb eyes of the Xiangyang people.Xiangyang surrendered. On that day, in the Shuangzhong Shrine where Zhang Gui brothers were worshipped in Xiangyang City, Lu Wenhuan, the general of Xiangyang, faced the tablet of the hero and burst into tears. The Great Song Dynasty, which established a prosperous civilization that amazed the world, finally died.The global hegemony of the Mongols has reached its apex. The Yuan Dynasty they established implemented cruel tyranny and racial discrimination policies in China. Their almost plundering seems to want to take away everything from this nation. However, they would never have imagined that this nation has one thing , is something they can never take away. That is popular sentiment! Faith may be in crisis, faith may collapse, but the spirit of the people will never stop. The Xiangfan Plain is just such a magical land. "Although there are three households in Chu, Chu will be destroyed when Qin died." In the hundreds of years after the death of Song Dynasty, as the descendants of Chu people, Xiangfan people fulfilled this ancient prophecy with their endless vitality.In the flames of the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Hubei was the area with the most intense resistance. It was the unyielding resistance of the people of Hubei that restrained a large number of elite troops of the Yuan court, and gave the later Ming Dynasty time to rise up and conquer the world. , so that the Mongols finally rolled up their burdens and escaped from the Great Wall in embarrassment.In the early part of the 20th century, it was also the sound of a cannon from the people of Hubei that sounded the death knell of the 300-year alien rule in the Qing Dynasty.During the 8-year war of resistance like a phoenix nirvana, from the great Wuhan to the Xiangfan battlefield, the Hubei people dealt the most severe blow to the arrogant Japanese invaders. Japan invested their most elite troops since World War II on the Hubei battlefield. Weapons, but unable to advance in the river of corpses and blood.The situation of the entire Anti-Japanese War was also reversed on the battlefield in Hubei. Although the triumphant Japanese occupied Hubei after paying a heavy price, they were finally seriously injured and stagnated the pace of expansion, so that the Chinese finally won time to rest and recuperate. And opportunities to rebuild rivers and mountains.Hubei, with his unyielding anti-violence spirit, used blood and sacrifice time and time again to win the chance of survival for the Chinese nation. Under countless tragic stories, it is the endless hearts of the Chinese nation. Facing the real historical facts, martial arts fans may be disappointed. Those so-called martial arts cheats were finally proved to be non-existent.However, after thousands of years of history, we will find that Xiangfan has something more precious than the so-called supreme martial arts.That is the home of a national spirit.