Poyang Lake Outlet

Hukou of Poyang Lake

Hukou controls northern Jiangxi and is one of the important gateways to southern China. Historically, it has been a key military stronghold and a vital trade route, making it a fiercely contested battleground. Throughout various ancient and modern war periods, the Hukou area of Poyang Lake gained significant attention due to numerous large-scale land and naval battles.

I can cite several examples of the battles in the Hukou area of Poyang Lake: During the Jian’an era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wu Kingdom general Zhou Yu trained his navy on Poyang Lake, then led his forces westward to defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when Huan Xuan usurped the throne, generals Liu Yu and He Wuji raised armies to overthrow him, pursuing Huan Xuan to Jiangzhou (present-day Jiujiang), where they decisively defeated his general He Danzhi at Sangluo Shoal (now the waters near Balijiang in Hukou). Later, when Lu Xun rebelled, General Liu Yu’s forces passed through Hukou, broke through the barriers, and killed or drowned over ten thousand of Lu Xun’s troops. When the Sui Dynasty unified the south, a major battle was fought with southern forces at Pengli. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizu ordered General Cao Bin and others to lead an army to conquer the south. The last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty commanded the Hongzhou military governor to lead troops from the upper Yangtze to relieve Jinling, stationing an army of 150,000 at Hukou, where they hesitated to advance, missing their opportunity and leading to a major Song victory. In the first year of Shaoxing during the Southern Song Dynasty under Emperor Gaozong, Li Cheng rebelled and occupied Jianghuai, capturing Jiujiang (Jiujiang City). Three months later, the Southern Song army decisively defeated Li Cheng at Hukou. In 1275 AD (the first year of the Deyou era of the Song Dynasty), Yuan Dynasty general Bayan arrived at Hukou, prayed to the deity of Dagushan Mountain, the winds calmed, the pontoon bridge was completed, and the entire army crossed, bringing southern China under Yuan control. In 1361, Zhu Yuanzhang decisively defeated Chen Youliang on the waters of Hukou; in 1363, he shot and killed Chen Youliang on the waters of Hukou. During the Ming Dynasty’s Wude era, Prince Ning rebelled and marched his forces out onto Poyang Lake. During the Shunzhi and Kangxi eras of the Qing Dynasty, generals Zuo Liangyu, Jin Shenghuan, and Geng Jingzhong successively held Hukou to resist Qing forces...

In modern times, warfare in the Hukou area of Poyang Lake became even more intense and frequent. During the Xianfeng era (mid-19th century), Shi Dakai led the western campaign operations, engaging in fierce battles with the Xiang Army in the Hukou region of Jiangxi. He courageously repelled the Xiang Army, reversing the course of the western campaign. Later, the Xiang Army, under Li Xubin, launched a surprise attack on Hukou, captured the county seat, and took control of both banks of the critical river-lake junction, stripping the Jiujiang Taiping Army of a crucial defensive barrier. The two sides fought repeatedly over this area for several years. In the eighth year of Xianfeng, Peng Yulin’s naval forces established a checkpoint at Hukou and garrisoned Shizhong Mountain. In 1913 (the second year of the Republic of China), Li Liejun launched the “Second Revolution” at Hukou, subsequently engaging in fierce combat with the forces of Yuan Shikai’s trusted general Li Chun—this became the historically renowned “Hukou Oath-taking.” During the Second Revolutionary Civil War, our guerrilla forces in northeastern Jiangxi persisted in armed struggle across the regions of Duchang, Hukou, and Pengze. During the War of Resistance against Japan, our soldiers and civilians joined hands in the lakes and rivers to fight the Japanese invaders, staging one heroic episode after another in the drama of national defense. During the Liberation War, Hukou became the westernmost point for the southward crossing of the major armies; on the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, winds were high, waves rough, and masts stood thick as a forest.

The historical battles that took place in the Hukou area of Poyang Lake include various types: wars of unification by major political and military groups aiming to unify the nation, wars between feudal lords and the central government, power struggles among feudal lords, peasant uprisings, revolutionary wars, and national resistance against foreign aggression.

War destroys culture, but war also creates culture. The war history and culture of the Hukou area of Poyang Lake are so ancient, rich in content, and spectacular in form that they are worthy of being recorded in the annals of history. Due to warfare, countless academies, temples, and residences were destroyed, lives were lost, and the people suffered. To this day, the Hukou area of Poyang Lake still preserves many types of military camps, fortresses, and strongholds from various dynasties. These remnants of past wars, these historical imprints, provide ample material for later generations to study and reflect upon.

Since modern times, the oath-taking to crusade against Yuan, the raising of the first flag of rebellion, the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the revolution of the Northern Expedition, the eight-year War of Resistance, and the joint fight against the Japanese invaders—all demonstrated a noble national spirit of unyielding integrity, fearless bravery, and the pursuit of truth, regardless of the cost of life or limb for the future and destiny of the nation.

Researching war culture plays a powerful role in promoting world peace, and this is perhaps the most important significance of studying war culture. War, after all, is a challenge to peace. Once hostilities begin, lives are lost, civilization is damaged or even destroyed, and the losses are immeasurable. In fact, we are constantly hoping for peace to descend upon our planet.