Mr. Feng Qiyong examined the origin of the Wujiang suicide theory in "A Study of Xiang Yu's Immortality in Wujiang". He said that neither "Historical Records" nor "Hanshu" mentioned that Xiang Yu "committed suicide in Wujiang River". Even when people from the Tang Dynasty wrote "Historical Records of Justice" and quoted from the ancient book "Jiangbiao Zhuan", they only mentioned that "Xiang Yu was defeated at Wujiang River, and Han soldiers chased him here", and there was no mention of "suicide". The theory that Xiang Yu committed suicide in Wujiang seems to have not been written down in the Tang Dynasty.
Mr. Feng said that the earliest written material he saw that recorded Xiang Yu's suicide in Wujiang was actually the drama "Xiao He Chasing Han Xin on a Moonlit Night" by Jin Renjie, a playwright in the mid-Yuan Dynasty. It is probably because of the entertaining and educational function of Zaju that the legend of "Wujiang committed suicide" was widely spread. In 1986, when he went to Wujiang for investigation, he interviewed local farmers. The peasants actually adopted the two sentences of the boatman in the Yuan Dynasty drama "To cross a horse, don't cross a man; to cross a man, don't cross a horse" to talk about overlord. He finally believed that the fact that the lines of Zaju have been passed down to this day shows that the media role of Zaju is extensive and strong.
Feng Qiyong believed that Xiang Yu should have committed suicide in Dongcheng rather than Wujiang. There are at least two affirmative words in "Historical Records" that Xiang Yu "died in Dongcheng". He believes that Xiang Yu's suicide in Wujiang was first a folk legend, and later it became a Zaju, which spread widely, but it is not a historical fact after all. He conducted two on-the-spot investigations and realized that it was still 240 miles from Dongcheng to Wujiang. When Xiang Yu broke out from Gaixia, more than 800 people came out. However, when the fierce fighting came in the east city, Xiang Yu and his party were left with 26 people. At this time, the Han army was surrounded by thousands of people, and Xiang Yu was already fighting on foot with hand-to-hand combat. After completing this journey, which was longer than the journey to Dongcheng after crossing Huaihe River, Xiang Yu was really incapable of doing so.
In addition, some people think that although historical records record that Xiang Yu "died in Dongcheng", Wujiang was probably under the rule of Dongcheng, so it can also be said that Xiang Yu "committed suicide in Wujiang". Feng Qiyong believes that under the old system of Qin and Han Dynasties, the Dongcheng jurisdiction did not include Wujiang River. "The Legend of Guan Ying" records "Xiadongcheng, Liyang". If the area under the jurisdiction of Dongcheng at that time included Wujiang, then Sima Qian would have just said "Xiadongcheng" and there was no need to say "Liyang". Precisely because Hexian County at that time was within the territory of "Liyang" and was not part of Dongcheng, so it was said that "Xiadongcheng, Liyang" means that the two cities were connected.
The maps of "Qin" and "Counties south of Huaihan" in the second volume of Mr. Tan Qixiang's "Chinese Historical Atlas" are clearly labeled "Yinling", "Dongcheng" and "Liyang". During the Qin Dynasty , which are three counties tied. Looking at the "Western Han Dynasty" and "Yangzhou Governor's History Department", the four counties of "Yinling", "Dongcheng", "Quanjiao" and "Liyang" are clearly marked. It can be seen that by the Western Han Dynasty, a new "Quanjiao County" was added between "Dongcheng" and "Liyang", and "Dongcheng" and "Liyang" were no longer bordered at all. When Xiang Yu committed suicide in Dongcheng, of course he still belonged to the "Qin" dynasty. ——Excerpted from Feng Qiyong's "A Study of Xiang Yu's Immortality in Wujiang"
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Concerning Xiang Yu's death, three great poets in the Tang and Song Dynasties wrote poems about it:
Du Mu: The victorious and defeated soldiers have unexpected family affairs, and it is a man to bear humiliation. There are many talented people from Jiangdong, and their comeback is unknown. Wang Anshi: The brave men mourn when they are tired from battle. Once the Central Plains is defeated, it will be difficult to recover. Although the children of Jiangdong are here today, are they willing to come back for the king?
Li Qingzhao: Live as a hero, and die as a ghost. I still miss Xiang Yu and refuse to cross Jiangdong.
Reporters explore “three major mysteries”
On the afternoon of August 18, Teacher Ji and reporters visited two scenic spots on Xiang Yu’s route to escape Dingyuan: Yinling Ruins, Tomb of Yu Ji.
Teacher Ji told reporters that the Battle of Gaixia between Chu and Han that occurred in 202 BC has a clear record in "Historical Records: The Benji of Xiang Yu". Especially the account of Xiang Yu's defeat after Gaixia embodies Sima Qian's rigorous and meticulous narrative style. Due to space limitations, Sima Qian's narration of events shows a generous choice of details. However, when reading history, we should insist on reading rather than just books, and pay attention to field investigations to confirm historical records. When you encounter a mystery and be able to analyze it carefully, you can read the simple records in history books in depth, which will make it easier to get closer to the historical truth.
Suspense One: What happened at the Battle of Yinling?
Folklore:
The Battle of Yinling between Xiang Yu and Guan Ying is preserved in local county annals and folklore. On Yinling Mountain next to the ancient Yinling ruins (Gucheng Village) today, there are still traces of swords and guns on the rocks of the ancient battlefield. According to folklore, Xiang Yu was besieged by Guan Ying's cavalry in Yinling Mountain. Xiang Yu's men and horses charged from the mountain several times in order to break out of the encirclement. The battle scene was tragic. "Dingyuan County Chronicle" records that there were Bawang Temple, Yuji Temple, Chuquan and Hanquan on Yinling Mountain, and the remaining ruins are still there. Reporter visit:
The Yinling ruins are located in Kaoshan Township, northwest of Dingyuan County. "Dingyuan County Chronicle" records: "Yinling City is sixty miles northwest of the county, south of Enxie Mountain, and two miles around. The old site still exists... Yu Kuai encircled Nanshan and galloped, and the Han cavalry general Guan Ying chased Yu across the Huaihe River, and Yu crossed Yin This is where the mausoleum is lost. "
"Historical Records of Xiang Yu" records: "So King Xiang mounted his horse, and more than 800 of his strong men and servants broke out and galloped away southward at night. At Pingming, the Han army was aware of it and ordered the cavalry general Guan Ying to pursue him with five thousand horses. King Xiang crossed the Huaihe River, and there were more than a hundred people who could ride on it. King Xiang went to Yinling and lost his way. He asked Yi Tian's father, Tian's father. Fing said: "Zuo". The enemy was trapped in the swamp. King Xiang then led his troops to the east. When they reached the east city, there were thousands of Han cavalry who could not escape. ”
This is Sima Qian’s description of Xiang Yu’s route from Gaixia to Dongcheng after his defeat.
The time should include the second half of the night to the next day, and the geography should cover the hundreds of miles from Gaixia to Dongcheng. The escape and pursuit process during this period should have been very tragic and the content should be very rich, but Sima Qian's record only used 118 words. However, an important detail was revealed between the lines: after Yin Ling, Xiang Yu's entourage dropped sharply from more than 100 to 28. There is no reason for this in "Historical Records" and it has become a mystery. Ji Zhengshan told reporters that the result of his research was that Xiang Yu's sudden decrease in elite troops was probably due to heavy losses due to protecting Yu Ji. In other words, Yu Ji probably died after arriving at Yin Ling.
The change in the number of Xiang Yu’s followers is intriguing: when he escaped from Gaixia late at night, Xiang Yu took more than 800 people with him. When he “broke the siege southward at night”, he had “more than 800 strong men and followers under his command”; he successfully survived After the Huaihe River, there were more than 100 people left. "King Xiang crossed the Huaihe River, and there were more than a hundred people who could ride on it." Although the Han army did not discover Xiang Yu's escape until "Pingming" the next day, it was delayed because Xiang Yu got lost in Yinling. The Han army finally caught up with Xiang Yu. There was no fighting between the two sides before, so Xiang Yu and his party should remain at more than 100 people. After the Battle of Yinling, there were only two encounters between Xiang Yu's men and Guan Ying's 5,000 cavalry pursuers, and the losses were not significant. But when he ran to Dongcheng, Xiang Yu only had 28 people left. The people who followed Xiang Yu to flee south were supposed to be strong men and horses, but the number suddenly dropped sharply. What was the reason?
According to Ji Zhengshan's analysis, the sudden decrease in the number of people should have occurred during the Battle of Yinling, which Sima Qian did not record in detail. Xiang Yu rarely lost a battle in his life, and there were many battles in which he won more with less. From the comparison with the subsequent description of the battle in Dongcheng, it can be seen that Xiang Yu, who was good at fighting and brave enough to break through, obviously suffered a big loss in the battle of Yinling. It was obvious that something was holding him back. What was it? The protection of Xiang Yu's beloved concubine, Yu Ji, became the biggest suspect. In addition to reading doubts in the history books, Ji Zhengshan also paid attention to local legends and relics to prove his case.