Ancient Battlefield of the Miao People's Uprising

　　The expansive mountains and valleys from Pinglong to Guiyupo in the suburbs of Jishou were once the site of the final decisive battle between the Miao uprising forces and hundreds of thousands of Qing troops. To this day, cannonballs as thick as bowls, along with iron and bronze cannons, are often found in the area—some of which have been preserved in the Hunan Provincial Museum and the Autonomous Prefecture Museum. The ancient battlefield features a Pinglong terrain, with a long, narrow basin at its center, surrounded by towering mountains. The landscape is majestic, with steep cliffs on all sides, making the area highly defensible and strategically treacherous. The eastern side of Pinglong, known as Shuimen Pass, serves as the gateway into Pinglong and is the most crucial and geographically advantageous stronghold. Two mountains face each other across a river, their cliffs sheer and precipitous, leaving only a narrow mountain path. It was an ideal defensive position. The uprising forces leveraged Pinglong’s defendable yet offensive-friendly terrain to repeatedly repel Qing attacks.

　　In the first year of the Jiaqing Emperor’s reign, Eledengbao, who had served as commander three times, led over 100,000 Qing troops in a five-pronged assault on Pinglong, the heartland of the Miao uprising. Owing to the overwhelming disparity in strength between the uprising forces and the Qing army, the militarily vital Shuimen Pass fell. After losing Shuimen Pass, the Qing troops advanced directly toward Pinglong along the Jiulong River. The valiant uprising fighters engaged the Qing army in a decisive battle across Pinglong’s vast fields. However, ultimately outnumbered and outmatched, the uprising forces were forced to retreat to the rear hills of Pinglong—Guiyupo and Shilongshan. Wu Tingyi, who would later become the King of Wu, and Shi Liudeng, a founding general, led the uprising troops in their final stand here, fighting to the last breath.