"Tracing back to Gansu" General Fubo Ma Yuan is in Longshang

Tracing the origins of Gansu

Fubo General Ma Yuan in Longshang

Ma Yuan’s comic book story of taking in the Fu Qiang people

Gansu Daily special writer Wang Shoukuan

In the 20th year of Emperor Guangwu's founding in the Eastern Han Dynasty (44 years), after pacifying the Second Expedition Rebellion in Jiaozhi (today's Vietnam) and declaring restraints with the Vietnamese, Fubo General Ma Yuanzhen brigade returned to the capital. , was awarded the title of Marquis of Xinxi and the title of Ninth Minister of Court. However, he did not seek peace of mind. In the past few years, he first led troops to Tunxiang State and patrolled the northern border barriers to guard against the Xiongnu and Wuhuan. Then, at the age of 62, he led troops to attack the rebellious Wuxi barbarians in Wuling. He was stained on the battlefield. He died of an epidemic, fulfilling his heroic oath that "men should die in the wilderness and be buried in horse leather."

It was this legendary general with outstanding merits and noble sentiments. During the more than thirty years from the founding of the Xinmang Dynasty (9-13 years) to the 16th year of Jianwu in the Eastern Han Dynasty (40 years), he served in Liang Dynasty. He lived in the state that is now Gansu and formed an indissoluble bond with it.

Herding horses in Beidi and Yuanchuan, making them into the bronze horse style of the world

Ma Yuan (14 BC - 49 AD), courtesy name Wenyuan, Fufeng Maoling (now Shaanxi) Xingping County East) people. According to legend, his ancestor was Zhao She, the general of Zhao State, Ma Fujun, and his descendants named him Ma as their surname. His father and three brothers are all high-ranking officials with two thousand stones.

After Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and established the new dynasty, Ma Yuan, a young man who was the governor of the county post office, released the prisoners on death row out of sympathy, so he had to flee to the north (Zhi Ma Ling, today's Maling Town in the northwest of Qingcheng County) . Beidi County in the Han Dynasty governed most of today's Qingyang City and the Yinnan area of ??Ningxia. It has luxuriant water and grass and a warm climate. It was rich in fine horses as early as the Pre-Qin Dynasty. The people of Qin, Wushiluo, raised livestock here, and horses and cattle multiplied in large numbers. So much that it can only be measured by valleys. During the reign of Emperor Hui of the Western Han Dynasty, two royal priest gardens, Heqi and Haofei, were set up in Beidi County, raising 100,000 horses. Ma Yuan's father, Ma Zhong, had served as a priest, and his third brother, Ma Yuan, had also served as an envoy to protect the Northland.

Ma Yuan has been fond of riding horses since he was a child and has a special affection for horses. When he was 12 years old, he wanted to work as a pastor in the border county because he had not yet been able to mourn for his elder brother. Now I finally have the chance to realize my childhood dream. Ma Yuan, wearing fur clothes and leather trousers, led hundreds of families who came to seek refuge, herding horses and sheep in the north, and at the same time cultivating fields and accumulating grain. In a few years, it developed to include hundreds of horses, five to six thousand sheep, and tens of thousands of grain crops.

At the same time, Ma Yuan also "traveled between Long and Han" and engaged in animal husbandry and grain planting in other places in Liangzhou, including Yuanchuan (now Yuzhong County). "Shui Jing Zhu" records: "The water land of Yuanchuan is fertile soil for dragon horses, so Ma Yuan please share it with the farmers to support themselves." He and his guests were engaged in cultivating and breeding well-bred horses called "dragon horses" here. Seeing that the world is in chaos, many people are hungry. Ma Yuan sighed and said: "Every property that has been cultivated is valued for its ability to provide relief, otherwise it will keep the money and capture the ears." So he dispersed all the money he gained to his brothers and old friends, and continued to pastoralize in Longyou. There is a praise in the "Book of Han" that "the livestock of Liangzhou are the best in the world", and Ma Yuan's contribution is also included in this.

Ma Yuan had a very deep understanding of the important role of horses in the ancient social economy and military. He said: "There is nothing better than a dragon in moving through the sky, and nothing like a horse moving on the earth. Horses are the foundation of armor and soldiers, and the strength of a country." Use it to maintain peace and order, and change to help people near and far."

While devoted to horse herding in Liangzhou, Ma Yuan traveled to Guan and Long in order to improve horse breeds. He went to various places to seek advice from those who were good at judging horses. Finally, in Chengji (the present day Jingning Lidian), he became a disciple of the famous Yang Zi'a and learned from him the unique skill of judging horses with bones. However, he was not limited to the teachings of his teachers, and continued to seek teachers. He also combined reality with the various horses he saw, and accumulated rich experience in horse fortune-telling. He synthesized the bone physiognomy of various schools and created a new method of comprehensive horse fortune-telling. In his book "Bronze Horse Physiology", Ma Yuan pointed out: "Water and fire want to be distinct, and water and fire are between the two holes of the nose. The upper lip wants to be sharp and square, the mouth wants to be red and bright, this horse is thousands of miles away. The chin wants to be deep, and the lower lip wants to be slow. The teeth want to be forward. The teeth want to be one inch long, and the teeth want to be thousands of miles away. Thin means the thighs. The lower abdomen wants to be flat and full, the sweat grooves want to be deep and long, the knees want to be raised, the elbows and armpits want to be open, the knees want to be square, and the hooves want to be three inches thick and as solid as stone."

He applied his own horse fortune-telling method in practice and discovered many good horses. He then used these good horses to improve the livestock herd and achieved good results. Ma Yuan believes that the method of horse fortune-telling only relies on the oral and personal teaching of horse fortune-telling masters, which is difficult to popularize and spread, let alone spread for a long time. In order to spread his comprehensive horsemanship, develop horse herding across the country, and strengthen border military defense and transportation and people's livelihood, Ma Yuan obtained Luo Yue's bronze drum during his southern expedition. After his triumph, he melted it and cast it into a A horse with the bones of various families. This bronze horse is three feet five inches high and four feet five inches in circumference. Ma Yuan dedicated it to the imperial court. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty ordered it to be placed in the Xuande Hall in Luoyang, and it became the standard for famous horses in the world.

Comic strip of Ma Yuan's story (the pictures in this article are all data pictures)

The hero who unified Longyou

During the reign of Emperor Xinmang (20-23) , Ma Yuan was appointed by Wang Mang as Xincheng Dayin, the governor of Hanzhong County. Immediately, the Green Forest Army invaded Chang'an and the New Dynasty was destroyed.

In order to avoid the war, Ma Yuan went west to Longyou and defected to Chengji native Kui Xiao, who dominated the counties of Tianshui, Anding, Longxi and Jincheng and claimed to be a general. He was highly regarded and was appointed as General Suide to advise him.

In the third year of Gengshi (25th year), Liu Xiu proclaimed himself Emperor of the Han Dynasty and established his capital in Luoyang, which was known as the Eastern Han Dynasty in history. Gongsun Shu, who raised troops in Chengdu, also established himself as emperor and named himself the emperor. Among all the heroes in the world, Liu Xiu and Gongsun Shu both tried their best to win over Wei Xiao who held high the banner of "Restore the Han" and supported hundreds of thousands of people. Liu Xiu granted him the title of Great General of Xizhou, with authority over Liangzhou and Shuo Fang affairs; Gongsun Shu granted him the title of Great Sikong and Prince Fu'an's Yinshou.

Whether to join forces with Shu or to help Han, Wei clamored at both ends, hesitant and undecided. In the fourth year of Jianwu (28th year), Ma Yuan was sent as an envoy to Han and Shu to find out the truth. Gongsun Shu and Ma Yuan were good friends from the same place. When they met Ma Yuan this time, they were decorated with ceremonial guards, strict police, complicated etiquette, and extremely arrogant. From this, Ma Yuan concluded that Gongsun Shu had a narrow vision and would not be able to achieve great things. After returning from Shu, Ma Yuan advised Wei Xiao: "Ziyang (Gongsun Shuzi) is a frog in the well, and he is arrogant. It is better to focus on the east." When Ma Yuan arrived in Luoyang, Liu Xiu was plain-clothed and received him warmly. I humbly asked him for advice, and talked to him openly and honestly many times about world affairs, without any precautions. Ma Yuan once asked: "I am here from afar. How do you know that your majesty is not an assassin and a traitor, but Jian Jian is?" Liu Xiu smiled and replied: "You are not an assassin, but a lobbyist." Ma Yuan saw that Liu Xiu had extraordinary courage and courage. Shuangquan believed that this was the true emperor, so he accepted Liu Xiu's appointment and became the waiting edict of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

During this period, Wei Xiao attacked Chimei in the east, defended the Qiang and Hu in the north, joined the Eastern Han Dynasty's march to the west, and defeated Gongsun Shu's army in Chencang (today's Baoji, Shaanxi), and was praised by Liu Xiu. In the first month of the fifth year of Jianwu (29th year), Ma Yuan returned to Tianshui and detailed the events in Luoyang to Kaixiao. He praised Emperor Guangwu for being "talented and brave, and not an enemy of human beings. He was also sincere and sincere, had nothing to hide, and how broad he was." "The festival is roughly the same as that of Emperor Gao. His extensive knowledge of Confucian classics and political debate are unparalleled in his previous life." Wei Xiao was still undecided and asked Ban Biao for advice. Ban Biao wrote an article "On the King's Mandate" and pointed out that Liu's unification of the world was "the destiny of heaven." Return". At the end of the year, Wei Xiao learned that Dou Rong of Hexi Province had surrendered to the Eastern Han Dynasty and was appointed as the shepherd of Liangzhou. The warlords Liu Yong and Peng Chong were eliminated one after another. Wei Xiao finally accepted the suggestion of Liu Xiu's special envoy to come to She and let Ma Yuan take his eldest son Wei Xun with him. To Luoyang for proton. Ma Yuan thought that his mission had been completed, so he bid farewell to Liu Xiu and took his guests to farm in Shanglinyuan in Chang'an. Soon, Wei Xiao, who still "wanted to hold both ends", was seduced by his general Wang Yuan and others, and defended himself in the pass, dreaming of breaking the earth and becoming king. After learning about it, Ma Yuan repeatedly wrote letters to advise Kui Xiao not to bring about his own destruction.

In the sixth year of Jianwu (30th year), Guandong was pacified. Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu turned his attention to the west and adopted the strategy of courtesy first and then fighting. . In March, Gongsun Shu sent troops to attack Nanjun (now Jiangling, Hubei Province), and Liu Xiu ordered Wei Xiao to send troops from Tianshui to attack Shu. Wei Xiao refused to send troops on the pretext that Baishui (now Bailongjiang) was dangerous and the plank road was cut off. In April, Liu Xiu personally went to Chang'an and sent General Jianwu Geng Yan and other seven generals to attack Shu on the Long Road. However, Wei Xiao openly rebelled against the Han and sent General Wang Yuan to defend Longdi, felling trees and blocking the road, and fought with force. Ma Yuan, who was stationed in Shanglinyuan, heard the news that Wei Xiao was using force to fight against the Han army. He rushed directly to where he was and told Emperor Guangwu about his plan to eliminate Wei Xiao. Emperor Guangwu then sent Ma Yuan and five thousand Rui cavalry to lobby the Longyou generals and Qiang leaders to state misfortunes and fortunes and alienate the enemy camp. Ma Yuan pointed out to them: "There are six counties in the world, but why do you want to treat them as four in Xia with just two states?"

In March of the seventh year of Jianwu (31st year), Gongsun Shu appointed Weixiao as king of Shuoning and sent troops to assist. Long and Shu united to resist the Han. In the eighth year of Jianwu's reign, Kaixiao's army besieged Han Dynasty General She's army in Lueyang (now Longcheng Town, Qin'an County) for several months. The soldiers on both sides were exhausted. Emperor Guangwu decided to send troops to conquer Weixiao personally. Liu Xiu went west to Long, but his generals tried to dissuade him. Ma Yuan responded to the imperial edict and came to Qixian County (today's Binxian County, Shaanxi Province) late at night. He reported to Emperor Guangwu the situation of the collapse of Kaixiao's generals and affirmed that The army will surely win. Ma Yuan "also gathered rice in front of the emperor to form a valley, pointed out the situation, showed the troops the paths to go, analyzed the twists and turns, and made it clear." In front of Emperor Guangwu, he used corn to form a three-dimensional topographic map of Longyou. , explaining the military posture of both sides, and suggesting how the army should advance and how to get close to the enemy. Following Ma Yuan's instructions, Emperor Guangwu clearly understood the situation of both the enemy and ourselves, and said happily: "The prisoner is in my eyes."

According to Ma Yuan's instructions, the army quickly entered the first city of Gaoping ( Today's Guyuan, Ningxia), Gao Jun, the guard general of Kaixiao who received Ma Yuan's surrender letter, surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Emperor Guangwu led his army to join forces with Mu Dou Rong's army in Liangzhou there. The Han army advanced in several directions and advanced southward. Kai Xiao's subordinate Niu Han and other 13 generals, 16 subordinate counties, and more than 100,000 soldiers descended upon the wind, and the siege of Lueyang was lifted. Wei Xiao led his wife and children to flee to Xicheng (today's Honghe Township, Li County). The Han general Wu Han broke through Tianshui and surrounded Xicheng. In November, reinforcements sent by Gongsun Shu, led by Wang Yuan, rushed into Xicheng to protect Kaixiao and fled to Jicheng (today's Gangu). After a long siege by the Han army, Kaixiao died of starvation here. This battle wiped out Wei Xiao's main force and left him in ruins.

Subsequently, Liu Xiu appointed Lai She as the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army, "to supervise all the generals", and Ma Yuan, the Taizhong doctor, as his deputy to campaign in Liangzhou. In the 10th year of Jianwu (34 years), the last stronghold of the Wei clan, Luomenju (today's Luomen Town, Wushan County), was captured. Kaixiao's son Kaichun and his generals surrendered to the Han army. The Eastern Han Dynasty completely unified the Longyou region.

Portrait of Ma Yuan

Eliminate the Qiang disaster and restore the social economy of Longxi

In the last years of Wang Mang, Qiang people who had lived in Qinghai and other places took advantage of the chaos and settled in the fortress in large numbers. "Most of the counties under Jincheng are owned by captives." Wei Xiao used the Qiang troops to expand his strength and use it against Liu Xiu's unification cause. After the defeat of the Wei clan, the Xianling Qiang people united with other Qiang people to attack Jincheng and Longxi due to being invaded by local petty officials and powerful men. Zhonglang later defeated the Qiang people in Jincheng, but the Qiang disaster could not be stopped. In the 11th year of Jianwu (35th year), Lai She recommended: "The invasion of Longxi cannot be stopped without the help of horses." As soon as Ma Yuan, the governor of Longxi County, took office, he rode 3,000 men to attack Lintao (today's Min County). Minyang Town) defeated the rebellious Xianling Qiang people, and eight thousand Qiang people guarding the fortress came to surrender. Immediately, he led his elite troops to attack the Qiang people who refused to defend Haomen Pass (Haomen River Mouth) and Yunwu Valley (now Chuankou Valley, Minhe County, Qinghai), and pursued them to the west of Tangyi Valley (now west of Ledu County, Qinghai). During the battle, Ma Yuan's leg was pierced by an arrow, but he still fought bravely, dealing a fatal blow to the Xianling Qiang people, and they never recovered from the fall. For this reason, Emperor Guangwu expressed condolences with a seal and gave thousands of cattle and sheep. Ma Yuan gave all the cattle and sheep to the guests. For other Qiang people who participated in the rebellion, they tried their best not to resort to force.

In the 13th year of Jianwu (37th year), the Shenlang Qiang people in Wudu who originally belonged to Gongsun Shu united with the Qiang people outside the Great Wall to rebel and massacred Han officials. Ma Yuan led four thousand troops to Didao (to the northwest of today's Li County) and besieged the Shenlang Qiang people in the mountains. "The army occupied convenient areas, seized their water and grass, and refused to fight," forcing their leaders to flee outside the fortress in embarrassment. All the more than 10,000 Qiang people surrendered. Ma Yuan also sent Qiang leader Yang Feng to various tribes to lobby, and more Qiang people came to submit. With the consent of the imperial court, Ma Yuan gave the surrendered Qiang leaders the titles and seals of their lords, and moved them to the three counties of Tianshui, Longxi, and Fufeng, where they lived together with the Han people, cutting off their contact with the Qiang people outside the Great Wall, and promoting the development of Qiang culture. Promotion and economic development are conducive to the social stability of Liangzhou.

At that time, the ministers of the imperial court advocated abandoning the areas west of Jincheng County and Poqiang County (today's east of Ledu County, Qinghai Province), with long distances and many "bandits". Haidong and other places). Ma Yuan learned that Shang Shuli refuted the ground fallacy and said: "In the counties west of Po Qiang, many of the cities are complete and strong, which can be defended, and the land is fertile, with convenient irrigation, and can be cultivated. If the Qiang people are allowed to occupy Huangzhong, they will It will pose a serious threat to national security. No matter what, we cannot give up!" Emperor Guangwu listened to Ma Yuan's opinion and ordered Dou Rong and Liang Tong to repatriate more than 3,000 residents of Jincheng counties in exile in Hexi Province. Possess Qiang and Huangzhong counties. Ma Yuan assigned officials to each county, repaired the city walls, built forts, opened up paddy fields, and encouraged the people to farm and herd. This quickly brought stability to the local society and made the residents happy. Once, someone in a neighboring county killed someone in revenge, and the people spread rumors that the Qiang people were going to rebel, and they fled one after another. The county magistrate of Didao (now Lintao) in Longxi County hurriedly reported to Ma Yuan, requesting that the city gates be closed and troops be sent to attack the Qiang. Ma Yuan was drinking with guests at the time. He was calm and composed, convinced that the Qiang people would not rebel, and told Magistrate Didao not to panic. He quickly returned to the county office and said, "If you are really scared, you might as well hide under your bed." Soon, the news came When the news came, it turned out that nothing happened, and all the officials and people in the county were convinced that Ma Yuan had done everything as expected.

In the 16th year of Jianwu (40th year), after Ma Yuan served as the governor of Longxi for six years, he was transferred by the imperial court to General Huben Zhonglang and led his elite soldiers to serve as palace guards.