Ancient Battlefield of Shuixi

　　Nayong was the ancient battlefield where Wu Sangui marched into Shuixi. This

　　16

　　th

　　century

　　history is quite well known in northwestern Guizhou, but the exact location of the main battlefield remains little known.

　　Wu Sangui’s Marching Route at the Time

　　The Shuixi region “guards the throat between Yunnan and Chu, and stands at the key point between Wu and Yue.”

　　In the third year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty

　　(

　　1664

　　AD

　　)

　　, Wu Sangui led ten regiments of troops from Yunnan into the Shuixi area, advancing from Bidé in Shuicheng and crossing the Nayong River into Haizu. After the Battle of Hou'er Pass, they reached Haiziqingkou in Yangchang, ascended Ma'zong Ridge via Shuowo, descended to Yongxi, and arrived at Luozhe Maochang in Lezhi

　　(

　　the site of the former Shuixi Xuanweisi Government Office

　　)

　　, then exited via Nabridge into Yina’jia in Zhijin. The battle line stretched over

　　100

　　kilometers, with fighting raging across the entire territory of Nayong.

　　Several Major Battles

　　Fierce Battle at Hou'er Pass

　　After several days of intense fighting between Wu Sangui and the forces of Shuixi Xuanweisi An Kun at Azha Tun in Shuicheng, An Kun concentrated heavy forces to defend Hou'er Pass.

　　Hou'er Pass is located about

　　40

　　kilometers southwest of Nayong County and is one of the four treacherous passes leading to Baini Tun. The pass is crescent-shaped, with cliffs about

　　kilometers, is one of the four treacherous mountain passes leading to Baini Tun. The pass is crescent-shaped, with sheer cliffs about

　　60

　　meters wide, approximately

　　300

　　meters, commanding the strategic terrain between Baixingyang and Chang, with a blocking wall to the east and the solid defense of Baini Tun to the west, making the geography extremely treacherous.

　　When Wu Sangui’s troops arrived, they set up camp at Haizuo. First, he sent Liu Anbang with a thousand soldiers to establish a stronghold in front of the pass, confronting those on the pass. The Shuixi army “hung ropes on the cliffs at night, with flares and bells.”

　　Wu Sangui, suspecting a night attack by the Shuixi forces, immediately ordered Buzong Wang Yi to lead three hundred light cavalry to engage the enemy. Due to the nighttime operation, the galloping horses were hard to control, and unfamiliarity with the terrain led to Wang Yi and all three hundred men falling off the cliff to their deaths below the pass. Taking advantage of the situation, An Kun dispatched fifteen thousand men to charge out, surrounding Liu Anbang completely. After fierce fighting, Liu Anbang and his thousand soldiers perished near the pass, with only a few dozen managing to escape. To this day, the story of An Kun cutting down the vine bridge is still passed down in Baixing Town.

　　1990

　　year

　　10

　　month, Fu Chuanyue, former Party Secretary of Nayong County, wrote a poem titled “Lamenting the Ancient Battlefield of Hou’er Pass”:

　　Sangui led troops to seize the narrow pass,

　　Shattered weapons sank in sand, corpses drifted back.

　　Ruins and broken cauldrons are seen no more,

　　Yet the towering form of Hou’er remains proud as before.

　　Cannon Bombardment at Qingkoumen

　　Qingkoumen is located at the border of today’s Yangchang Town and Zongling Town. With a majestic mountain formation, two peaks rise abruptly, with sheer cliffs and precipices reaching a height of

　　250

　　meters, like a stone gate locked shut—it is the throat passage from Nayong to Shuicheng. Below it lies Yangchang

　　(

　　Yangchang

　　)

　　Haizi, with emerald-green water of unfathomable depth. From the eastern end of the lake, a single rugged mountain path leads straight up to Qingkoumen. So narrow that only one person or one horse can pass at a time, a slight misstep could send one tumbling into the lake—truly a place where one man could hold off ten thousand.

　　After the fierce battle at Hou’er Pass, An Kun’s forces retreated to Mazongling and held their ground at Qingkoumen. Wu Sangui, leading thirty thousand troops, pursued them to this location. Seeing the formidable defenses of Qingkoumen, he decided to station his forces at Dapingdi, observing the movements of the defenders from across Yangchang

　　(

　　Yangchang

　　)

　　Haizi. The two sides remained deadlocked until Wu’s forces launched an offensive. After several days without success and suffering heavy casualties, they were unable to advance. Following the advice of his subordinates, Wu deployed large cannons known as “General One” and “General Two,” aiming them at Qingkoumen. Legend says that just three cannon shots split the pass in two, leaving it resembling two open doors. Since then, the two sheer cliffs have stood opposite each other, towering into the clouds. Once the pass was breached, Wu Sangui drove his troops forward aggressively. Unable to withstand the assault, the Shuixi army retreated, and An Kun fell back to Woze.

　　Today, Qingkoumen has become the Nayong Qingmen One-Line Sky scenic spot, with the highway between Nayong and Shuicheng passing right through it. What was once a strategic stronghold has now become a thoroughfare.

　　Outwitting Wu Sangui

　　Bailongpo is situated in the triangular area where Tongde River and Yudong River meet. It is located north of Nayong City. To the east are towering cliffs with sheer rock faces thousands of feet high, while to the northwest, rolling peaks stretch continuously from Shabao Qingtonglin to Tongchang Yakou, spanning nearly

　　With the Jingmen Pass lost, An Kun retreated to Woze to regroup his forces and engaged in battles against Wu Sangui at Dui'cha Dam and Lotus Pond. Learning that Lu Tianjue, a descendant of the Wumeng people from Tongde River and the brother of An Kun’s wife Lady Lu Hua, might come to reinforce the defenders, Wu Sangui feared a flanking attack. He therefore sent troops to block them. Upon receiving this intelligence, Lu Tianjue immediately convened his subordinates for a strategy meeting. One of his aides, Zhao the Steward, suggested that since Wu Sangui’s forces were overwhelming, they should rely on cunning and terrain advantage to wait for the right moment to strike. Lu Tianjue agreed and devised a plan to set up a deceptive force. He ordered his men to tie lanterns with burning candles to straw figures placed high in the trees along Bailong Slope. When night fell, the slope was ablaze with lights, resembling a long, winding dragon. When Wu Sangui’s troops reached Longgu Pass and saw the dazzling lights and seemingly formidable presence on Bailong Slope, they realized Lu Tianjue was well-prepared and promptly ordered a retreat. Seizing the opportunity after Wu Sangui’s withdrawal, Lu Tianjue, sensing their fear, commanded his soldiers to charge down the slope in pursuit, achieving a great victory. He then renamed Bailong Slope to Desheng Slope (Victory Slope). A later poet commemorated the event with these lines: “In days of war’s wild blaze, they decked these mountain passes. In peril, they employed brilliant schemes, and shattered the enemy of the Shuixi realm.”

　　The Siege of Guoyongdi

　　After suffering defeats at Hou’er Pass, Jingmen Pass, and Lotus Pond, An Kun consulted with Pi Xiong and decided to withdraw his troops to Naya for rest and recuperation, planning to devise a new strategy to turn the tide of battle.

　　Naba Bridge is a single-arch stone bridge along the ancient post road in Woze. Its foundations on both ends are built atop sheer cliffs, making it a strategic chokepoint connecting Nayong and Zhijin counties. Here, mountains overlap and valleys run deep. The Wuzu River twists and roars through the area with rapid, turbulent waters, creating an extremely perilous terrain. Spanning the Wuzu River, Naba Bridge soars between the northern and southern mountains. It was here that An Kun lured the enemy deep into the fortress of Guoyongdi.

　　After Wu Sangui established camp at Guoyongdi, he first sent envoys to issue proclamations across Guizhou, requesting reinforcements and grain supplies to be transported to Liugui River for support. He then ordered Ma Sanbao, He Bing, and eight others to lead

　　24,000

　　troops into battle. The Shuixi army, mustering tens of thousands, launched a fierce counterattack. Outmatched, Wu Sangui resorted to artillery bombardment before managing to withdraw his forces back to camp. Taking advantage of the situation, Pi Xiong mobilized his troops to besiege Guoyongdi while dispatching soldiers to guard Naba Bridge and Liugui River, cutting off the enemy’s supply lines. Originally, when Wu Sangui sent out the call for aid, a clerical error mistakenly wrote “Liugu” as “Liuguang.” The Sichuan and Guizhou grain supplies were all stockpiled at Liuguang, and communication between the three routes broke down. With no food reaching the army, Wu Sangui’s forces found themselves trapped in Guoyongdi for several months.

　　When Wu Sangui’s troops were exhausted and cut off from supplies, had An Kun followed Pi Xiong’s advice to launch an assault, victory would have been easily within reach. Unfortunately, An Kun heeded the flawed counsel of Cha Jiana and missed the opportunity to strike. Only then did Wu Sangui narrowly escape total annihilation. Later, relief arrived in the form of Guizhou Governor-General Li Benshen leading reinforcements, while General Li Rubi commanded elite troops to deliver grain. Once supplies reached them, the soldiers had to subsist on porridge for three days before they could don their armor again. From within the city, Wu Sangui’s forces fired cannons in coordination with the arriving reinforcements, launching a combined attack from inside and out. The Shuixi army crumbled under the assault, and An Kun fled to Jiuliqing before being captured and executed at Fadi Tun. This battle marked the final decisive confrontation between the Shuixi forces and Wu Sangui, as well as the climactic engagement that determined the outcome of the conflict.

　　Hou’er Pass, Lanma Wall, Jingmen Pass, Desheng Slope, and Naba Bridge along the ancient post road in Woze—these once smoke-filled and cannon-rattling battlegrounds have now become historic sites and scenic landmarks of Nayong. They stand as symbols of Nayong’s turbulent past and embody the essence of its ancient culture.

　　The Shuixi War, which began in March of the third year of the Kangxi reign

　　(

　　1664

　　A.D.

　　)

　　and ended in February of the fourth year of the Kangxi reign

　　(

　　1665

　　A.D.

　　)

　　lasted a full year. Thereafter, the region entered the era of “Gaitu Guiliu” (replacing native chieftains with centralized administration), bringing an end to

　　the over

　　1,000

　　-year-old hereditary Tusi system of the Shuixi Yi people.

　　(No images available. Contributions welcome.)