Shanxi is one of the origins of Chinese civilization. There are not only a large number of remains related to the Stone Age , but also the Yao and Xia capitals related to the legendary Yao, Shun and Yu. During the Shang Dynasty period, there were a large number of Fang Kingdoms. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, a large number of vassal states were sealed in the central and southern part of Shanxi, the most famous being the state of Jin. Then in the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Jin became one of the most powerful states, and the struggle for hegemony between Jin and Chu became the highlight for a period of time. After the three divisions were divided into Jin, Wei State in the early Warring States period was a superpower, and Zhao State in the middle period also became the most powerful country in the East for a time. After Qin unified China, Hedong County, Shangdang County, Taiyuan County, Yanmen County, Dai County, etc. were established in today's Shanxi region. During the Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, today's Shanxi region was placed under the jurisdiction of the state. After that, the Huns and Xianbei started in Shanxi successively, and the Tuoba family unified the north on this basis and established the Northern Wei Dynasty. Later, the Northern Wei Dynasty split into the Eastern Wei Dynasty (later the Northern Qi Dynasty), which occupied Hebei and Shanxi, and the Western Wei Dynasty (the Northern Zhou Dynasty), which occupied Guanzhong. The two sides fought fiercely in Shanxi. After the short-term unification of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan to establish the Tang Dynasty, and the Shanxi area became the "Land of Longxing" of the Tang Dynasty, and Taiyuan was also set as the northern capital. During the Anshi Rebellion, Shanxi played an important role in fighting the rebels. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Shi Jingtang dedicated the sixteen states of Yanyun in Shanxi and northern Hebei to the Khitan, so that the northern border of the Song Dynasty, which succeeded the later Zhou Dynasty, was completely lost, and he has been very passive. Shanxi Province was established in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and its provincial scope was generally determined and retained to this day.
Shanxi has always been a strategic location. It has a high terrain and overlooks Hebei and the Central Plains - the Taihang Mountains in the east are adjacent to Hebei; the south is adjacent to the Hanoi area, overlooking the Central Plains. The west is bounded by the Yellow River and the Guanzhong area. We know that the unified feudal dynasties in Chinese history, except the Ming Dynasty, all annexed the south from the north. In the unification process of the north, Guanzhong and Hebei often became the two most fiercely fighting forces. For example, Qin, Western Han, Sui and Tang started in Guanzhong, Eastern Han started in Hebei, Yuan and Qing both started outside the Great Wall, but later The capital is Beijing, with Hebei as the important town in Gyeonggi. Shanxi is like a wedge between Guanzhong and Hebei, so Shanxi often leads to fierce competition between the two sides. At the same time, the terrain in Shanxi is also very conducive to the development of its own strength. It is bounded by the Inner Mongolia Plateau in the north, surrounded by the Yellow River on both sides in the southwest, Luliang Mountain in the west, Zhongtiao Mountain and Wangwu Mountain in the south, Taihang Mountain in the east, and Guanchen Mountain, Yunzhong Mountain, Hengshan Mountain, Wutai Mountain, Shizhou Mountain and Taihang Mountain in the interior. Yueshan , Jiwang Mountain, etc., the Sanggan River, Hutuo River, Fen River, Qin River, etc. originating in various mountain ranges are distributed among them, forming a series of beaded basins - Datong Basin, Xinding Basin, , Taiyuan Basin , Linfen Basin, Yuncheng Basin, Changzhi Basin, etc. Inside, you can cultivate and raise soldiers, and outside you can rely on danger. Khitan Liu and Han destroyed the Western Jin Dynasty on the basis of Shanxi, and Tuoba Xianbei gradually unified the north after entering the Datong Basin. When a unified dynasty was formed, such as Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song and other dynasties, the central and northern areas of Shanxi were the frontier positions to fight against foreign invasions, and they would inevitably become an important town.
In terms of several directions of Shanxi: the northern part of Shanxi is the Datong Basin, and the northern part of Datong has only some lower mountain passes. It is adjacent to Shaanxi by a large river, and there are ferry crossings such as Longmen Ferry and Pujin Ferry in the southwest, which are the only way to travel between Guanzhong and Shanxi; the east and south of Shanxi are surrounded by Taihang Mountains, and the channels cut out by the river become Shanxi, Hebei and Hanoi. , Central Plains communication channel, the most famous is Taihang Baxing (xing, xing, is "the place where the mountains are interrupted"), they are: Junduxing , Puyinxing, Feihuxing, Jingxing, Fukouxing, Baixing , Taihangxing , Luguanxing. Correspondingly, some important towns have been formed.
The following is an explanation of several areas in Shanxi.
The Datong Basin and the Datong Basin in the northwest of Shanshan are sandwiched between Guanchen Mountain, Hengshan Mountain and the Inner Mongolia Plateau. Due to the lower mountain pass in the north of Datong, it is easier for nomads outside the Great Wall to penetrate here. The Sanggan River originates from Guanchen Mountain and flows into the river meanderingly.In the northern Youyan area, once the nomadic people invade the Datong Basin, they can attack the Xuanfu and Huailai areas along the Sanggan River Valley, march to Junduxing, directly knock on Juyongguan, or march southeast from Datong From the area of Yuxian County, through Feihukou, enter Laiyuan, and then further attack the area of Yixian and Baoding. When a dynasty established its capital in Beijing, the threat of such an attack was severe. The three inner gates of the Ming Dynasty—Juyongguan, Zijingguan, and Daimaguan were all located on this line. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty also operated Xuanfu and Datong as the important towns in the west, echoing the east and west of Ji Town in the east, and defending the capital. The Waza Army led by it first poured in from the Datong Basin, then moved eastward along the Sanggan River Valley, defeated the Ming army at the Tumu Fort, and then held the Ming Emperor hostage from the Zijing Pass into Hebei to besiege Beijing. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, when Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, he also marched along the Sanggan River Valley, and finally attacked Juyongguan, destroying the Ming Dynasty.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Shi Jingtang of the Later Tang Dynasty exchanged the sixteen states of Yanyun for the support of the Khitan, destroyed the Later Tang Dynasty and established the Later Jin Dynasty. This move caused Datong and the surrounding areas of Beijing to completely fall to the top of foreigners, and the northern fence of the Central Plains Dynasty was completely lost. Later, the Later Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty failed to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun, forcing the Northern Song Dynasty to use Yanmenguan as the only place in Shanxi. The frontier position, Taiyuan is the important town, in the Hebei area, it can only be defended along the Hutuo River along the Zhengding and Hejian rivers. The weak defense eventually made the Northern Song Dynasty perish at the hands of the Northern Dynasty.
Xinding Basin and Yanmen Pass in the north-central part of the country
Yanmenguan Pass became one of the most important gates in the world at a very early time. In " Lu's Spring and Autumn ", Yanmen Pass is listed as one of the "nine fortresses in the world". Since the northern part of the Datong Basin is a lower mountain pass and is easily accessible by foreigners, Yanmen Pass has become the most important pass in Shanxi's defense to the north.
Close to the south of Yanmenguan is the Xinding Basin, and from the Xinding Basin to the south is Taiyuan. Therefore, the ancients also called Yanmen Pass as "the vassal guard of the external expansion of Datong, the lock and key of Taiyuan in the internal, the root reaches the three passes, and the throat is full of Jin". In the Ming Dynasty, Pianguan, Ningwu, and Yanmen were listed as the three outer gates, and the Xindai area and Yanmen became interdependent.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Shi Jingtang offered the sixteen states of Yanyun to the Khitan. Later, the Northern Song Dynasty failed to recover it, so he had to use Taiyuan as the important town, the Xinding Basin as the stronghold, and the north blocking Yanmen Pass as the guard. In the war between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Khitan, the story of the famous general Yang Ye was closely linked with Yanmen Pass.
From this, in fact, after Liu Bang Baideng was besieged in the early Western Han Dynasty, the Western Han Dynasty pursued a policy of amicable relations. Since then, Yanmen has been used as a dangerous point in the north to defend against the southern invasion of the Xiongnu. In the following dynasties, Yanmen was a defensive gate to the north.
Shangdang Heights in the southeast area
Changzhi Basin and Jincheng Basin are tall and condescending. It is a highland surrounded by mountains and overlooks Hebei and Henan. It was called "Shangdang" in ancient times. It is said: "The party, the place, is the highest place on the mountain, so it is called the party." At a very early time, people have realized that this land has important strategic value. From the Shangdang area to the east, it can pass through Fukouxing and go straight to Handan, and it can also pass through the area of Yecheng, and it can also enter southern Hebei through the Huguan area. When a regime’s center of gravity is in southern Hebei, the threat in this direction is particularly deadly. During the Warring States Period, Qin Bai attacked the wild king of Han and cut off the Taihang Road, so Shangdang County was isolated from the mainland of South Korea and became an "enclave". Shangdang County Governor led the crowd to surrender to Zhao, triggering the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao. Qin State took advantage of the terrain to surprise Zhao Jun's flanks and back roads, cut off food supply and backup, and surrounded and wiped Zhao Jun in the Changping area. After that, the Qin army took advantage of the victory to attack and completely occupy the Shangdang area, becoming a base to threaten Handan, the capital of Zhao. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zhu Rong from the Northern Wei Dynasty set out from Jinyang to suppress Ge Rong's uprising army, went east from Fukou to the Taihang Mountains, and attacked the Ge Rong uprising army outside Yecheng. Ge Rong was not prepared enough to be killed by Erzhu. Rong break. The Northern Zhou attacked Northern Qi, first breaking Pingyang, then Jinyang, then from Fukou east to Taihang, attacking Yecheng, destroying Northern Qi, and completing the unification of the north. From the Shangdang area to the south, you can pass Baixing and Taihangxing (Taihang Road) to enter Hanoi area. Tianjing Pass is an important pass on Taihang Road and an important stronghold for the battle between Shanxi and Henan.
Early Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu According to Hanoi, sent Kou Xun and Feng Tseng to guard Hanoi. Feng Yi attacked Tianjing Pass in the north and unraveled the party, and the Hanoi area was stabilized.
When Zhu Wen and Li Keyong were fighting, Taihang Road was also the focus of contention. Li Ke used the opportunity of Zhu Wen's attack on Cangzhou to capture Changzhi and firmly control the Shangdang area. Before that, Li Keyong had been contained within Shanxi by Zhu Wen; after this war, the situation reversed, and the Later Tang Dynasty completely controlled the Taihang Mountains and could choose to attack Hebei at any time.
Zhao KuangyinChen Qiao mutiny, usurped Zhou and established the Northern Song Dynasty, later Zhou Zhaoyi JiedushiLi Yun raised an army in Changzhi to oppose Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Kuangyin dispatched Shi Shouxin to destroy Li Yun, and ordered Shi Shouxin "Don't go down to Taihang. , rushing to lead troops to restrain the narrow pass, it will be broken." Shi Shouxin led the troops to Taihang, and seized the danger of Tianjing Pass, and Li Jun was trapped in Jincheng and failed.
Southwest Linfen Basin, Yuncheng Basin (Hedong area)
wrote an article about this area before, "Hedong, Hexi and Weihan Channels", please click Hedong, Hexi and Weihan Channels for the full text. Here is a brief description.
The narrow Hedong area can refer to the Linfen Basin + Yuncheng Basin. This area is located in the south of Shanxi, which is an earlier developed area in Shanxi, and has excellent farming conditions. In the Yuncheng Basin, there are still salt ponds, which were one of the huge economic sources in ancient times. There are also rich mineral resources in the Zhongtiao Mountain area. In terms of topography, its northern part can be connected to Taiyuan through Lingshi Gorge; the eastern part can be connected to Hanoi through Zhuguanxing; the southern part has Zhongtiao Mountain and the Yellow River as a barrier, monitoring the Weihan Ancient Road, and a series of important The ferry is distributed in between. In the west, the Yellow River is adjacent to the Guanzhong area. The Yellow River waterway in the west, Hukou and Longmen in the north, with fast currents, and the Yellow River waterway in the south, with three gates and pillars, are almost in danger. During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Zhou went eastward to Luoyang, and went downstream from the Weihe River into the Yellow River. As a result, it was very difficult for the boat to go upstream when returning, so he had to burn the boat and retreat. Therefore, the existence of Hukou and Sanmen made it impossible for the enemies in the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River to enter directly by boat, reducing the threat to the east of the river. In addition, after the Yellow River exits Yumenkou (now northwest of Hejin City, the exit at the southern end of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge), the rivers originating from Luliang Mountain merge into the Yellow River, and at the same time Fenshui, Huishui, Sushui, Weishui It merged into the Yellow River one after another, causing the flow of this section of the Yellow River to increase sharply and the riverbed to be extremely unstable. Below Longmen and within a few hundred miles of Pujin, it is the most easily diverted area in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. There are many silt, shoals, and chasms on both sides, which are not conducive to the docking of ships. The most important is Pujin Ferry, which has been built as an important town in all dynasties, and is the choke point between Guanzhong and Shanxi.
During the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang also set up the Three Qin Dynasty, and led Cao Can and Guanying to cross the river from Pujin, forced to surrender the Wei Wangbao, and then went east out of Hanoi to capture the Yin King Sima Wei. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Western Wei Dynasty (Northern Zhou Dynasty), which had Guanzhong, and the Eastern Wei Dynasty (Northern Qi), which had Shanxi and Hebei, fought fiercely in this area and fought fiercely. Back to the east, the Western Wei gradually occupied Pujindu, and based on this, it gradually occupied Hedong and Jinyang, and finally destroyed the Northern Qi.
In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan entered Guanzhong from Taiyuan and also crossed the river from Pujin. If Tongguan and Weihan are the main gates of Guanzhong, then Pujin is the side gate.
Taiyuan area
Taiyuan is the center of gravity of the entire Taiyuan Basin, as well as the center of gravity of the entire Shanxi. On the west side of Taiyuan is the overlapping peaks of Luliang Mountain. Outside Luliang Mountain is surrounded by the Yellow River. It is unlikely that foreign enemies will invade from this direction.
On the east side of Taiyuan, there is Jingxing leading to the central part of Hebei where Zhengding is located. Moreover, Jingxing is very dangerous, and it is extremely difficult to attack from Hebei. Take the high-speed train from Beijing to Taiyuan on November this year. The route is Beijing-Shijiazhuang-Yangquan-Taiyuan. From Shijiazhuang to Taiyuan, the railway section goes through the tunnels all the way. The difficulty of passing is still the same today. As you can imagine.
has other important towns in other directions of Taiyuan as shields, leading to Xinding Basin in the north.Yanmen and Datong are fences; to the southwest are the Linfen Basin and Yuncheng Basin, with large rivers as dangers, Pujindu and Longmendu are distributed among them; to the southeast is Shangdang Heights, and Tianjingguan, Fukou, etc. are all barriers.
Taiyuan is located in Shanxi. There are screens on all sides, and at the same time, it is sufficient to meet all sides, to attack and defend, and Taiyuan is the foundation.
and Taiyuan City itself is very solid. Taiyuan is surrounded by mountains and rivers, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhibo attacked Zhao Xiangzi here, and led Fen water to flood the city, but he was unable to break the city. Instead, Zhao Guo persuaded his allies Wei Guo and South Korea to defect, and he died and the country was destroyed; Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin attacked the Northern Han, Three times of storming Taiyuan failed to break the city.
Therefore, if you manage Taiyuan well, you can control Shanxi well, and manage Shanxi and other separatist forces to compete for dominance.
The Northern Wei courtier Zhu Rong rose up in Shanxi, defeated Ge Rong in Fukou in the east, Yanji in the east, Guanlong in the west, Henan twice to determine the situation in Luoyang, and then established the Grand Chancellor's Mansion in Taiyuan to remotely control the Luoyang bureau. . After Erzhu Rong's death, Gao Huan rose up and established the Prime Minister's Mansion in the four fortresses of Jinyang. After the split of the Northern Wei Dynasty, although Yecheng was the capital of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Gao Huan, Gao Cheng, and Gao Yang all sat in Jinyang successively, and their status was equal to the companion capital.
At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan raised his army from Taiyuan and established the Tang Dynasty. Shortly after Li Yuan entered the customs, Liu Wuzhou led the Turks to the south, captured Taiyuan, and occupied most of Shanxi. Li Yuan wanted to give up Shanxi, but Li Shimin strongly opposed it, "Taiyuan is the foundation of Wang Ye, the foundation of the country; If you take it up and abandon it, the minister will be resentful. I hope that the fake minister will have 30,000 elite soldiers, and he will surely calm Wu and Zhou, and overcome Fen and Jin." Li Yuan then sent Li Shimin to attack Liu Wuzhou and successfully regained the land of Shanxi. Later, the Tang Dynasty established Taiyuan as the northern capital.
The significance of Taiyuan as the foundation of the country was vividly reflected in the Anshi Rebellion. In the early days of the Anshi rebels, they even broke through the Hebei and Henan areas, but the attack on Shanxi was repelled by Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi. Since then, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi have repeatedly used Taiyuan as their base, and have left Jingxing in the east to harass the enemy's back road, making the enemy exhausted and becoming the most important force in quelling the rebellion.
source: Zhihu author Wen Yu
