Research On The Military Geography Of The Ordos Plateau During The Warring States, Qin And Han Dynasties

The unique geographical location and natural environment of the Ordos Plateau during the Qin and Han Dynasties made it a land of agriculture and animal boundary,and a frontier zone for the collision and blending of farming and nomadic people.The region possessed complex geopolitical and significant strategic position.Varies of regimes were fiercely contested here so the military activities were frequent here.Especially when the fanning regime entered this region,they have built a military garrison system based on the natural geography,such as building a Great Wall defense engineering system,creating local military institutions,building military garrison cities in areas with high military value,and building regional traffic roads.The military geography activities of the various regimes in the Ordos Plateau are not only related to their respective rise and fall,but also exerted a significant impact on the historical process of China.Through the military geography investigation of seven major wars in the present Ordos Plateau and its adjacent areas during the Qin and Han Dynasties.Yuanyang city is the ancient city of twenty villages in huangheshao town,saihan district,today's special city;Zhao guoyuzhong is the hilly gully area in the eastern part of the Lusi plateau;Yangshan is the Langshan,in the area south of the western section of Wulashan and north of the Yellow River;ziling,the watershed east of the molan estuary in the eastern section of Langshan;Mushi city is the ancient city of Zengshan County in the Western Han Dynasty,which is the ancient city of the city of Liang village,Haizi Town of Pojiang River,in Dongsheng District.Dachengsai is the ancient city of Prague in Hanggin Banner,Inner Mongolia Autonomous region;Manyi Valley is another name for Gaojue in Qin and Han Dynasty.It is in today's Two-Wolf Valley of Mout Wolf(Man refers to one of the minorities of China,so does Yi);The Yellow River Ferry in Tongguo county,Dingxiang County is called Junzi Ferry in the Northern Wei Dynasty(368-534).It is the east ferry of the Yellow River along the Cattle-Dragon Bay in Jungar Banner.The ancient city of dependency of Xihe is that of Chengheliang in Giggers town in Dalad Banner.Tiger Ze is the Al Sam Nur of Poijiang River of Haizi Town in Dongsheng area.The rebellion of the Julong Tribe of south Hun originated in Yanmen County;Grain city is the ancient city of Luohan County in the Western Han Dynasty,which is the ancient city of Moriguqing in Ejin Horo Banner.Mout Tianshan,also known as Qilian Mountains,is the Northeast Branch of Guancen Mountains in Shanxi province.Qiaomen is the pass of Mount Yahang in Ansai county.Zoumashui River is today's Dali River.Sheyan Ze is located in Haizetan town in Jingbian County;Luochuan River actually refers to the Kushui River in Ningxia;and Lingxianshui River is the Red Willow in Ningxia.Lingwugu Valley is the valley of Yuwang town in Tongxin county rather than the Lingwugu Valley in Helan Mountain from Tang dynasty.The military garrison city is an important part of historical military geography research.During the war period,there were Yunzhong city,Jiuyuan city,Fushi city,Yang Zhou Cheng,etc.Qin Dynasty set up Fuping,Qusou,heyin and other cities along the Yellow River on the basis of following the war period;The important military garrison in the Western Han Dynasty in the present plateau can be divided into three categories,namely,the Duwei city in the border county department,the state-owned Duwei City and other Duwei cities;in the Eastern Han Dynasty,Shixiongnu zhonglang will be stationed in the city,such as the general house of DU Liao and the city of the Right Xiaowei.These military institutions are stationed in strategic locations,guarding the traffic and playing an important military role.Constructing the Great Wall military defense engineering system is an important military geography activity in the Ordos Plateau.The Great Wall of the south of Yinshan in Zhao State was a military defense engineering system that integrates walls,barriers,shackles,plug walls,and shackles,as well as rear bases such as the cities Yunzhong and Jiuyuan.The Ordos Plateau section of the Qin Great Wall of the Warring States Period was divided into two sections:one was built during the period of King Huiwen of Qin State,which extended from the south of Jingbian County to the east of the Yellow River near the Yellow River in Suide County,and did not follow the Wuding River extended to the Pixian County.The other was built during the period of King Zhaoxiang of Qin,which was extended from the south of the Jingbian County watershed and the river platform to the northeast to the Dalat Banner and did not reach the vicinity of the 12 cities of the Zhuhai City.The remains of the Great Wall which divided into east and west by the Baoliang Dongshengliang may be constructed by Zhao State.In the Ordos Plateau and its adjacent areas,the Qin Dynasty repaired the Great Wall of the Warring States to relied on the Yellow River to establish a bastion here and built the Zhuozi Mountain and the Yinshan Great Wall.That means constructing the county seat on the east bank of the Yellow River in the middle of the river to the Beihe River,taking advantage of the steepness to carry out defense.The Great Wall of Zhuozi Mountain was also a part of the "river bastion".The Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall in Langshan,Chashitaishan and Daqingshan as the outer defense line of the Ordos Plateau,which was also used in the Han Dynasty.The barrier city along the Great Wall and the these counties and towns on the south side are important support points for the defense engineering system of Qin and Han Dynasties.The traffic route plays a supporting role in military operations and the garrison system.The Ordos Plateau has gone through three stages in its formation and development of transportation.During the Warring States period(475-221 B.C.),the traffic routes in the eastern part of the Ordos Plateau has come into being while western and the central parts near western region did not form a distinct avenue.In the Qin Dynasty,Straight roads were built and great importance was attached to develop the transportation of Ordos.So Qin Dynasty witnessed the basic pattern of traffic network.The roads of the Ordos Plateau became denser in the Han Dynasty,forming a framework with "three columns and four rows".Within this framework,there were numerous roads in county towns or important military and political bases which led to different directions.The formation and development of the transportation network in the Ordos Plateau were influenced by complex factors like military activities of different regimes,geographical environment,geographical positions of political districts,ethnic groups and military geography.The military stationed defense system of the Erdos Plateau during the Qin and Han Dynasties was a medium-and long-term dynamic process constructed in response to many factors such as military confrontation,political situation,and ethnic relations.It was also a changing spatial process that relied on the natural geography environment and military terrain.Zhao State attacked Yuzhong and occupied thd hilly and gully area in the eastern part of the Ordos Plateau;then,it entered to the "Yinshan" and constructed the Great Wall Defence Engineering System in its southern part.Qin State also built the Great Wall Defense Engineering System in the eastern part of the Ordos Plateau.After repelling Xiongnu,the Qin Dynasty relied on the rapid Yellow River to establish a bastion here and depended on Yinshan to build the Great Wall,formed the outer defense line of the Ordos Plateau.Then,Qin Dynasty cut the straight road to connect surrounding the counties and the Great Wall which built in Warring States Qin defense,forming a hierarchy and Strategic military defense system.At the beginning of the Han Dynasty,the Zhao Great North Great Wall and the Warring States Qin Great Wall defense engineering system were used,and the strategic highlands and river valley roads were used to control traffic and formed a military-based defense system based on defense.During the period of the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,there were barriers to the Great Wall Defence Engineering System on the periphery of the Ordos Plateau.The Ministry of the Interior and the Tudor House and the Tudor House were stationed in military positions to assist the military and garrison system,achieving the goal of transformation of regional strategic status.Later,except for the Emperor Xuan abandoned the outside the city,the military garrison system did not change obviously.By the time of the Xin Dynasty,the military garrison system was gradually dying out due to the attack of Xiongnu and the abandonment the government.During the Eastern Han Dynasty,through the reconstruction of Guangwu and the perfection of the Emperor of Ming,in the first year of Yongyuan,the Ordos Plateau was formed.The military garrison system which led by Shixiiongnu Generals and Duoliao Generals,assisted by Youxiao Generals and Shang County General,which was disintegrated in the late Eastern Han Dynasty under the impact of many national armed forces.The author studied the formation and development of the military stationed defense system on the Ordos Plateau during the Qin and Han Dynasties from a macroscopic view,and studied military garrison city,the Great Wall defense system,and the transportation network as well as major elements of military geography in major wars from a micro perspective.It is easy to find that military activities have obvious features of time and space and military garrison system is of level.The military geography activities in this region are influenced by various factors such as natural geographical environment,geopolitics,military situation and geographical distribution of ethnic groups.