A few days ago, I heard that there was a nephew in Bowang Town, Fangcheng County, and his business was doing very well. The product he developed, "Wancomb", was rated as "Nanyang Gift", and I am very happy. So I came up with the idea of going to Bowang to take a look.
My nephew, who took the car to Shizhai, drove me to his factory, and the two of them had a long talk, starting from how the enterprise started and how to grow, and then talked about their inheritance of the "Fangcheng Comb Grate" to apply for the World Heritage Site, and finally talked about the work of the people's associations between the two places. (The nephew is the current chairman of the Fangcheng County People's Association) has nothing to talk about and talks about it with relish. During this period, he talked about the burning of the Battle of Bowangpo during the Three Kingdoms period. My nephew said he was going to take me to see it after lunch.
Bowangpo is located in the southwest of Fangcheng County, Nanyang, Henan Province 30 kilometers, the north bears the Funiu Mountain, the south faces the hidden mountain, the west leans on the Baihe, it is the Mangang that the Funiu Mountain system extends here, the topography is vaguely the style of the ancient battlefield in the past, and it is the thoroughfare of the ancient "Xianghan Pass Road", which is known as the place where the soldiers must fight. Bowangpo has been the Hou country, the county, the shop, the post and the town. In the Western Han Dynasty, diplomat and explorer Zhang Qian, who had made two envoys to the Western Regions, made outstanding achievements, and was awarded the title of "Marquis of Bowang" by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the sixth year of Yuanshuo (123 years ago), taking the meaning of "broad vision". The name "Bowang" is derived from this. Bowang guards the official road of Wancheng North Road, is an important town in Nanyang, because it is located in the Nanyang Basin, the land is very fertile, the climate is moderate, it is a rare fertile field, the two Han Dynasty has been very prosperous, according to the local people's legend 45 miles Bowangtun. The ancient city of Bowang is 1,300 meters long from east to west, 400 meters wide from north to south, there are still the east and west pavilion gates and suspension bridge monuments in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and there are old city ruins such as the inner city, the inland river and the walled wall. In the ancient city, the White Jump River runs through the city, and a three-hole ancient bridge stands on the river. On the bridge, there are vague Chinese paintings, such as flying horses, fighting sheep, and astrological charts.
After dinner, a brother and I, accompanied by my nephew, headed all the way to Bowangpo. The nephew talked all the way, and introduced in detail the historical status of Gu Bowang, military fortresses, customs and industrial towns, we walked on the ancient post road, stepped on the post road paved with bluestone slabs, crossed the entire ancient Bowang, and saw the Sanyuan Palace, Zhang Qian Temple, Jingde Bridge, one step three eye wells, and the ruins of the ancient city. Listening to my nephew's introduction, I got a general understanding of ancient Bowang. It seems that the nephew knows a lot about the historical origins of Bowang, and he really deserves to be the chairman of the Fangcheng County People's Association. After a while, we arrived at Bowang Slope, where there were no traces of the ancient battlefield, only a dead thorn tree was the only witness to the burning of Bowang.
According to legend, the battle of Zhuge Liang's burning of Bowangpo was the first battle of Zhuge Liang's fledgling, and it was also the first fire of the proverb "three fires for new officials to take office".
In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207 AD), Liu Bei invited Zhuge Liang to worship as a military advisor and exercise military horses day and night. In the autumn of that year, Cao Cao made Xiahoudun the governor, Yu Ban, Li Dian, Xiahoulan, and Han Hao as deputy generals, led 100,000 troops, and went straight to Xinye (now Xinye County, Henan Province) to conquer Liu Bei.
After Liu Bei heard the news, he immediately summoned the soldiers, and Zhuge Liang divided the troops and sent the generals for the first time, asking the generals to act according to the plan. After Xiahoudun and Yu Ban led troops to Bowangpo, Liu Bei and Zhao Yun feigned defeat and left. By this time it was getting late and a strong wind was blowing. Xiahoudun only cared about the pursuit, and unknowingly fell into the ambush circle, and suddenly a fire broke out around him, and the sound of killing vibrose. For a time, all the reeds around were burning, and the fire took advantage of the wind and the flames soared into the sky. Cao Jun trampled on each other, and countless people died. Zhao Yun led his troops back again, and Xiahoudun led some of the military horses to flee suddenly. At this time, Guan Yu saw the fire and sent troops to intercept the grain and grass, and a big fire caused all the grain and grass to burn. Yu Ban and Li Dian escaped by taking a small road. When Zhang Fei saw the fire, he led the troops to set fire to his baggage in Bowang City. Xia Houlan and Han Hao escaped by taking the road.
In this battle, Cao's army suffered numerous casualties. Liu Bei won the first complete victory in history. There are poems: Bo Wang held each other and attacked with fire, and the commander was laughing and talking, and he had to break Cao Gong's courage and make the first contribution to the fledgling.
Nowadays, Bowangpo has a wheat field that cannot be seen at a glance, and the green wheat seedlings sway with the wind, making a rustling sound, which seems to tell the passers-by: telling the bravery and tenacity of the soldiers of the Three Kingdoms in those years, and telling the fighting and bloodshed here. The dead thorn tree, 5.9 meters high and 2.2 meters thick, with its swirling branches and bare wood, is the only surviving witness to the burning of Bowangpo. Although this tree has been dead for many years, a small thorn tree has also grown next to it, with lush branches and strong growth, indicating that there are "people" after the thorn tree. Whether it is a dead tree or a thorn tree with green leaves, it is a testament to the tragedy of this war, and to the bravery and unyielding of those soldiers of the Three Kingdoms who are sleeping underground. In Bowangpo, I saw some long stones of different sizes scattered in the fields, like ancient soldiers who had been sleeping for thousands of years, as if telling people about the war that went down in history. Although the dead thorn tree has been lifeless for more than 20 years, it still stands there resolutely, dignified and rough, strong and vivid, adding a bit of tragedy and desolation to Bowangpo.
Stroll through the ancient battlefields of the Three Kingdoms and look for the old traces of history. I don't see the flames that rolled and soared in the past, and I don't see the tragic scene of soldiers being burned. Yes, more than 2,000 years have passed, how can you still see the life-and-death battles of the soldiers in the past? In the face of the pattern of the three kingdoms, whether it is success or defeat, after all, he has achieved an outstanding politician. Thinking of this, I am reminded of the Ming Dynasty writer Yang Shen's "Linjiang Immortals: Rolling Yangtze River East Passing Water": "Rolling Yangtze River East Passing Water, Waves Sweeping Away Heroes." Success or failure turns empty, the green mountains are still there, and the sunset is red several times. On the white-haired fisherman river, accustomed to watching the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of turbid wine is happy to meet. How many things in ancient and modern times are laughing and talking. ”
When I think of this, my heart is calm. The sun is setting and the evening breeze is blowing. I look back, the wind and rain of history will be unrecognizable in the ancient town of Bowang, but that period of fiery and tragic history has been precipitated, passed down from generation to generation, so that the world will always remember.
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Author: Bian Guangjun
Editor: Li Zongmin
Review: Shen Zhaoxu