Mao Zhongyong guarded Ganliang
During the Ming Dynasty, there was a famous general named Mao Zhong in Gulang, who was brave and good at war, invincible, and everywhere he went, the enemies were all frightened, and he was praised by later generations as "plugging the Great Wall".
Mao Zhong (1393-1468), also spelled Yuncheng, was a Mongol from The Sha (present-day Dajing Town, Gulang County). The Mao clan has served in the military for generations and has made great achievements in battle. Mao Zhong's great-grandfather was named Hala Gang, and he was a famous general who led soldiers to fight in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Hongwu period, he led his troops to the Ming Court, was enfeoffed as a thousand households, and later died in battle. Mao Zhong's grandfather, baidu, had been stationed in the Hami area of Xinjiang and died on the battlefield of Hami. Mao Zhong's father was named Mao Bao, who was brave and good at war, and was an official to the general banner. During the Ming Yongle period, because he quelled the rebellion in Shazhou, he was made a wu chief by the imperial court and granted Yongchang Wei Hundred Households.
Mao Zhong was only twenty years old when he succeeded his father Mao Bao. He was tall, strong and good at riding and shooting. In the fourteenth year of Yongle (1416), Ming Chengzu marched north, and Mao Zhong, under the command of the commander Nian Bao, set out for Ningxia to Reach Helan Mountain. Later, he went on a northern expedition, and his footprints almost covered most of the countries, killed countless enemies, and made great achievements. Later, because of his merits in recruiting the rebel Qu Xian, he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Qianhu of Yongchang. Mao Zhong was heroic on the battlefield, defeating the enemy many times, capturing the enemy leader, and winning the trust of the imperial court, and later promoted to commander Tongzhi. Because of his meritorious service in defending the frontier, Mao Zhong was promoted to tongzhi and commander, and was given a surname by the emperor.
Mao Zhong was not only outstanding in martial arts, but also had outstanding military command skills. A Hami envoy went to the imperial court to see him, and on the way back he was kidnapped by robbers from Yumen to Anxi, so the court ordered Mao Zhong to bring troops to the rescue. When Mao Zhong arrived at the place where Hami's envoys had been robbed, he did not directly use force to requisition, but negotiated peace with the kidnappers. He personally intervened to explain reasoning and right and wrong to the leaders of the kidnappers, and persuaded them with benevolence and righteousness. In the end, the kidnappers not only willingly returned the looted property, but also kindly sent hami's envoys back. In the same year, the younger brother of the governor of Shazhou, The False Qi King Suo, ran south and secretly communicated with the Mongol Wallachians, but was captured by Mao Zhong using his wisdom and took more than 1,200 of his men. Mao Zhong, who was both literate and martial, had excellent wisdom, and won the trust of the imperial court, and the emperor was very happy and gave the name "Zhong". Soon, he was promoted to the right army and assisted in the defense of Ganzhou and Suzhou.
In the first year of Jingtai (1450), Mao Zhong was framed by traitors and sentenced to death, but fortunately Emperor Ming remembered his outstanding merits and remained under the sword. Although the death penalty was waived, he was demoted and given the title of Dai Sin Meritorious Service in Fujian Province, and the imperial court ordered the Gansu guards to send Mao Zhong's family members to The Capital Division. Later, when Emperor Mingyingzong arrived, he summoned Mao Zhong back to the capital, rehabilitated Zhaoxue for him, gave him a jade belt and a Mingjia phoenix-winged helmet, and the official was promoted to the governor of Tongzhi, and appointed as the deputy commander of the left army, and ordered him to go out with Song Sheng, the Marquis of Xining, to go out to the Ganliang area together.
During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming, there was frequent military turmoil in the Zhenfan area, and Mao Zhong led his troops to launch an attack on the enemy, and three battles and three victories greatly frustrated the enemy's vigor. Mao Zhonggong was promoted to the position of Left Governor of the Right Army.
Soon, the Mongol lord of the Halashen Army led tens of thousands of cavalry to attack Xining, Zhuanglang and other places in several ways, and Mao Zhong and the general Wei Ying divided their troops to pursue, and the first battle was successful, beating the enemy to scatter and flee.
After the initial victory, Mao Zhong led 3,000 cavalry and camped in Liangzhou's thirteen shops. One night, he was suddenly attacked by tens of thousands of enemy soldiers on all sides. Wave after wave of enemy cavalry continued to rush in, and Mao Zhong led his generals to fight bitterly for a day and night. Almost all the arrows were fired, but there were more and more enemies and the encirclement was getting smaller and smaller. With his strong will and superhuman courage, Mao Zhong immediately charged forward, charged into battle, and comforted the soldiers to engage in a deadly struggle with the enemy. Wherever Mao Zhong's warhorse went, the enemy was terrified and tried his best to escape. While killing the enemy, Mao Zhong cursed the fleeing enemy. The soldiers became more and more courageous under his leadership. The enemy saw that Mao Zhong could not be defeated, and Mao Zhong's reinforcements had arrived, and immediately lost. In this battle, Mao Zhong killed countless enemies, and his own casualties were very small.
During the Chenghua years, Ningxia Guyuan, a man named Mansi, gathered tens of thousands of people in Shicheng to prepare for rebellion. Emperor Mingxian ordered the right deputy capital Yushi Xiangzhong to lead troops to Guyuan to quell the rebellion, and at the same time ordered Mao Zhong to lead the Ganliang army and horses to join forces at Shicheng to jointly negotiate. Xiang Zhong ordered Mao Zhong to lead the Ganliang army to march from Mutougou. Mao Zhong ordered his subordinates: "When you hear the sound of artillery, you rush forward, and when you see the fireworks raised, retreat." The next day, Mao Zhong personally led two hundred cavalry to attack the Gunjia Mountain, killing countless enemies and breaking through seven peaks in a row, especially the two main peaks in the north of the mountain and the west of Shanxi, laying the foundation for victory. Just when the enemy was desperate, suddenly a thick fog rose in the sky, and the soldiers thought that the sentry had lit the smoke of retreat and retreated. When the enemy saw the situation, he concentrated his superior forces to surround Mao Zhong and fight a decisive battle. Mao Zhong and the remaining soldiers fought against the enemy until sunset. When the arrows were exhausted, they picked up the enemy's arrows and shot them again; the arrows they picked up were also exhausted, and they were still fighting. Unfortunately, Mao Zhong was eventually shot by a stray arrow and sacrificed his life for the country, at the age of seventy-five.
Hearing the news of Mao Zhong's heroic enemy and sacrifice for the country, Ming Xianzong could not help but shed tears. He posthumously honored Mao Zhong as a Fengtian Yiyun Xuanli Wuchen, a special Jin Ronglu Doctor, and a pillar state, and posthumously awarded the title of Marquis of Fuqiang, with the posthumous title of Wu Yong,and his descendants as hereditary counts. At the same time, iron coupons were given to make books.
The article is reproduced from the "Liangzhou Cultural Research" WeChat public account