A Study On The Historical Military Geography Of The Dongting Lake In The Late Tang Dynasty And The Five Dynasties

There were several regimes such as the Lei’s、the Ma’s、the Jingnan、the Zhou’s successively appeared in the three areas around the Dongting lake from late tang dynasty to five dynasties and ten kingdoms period. The military and political interactions surrounding the Dongting lake, which were under the influence of geographical environment, is worth thoroughly arranging. The so-called three areas around the Dongting lake, refers to Dongting lake as the center, with its associated river basin by radiation to the surrounding area, including Jingnan, Tanyue and Lilang areas. Therefore, this paper has discussed the three regimes’ geographical situation at first. And then, it has discussed the military and political interactions among the three areas on the basis of the first part.In addition to the introduction, this paper includes the following three chapters.The first chapter has mainly introduced the historical evolution of administrative zones of the three areas, made a necessary analysis of the regional geographical situation to highlight the three areas’ geographical characteristics in history.The previous three sections of the second chapter have mainly combed the military system, military facilities and tactics used by the parties who took part in the war in late tang and five dynasties and ten kingdoms period. Based on terrain classification standards, the tactics of the wars were divided into water warfare tactics, mountain warfare tactics, plain battle tactics and comprehensive war tactics.Then the study has discussed the three areas’ military operations under the geographical situation and regional strategic key points mainly by statistical classification. Changsha, whose strategic position was supported by Liling, Liuyang, Yiyang, Yuezhou, was the military center of Tanyue. The military center of Lilang was Wuling, and it had two strategic key points called Langkou and Meizhou. Jiangling was the military center of Jingnan, whose position supported by Jingjiang, Jingmen, Guizhou and Xiazhou.The third chapter is the focus of this paper, and it focus on the regime change and political evolution of the three areas in this period.The first section has mainly discussed the Lei’s regime in late tang. There was little special study involved this regime at present. Therefore, this article will focus on this research. The Lei’s of Langzhou was typical representative of Hunan in late tang, which kept relatively stable triangle political relations with Jingnan and Tanyue. Until the Ma’s occupied the hunan and the central plains dynasty gave Jingnan and Hunan a hand for the military action, the Ma’s disappeared in the historical stage.The second section has discussed several problems of the Ma’s regime. After entering hunan, Mayin gradually took control of the three regions such as Guizhou, Yuezhou and Lilang. But since the death of Mayin, the internal competition of the regime led this kingdom to perish.The third section has provided an overview about the development of the Langzhou power after the Ma’s kingdom. There were two steps of the Langzhou’s development called Liuyan&Wangkui’s period and the Zhou’s period.The fourth quarter is another focus of this article, and it has mainly researched Lilang and Tanyue’s political role reversal.Since the death of Mayin, the Heirs were competing for power fiercely. Which seems to be the internal politics, it was essentially battle of the power between the Langzhou and the Tanzhou. Though it was often lost to the Langzhou, the Tanzhou also was the political center at first. After Chu destruction, Langzhou forced strong, fighting inside also. In this process, Lang and Tan states had taken place in the political role of substantial exchange. At last,Langzhou became the political center, within the territory of hunan replace tam states play a role.The fifth section has briefly introduced Jingnan’s two forces which surviwing longer since the late tang,one of them was Chengrui forces, the another was the Gao’s regime.The sixth section has focused on the stable diplomacy between Jingnan and Hunan. This section is the innovation of this article,and it has mainly researched why the diplomatic policy of the two regims were both of peaceful coexistence and interdependence. There were several reasons, such as the geographical position and the political situation. Both of the two areas’development divided into four stages: establishment-prosperity-keeping-the decline and fall, and the time of every stage was very close. It can be seen that the development both influence each other.Therefore, although there were four periods of development, the military power of both ebb and flow with each other. Because of various reasons, its mutual diplomatics’were stable. Finally, in the unity of the historical development trend, Jingnan and Hunan regime both quitted the historical stage.