Study On Yingzhou Administrative Region In The Southern Dynasties

In the Southern Dynasties,Yingzhou was located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River,guarding the main waterway of Jianghan river.It has been a must for military strategists since ancient times.The original intention of emperor Xiaowu of Song Dynasty to establish Yingzhou was to contain Jingzhou,so the main role of Yingzhou in the early and middle period of the Southern Dynasty was the strategic buffer zone between the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.With the strategic imbalance between the states in the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the late Liu Song Dynasty,Yingzhou began to become the balance point between the states in the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.However,the outbreak of “Hou Jing rebellion” not only changed the internal political pattern of the Southern Dynasty,but also greatly changed the military pattern between the north and the south.Yongzhou,Jingzhou and Yizhou were acquired by the Northern Zhou Dynasty.The Huaihe River Basin was invaded by the Northern Qi Dynasty.At the beginning of the Chen Dynasty,there were many separatist regimes in Jiangnan.After the unification of Jiangnan,Emperor Chen Xuan launched the "Northern Expedition of Taijian" in order to recover,but the failure of the northern expedition made the Chen Dynasty only rely on the Yangtze River to confront the Northern Zhou Dynasty.The strategic role of Yingzhou changed from the strategic balance point of upstream and downstream to the front line of North South confrontation.During the Liu Song period,Yingzhou crossed the Yangtze River from north to south,completely separating Jingzhou,Jiangzhou and Xiangzhou,which not only blocked Yongzhou and Jingzhou in the upper reaches,but also restrained Jiangzhou in the lower reaches.At the same time,with the convenience of shipping along the Yangtze River,the transportation of Yingzhou is developed,the population is prosperous,and the barbarians of Wuling and Xiyang counties are auxiliary.Its economic and military strength can not be underestimated.During the Qi and Liang dynasties,although the administrative region of Yingzhou changed slightly,its core administrative regions,such as Jiangxia and Wuchang,remained unchanged.Meanwhile,the Dudu District of Yingzhou still maintained the scale of the Liu Song period.During the period of Chen Dynasty,there were only more than Jiangnan counties in Yingzhou,and its administrative area was greatly reduced,from inner vassal to border town.Yingzhou,as an important town in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the Southern Dynasties,was the balance point to maintain the strategic balance of the upper and lower states internally,and the central defense line to defend the northern and Southern Dynasties externally.The gain and loss of Yingzhou is not only related to the competition between the upper and lower reaches,but also affects the relationship between the central government and Hunan and Guangdong provinces.It can be said that the development and change of Yingzhou is the epitome of local politics in the Southern Dynasties.