Lanma Wall

Lanma Wall

Lanma Wall

Lanma Wall, in the northeast of Baixing Town, about

4

kilometers from the town, is a secluded small valley basin where the Sancha River runs through the middle. To the east is the towering Gaotun Mountain, and to the north is the forested Sanguozhuang, with giant trees reaching skyward. Sanguozhuang earned its name due to the three sharp peaks at its summit that resemble the legs of a tripod. This is the historic Lanma Wall of Shuixi, as well as a major stronghold built by An Kun in the northeast of Baini Tun to defend against Wu's army. The *Dading County Annals: Monuments Section* records: “Lanma Wall is located 250 li west of the city, built by An Kun, the Xuanwei of Baini Tun.”

Lanma Wall stretches between Gaotun and Sanguozhuang. In the third year of the Kangxi reign, An Kun ordered his men to build it using rough stones, some weighing over a thousand jin. The wall is

200

meters long,

5

meters high, and

3

meters thick, without lime used for pointing. It features three arched gateways. The distance between each arched gateway is

60

meters, with the middle one slightly higher, forming a “品” (Chinese character “pin,” resembling the shape of three gates) pattern with the two side arches. Below, there is a water gate, fixed on both riverbanks with strip stones, and thick wooden beams are placed in grooves like a drawbridge, which can be raised or lowered to block or release water. Both the arched gateways and the water gate are constructed from finely chiseled strip stones.

On Gaotun Mountain, there is a square cave that can accommodate a hundred people. It is surrounded by stone walls and has a gate. There are two paths leading to it, accessible along a small trail to the left of the Lanma Wall. A watchtower was also built, housing wooden beams and rolling logs as a wooden and stone structure. When enemies approached, these were dropped from above to injure or kill them.

After Wu Sangui suffered a defeat at Hou'er Pass, he redirected a detachment of troops to break through Lanma Wall and invade Baini Tun. However, An Kun had already been alerted and reinforced the defenses. When Wu’s forces arrived, intense fighting broke out at the pass. Wu’s army bombarded Sanguozhuang, causing rocks to fall down the mountain, crushing an entire village and killing many villagers. Enraged, An Kun ordered his soldiers to open the floodgates, drowning over a thousand of Wu’s soldiers.