Baiyang Stockade

Baiyang Stockade

Located in the western part of Xingshan County, covering an area of 30 square kilometers. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Li Laiheng, a general under the peasant uprising leader Li Zicheng, retreated from Sichuan to the mountainous regions of western Hubei to continue resisting the Qing forces. Leading his troops, Li Laiheng held firm at this location, which the Qing army repeatedly failed to capture. One night, the Qing soldiers attempted a feigned attack by tying lanterns to the horns of hundreds of sheep and driving them forward, planning to follow behind the animals and ambush Li’s main stronghold. However, Li Laiheng and his officers saw through the ruse, let the sheep pass, lured the enemy deeper, cut off their retreat, and then launched a pincer attack that defeated the Qing forces decisively here. Existing relics and sites include artillery batteries, mills, armament workshops, pestle pits, and a performance ground. In the ninth year of the Yongli era (1665 AD), the Southern Ming Emperor Zhu Youlang, by imperial decree, assigned the Right Vice Minister of War, Mao Dengshou, to erect the “Monument of the Holy Emperor’s Palace” at Beiping in honor of Li Laiheng, posthumously granting him the title of Prince of Lin. The monument stands 3 meters tall and is 1.3 meters wide. Other well-preserved structures include the “Seven and a Half Steps,” a checkpoint used for inspections, and the “Chess Pavilion,” where soldiers played chess during their leisure time.