In ancient times, how did beacon towers convey military sentiment? It was not just about letting off smoke!
The poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty had a famous short poem "Spring Outlook":
< p>The country is broken by mountains and rivers, and the city has deep vegetation in spring.I am moved to tears by the flowers, and the birds are frightened by the hatred.
The war rages on for three months, and a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold.
The white-headed scratches are shorter, and the lust is overwhelming.
This is a poem about leaving chaos, worrying about the country and missing relatives. The Anshi rebels captured Chang'an, and Tang Xuanzong fled to Sichuan in a hurry. Prince Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu (now part of Ningxia) as Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. After hearing the news, Du Fu settled his family in Duzhou and defected to Suzong's court alone. Unfortunately, he was captured by the rebels on the way. In the spring of the following year (AD 756), Du Fu, who was in the occupied area, witnessed the desolate scene of Chang'an City. He had mixed feelings and wrote this masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.
The "beacon fire" in the poem refers to the fireworks used by the border guards in ancient times, and here refers to the wars of the Anshi Rebellion. In ancient times, the fireworks used by border guards to convey military intelligence were accomplished by beacon towers. So, in ancient times, how did beacon towers convey military information?
"Beacon fire", there are two types of border alarm signals in ancient times, setting off smoke during the day is called "燇", and raising fire at night is called "beacon". The beacon tower is also called the beacon, commonly known as beacon, smoke pier, and pier. In ancient times, the high platform used to light fireworks to convey important messages was an important military defense facility in ancient times. It was built to prevent enemy invasion. If an enemy situation occurred, smoke would be fired during the day and fires would be lit at night. The platforms would be connected to convey messages. The beacon smoke is an ancient but effective way of transmitting messages, so it has been used for more than two thousand years.
The beacon towers are built on the border, either five miles or ten miles apart. The distance varies, depending on the terrain, and the distance is based on the distance between each other. "In Tang Dynasty law, whenever a border city is waiting for a beacon, a beacon should be placed every thirty miles. It must be at the peak of the mountain. If there are hills and mountains that isolate it and the terrain is inconvenient, there is no limit on the number of miles. Three beacons should be facing each other. If there is a border, the beacon should be on the outside. Build city barriers ("Wu Jing Zong Yao")"
Each beacon tower has several soldiers dedicated to its management. Once a certain beacon tower detects the enemy situation, it will immediately use the beacon fire to alert the neighboring towers. In this way, the beacon towers will be passed down from generation to generation, and the beacon fires will be used as signals one after another, all the way to the border county defenders. According to the enemy situation indicated by the beacon fire, troops will be sent to resist immediately.
The beacon fire in ancient times was equivalent to the later flag language. The beacon fire also changed depending on the enemy situation. "Mozi: Command Chapter": "When you see the enemy, you lift one stick, when you enter, you lift two sticks, when you are escorting, you lift three sticks, when you enter, you lift four sticks, when you enter the city, you lift five sticks, and when you use fire at night, it's all like this." It refers to the firewood cage, which is also the beacon.
The "Wu Jing Zong Yao" compiled by the Song Dynasty states that "whenever thieves enter the country, more than 50 horse and infantry people but less than 500 people will set off a beacon. When it comes to Tibetan affairs, and If there is smoke and dust, if you want to know whether to go south, set off two beacon torches. If there are more than 500 but less than 3,000 remaining bandits, set off two beacon torches. If there are more than 500 bandits but less than 1,000 riders, set off three beacon torches. If there are more than 3,000 bandits on horseback, three beacon torches will be set off. If there are more than a thousand bandits, and the number of the bandits is unknown, four beacon torches will be set off. If there are more than 10,000 bandits, four beacon beacon torches will be set off. Those with more than two torches will be sent to Beijing. There are about six types of beacon alarm signals in ancient times, namely: beacon, watch, smoke, ji, and drum. There have been different opinions on how to use it. Generally speaking, beacon, watch, and smoke are the signals used during the day. "Feng" uses "Dou Ling" (Dou Ling), fills it with firewood, and hangs it on the top of Jumei (similar to a modern boom), usually hanging low; when the enemy is found, he immediately lights a smoke and raises the pole high to alarm with smoke. . The "table" is made of cloth, with two colors of red and white, which is very eye-catching. It can be used as a warning during the day. In addition to raising beacon smoke, "smoke" can also be produced by burning firewood piled together. In some areas, wolf dung or cow dung is used. Wolf dung is the best. After burning, the smoke is straight and easy to see, and the breeze does not tilt it. , in the poem "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, the sun is setting in the long river" by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty, it refers to the smoke of the wolf. Accumulated firewood is a pile of firewood, also known as "sui".
When lit, there is smoke and fire. It can be used day and night, but it consumes a lot of firewood, so it is mostly used at night.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, the beacon towers were the largest in scale. They were connected along the edge and connected to each other. Each had its own jurisdiction and formed its own system. Because the beacon bar is at the forefront, the selection of garrison personnel is also very cautious. "When setting up a beacon, there is one commander and one deputy. Each beacon has nine sons, and those who are believed to have a family will serve as deputy commanders." "I believe that only those with family members" can serve as deputy commanders. First, they have integrity, and second, they have family members who are controlled by the government. If there is any dereliction of duty, the family members must bear joint and several liability.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, the beacon towers were the largest in scale. They were connected along the edge and connected to each other. Each had its own jurisdiction and formed its own system. Since the use of gunpowder in the military in the Song Dynasty, people have gradually used "cannons" or "guns" to report news, supplemented by arson, hanging lanterns and raising flags, and "beacon smoke" has gradually been replaced. Setting off cannons and pulling flags also has strong intelligence information: "The thieves with one cannon and green flag are in the east, the flags with red cannons are in the south, the thieves with three cannons and white flags are in the west, and the thieves with four cannons and black flags are in the north." The transmission of this method of firing alarms The speed is much faster than the previous cigarette lighting method, and can reach more than 7,000 miles in a day and night.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the beacon system was still used, but it was no longer as important as in the previous generation, and there were several changes.
The person who paid the most attention to the construction of beacons in the Ming Dynasty was Qi Jiguang, the famous general who guarded Jimen. He built a number of piers and platforms used as blockhouses on the Great Wall. "The platform is five feet high, with three floors in the middle. Hundreds of people, equipped with armor and grain," creating a majestic appearance of "two thousand miles of momentum and momentum" ("History of the Ming Dynasty: Biography of Qi Jiguang"). These piers themselves serve as beacon towers. At the same time, a batch of piers and platforms were built specifically for communication and alarm purposes. Only five soldiers were stationed in each pier. Raise the beacon, spread it to the left and right, and plan the border wall of Ji Zhen. It stretches more than two thousand miles and can be covered in only three hours." (Volume 6 of "Records of Military Training").
If there is an abnormality in the beacon fire, the ancients also formulated a safety precaution plan. If the signal cannot be sent out in time, remedial measures need to be taken immediately:
First, the signal cannot be sent out as scheduled (such as firewood and straw quilts) If the signal cannot be ignited due to rain, or the warning cannot be given due to wind and sand, or the signal has been sent, but the vanguard does not respond, etc., someone must be sent to "urgently send a message" to inform the relevant personnel.
Secondly, if a signal is sent by mistake when there is no enemy situation, the beacon must be put down as soon as possible, the burning fire must be put out, and the signal must be reported to the captain's mansion. Signaling by mistake or failing to signal when encountering police will be severely punished.
Basically, when there is no enemy situation, in order to prevent accidents, each beacon tower will light a fire sooner or later to report safety, which is called "safe fire". If there is no "safe fire" at that time, it means that the beacon tower is This may change and action should be taken immediately.
From these plans, we can see the sophistication and wisdom of ancient times.