Why do you always say that if you want to win the world, you must first take Jingzhou?

First of all, you can be sure that Jingzhou in the Three Kingdoms period is not Jingzhou now, but Jiangling in the Three Kingdoms period, which belongs to Nanjun. It was called Jiangling House before the Southern Song Dynasty and Jingzhou House in the Ming Dynasty. The administrative divisions in the Three Kingdoms period were divided into three levels: state, county and county. In other words, Jiangling is the capital of the county and Nanjun (formerly known as the branch office), belonging to Jingzhou, and the capital of Jingzhou is in Xiangyang. In our history books, administrative divisions and cities are often mixed together, which makes us look at the big picture.

2 14 Three Kingdoms cartographer

There were thirteen states in the Three Kingdoms period, and Jingzhou was just one of them. And Qingzhou, which we are familiar with. Shandong, Cao Cao started his army in Shandong, and the soldier was named Qingzhou soldier. Ma Chao is in Liangzhou, now Gansu, which is the westernmost state, so his soldiers are called Xiliangbing. Dong Zhuo is also from Liangzhou. Liangzhou is close to the place where Qiang people gather, so it is good at fighting. Sichuan is Yizhou, and Chengdu is the governing place. Zhuge Liang said to Liu Bei, "Yizhou is a dangerous place and a land of abundance, so Gaozu became emperor." In other words, Sichuan is so good, do you want it or not? Tao Qian ceded Xuzhou, not a city, but a large territory of Huaihe River. Do you think Liu Bei can not be tempted?

Jingzhou got its name because there is a Jingshan Mountain on the west side of a road from Xiangyang to Jiangling. Chu was proud of being a barbarian, which was often called Man Jing in the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, this area is often called Jingchu land. Because it is located in Xiangyang, it is also called the land of Jingxiang.

Therefore, Jingzhou is actually equivalent to our current provincial level, of course, much larger than the current province, mainly including Hunan and Hubei, as well as some surrounding areas, especially Nanyang, Henan. Battle of Red Cliffs was the most important war in the Three Kingdoms period, which took place in Jingzhou. It can be said that before Battle of Red Cliffs, it was not called the Three Kingdoms. Cao Cao's family is dominant, while Soochow is relatively weak. Liu Bei doesn't even have a foothold. After Battle of Red Cliffs, there was a tripartite confrontation.

Battle of Red Cliffs is so important because it changed the pattern of the whole war at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and also changed the course of China's history. One of the factors behind this is the unique geographical location of Jingzhou.

How important is Jingzhou? It can be said that in the history of China for thousands of years, if you want to unify China, you must first win Jingzhou, and whoever has mastered Jingzhou will have the initiative in the world.

Map of Battle of Red Cliffs

Let's take a look at the terrain of Jingzhou. The whole Jingzhou area (mainly referring to Hunan and Hubei, excluding Henan Nanyang Basin) is like a big pocket, and Xiangyang is the entrance and exit of this pocket. Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake Plain are in the middle. There is a small exit along the river in the east and west, the Three Gorges in the west and Jiujiang in the east. Elsewhere, it is all wrapped in mountains, making it extremely difficult to get in and out. We know that the plain area produces grain, and if there is grain, we can raise soldiers. In addition, there is much rain in Jingzhou, and rice is harvested twice a year. The so-called "Huguang is ripe, and the world is full", including Hunan and Hubei, is actually equivalent to Jingzhou. Jingzhou can not only raise soldiers, but also be good at defense, which is unique.

The most important stronghold here is Xiangyang, which is not only the key to Jingzhou, but also the beneficiary of China.

Let's look at the terrain of Xiangyang again. On the left are endless mountains and deep valleys, and on the right are Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain. Dabie Mountain is like an east-west Great Wall, which just blocks the Central Plains and Huaihe River and extends to Hefei. Why did Sun Quan play in Hefei all his life is because Hefei is the connection point between Jingzhou and Jiangdong. Therefore, defending Jingzhou is only three points. Xiangyang in the north is the key point, the Three Gorges Passage in the west is relatively easy to defend, and Hefei to Jiujiang in the east is a valley along the river, which is also relatively easy to defend. Once you control Jingzhou, you can cross the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, control Jiangdong downstream, and then control the whole south of China.

Xiangyang is also a natural military stronghold. Between Daba Mountain and Tongbai Mountain, this cut is not big. As long as Xiangyang is held, Jingzhou is held. In this way, we can understand why Jingzhou is ruled by Xiangyang instead of Jiangling, and why Zhuge Liang is waiting for others to come to the cottage instead of Jiangling, because whoever controls Xiangyang will control Jingzhou's throat, and whoever has the hope of winning the world. It's a pity that Liu Biao has no ambition, and Zhuge Liang didn't take a fancy to it, otherwise it wouldn't be Liu Bei's turn. There are too many talents under Cao Cao, so he can't sit in the right place when he goes. Meaningless. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that Zhuge Liang plowed the land in Longzhong (10 kilometers west of Xiangyang City), but from a strategic perspective. If he goes to the farm near Jiangling, he will have nothing in three minutes. Once Xiangyang falls, Jiangling will be hard to be immune, and the whole nine counties of Jingxiang will all fall.

Cao Cao laid the foundation of Xiangyang, but he was defeated in Battle of Red Cliffs. This is really an accident in history. How did Cao Cao die? I think this is an abnormal death. Because it happened naturally in history that Jingxiang was captured and then the whole country was unified.

Yingcheng, the capital of Chu.

The first is Chu. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the core territory of Chu was roughly equivalent to Jingzhou. The capital of Chu State is Ying City, later Jiangling, and now Jingzhou City. So Jiangling has been an important town in Jingzhou since ancient times. It is flat on all sides, close to the Yangtze River and Yunmengze, and it is a good place to station troops. You know, the garrison must be a grain-producing area, and it is impossible to station troops in mountainous areas. Chu first fought the Ba people and controlled the export of the Three Gorges. Hefei, which is controlled in the east, is the place where Wu Zixu crosses Zhaoguan. Xiangyang was controlled by the north-there was no Xiangyang city at that time and it belonged to Deng Guo. Chu destroyed Deng Guo and took it for himself. Based on this, the north can win the central plains, and the south can hold the gateway of Chu, which can be said to be handy and advance and retreat freely. In fact, the whole Spring and Autumn Period was a struggle between Chu and the Central Plains, first with Qi and then with Jin. As for the post-Qin attack on Chu, it was mainly from here that troops entered. Before the Six Kingdoms perished, Qin occupied Hanzhong and Bashu, and then sent troops to attack the capital Ying, forcing Chu to move to Jiangdong. In fact, at that time, it was doomed to the fate of Chu and the fate of the six countries, and the national subjugation behind it was just the finishing touch. No matter how powerful the Chu State is, it is impossible to keep it by relying on Jiangdong without Jingzhou.

Xiangyang in Southern Song Dynasty

Then in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Mongols went south and played in Xiangyang for six years. As we know, the Mongols swept across Eurasia invincible and stayed in the utopia for six years, which is unique. Of course, there are other reasons, but it is enough to show the importance of Xiangyang to Mongolia and the Southern Song Dynasty. When the Mongols take Xiangyang, they can conquer the south. Xiangyang fell in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the whole country fell. Why didn't Mongols attack from other places, but from Xiangyang? Just now, I talked about the terrain of Xiangyang, and there is not much difference. There is no other place nearby where you can use troops on a large scale. If Mongols want to go south, they must first occupy Xiangyang. It is remarkable that Lu (not Guo Jing and Huang Rong), the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang, persisted for so long without the support of the imperial court. Supposedly, the Southern Song Dynasty was in Jiangdong. Isn't it more direct to attack the Southern Song Dynasty directly from the eastern Huaibei area? There are two reasons: first, the Huaihe River area is densely covered with river networks, making marching extremely difficult. Mongolia is dominated by cavalry and pays attention to quick decisions. Marching is the second, mainly because of the inconvenient transportation of grain and grass. You know, in ancient wars, grain and grass were the key factors. As the saying goes, "the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the food and grass go first." Ancient modes of transportation were backward. Ten thousand Jin of grain can be shipped out, and one tenth can be transported to the battlefield. There are countless things lost and robbed on the road, so the war consumes a lot of food. Second, even if the Mongols occupy the Huaihe River first, the natural barrier of the Yangtze River is ahead, and it is not easy to cross the river. At this point, if the Mongols station troops on the north bank of the Yangtze River, the military forces in Xiangyang can be divided into two ways. journey to the south goes out of Xiangyang, cutting off the posterior route of the Mongols along the Huaihe River to the east, and the other way goes down the Yangtze River along the Hanshui River to meet the defenders in the south and attack the front of the Mongols. Mongols will be miserable if they are attacked on both sides. Therefore, if the Mongols want to fight the Southern Song Dynasty, they must first win Xiangyang. What about from the west, from Guanzhong to Hanzhong, then from Sichuan, and then downstream? The mountain is high and the road is dangerous, and the battle is extremely difficult. The Mongols did fight, and Da Han Mengge died in Sichuan. Only Cao Wei can get through this line. Of course, the main purpose of Cao Wei was to attack Shu, not to bypass Jingzhou from the western front. The destruction of Shu by Cao Wei objectively created conditions for the Western Jin Dynasty to attack Soochow from the western front.

From Xiangyang to Jiangling, it is a north-south passage. When the sun is on this line (Zhang Fei drank the Wang Ba Bridge here), Maicheng is also on this line (Guan Yu fell here). As long as Xiangyang is held, troops and food from Jiangling will be continuously replenished. Once Xiangyang falls, Jiangling is hard to hold. Even Guan Yu only kept it for five years.

Besides Xiangyang and Jiangling, Jingzhou has several other important cities.

Battle of Yiling

Yiling, now near Yichang, controls the export of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and is connected with Jiangling by the Yangtze River, so the supply is very convenient, and its upstream is the famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Wu Dong captured Jingzhou, first occupied Jiangling, and then quickly controlled Yiling, which was tantamount to cutting off Guan Yu's retreat. Where did Guan Yu's soldiers get the will to fight? Later, Liu Bei sent troops from Shu to avenge Guan Yu, and the Dongwu general Lu Xun blocked the exit here. Liu Bei wanted to attack, but he couldn't get through. Chengdu is a long canyon behind him, and it is very difficult to supply. So here is the story of burning camp. Liu Bei was defeated and died in a rage. Topographically, even if Lu Xun doesn't have to burn, as long as he holds the exit of Yiling, Liu Bei's army will either die or starve to death. In short, failure is inevitable. Later, Liu Bei retreated to Baidicheng, but Lu Xun did not dare to chase him. It is also for this reason that it is difficult to March in the canyon, and it is even more difficult to transport grain. Once he was ambushed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Liu Bei has fled to Xiakou to station troops.

Xiakou, belonging to Jiangxia County, is now the land of Wuhan. At that time, it was just a small place, belonging to Sun Quan's territory. There are some small towns north of Xiakou, where Liu Qi was stationed, and later joined Liu Bei who escaped. After Sun and Liu joined forces, Liu Bei was stationed here in Xiakou. Hanshui River starts from the distant Hanzhong, passes through Xiangyang, and finally joins the Yangtze River here. Xiangyang not only goes south to Jiangling by land, but also depends on Hanshui River. You can go to the Yangtze River and then take the waterway to Jiangling. So this is also a very important position. Wuhan includes Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, with Wuchang being the largest, but they all developed slowly after the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty made Beijing its capital, and the original center of gravity of China gradually declined, and the Beijing-Guangzhou line developed. Wuhan is located in the middle section of Beijing-Guangzhou line. Thanks to the Yangtze River and Hanshui River, the later Great Wuhan came into being.

Ezhou, or Sun Yicheng, got its name because there was a Hubei country here in the Spring and Autumn Period. Hubei was originally a vassal state of Shang Dynasty, located in Nanyang, Henan. After Zhou destroyed the Shang Dynasty, Hubei refused to accept it and moved from the Central Plains, which was later destroyed by the State of Chu. Teacher Yi Zhongtian once said that there is a saying in Chu language called "unconvinced week", which means unconvinced. In fact, it was first said by Hubei people. Chaisang (Jiujiang) connects with Wu Dong, which is the only place for Wu Dong to send troops into Jingzhou. It can be said that in the whole process of Battle of Red Cliffs, Wu Dong's army constantly passed through here and was sent to Jingzhou. When I was in The Rising Sun, I named it the capital and renamed it Wuchang (note that it is not Wuchang in Wuhan). However, Wu Dong people disliked it very much and thought it was too far away from their base camp, so they later moved the capital back to Jianye (Nanjing). Later, in order to control Jingzhou, Sun Hao wanted to move the capital back to Jingzhou. The nobles of Wu wrote a poem: "It is better to eat Wuchang fish than to drink Jianye water." It means unwilling to go. So Wuchang fish is not produced in Wuchang now, but in Ezhou. Mao Zedong later came to Wuhan and wrote a poem: "Only drink Changsha water and eat Wuchang fish." Wuchang fish became famous from then on. It should be reminded that the authentic Wuchang fish is produced in Liangzi Lake near Ezhou, not Wuchang. Although Ezhou is very small now, it has been one of the largest cities in Jingxiang area for a long time, and Hubei's abbreviation "E" is related to Ezhou. Why not simply call it "Chu"? Probably afraid that Hunan people would not agree, Hunan people wrote on the plaque of Yuelu Academy: "Only Chu has talent and prospers in Sri Lanka."

Chibi nostalgia

Opposite the Yangtze River in Ezhou is Huangzhou (now renamed Huanggang, but locals are still used to calling it Huangzhou). There is a Chibi Park in Huangzhou, but Battle of Red Cliffs didn't happen here. During the Three Kingdoms period, it was still wild, and there was no such city as Huangzhou. Now we know that Puyin, southwest of Huangzhou, has been renamed chibi city, just for the name Chibi. Huangzhou is considered to be the place where Battle of Red Cliffs took place, because Su Dongpo's Red Cliff Nostalgia: "A spring river, a romantic figure through the ages?" It is estimated that many people can recite it. This word was written in Huangzhou, so many people mistakenly think that Huangzhou is the place where Battle of Red Cliffs happened. Later, Puyin City quit, thinking, I will seriously change my name to Chibi and see who will rob it! Why did Battle of Red Cliffs happen in Puyin instead of Huangzhou? In fact, there is a simple way to judge:

First, after Cao Cao occupied Xiangyang, he must have gone all the way south to seize Jiangling, which is the most convenient way. Jiangling is also an important town with food and money. Therefore, his troops are basically west of Hanshui River and will not detour to Huangzhou. There are no important towns here in Huangzhou. If you want to cross the Yangtze River from here to fight Wu Dong, logistics supply is a big problem. Moreover, if he goes to Huangzhou to the east and wants to take Suixian (the place where bells are chimed) and Jiangxia, he will not pass Dangyang County, and there will be no battle of Changbanpo.

Second, judging from several place names. In Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang sent Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to ambush and said, "Take the fire of Wulin as a signal." Now there is Wulin across the river from Chibi, near Honghu Lake. To the west, the Wulin will pass Huarong (not Huarong in Hunan now, south of Qianjiang in Hubei), and further west, Jiangling. These place names are connected in a straight line from east to west, not far apart, which accords with Cao Cao's escape route. If it is defeated in Huangzhou, there is absolutely no need to make a big turn around Jiangling, just withdraw northward.

To the east of Ezhou, there is Huangshi, which was gradually developed in modern times. At that time, there was no population here, only a magnetic plug mountain, which was Wu Dong's military fortress. Liu Yuxi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem "Nostalgia on Xipao Mountain", which mentioned this place. Huangshi used to be a small port under Daye County. Daye has produced copper since ancient times, and the copper of Chu State is produced here. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was a bronze age, and weapons were all made of copper. Ding and chimes are also made of copper, and even money is copper. The strength of Chu cannot be separated from this copper mine. Now there is an ancient copper mine site in Tonglushan, which is very spectacular. Daye has not only copper mines, but also iron mines and coal mines. During the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong, Governor of Huguang, transported the iron ore and coal here to Hanyang through Huangshi Port to make iron and weapons. Made in Hanyang witnessed almost the whole modern history of China, from the first shot of the Revolution of 1911 to the Korean War.

Further east is Chaisang (now Jiujiang) in Wu Dong. Zhou Yu is usually stationed here, and the nearby Poyang Lake is an excellent place to train the water army. Now there is an appointment desk in Jiujiang, which is said to be the place where Zhou Yudian will send his troops.

Xiang Yu Wujiang committed suicide.

The Yangtze River turns from Jiujiang to Nanjing. This section of the Yangtze River runs almost north-south. East of the Yangtze River is called Jiangdong; For the northern regime, it is on the left side of the Yangtze River, so it is also called Jiangzuo. Jiangdong and Jiangzuo refer to the same place. Now we often call it Jiangnan. This area belonged to Yangzhou at that time, but it was actually a little farther north than Jingzhou. This section of the Yangtze River is the only place to enter Jiangdong. In the lower reaches of Nanjing, the river is too wide, and there is no ferry at all. In the upper reaches of Nanjing, the south bank of the Yangtze River is mostly mountainous. Only by crossing the river from Hexian County, Anhui Province, opposite Ma 'anshan, can we enter a flat land and go straight into the State of Wu. So the ferry to Jiangdong is mainly here. Wu Zixu couldn't pass Zhaoguan, and he turned white overnight. The Yu Qiu Ferry where he is going is here. Xiang Yu refused to return to Jiangdong, and Wujiang River, which committed suicide, crossed the river here.

At that time, Soochow not only controlled Jiangdong, but also controlled the lower reaches of Wuhan, and its influence was already considerable. Why did it unite with Liu?

There is nothing to say that Liu Bei wants to unite, because his strength is not enough to protect himself, but why did Wu listen to Zhuge Liang's suggestion and unite Liu against Cao? In fact, it is not difficult to see from the terrain that Cao Cao's main goal is to rush to Wu Dong. He doesn't care about Liu Bei at all. If Cao destroys Liu Bei and then occupies Jingzhou, then Jingzhou will be lost. After all, Liu Bei has Liu Qi in his hand, and he still has some influence in Jingzhou. At this time, it is Liu Bei who can be with him.

So it is not surprising that Sun and Liu Lianhe. It is strange why Cao Cao was defeated. In the south of China, except Wu Chu, which is two prosperous places to raise troops, all other places are mountainous areas. Without the great plains, it is difficult to form a powerful separatist force. With Wu Chu, there is the whole South. According to historical experience, it is natural that Cao Cao came from the north, occupied Xiangyang first, then Jingzhou, and then went down the river to wipe out Dongwu in one fell swoop, and then ruled the whole south of China. The bad thing turned out to be crossing the river. The navy division failed, and met two great gods, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, who were defeated and left with great strength. Since then, Cao Cao has never been to Jiangnan. Maybe he didn't understand until he died. Why did the recurring events in history go wrong in his hands?

Cao Cao withdrew from Jingzhou after the defeat, but he still controlled Xiangyang and Hehai in the east, which made Wu Dong sleepless. Hefei is at the gate of Jiangdong, and it is also an important town on the connecting line between Jingzhou and Jiangdong. Guan Yu doesn't have Xiangyang, and it's hard to keep Jingzhou, which is equivalent to being stuck in the neck by others. So the three countries stand on the balance, as long as the position of Jingzhou changes slightly, it will affect the whole pattern. Cao Cao occupied Xiangyang and was ready to return to Jingzhou at any time. Sun Quan won't sleep well all day unless he wins Jingzhou. As for Liu Bei, he finally got a piece of land, and of course he refused to give it up easily. Moreover, attacking Xuchang from Jingzhou is far more convenient than attacking Chang 'an from Chengdu. To the north of Xiangyang is Nanyang Basin, and further up is the Central Plains, where Xuchang, the capital of Cao Cao, is located. This is also the Huaxia region in the pre-Qin period, so later Guan Yu occupied Xiangyang, which was called "Megatron Huaxia" in history.

Jingzhou was peaceful for some time after Cao Cao's withdrawal. Guan Yu's capture of Xiangyang was of course a strategic need, but it also caused a chain reaction. First of all, Cao Cao was nervous and once clamored to move the capital. Second, after Guan Yu went north, the defense in Jiangling area was weak, which gave Wu Dong an opportunity. So I said, Guan Yu is guarding half of Jingzhou, and sooner or later he can't keep it. If Jingzhou wants to be safe, it must occupy Xiangyang, but occupying Xiangyang will cause a series of reactions and eventually lose Jingzhou. If Dongwu wants to sleep well, it must first obtain Jingzhou. With three pillars, Jingzhou is a powder keg.

Longzhongdui

Zhuge Liang's plan for Liu Bei in Longzhong was to take Jingzhou as the inheritance first, then take the whole Xichuan, then take Guanzhong, and finally outflank Cao Wei from Jingzhou and Guanzhong to unify the world. It's a pity that Jingzhou didn't hold it, so he lost his leg first, and Liu Bei died, and Zhuge Liang didn't win Guanzhong when he left Qishan for six times. But before he could conquer, he died and filled the hero with tears!

Cao Cao finally failed to unify China. After Cao Wei destroyed Shu, the Western Jin Dynasty, which replaced Cao Wei, learned a lesson. On the one hand, he built ships in Yizhou (Sichuan), trained the navy and went down the Yangtze River. On the other hand, the invasion from Huai River and Huai River contained Wu, with the focus on Jingzhou. The army went south from Xiangyang and cooperated with the navy from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to successfully seize the control of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. So, land and water coexist, along the river, pushing Wu Dong. With the demise of Wu, the Western Jin Dynasty unified China.