Arsenal during the Taiping Rebellion

Arsenal during the Taiping Rebellion

In Nanhu Village, Rehotown, Heping County, there stands a solitary, steep and precipitous mountain — Flame Mountain. Not long ago, after a wildfire, the "ruins" of a Taiping Rebellion sword foundry, dormant for over a hundred years, were exposed on the mountaintop. From the summit of Flame Mountain, one can still clearly see that there are 12 earthen houses lined up on the peak, each about six to seven square meters in size, with walls made of mud mixed with lime, approximately 0.25 meters thick.

Flame Mountain is an isolated peak, with steep cliffs on three sides and only a narrow path leading to the top, making it easy to defend but hard to attack. Below the mountain are towering cliffs and a bottomless abyss, a sight that inspires awe. It is said that when the Taiping Army retreated westward during their defeat, they once camped here on Flame Mountain to resist pursuing enemies. These "ruins" are the weapon workshops of the Taiping Army.　

Historical records indicate it was a Taiping Army encampment — According to the "Heyuan Cultural and Historical Materials" and the "Heping County Annals," in 1856 (the sixth year of the Xianfeng reign), after the internal conflict within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Wing King Shi Dakai returned to the capital to take charge of affairs but was persecuted. He then ordered his cousin Shi Zhenji to lead an army of over 20,000 to seek a foothold in Longchuan, Guangdong. Shi Zhenji led his troops westward in the spring of the ninth year of Xianfeng and arrived in Heping. In 1865 (the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign), Taiping General King Kang Wang Wang Haiyang led over 100,000 troops through the area, passing from Rehotown and Cengang toward Shangping in Lianping County, causing the local magistrate to flee upon hearing the news. As for the exact details, they can no longer be verified. However, stories about the Taiping Army camping in Rehotown have been passed down through generations among local villagers. Villager Pei Nanxiong said that when he was a child, he often heard his grandfather recount tales of the Taiping Rebellion, and his great-uncle even joined the Taiping Army. Pei Nanxiong mentioned that many households in the village at the time still kept weapons made by the Taiping Army, such as spears and swords, as well as three cannons, which were even fired during weddings and funerals.

Flame Mountain Reburns, Revealing Ruins — Legend has it that during the journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, the Monkey King, mischievous as always, accidentally dropped a fireball that landed squarely on Flame Mountain in Rehotown, Heping. The fire burned for three days and three nights before it was extinguished, scorching the rocks of the mountain to a red glow and heating the river below until it steamed. To this day, hot springs continue to emerge from the river. Since then, the villagers have called the mountain Flame Mountain and the river Hot Water River. It is said that one evening after the author of "The Legend of Flame Mountain" finished writing the book, the next day, Flame Mountain caught fire. This wildfire revealed the previously forest-hidden ruins on the mountaintop. Yesterday, the reporter saw on the mountaintop that trees had grown through the century-old broken walls, and new branches had sprouted from trees near the ruined walls after the fire.

Plan to Establish Patriotic Education Base — In fact, the true naming of the Hot Water River in Heping is directly related to the abundant geothermal resources beneath the riverbed. According to exploration, the hot spring resources in Nanhu Village, Rehotown, are widely distributed with large outflows and temperatures as high as 95 degrees Celsius. Villagers say that in winter, the hot spring water gushing from the riverbed warms the entire river, creating a fairy-tale-like scene. After discovering these "ruins" of significant historical and cultural value, the local authorities are planning to develop them into a patriotic education base for young people, aiming to enhance the cultural richness of the scenic area.