In the Great Wall Museum in Jiayuguan, we photographed the knives used by the defenders of the city, most of them were tall, and although there were rust marks, in the cold light of the iron color, there was still some trepidation in my heart. We don't know how much strength is needed to kill the enemy with such a knife, but from the height of the knife, we can vaguely judge the might of the defenders of the city.
And the iron coat. In the long river of time, the rust color is slightly red, and in the case of not being able to reach out and touch, it gives us the feeling of being as warm as a cardigan of the same color. However, we know that when wearing it, the cold and heaviness, the iron coat can not only block the attack of sharp weapons, but also protect the powerful heartbeat of the defenders of the city.
Today, the defenders of the city are gone, but the weapons they used and the iron clothes they wore are still there, which is also the continuation of their lives.
Jiayuguan, many people today call it the world's first Xiongguan, in fact, it is only a concept of the Ming Dynasty. Before the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there was no city in the Jiayu area, and it only played the role of inspecting pedestrians. In the Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the northwestern border defense, Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song, decided to build Guancheng here, and soon, a loess rammed city was erected on the flat ground in the Jiuyanquan area, with a circumference of 220 zhang, two zhang in height and one zhang in width, which was the earliest prototype of Jiayu Xiongguan. Now, Feng Sheng's image is in front of the Great Wall Museum.
Irrelevant, does not mean that there is no need to garrison, the ancient Great Wall is a complete set of defensive early warning system, and the beacon plays the role of early warning. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was able to build the Great Wall to the area of Lop Nur today, and it was impossible to bypass the Jiayu Mountain Pass, and the Beacons became a witness to the imperial defense system of that year, and they stood on the ground one by one, which was the powerful heartbeat of the Han Empire.
If there is a beating of the heart, there will be a story of someone, and there will be the warmth of the same body temperature. In the 1980s, archaeologists discovered a peculiar artifact under a beacon near Jiayuguan – a Han Dynasty pig's trotter. According to the dating technology, archaeologists learned that the pig's trotter is now 2,000 years old, and it is a wild boar's trotter, which may be the han Dynasty guards to hunt to improve their lives.
What makes us feel somewhat incomprehensible is that the hunt should be a complete wild boar, but why is there only one pig's trotter left and no other parts? So, this story gives us a certain tragic fantasy - perhaps, they had not yet come to enjoy the pig's trotter, the battle came, and the guards threw themselves into a new battle, and then interpreted the touching historical story of "a few people who came to fight back". At the same time, the presence of wild boars makes us clearly feel the hardships of frontier life in those days - the soldiers not only have to defend the frontier here, dare to fight hard against the enemy who attacks, but also face many large wild animals that can hurt people - perhaps, their lives are not good enough to rely on logistics alone, otherwise, how can they improve their lives by hunting?
Today, the long yellow sand of Jiayuguan has buried all this, making it impossible for us to restore many scenes of the soldiers' lives in those years, only the heartache of facing the 2000 wild boar's trotters. It is not a coincidence that on the way from Jiayuguan to the west and from Guazhou to Dunhuang, there is a place called Hanging Spring, which is very famous and is called the "Han Dynasty Post Office" on the Silk Road by archaeologists. There are many things in the "post office", there are many stories, and we have been here before, but in the face of the wild boar's trotters in Jiayuguan, the first thing that comes to mind is the horse, the bones of the war horse.
Also in archaeology in the 1980s and 1990s, archaeologists found more than 2,000 horse bones on the outskirts of the hanging spring, including one horse's leg bone, which was also covered with white fur. At that time, the Han Empire was very strict in the management of horses, horses were alive, and archives were established for them, with names, coat colors, ages, and even usage, and when they were sick, they would be recorded, and when they died, they would also have to be verified and cancelled. The horses in the hanging springs were managed by special officials, and if the horses died, the cause of death must be reported clearly, and something similar to the death certificate we are talking about today must be issued.
Experts judged according to the horse bones excavated from the hanging spring, this horse is a local horse breed, but there are also some foreign factors, that is, the Dunhuang Tianma recorded in the historical records, the Han Dynasty government constantly transferred them to Chang'an and other places for requisition, their image should be no stranger to us today, that is, the image of the copper galloping horse unearthed in Wuwei, Gansu in 1976.
Now, one can imagine how heroic our soldiers are riding such horses, and the grinding of the hard life of the wild boar's trotters can only make them more courageous, even if they are drunk on the battlefield. Food and weapons can make people angry, Jiayuguan is like this, and the frontier is like this. However, history is not our imagination after all, and when the mood calms down little by little, we prefer to restore the history that is close to broken little by little.
Jiayuguan is actually such a place, before the Ming Dynasty, its predecessor should be in Guazhou, if you are more specific, it should be the Tang Dynasty Yumen Pass in Guazhou. In the Tang Dynasty, YumenGuan was a very loud name, but the Yumen Pass, which was constantly written by the Tang people, was the Yumen Pass of the Han Dynasty, and the Yumen Pass that stood side by side with the Yang Pass outside Dunhuang, the jade was yin, the yin was not very good, and it was not auspicious, and the wise Han Dynasty people called it Yumen Guan. Together with Yangguan, it is the last pass from the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions, not only the light of the "Yangguan Avenue", but also the sadness of "the west out of Yangguan without a reason".
In the Tang Dynasty, because of the large number of traffic in the northern section of the Xinjiang section of the Silk Road, people moved the Jade Gate to Guazhou after passing, one said that it was probably in Suoyang City in Guazhou, and the other said that it was located in today's Twin Tower Reservoir, and the monument was submerged. The Tang Dynasty moved the Yumen Pass backward so that the Tang Dynasty's Yumen Pass became the second pass or defense line after Yangguan and at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, and the Ming Dynasty's retreat defense made Jiayuguan appear in the position of present-day Jiayuguan. However, the Han Dynasty's defense of the western end of the Hexi Corridor did not stop there.
Shoulder Water Jinguan is a name that is somewhat ignored by modern people, located about 150 kilometers northeast of the present-day county seat of Jinta County, and is a "small dirt bag" on the gravel Gobi Desert on the east bank of the Heihe River. Some people may not be too familiar with this place, but if you mention Juyan Hanjian, everyone will know about it. Shoulder water Jinguan is the only pass set up on the Juyansai defense line in the early years of the Han Dynasty, before 1930, the Northwest Scientific Expedition excavated nearly a thousand Pieces of Han Jian here, Juyan Han Jian is famous in the world; in 1973, the Juyan Archaeological Team excavated again, and obtained more than 10,000 Pieces of Han Jian and more than 1,000 pieces of physical objects, and the Shoulder Water Golden Pass has been famous at home and abroad since then.
Shoulder Water Jinguan was the throat of the west and north-south directions of the river at that time, containing the meaning of "impregnable", coupled with the surrounding Great Wall barriers, together with the east and west dawan cities and diwan cities, constituted an important military defense facility set up in the Juyan area in the early Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, there was a shoulder water lieutenant here, starting from the East Dawan City and the West Dawan City where the shoulder water du wei was located, and five kilometers north along the weak water (the Ejina River in the lower reaches of the Heihe River), that is, the ruins of the shoulder water Jinguan and Diwan City.
It may be a little difficult to understand, let's say it in layman's terms. The Qilian Mountains in the south of the Hexi Corridor and the Longshou Mountain, Heli Mountain and Mamane Mountain in the north are barriers, but there is a huge gap in the Heli Mountain and the Ma mane Mountain, and the Han Dynasty first opened the Hexi Corridor through this gap, beating the Huns to the north of the desert, but the Huns can still come back. In the Tang Dynasty, the Uighurs of the ethnic minority in the north of the desert entered the Hexi Corridor along the weak water from here, becoming the ancestors of today's Yugur people. It is also a channel for ethnic exchanges and integration.
Emperor Wu of Han said that he wanted to cut off the xiongnu's right arm, that is, to cut it off from this place and let them stay in the north forever. The significance of the Shoulder Water Golden Pass is that it is not only a passage to Hexi for the people in the Hetao area, but also has the function of preventing the Xiongnu who have gone to the north of the desert from entering the Hexi Corridor again. In this sense, the Shoulder Water Jinguan is not only a "lock" at the north entrance of the Hexi Corridor, but also a "card" to prevent the Xiongnu from going south, and its military significance to the north of the desert is no less than that of Yangguan and Yumen Pass to the western region. At the same time, the shoulder water Jinguan is also the third line of defense in the western section of the Hexi Corridor after Yangguan and YumenGuan (Jiayuguan), and it also has the function of double "throat".
How did the Han soldiers who had been stationed in this area for several years live? In addition to wild boar trotters, horse bones, and weapons, han jian is also for people to study today, which records the real military years on the frontier in real writing. Here, we tell two stories, both of which come from Juyan Hanjian.
The protagonist of one of the stories is called Yan Yi. Mingshali, Juyan County, Zhangye County, 30 years old. In 28 B.C., he took up a position in the border guards similar to what is known today as a ranger, the main task of which was to see if no horses crossed the frontier. However, due to his new appointment, the troops did not issue him with the corresponding equipment. He thought, how can you work without equipment? He ran to his superiors to report and ask for them, and how the superiors answered him, people did not know, only that he returned home late that day and had a cold. Sick and unable to go to work, he wrote a note asking his brother to hand it over to a border guard and ask him to take a leave of absence.
A fake note can see the strictness of the frontier attendance system, and can also see the weight of the patrolman's errand in the heart of the speech. Perhaps, in the words and clothes want to get the line, is just a set of clothing, just like some people today have a love and yearning for military uniforms. At the age of 30, Yan Yi is still a hot-blooded youth with his own dreams.
The protagonist of story two is called Du Weiyang. Captain of the Border Patrol, age unknown. In 28 BC, the general in charge came to Du Weiyang's patrol team to inspect and found that Du Weiyang's sword was rusty and he had lost a military dog, and the general was very angry and wanted to severely punish Du Weiyang. One of the general's men, Sun Meng, couldn't bear to look at it, and felt that Du Weiyang's family was poor and cowardly, and it was enough to remove him from his post, and there was no need to make a big fuss. But the general did not listen, and du Weiyang was also subjected to other punishments. Therefore, Sun Meng bypassed the general and reported the matter to the general's superior, hoping that Du Weiyang would be dealt with leniently.
The sword is a weapon and a symbol of military status; a military dog can also be a comrade-in-arms and a companion. The general's punishment was due to the strictness of military discipline, but Sun Meng gave Du Weiyang the warmth that may be connected to his life among his comrades-in-arms. Although it is only a fragment, the frontier is no longer ruthless here, and even has the kind of humanity that can reach the hearts of the people but is very simple. The Border Defense of the Han Dynasty more than two thousand years ago may have been like this, not just the pig hand unearthed at Jiayuguan.
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1. In September of the first year of Heping, he did not invade the waiting chieftains and officials and said strict things
It was excavated in 1974 at the site of Juyan Jiaqu Waiting Officer. 2 pieces of wood, number EPT59:1-2. It is now in the Collection of Gansu Jianmu Museum. JianWen: In September of the first year of Heping, he did not invade the waiting chieftain and dared to say it: the general marched, raised the sword blade brought by du Weiyang, the chief of the tunnel, and the dog was one less. If you are poor and anxious, weak, and do not have to be stopped, please reprimand. Speak up, dare to speak.
Translation: On November 3, 28 BC, Sun Meng, a sergeant who temporarily served as the chief of the Jiaqu Waiting Officer's Office of Not Invading the Ministry, reported to the Commander-in-Waiting officer of the Jiaqu That the general found that the sword equipped by Du Weiyang, the chief of the Non-Invasion Department, was rusty, and the dog fed on the tunnel was also lost, so the general reported Du Weiyang for neglecting his duties, and ordered the Non-Aggression Department to punish Du Weiyang. Sun Meng believed that Du Weiyang's family was very poor and cowardly, and there was no need to punish him with impeachment, and he could simply ask the official-in-waiting to directly remove Du Weiyang from his post as chief of the tunnel. If the Ministry of Non-Aggression tries to wait for the eldest sun to dare to speak out, hereby report it to the officer-in-waiting for Jiaqu.
2. In September of the first year of Heping, he did not invade the waiting chieftain and said that Du Weiyang was in charge
It was excavated in 1974 in juyanjiaqu waiting for officials. The brochure consisted of two wooden tablets (numbered EPT59:3-4). It is now in the Collection of Gansu Jianmu Museum. The main information covered in the brief reporting instrument is:
Yi Yan is a native of Mingshali, Juyan County, Zhangye County, and is thirty years old. In August of this year, he assumed the post of Non-Invading Ministry, and his main duty was to inspect the Tiantian and check whether there were any traces of people and horses sneaking across the Serbian defense line. Because Yi Yan had just been appointed, there was no chase equipment for the pursuit of fugitives. Therefore, Yi Yan personally ran to Sai WeiJun's residence and told Jun that he did not chase the artifact. So Jun sent Yi Yan to "come and go" (Note: the meaning is unknown)... When it was almost dark (Note: the day and the time of entry), He yan returned to his farmhouse. Yi Yan's home is outside the East City of Juyan County, and after returning home, Yi Yan has a cold and cold. That night, Yi Yan wrote a sick leave letter and asked his brother Yi Yan to deliver the sick book to a certain pawn in Hu Ting. (Hexamorph has... Chase artifacts, as long as the nonzi accumulates for six days). On that day (Note: I don't know exactly which day) at dusk, Yi Yan arrived at the Non-Aggression Department with four chase objects: crimson single clothes, armor belts, side axes, and bayonets. Previously, it was agreed that Yi Yan should return within one day.
Some of the pictures in this article come from the Internet, and the brochure information comes from the Gansu Jianmu Museum, thanks to the original author.
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