Today, the records of the 10,000-foot-long army are in short supply. We have to guard both the shoals and the passes. This is the third worry for Jinghu. Lu Kang once said: "Jingzhou is a vassal state. If it is in danger, it will not only lose a county, but the whole country will have to fight for it. If we do not increase the number of troops by 80,000 and make concerted efforts to defend it, even if Han and Bai were resurrected, they would be powerless."
"Today's situation is broadly similar, and the stakes are extremely high." Yu Jie, while delivering his decree to Sichuan, passed through Gong. Because Chongqing had little grain reserves, Gong provided 100,000 dan of rice for the military farms. He dispatched Jin De with 6,000 troops to aid Sichuan, with Zhi Jing appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Support Division. In the fourth year, he also served as the governor of Jiangling Prefecture.
Gong said to his assistants, "The government has not thought about it yet. If they send troops to follow us, the situation will be very urgent. What should we do? If I go, they will attack our weak points. If I don't go, who will really defend us?" Those who are wise agree with him.
The imperial edict ordered Jinghu to dispatch 5,000 troops to garrison Anfeng and support Shouchun. Gong dispatched General Liu Quan to the garrison. A subsequent order ordered 3,000 troops to prepare for Qi'an. Gong said, "Huangzhou and Shouchang are separated by a river at Sanjiangkou. The troops can be crossed as soon as they are needed. Why send them in advance? A day's advance will incur a day's expense, which will only add to the loss. If there is an emergency upstream, our troops will already be exhausted. This is not a good strategy." He refused to obey.
In the fifth year, the emperor appointed him to two posts for his official duties and allowed him to return to his post. When Gong arrived in Jiangling, he climbed the city walls and sighed, "Jiangling relies on the Three Seas, but they don't know that the marshes can be transformed into mulberry fields. The enemy can be outside the city at the first blow of a whip. From the east of the city, the vanguard of Guling goes all the way to Sanyi, with no limit to the enemy."
Eleven internal passes were repaired, and ten others were built outside, some dozens of miles from the city. The waters of the Ju and Zhang rivers, which previously flowed west of the city into the Yangtze River, were diverted eastward by barriers, flowing around the north of the city into the Han River. Thus, the three seas were united. Water was stored and discharged according to the height of the river, creating a vast flood over a distance of three hundred miles.
There were 1.7 million civil engineering workers, but the people were unaware of the labor, so they drew a map and submitted it.
Gong was stationed in Jiangling while his brother Jing was in charge of Wuchang. According to tradition, brothers were not allowed to stay in the same area. Gong asked to return to his farm, but was refused. The emperor ordered 5,000 troops to support Huai River, and Gong sent Zhang Hanying to lead them.
The Privy Council dispatched 5,000 troops to Guangxi. Gong wrote to the Chancellor, saying, "From Dali to Yong, the tribes are separated by thousands of miles. We should select people and distribute them to several counties to govern the barbarians. We should deal with dangerous situations as appropriate. We should establish checkpoints and station troops. We should store grain and fodder in certain places. Once our influence is enhanced, our national prestige will naturally rise.
"If we don't come up with this plan, and we dispatch troops upon hearing the news, we will waste money and food and achieve nothing." He refused to listen. The Yuan general Da Na arrived in Jiangling and sent Yang Quan to ambush troops in Jingmen to fight. Gong had learned of this in advance and reported it to the Privy Council, who issued an order to the two Huai regions to prepare. The two Huai regions were unaware of this, and the consequences were as reported.
Gong reported: "Xiang and Shu are in chaos and the scholars have nowhere to go. The scholars of Shu gather in **, and the scholars of Xiang gather in Yingzhu. I have built two academies in ** and Nanyang, and used the land and houses I confiscated to serve them so that they can receive an education." He asked the emperor to inscribe a plaque and grant it.
At first, Gong recruited the Zhenbei Army to station in Xiangyang. The armies of Li Hu and Wang Min were in chaos, and the Zhenbei Army was also defeated. So Gong recruited them with great respect, and many of them surrendered.
Governor Fan Yongji secretly proposed surrender, offering the indictment as a pledge. Gong reported this to the court, but the offer was rejected. Gong sighed, "I have spent thirty years pacifying the people of the Central Plains, but now my ambition is unfulfilled." He fell ill and requested retirement. He was granted the titles of Junior Instructor and Military Governor of Ningwu Army, and died in Jiangling Prefecture on the 55th day of the ninth month.
On the first day of that month, a large star fell within the territory with a sound like thunder. On the evening of his death, a strong wind blew away roofs and broke wood. Upon receiving the news, the emperor mourned and suspended court. He offered a thousand silver and silk each as a gift, specially bestowing the title of Junior Tutor, then three gifts to Grand Tutor, and conferred the title of Duke of Ji. He was posthumously named Zhongxiang and his temple name was Weiai.
Gong's loyalty to the emperor and his country was as strong as iron and stone. In the army, when discussing matters with his subordinates, everyone had different opinions, but Gong would slowly offer a few words to reconcile them, and everyone would agree. He treated scholars, tourists, veterans, and retired soldiers with kindness.
Despite his high position, he would raise drums and banners, and when facing his officers and officials, he would maintain a dignified demeanor, and no one dared to spit. When he retired, he would burn incense and sweep the floor, then sit quietly at a table, as if completely detached from the world. He abstained from material possessions and indulged in delicious food.
He was well versed in the Book of Changes and wrote a poem entitled "A Warning to the Mind about the Book of Changes" with four sentences for each of the sixty-four hexagrams. He was also well versed in Buddhism and called himself "Wu'an Jushi".
Meng Gong's father:
Meng Zongzheng, courtesy name Defu, was a native of Jiangzhou. His father, Lin, had followed Yue Fei to Suizhou and settled there. Zongzheng was a bold and courageous young man, often seen on the battlefield. In the second year of the Kaixi reign, the Jin general Wanyan Dong invaded Xiang and Ying. Zongzheng led a group of righteous men on a guerrilla operation, seizing their supplies.
The envoy Wu Lieqi was surprised and appointed him as Chengjielang and Zaoyang magistrate. Zhao Fang and Wu Rousheng, the governors of Jingxi Road, both recommended his talent and he was promoted to Bingyilang and Jingxi Qianxia, stationed in Xiangyang.
In the tenth year of Jiading, the Jin people invaded Xiangyang and Zaoyang, and Fang issued an edict to Zong Zheng to command the Shenjin, Baojie and Zhongyi armies.
Zong Zheng, along with his commanders Hu Zaixing and Chen Xiang, divided the army into three groups and set up three strongholds. They fought bloody battles and the Jin troops were defeated and fled. Soon after, news reached that Zaoyang was under siege, and Zong Zheng set out from Xianshou at noon and arrived in Zaoyang at dawn, his advance like a celestial being.
The Jin army was horrified and fled at night. Fang Shi had moved his command west of the capital, and upon hearing of the victory, he was overjoyed and sent to command the troops in Zaoyang. On his first day in office, he executed a beloved servant who violated the new order, sending shockwaves through the army and civilians. He then built dikes to hold back the water, repaired the city walls, and reviewed the troops.
In the eleventh year, Jin general Wanyan Saibu led his cavalry and infantry to besiege the city. Zong Zheng and Zaixing joined forces to fight the enemy. Over three months, they engaged in more than seventy battles, large and small, with Zong Zheng leading the charge. The Jin were constantly defeated, and furious, they dug a moat around the city walls and lined up their troops on all sides, firing arrows and using bells to warn themselves, the ringing of which set dogs barking.
Zong Zhenghou recruited strong men and took advantage of the opportunity to launch an offensive. The Jin army was unable to withstand the attack and marched heavily on the city. Zong Zheng and his subordinates resisted with all their might. The reinforcements from Xu State arrived at Baishui, and the sound of drums could be heard. Zong Zheng led his generals to fight, and the Jin army fled in panic.
He was awarded a golden belt and promoted to Wudelang.
In the twelfth year, Jin general Wanyan Eke led his infantry and cavalry to attack the city. Zong Zheng filled bags with chaff and sand to cover the roofs and sheds, and lined jars with water to hold back the fire. He then recruited artillerymen to fire, killing several people with a single shot. The Jin selected 2,000 elite cavalry, including crossbowmen, and led the ascent with ladders and skybridges. They also recruited silver miners to work day and night, carrying thatch and reeds to the base of the Circular Tower, intending to burn it down.
Zong Zheng first destroyed the towers, dug deep pits to create tunnels, and built war tents to prevent damage to the city. As soon as the traps were broken through, he immediately used poisonous smoke and blazing fire, using drums and bellows to fumigate them. The Jin army choked them with wet felt, cut open the roads to kill the soldiers, and the city collapsed and the towers fell.
Zong Zheng removed the towers and added more firewood, erected a volcanic mountain to block the enemy's path, and deployed brave warriors armed with spears and powerful crossbows to prepare for the assault. A few feet from the collapsed tower, he built a偃月城 (偃月城), over a hundred feet long, with wings and a main wall. He dug a pit twice as deep, personally supervising the work, and it was completed in five days. The Jin troops, wearing thick armor, felt vests, and iron masks, advanced. They then covered the volcanic mountain with wet felt and leather, then covered it with ice and snow, and climbed up the city walls using cloud ladders to the northwest circular tower.
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