"The vast nine schools flow through China, and the sinking line runs through the north and south." [1] If the Yangtze River is an important link between the west and east ends of China and the unification of China, then Hubei, especially Wuhan, Hubei, is a key hub that can have a key impact on the whole country. Gu Zuyu has a saying: "Among the eight provinces, Huguang is the most Hong Yan, the mountains and rivers are dangerous, and it has been called Xiongwu Yan since ancient times." There are things in the Central Plains, and the land of gai must be contested. [2] Yichang in the west of Hubei is the node between the southwest and central China, strangling the southwest into the central China Plain, while Jingzhou is the western screen of Wuhan, Zhuge Liang said in the "Longzhong Pair": "Jingzhou is north of Han and Chu [3], and the South China Sea is exhausted, and the east is connected to Wuhui, west to Tumba and Shu, this country of martial arts." [4] Rao Shengwen explained in his book "Layout of the World: The General Trend of Ancient Chinese Military Geography": "Hubei can go north through the Han River, and can also pass through the Central Plains and enter the north. Xiangyang, Wuchang and Jiangling are the three major centers of gravity in Hubei, just like the three feet of Dingzhi, which support the situation in Hubei and make Hubei show different strategic significance when facing different directions. [5] The Qin general Sima Que once said that Bashu "the water passes through Chu, there is a strong pawn of Ba, and the floating ship is east of Chu, and Chu land is available." If you gain Shu, you will get Chu, and if Chu dies, the world will be combined. ”[6]
Wuhan picture from Baidu Encyclopedia
Wuhan[7] is so crucial in the geopolitics of the whole country that no matter from any direction or from any point of view of political interests, the land is as it is called, and it is bound to be "Wu" Chang. It corresponds to Mongolia's geopolitical function from north to south, and is also a breakthrough zone for Chinese politics, especially modern Chinese politics: internal divisions can lead to the unification of China, and foreign invasions or civil strife can also cause the division of China. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan attacked from Wuchang and Anqing to break the key screen of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and shake its defensive foundation, thus avoiding the north-south split that was likely to occur in China at that time. On October 10, 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out from Wuchang and soon caused a nationwide political change. In September 1926, the Northern Expeditionary Army broke through the situation from Wuchang and opened up the national situation of China's reunification. As the main leader of the Northern Expedition, Chiang Kai-shek was well aware of the overall significance of Wuhan to the national politics, so he was the most resolute in organizing and implementing the "Battle of Wuhan" in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the resulting sacrifices and losses to the Japanese army were also the greatest[8]. In order to defend Wuhan, Chiang Kai-shek also ordered that water be used as a substitute for soldiers to dig up the Zhaokou and Garden Mouths of the Yellow River in early June 1938, and divert the water of the Yellow River to "form the east flooding between the areas on the east side of Pinghan Road". In October of that year, the Japanese occupied Hankou, which made it possible for the Wang puppet regime in Nanjing. With the loss of Hankou, China once again split into multiple political units.
"The establishment of the important strategic position of Jinghu District is not entirely due to the flow of rivers and lakes, surrounded by mountains (Dabie, Tongbai, Funiu, Wudang, Wushan, Wuling, Xuefeng, Nanling, Wuyi, Huaiyu, etc.), and more importantly, the geographical location in the center and the access to land and water transportation." [10] Shortly after the fall of Hankou, the Prime Minister of Japan, Konoe, declared: "There is a famous saying: 'Whoever can control the major parts of China can have China.'" ’...... Japan already holds the key to controlling China. [11] After Japan's war with China was in full swing, It was along this line of thought that Japan invaded and controlled China. In Konoe's mind, Wuhan is the "key" to achieving control of the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River is the "main region" to achieve the goal of "controlling China". The fall of Wuhan did cause a great shock to Chinese politics at that time, and it once again caused political fission in southeast China; in other words, Japan's control of China's Yangtze River provided a security precondition for the existence of the Wang puppet regime. It was because of its occupation of Wuhan that the Japanese were able to launch the Largest and most offensive Japanese mobilization since the invasion of China at the end of April 1944, aiming to open up the passage from North China to South China and even Todochina.
The Yangtze River in history is an important line of defense in the south, but this in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal since the opening of the Sui, the yangtze river defense function has been because of its horizontal route is too long but easy to be cut off, if the downstream Nanjing as the head of the Yangtze River, and the middle section of Wuhan is the waist of the Yangtze River, we will find that Wuhan is the "seven inches" of the Yangtze River defense. Once the Northern Army entered and controlled the Yangtze River, it basically took control of or confused China, and the occupation or control of Nanjing, such as the Kuomintang government in 1927 and the Japanese invaders at the end of 1937, also controlled the outlet of the Yangtze River. But the key to controlling Nanjing, from the outside of the mainland, is to control the East China Sea; from the inside of the mainland, it is mainly to control Wuhan. In October 1926, the Northern Expeditionary Army captured the three towns of Wuhan, in April 1927 the Nationalist government established the capital nanjing, in December 1937 the Japanese invaders invaded Nanjing, and in October 1938 the Japanese captured Wuhan. That is to say, to occupy Nanjing, we must control Wuhan, and to occupy Wuhan, we must take Nanjing. By the same token, the loss of control of the main section of the Yangtze River, from Wuhan to Nanjing, will result in either civil war or national reunification. This is an important experience of modern China in resisting foreign aggression and internal state governance. The heyday of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom led by Hong Xiuquan began with the conquest of Wuchang in January 1853 and the capital at Nanjing in March of that year; the decline began with the loss of Wuchang to Zeng Guofan in October of the following year (1854). On New Year's Day 1912, Sun Yat-sen established the capital of the Republic of China in Nanjing, and the real stability of Nanjing was the success of the Wuchang Uprising in October 1911.
In view of the mutually destined linkage between Wuhan and Nanjing, after the victory in the Battle of Huaihai, the Kuomintang troops north of the Yangtze River were basically cleared, and Mao Zedong changed the experience of Unifying the whole country in China's history from Xiangjing to the east, and concentrated his forces directly into the most vulnerable middle of the Yangtze River, that is, the Wuhan to Nanjing section, to break through the Kuomintang defense line in one fell swoop, opening up the situation for the liberation of all of China. On September 19, 1967, Mao Zedong came to Wuhan to stabilize the chaotic situation. On the special train, he told Zeng Siyu, commander of the Wuhan Military Region: "Hubei and Henan provinces have a population of more than 100 million, located in the Central Plains, guarding the throat of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Guangzhou Line, and their strategic position is very important. You have a great responsibility to take control of the armies of the two provinces and stabilize the situation. "[12] In view of the special geopolitical position that Wuhan possesses, on May 24, 1949, the Wuhan Municipal People's Government was established as a city directly under the central government."
Xiangyang is named because it is located in the sun of Xiangshui, and is located in the middle reaches of the Han River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, in the southern part of the Nanxiang Basin. As an important town, Xiangyang is the flank of Wuhan, and its status has the significance of a regional fulcrum. The Southern Song Dynasty poet Liu Guo [13] said in the Xiangyang Yin [14] that "Xiangyang is really a martial country, up and down the center of Wu Shu Heaven", "a road into Qinlong, the sunset seems to see Taixing". In the general situation of China's geographical pattern, Xiangyang is not only a link between east and west, but also an important contact point between north and south. [15] In addition to geographical conditions, what makes Xiangyang a "country of military use" are also material and humanistic conditions. Liu Guoshi said: "Bow city in the copper whipping fang, ripe wheat as grain in the Bayi field", "The earth wind is heavy and the Shi Qijie is singing after the wine". Not only is there abundant grain here, but also the arms manufacturing and weapons markets in the copper whip mills are very developed. The people here only know how to speak out after drinking, and they can't read and hyphenate, but they can do it for the monarch like Jing Ke [16], "buy a sword and pour out their family money, and the city Horseto lives and dies". Rao Shengwen believes that:
[Xiangyang is located in the Nanyang Basin has the characteristics of east-west extension and north-south intersection. Whether it is a dispute between east and west, or a dispute between the north and the south, the Nanyang Basin is a place of contention. Xiangyang is located in the south of the Nanyang Basin, relying on Hubei, through the Han River and the Yangtze River, east of Wuhui, west of Tumba shu; from the Nanyang Basin, you can go north out of the Central Plains, you can enter Guanzhong in the west, and you can also contact Longxi through Hanzhong. During the north-south confrontation, the military defense line in the south stretched for three or four thousand miles from east to west, and Xiangyang was at the junction between the southeast and northwest sections of this long front. Therefore, Xiangyang, as a major center of gravity in Hubei, has gone beyond the local regionality and has overall significance. 】[17]
On the Yangtze River line from Yichang to Nanjing, there are two triangles outlined by turning south and turning north. The first triangle to the west is the section from Yichang south to Yueyang to Wuhan, and the second is the east triangle from Wuhan to the south through jiujiang to Nanjing. Comparatively speaking, the latter has a key geopolitical significance because its eastern line can directly approach the Fuyuan region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and is the main aspect of the main contradiction, and the Dabie Mountains in the meantime often have the role of "four or two thousand pounds" at specific historical moments. From the perspective of Jiangbei, the key point controlling the western triangle is Xiangyang, and the key point controlling the eastern triangle is Dabie Mountain. Comparing the two, the latter is more meaningful than the former.
exegesis:
[1] Mao Zedong: "Bodhisattva Man, Yellow Crane Tower" (spring 1927), edited by Wu Zhengyu, Li Jie, and Chen Jin, deputy editors: Appreciation of the Complete Edition of Mao Zedong's Poetry, Central Literature Publishing House, 2003, p. 26.
[2] (Qing) Gu Zuyu, Minutes of Reading the History of Public Opinion, Zhonghua Bookstore, 2005, p. 3516.
[3] 沔, also known as 沔水, was commonly known as 沔水 in ancient times. According to the "Notes on the Water Classics", the northern source is from the west of Liuba in Shaanxi Province, and the source of the west is from the present-day Ningqiang North is Han, and after the confluence of the two sources, it is commonly called The Water or Hanshui. The north source is long and the west source is short, "The Book of Han and geography": "Han Shui is subject to the water of the Qi Dao, a qi." That is, to take the western source as the positive source; "Shuowen": "The water comes out of the East Wolf Valley of Wudu County." "Then the north source is the positive source, the Water Classic, and both are called The Western Han Water
(Present-day Jialing River and its upper reaches of the Western Han River) was Han. After the water entered the river, the Yangtze River below the present-day Wuhan City, Hubei Province, was also commonly known as the Yangtze River in Hubei Province. Therefore, the "Water Classic" describes the downstream of the water until it enters the sea. Cihai Geography (Historical Geography), Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, 1982, p. 127.
[4] (Jin) Chen Shou: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shushu V, Biography of Zhuge Liang, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2002, p. 842
[5] Rao Shengwen, "Layout of the World: The General Trend of Military Geography in Ancient China", PLA Publishing House, 2002, p. 9
[6] (Jin) Chang Xuan, Liu Lin's Annotation: Notes on huayang Guozhi, Bashu Book Club, 1984 edition, p. 191.
[7] Wuhan is the only sub-provincial city in central China. The world's third largest river Yangtze River and its longest tributary Han River traverses the urban area, dividing Wuhan into three, forming a pattern of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang three towns across the river, in 1927, the National Government moved the capital to Wuhan, for the first time Hankou, Wuchang, Hanyang merged into Jingzhao District, collectively known as Wuhan, kaisan town merger precedent. In 1949, the Wuhan Municipal People's Government was established, temporarily under the direct administration of the central government, becoming the first municipality newly established in New China. On June 19, 1954, the Central Committee decided to change Wuhan from the direct administration of the central government to the capital of Hubei Province.
[8] "The length of the front line, the length of time, the number of soldiers, the scale of the scale, and the weight of the sacrifices of the Battle of Wuhan were unmatched by any other campaign in the War of Resistance Against Japan." In the course of the battle, the Chinese army mobilized more than 120 divisions, about 1 million people, and about 600,000 casualties and losses. The Number of Japanese Casualties, Dispersions, and Captures was 200,000, and 150,000 were infected. The above figures are different from each family, but there is no doubt about one thing, that is, since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army has suffered the greatest losses and paid the greatest price. Jiang Tao: Chiang Kai-shek during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chinese Publishing House, 2005, p. 86.
[9] In June 1938, Chiang Kai-shek issued a telegram to Liu Heding, commander of the Thirty-ninth Army: "In order to prevent the enemy from committing western offenses and secure Wuhan, according to the suggestion of Vice Chairman Feng, it is decided to implement the Yellow River breach at Zhaokou and Huayuankou, constituting a flooding of the east between the areas on the east side of Pinghan Road, and the army will serve as the breakthrough of Zhaokou and be completed within two days." Jiang Tao: Chiang Kai-shek during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chinese Publishing House, 2005, p. 100.
[10] Hu Axiang, Peng Anyu, and Guo Li'an, The Land where Soldiers Must Fight, Hainan Publishing House, 2007, p. 85.
[11] Edited by the U.S. Department of State, translated by Zhang Weiying et al., U.S. Diplomatic Documents: Japan, 1931-1941, China Social Science Press, 1998 edition, p. 161.
[12] Central Documentation Research Office, ed., Mao Zedong Chronicle (1949-1976), vol. 6, Central Literature Publishing House, 2013, p. 123.
[13] Liu Guo (1154–1206), Southern Song Dynasty writer, character change, Longzhou Daoist. A native of Taihe, Jizhou (present-day Taihe County, Jiangxi). Four times should not be lifted, exiled between the rivers and lakes, cloth for life. He was once appreciated by Lu You and Xin Renjie, and was also friendly with Chen Liang and Yue Ke. The style of words is similar to that of Xin Abandoning Disease, expressing the anti-Jin ambition of crazy Yi Junzhi, and Liu Kezhuang and Liu Chenweng enjoy the reputation of "Xin Sect Three Liu", and together with Liu Xianlun are called "Luling Erbu Yi". He is the author of "Longzhou Collection" and "Longzhou Words".
[14] "Ten years of walking on all sides, Hu did not return to Xiangyang? Xiangyang is really a martial country, up and down Wu Shu Tianzhong. In the copper whip mill, the bow is used as a city, and the ripe wheat is used as grain in the Bayi field. A road into Qin Long, the sunset seems to see taihang. The earth wind is heavy and the shi qijie, whimpering and singing after drinking. The song says that people will win the heavens, and half of the wall will not have the sun and moon for a long time. Buying a sword and pouring out family money, the city of Mato lives and dies. The examination is not bad, and the line is all miles away. People talk about the rough material, and Wolong lies high and refuses to come. Du Fu's poems were written by Mi Fu, and the second and third sons were also heroes! [Song] Liu Guo: "Longzhou Collection", vol. 1, "Xiangyang Song", Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1978 edition, page 1.
[15] Rao Shengwen, "Layout of the World: The General Trend of Military Geography in Ancient China", Pladong People's Liberation Army Publishing House, 2002, p. 202.
[16] Jing Ke (?) ~227 BC), a man of the Wei Dynasty (present-day Hebi, Henan) at the end of the Warring States period, who liked to read and fencing, and was generous and chivalrous. After traveling to the Yan Kingdom, he was recommended to Prince Dan. Crown Prince Dan wanted to send Jing Ke into Qin to assassinate the King of Qin. Jing Ke offered the map of the Qin rebel general Fan Yuzhi and yan Tuokang (燕督亢) (in present-day Zhuo County, Yi County, and Gu'an, Hebei) to present the King of Qin and assassinate him. Prince Dan could not bear to kill Fan Yu, and Jing Ke had to privately see Fan Yu and tell the truth, and Fan Yu killed himself in order to complete Jing Ke. In 227 BC, Jing Ke took the map of Yan Du and Fan Yu to the first rank of the Qin Dynasty. Before leaving, Jing Ke chanted, "The wind is cold and the water is cold, and the strong man will not return once he is gone." After entering Qin, he was summoned by the King of Qin, and when he handed over Fan Yu's head and presented the picture, tu qian dagger saw that Jing Ke stabbed the king of Qin, and was seriously injured by the king of Qin after being killed by the Qin guards.
[17] Rao Shengwen, "Layout of the World: The General Trend of Military Geography in Ancient China", PLA Publishing House, 2002, pp. 202-203.
(This article is excerpted from Zhang Wenmu's "China's Geopolitics", Ocean Publishing House, 2015, pp. 85-89.) ）
This article is the exclusive manuscript of the observer network, the content of the article is purely the author's personal views, does not represent the platform views, unauthorized, may not be reproduced, otherwise will be investigated for legal responsibility. Pay attention to the observer network WeChat guanchacn, read interesting articles every day.