In the Tang dynasty, a beacon tower was set up every 30 miles in the border area, which was invincible during the day and raised fire at night to announce it; The night is invincible, and the smoke is flat and clear, which is called "safe fire". Zhang Ji's Three Poems of Liangzhou Part II: "The gates of the ancient town are open, and Hu Bing is often beside the sand. Patrol the border to let guests travel early, and every time they come safely "; Yang Kui's Ningzhou Road said, "There is a small road on the city, and Hu Bing is coming. Just rely on a torch to comfort people. " The torch of peace and fire can soothe people's hearts. If peace and fire do not come, people will panic. "Zi Zhi Tong Jian, the first year of Tang Suzong to Germany" said: "On this day, John's men came to the rescue and summoned them from time to time, but Li Fude and others were sent to Tongguan to supervise grazing. At dusk, peace and fire will not come, and fear will begin. " Hu Sansheng's Note: The Six Classics: When Tang Zhen looked at the wind, it was three miles away. On the first night of every day, a torch is lit, which is called the fire of safety. When the defenders had fallen, no one continued to fire. ""John "is the ge guarding Tongguan at that time; Get up ",namely Tang Suzong. The first year of Zhide (756) was the second year of "An Shi Rebellion". The Anshi Rebellion was fierce. The future of the Tang Dynasty was uncertain, and the monarch and his subjects were in a panic, eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the fire of peace in order to understand the news of the front. The so-called "Zhaoyang is also waiting for the fire, and those who hold the standard are not honored" (Han Yan's "Jingxi is a matter").
The Tang Dynasty had a strong national strength, a vast territory and a long border. With the revival of the Silk Road, exchanges between China and foreign countries have become more frequent. Compared with the previous generation, the borders of the Tang Dynasty need to be lifted on time, and peace is often reported. So "Taiping Fire" is sometimes described in Tang poetry, but its connotation is different:
The first is border security. Border security means the security of the capital and the country. The sign is to see whether the fire of peace rises on time: "If the evening beacon is not near, everyone will report peace" (Du Fu's "Evening beacon"), "There is nothing along the border for thousands of miles, only the fire of peace enters the city" (Yao He's "Two Poems on the Poor Side"), "It is advisable to wait for fewer people, so don't be surprised by the fire of peace" (Yuan Zhen) Yimen, the eastern gate of Wei capital of the Warring States Period, later called. Peace is a fire, and the border is safe; If peace and fire don't come, there may be war on the border. Wang Wei's "collecting Peng and returning to Hutian" desert "solitary smoke" is straight, and the long river falls in yen ("making it to the traffic jam") refers to the beacon smoke, that is, safe fire. When the poet came to Juyan (now Ejina Banner, Inner Mongolia) from the frontier, he sighed like wandering grass and geese from south to north, and he was lonely. The sight in front of him refreshed the poet: against the backdrop of the vast golden desert, a cloud of fire and smoke floated straight up; Weak water (now Ejina River) runs away. At the junction of water and sky, the gorgeous sunset slowly rolls into the turbulent river like a wheel. Because of the peaceful fire and the peaceful border, the poet's mood changed from melancholy to excitement (for details, see Gao Jianxin's article "Lonely Smoke in the Desert, New Explanation of Long River Condensing Yen", Journal of Inner Mongolia University, 20 17, 1).
The second is to show the pride of strong national defense. The national defense is strong, and the country will be safe: "The willow blossoms are bright in another village, and the wolf fires and the red stars are high" (Bao Rong's "For General Ang Lee"), "The eaves and walls are cold, and the horses are idle and wide. There is no alarm for ten thousand days, and a cage of bonfires reports peace "(Liu Yuxi's" Posting new poems to the public from Taiyuan "). The troops of the Tang Dynasty were stationed in Mazhuang, ready for battle, and the enemy did not dare to act rashly, ensuring that the peace fire was lifted on time. Among them, Xu Hun's poem "A Long History of Fang Qiu in Xianyan" has a broad vision and is the most imposing:
The general rode a white horse with a red bow and was called to protect Beirong. Liu Ying knows that the golden mink comes from afar, and the elm plug knows that the jade account comes from afar. The autumn sill scares the snow, and the street flag raises the crosswind. Every time Penglai looks at the peaceful fire, it should play Ban Chao Dingyuan Gong.
The poem depicts a white horse general guarding northern Xinjiang, who went to the border from Xiliuying, Xianyang. The drums sounded, the flags fluttered and the military strength increased greatly. Penglai, Penglai Palace and Daming Palace in Tang Dynasty are named after Penglai Pool behind the palace. General Baima is willing to make contributions to the frontier like Ban Chao, who ruled the Western Regions for 30 years and was named as the Dingyuan Hou, so that the imperial court can see peace and fire every night. "History of Han Dou Tian Guan Chuan": "Meng Tianhou, Qin invaded Hu, set a thousand miles, and took the river as the goal. The stone is the city, the tree is the plug, and the Huns dare not drink horses in the river. " After the elm cork refers to the border and the border plug. The poet used "Yu Xi" to praise General Baima, like Meng Tian in those days, who was brave and good at fighting and kept the enemy away.
The third is to express war-weariness: "Wan surname is war-weary, and the three parties have not yet made peace. The general praises the sword, and the merit lies in killing more people "(Shang Liu" Doing business is doing things "). In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos and it was difficult to hold high the fire of peace. Gao Pian (82 1-887), a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, said in the first part of Two Frontier Fortunes: "The husband of the dragon is at the bottom of his soul, and both life and death hate General Han. I don't know that the battlefield in Wan Li is bitter, but it's best to watch the decline of the times. The responsibility and lofty sentiments of defending our country and our country are gone, so whether we live or die, we all hate this "General Han" who leads troops to fight. The "soaring" fire of peace is wrapped in strong war-weariness Gao Pian himself is a strategist. He led the army to recover, and later served as our envoy in Tian Ping, Xichuan, Jingnan, Zhenhai and Huainan. During his tenure, Huang Chao rose up and Gao Pian suffered heavy losses many times. Later, Huang Chao's plan to slow down and fear war led Huang Chao to cross the river smoothly and capture Chang 'an. Gao Pian did not dare to send troops to save the capital, thus ruining his fame and fortune. This poem reflects his thoughts and actions.
The Song Dynasty followed the safe use of fire system of the Tang Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhou Wei's "Qingbo Magazine" Volume 10: "Good day to the beacon tower along the river, that is, make a fire when the shift is over; Peace lifts a cigarette every night, that is, the next day. Thieves are in a hurry, smoking every day and lighting a fire at night, regardless of time. " "Watch the time", that is, a watch day, when the ancients said "time" refers to 7: 00 to 9: 00 pm. Peace every day, make a fire at night; It's safe at night. When it's first light, raise a cigarette. If the enemy attacks, three cigarettes should be raised during the day and three torches should be raised at night. There is a time limit for reporting the peaceful bonfire; There is no time limit for the release of early warning beacons.
Compared with the Tang people, the Song people's expectations for the fire of peace are more urgent: "The beacon tower rises to a hundred feet, and oranges shake peace" ("Wating Pavilion Union"), "It is not good to herd horses on the edge, and the fire of peace eliminates people's worries" (Wu's "Zhong Yinlue"), "The fire of peace is a torch, and when it comes at night, it stays happy. Chang' e is also sad, and she still takes pictures with her saddle "(Wang Tongzu's Frost Wind). Originally, oranges can be used as a tool for pumping water, and oranges can be used for bonfires. It turns out that one end of the bucket is tied with a cage filled with fuel (see Gao Jianxin's article "Fire and Its Setting" in Knowledge of Literature and History 20 16 12 for details). In the eyes of Song people, peace and fire can make them worry-free; Even Chang 'e, who overlooks the world, is sad if the fire doesn't lift. Lu You, on the night of May 11th, dreamed of personal expedition, and I went back to my hometown of Han and Tang Dynasties. I was very happy when I saw the people in the city and the cool house in Yunxi. I made a long sentence at once, but I didn't feel it at last. ""The hills and mountains are very beautiful. These documents were first used in Xichun. Driving the first six armies was wrong, and the autumn wind drummed all over the sky. Before the alfalfa bonfire, the pavilion was blocked and the Taiping fire was in Jiaohe. Liangzhou is full of high-rise buildings and sent to Kyoto. " This poem was written in the seventh year of Xichun (1 180). From these 48-word titles, we can see that living in the stormy Southern Song Dynasty, the poet had great expectations for a peaceful life. In the northwest of Yumenguan, Cen Can has a poem entitled "Alfalfa to Send to Family": "Alfalfa meets beginning of spring and tears the Hulu River." Pavilion barrier, a military fortress set in the frontier fortress, "Historical Records of the First Qin Emperor": "It also ordered Meng Tian to cross the river to take Gaoque, Yangshan and the northern holiday, and build a pavilion barrier to drive the Rong people." The front of the alfalfa beacon tower is covered with pavilions, indicating strict defense; The fire of peace ignited on the distant Jiaohe River (now west of Turpan, Xinjiang), indicating that the country is strong and has a vast territory; Liangzhou's daughter learns to comb her hair in Kyoto style, which shows that the traditional central plains cultural customs have begun to occupy a dominant position in Hexi area. "Jiaohe Peace and Fire" is Lu You's lifelong dream, which embodies his patriotic feelings of longing for national unity and strong country.
In the vast north, beacon towers can be seen everywhere and stand tall. On the beacon tower, you can see the rolling mountains and the vast Gobi from a distance, listening to the rushing river and the bleak autumn wind. Both the beacon of early warning and the beacon of peace have been extinguished today, but it bears witness to history and silently tells the thrilling stories that have happened.
(Author: College of Literature, Inner Mongolia University)