Russia dug out a millennium palace, but its owner was a famous general of China. Why did a generation of war god die in a foreign land?

preface

In 1940, Soviet construction workers accidentally discovered an ancient building complex while working in the Abakan area.

From the characteristics of the cultural relics, it seems that this building does not conform to the style of traditional Russian architecture.

This news quickly caught the attention of archaeologists. After multiple comparisons and studies, experts have come to a surprising conclusion:

The owner of this ancient building is Han Chinese, and it is even possible that he was a famous ancient general.

Who is this general and why did he travel to the Soviet Union to build such a palace?

Abakan Palace Ruins

In 1940, the Second World War entered a white hot stage. Due to the unique geographical location of the Soviet Union, it was temporarily not invaded by Germany.

About 8 kilometers south of Abakan, a farm is undergoing a large-scale renovation project. The original ordinary construction process unexpectedly experienced unexpected changes.

When the construction workers were digging deep underground, they encountered an extremely hard object.

It is common to excavate stones from underground.

However, when he carefully observed, he found that the shapes of these stones were surprisingly regular, and some even had exquisite patterns carved on them.

This matter quickly attracted the attention of archaeologists, who organized an archaeological team to go to Abakan.

From 1941 to 1946, archaeologists conducted continuous and intermittent excavations, ultimately revealing a complex of buildings covering an area of 1.5 square kilometers.

This architectural complex consists of rows of connected houses, with a grand hall in the center, totaling 20 rooms.

This architectural style has never appeared in the history of Russians, and archaeologists immediately concluded that it is not a national building.

The central hall has a unique and rare design, with seven doors on the walls, two of which are embedded with copper paving heads.

Outside the central hall, a large number of tiles were also found, including one tile with several neat Chinese characters engraved on it:

The emperor will live a long life for thousands of years, and enjoy peace and happiness for thousands of generations.

Therefore, we can almost be certain that the owner of this relic is not a Russian, but an ancient ancestor of our country.

Firstly, the square structure of the main hall highlights the characteristics of ancient Chinese architecture, which differs significantly from the architectural style of the Russian ethnic group.

In addition, the ancient architecture of the Russian ethnic group did not have a double head design, while ancient architecture in China usually has a head design on the door.

Even now, many rural buildings still have storefronts installed on their entrances.

Thirdly, engraving Chinese characters on tiles is also a unique architectural element in China.

In the pre Qin period, ancient people often carved exquisite patterns or patterns with special meanings on tiles. However, during the Han Dynasty, this tradition underwent a change.

The tiles of Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty are engraved with the four divine beasts of Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu, while the tiles of most other households are decorated with engraved characters.

It can be roughly inferred that the earliest construction time of this palace may be traced back to the Han Dynasty.

Careful observation of the text on the tile can actually better verify the construction time of the palace.

The term 'Tianzi' first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty, while the term 'Long live a thousand autumns' first appeared in the book' Han Feizi Xianxue ', which was written in the late Warring States period.

The original meanings of "Changle" and "Weiyang" were "long-lasting happiness" and "unfinished", but they also referred to Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, three palaces - Changle Palace, Weiyang Palace, and Jianzhang Palace - were successively built, and these three palaces were called the Three Palaces of the Han Dynasty.

After the construction of Changle Palace, Liu Bang mainly resided here, while subsequent Western Han emperors used Weiyang Palace as their main residence.

After rereading this sentence, we can roughly infer that the owner of the palace is praising the Great Han Emperor.

So, who exactly could this person be?

Looking at the historical map, it can be found that Abakan during the Western Han Dynasty was located in the southern Siberian region and was the territory of the Jiankun people.

Later, the Xiongnu Chanyu Modun occupied this land, so in the eyes of the Han people, the Jiankun area also became the territory of the Xiongnu.

Archaeologists were searching for clues from historical records while exploring the owner of the Abakan Palace, and as a result, a person named Li Ling gradually caught people's attention.

Li Ling is the grandson of the famous general Li Guang, who once led his army to conquer the Xiongnu. Later, he surrendered to the Xiongnu and was granted the title of Right Campus King, with jurisdiction over the Jiankun region.

Therefore, archaeologists have tentatively inferred that the owner of this palace was Li Ling based on the layout of the palace, inscriptions on the tiles, and historical records from two thousand years ago.

In the long river of history, Li Ling is a character full of tragic colors. After being captured by the Xiongnu, his identity instantly changed from a general of the Western Han Dynasty to a role seen as a traitor.

It should be noted that Sima Qian, the compiler of "Records of the Grand Historian", would rather endure torture than insist on possessing the style of a national scholar.

How was Li Ling captured and what historical events are hidden behind this palace?

Li Ling was captured

Li Ling's grandfather was the renowned Flying General Li Guang.

Li Guang spent his entire life fighting against the Xiongnu. In the biography of General Li in the Records of the Grand Historian, there is a line that says: Guang, as a descendant of a noble family, joined the army to resist the Xiongnu.

Li Guang came from an innocent background and joined the military as a legitimate descendant, bravely resisting the barbarians.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a clear opposition between the powerful groups of the Liangjiazi and the external relatives, who did not like each other.

In the era of Emperor Wu of Han, the power of relatives was even stronger than that of those virtuous families.

Among the relatives, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, two outstanding figures in the conquest of the Xiongnu, not only left their names in Qing history, but also became highly respected generals in Chinese history.

In 119 BC, Emperor Wu of Han ordered Wei Qing and Huo Qubing to launch an expedition against the Xiongnu. Li Guang repeatedly requested to participate in the war and finally obtained the position of former general.

Before the army set out, Emperor Wu of Han instructed Wei Qing to use Li Guang with caution. He believed that Li Guang was unlucky and of advanced age, making him unsuitable for taking on heavy responsibilities.

After the army arrived in the territory of the Xiongnu, they quickly identified the location where the enemy was stationed.

In theory, as the vanguard, Li Guang should be the first to lead the troops to launch an attack.

However, Wei Qing decided to transfer Li Guang from the front line and place him on the right flank, while Gong Sunao took over the position of forward.

After determining the tactical allocation, Li Guang led the army to join forces with the main force. However, due to the lack of guidance, his itinerary was delayed.

Under Wei Qing's constant questioning, Li Guang was ashamed and ultimately committed suicide.

Li Guang's suicide triggered a series of chain reactions.

He had three sons, the first two passed away early, and only his third son Li dared to serve in the military.

After learning of his father's suicide, Li Gan believed that Wei Qing was the main culprit causing his father's death, so he decided to take the opportunity to assassinate Wei Qing. However, this assassination attempt ended in failure.

This assassination is a serious crime committed and should be sentenced to death, but Wei Qing chose to remain silent and did not make a public statement.

After learning about this, Huo Qubing held a grudge against Li Gan and waited for an opportunity to act, ultimately shooting him with an arrow.

In the second year after Li Guang's death, his younger brother Li Cai had been promoted to prime minister, but was suddenly arrested on suspicion of occupying the tomb of Emperor Jing of Han.

After being arrested, Li Cai decided to commit suicide to avoid enduring torture.

At this moment, the only member of the Li family serving in the military is Li Ling. He is the last hope of the Li family in the court and is destined to bear enormous pressure.

He not only needs to maintain his position in an environment where relatives hold power, but also needs to find ways to revive the family's reputation.

Therefore, Li Ling's desire to achieve success became increasingly strong, which laid a hidden danger for his future military defeats.

Emperor Wu of Han did not make things difficult for Li Ling, as he believed that Li Ling was as brave as the former Li Guang and therefore intended to promote him.

Li Ling not only possesses the bravery of Li Guang, but also stands out in military talent.

However, he also inherited Li Guang's strong self-esteem and competitiveness, which became another hidden danger of his defeat.

In 99 BC, after the deaths of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, Emperor Wu of Han once again prepared to launch an expedition against the Xiongnu.

So he sent his brother-in-law Li Guangli as a general to lead Zhao Chongguo and Li Ling to jointly attack the Xiongnu.

After Wei Qing, Li Guangli became one of the leading figures among his relatives, but his combat abilities were quite mediocre.

Due to a misjudgment, Li Guangli was heavily surrounded by the Xiongnu. If it weren't for the famous general Zhao Chongguo who fought against the Xiongnu and fought to protect him from breaking through, Li Guangli would definitely have been killed or captured.

At the same time, Li Ling was unwilling to submit to others and made several requests to lead a team to attract the attention of the Xiongnu and alleviate Li Guangli's pressure.

Emperor Wu of Han understood his eagerness to make achievements, but did not intend to bestow upon him military honors.

After several rounds of excuses, Li Ling's repeated pleas were still irresistible, and he finally agreed to give him 5000 troops.

However, among these 5000 soldiers, there were no cavalry skilled in charge.

The reason for mentioning cavalry is that in ancient battlefields, cavalry had extremely strong mobility and powerful impact, often able to produce unexpected positive effects.

As a nomadic people, the Xiongnu had a very high proportion of cavalry.

Li Ling's army was entirely composed of infantry, which placed him at a natural disadvantage when fighting against Xiongnu cavalry and made it difficult to achieve ideal results.

After arriving in the territory of the Xiongnu, Li Ling immediately received the order to attack. He marched all the way to the vicinity of Junji Mountain and encountered a large number of Xiongnu troops.

With 5000 infantry, Li Ling engaged in multiple fierce battles with the Xiongnu.

However, as time passed, the number of soldiers under Li Ling's command gradually decreased, and weapons became increasingly scarce.

He retreated to a valley to wait for reinforcements, but the reinforcements did not arrive yet, and a rebellion broke out within the army first.

A soldier quickly rushed to the Xiongnu military camp and reported in detail the shortage of soldiers and food and supplies in the Han army. This news ultimately caused the Xiongnu to change their original plan, shifting from temporary retreat to launching a full-scale attack.

In the Book of Han, Ban Gu described the battle as follows: although the battle lasted for a whole day and involved dozens of rounds, it still killed more than 2000 enemy soldiers.

Despite being at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, weapons, and types of troops, Li Ling was able to remain unbeaten and killed thousands of enemies in every battle, demonstrating his extreme bravery.

However, he was never able to wait for reinforcements and was eventually captured during the siege of the Xiongnu.

The news of Li Ling's capture quickly spread to Chang'an, which greatly angered Emperor Wu of Han. The courtiers also followed suit and joined the camp condemning Li Ling, causing a wave of criticism from both the court and the public.

Sima Qian believed that Li Ling led 5000 soldiers to resist 80000 Xiongnu for several days without defeat, which was already a remarkable achievement.

In addition, Li Ling is known for his sincerity and loyalty to the country.

He could have gained a good reputation through suicide, but he chose to be captured by the Xiongnu. This may not be a true surrender, but rather waiting for the opportunity to kill the Xiongnu.

Sima Qian's views angered Emperor Wu of Han, who immediately ordered him to be detained and subjected to torture.

Nevertheless, Sima Qian still supported Li Ling.

In the second year, Emperor Wu of Han's anger gradually subsided, and when he examined the surrender of Li Ling again, he was no longer as excited as before.

He dispatched Gong Sunao to lead a small army to infiltrate the territory of the Xiongnu and try to rescue Li Ling.

After arriving in the territory of the Xiongnu, Gongsun Ao did not meet Li Ling, but captured a Xiongnu soldier.

After learning that Li Ling was training soldiers for the Xiongnu, he immediately turned to Chang'an and reported the matter to Emperor Wu of Han.

Emperor Wu of Han was greatly enraged and immediately ordered the execution of Li Ling's entire gate.

Li Ling's Tragic Life

After learning the news of the family's destruction, Li Ling was so sad that tears streamed down his face. Later, when a Han envoy visited the Xiongnu, he questioned them:

Why did I personally lead a large army to suppress the Xiongnu, but no one came to my aid and rescue me? Now that I am trapped here, do you still want to slaughter my people?

After the messenger conveyed the message of Gongsun Ao returning to Chang'an, he sighed to Tianchang and said, 'It was Li Xu, not Li Ling, who trained the soldiers and horses for the Xiongnu.'.

Although the truth of the matter has been revealed, it is too late and of no use.

Li Ling's entire family was beheaded, leaving him homeless. Whether in Han or Xiongnu territory, there was no difference for him.

He showed exceptional bravery in battle and enjoyed high prestige among the Xiongnu army. After surrendering to the Xiongnu, he gradually gained favor from Chanyu.

The other party not only married their daughter to Li Ling, but also appointed him as the Right School King, in charge of the Jiankun region, including the territory of Abakan.

In 90 BC, Li Ling led 30000 Xiongnu troops to pursue the Han army. Unconsciously, they chased all the way to Mount Junji.

Li Ling is very familiar with Junji Mountain because he was once defeated in battle here.

Although he was proficient in military strategy and very familiar with the terrain, he wandered around here for several days but still found nothing. This fully indicates that deep down he is unwilling to be an enemy of the Han army.

This mentality was once again validated in later experiences.

Su Wu was an envoy during the Western Han Dynasty. In 100 BC, he was appointed as an envoy to the Xiongnu, but was detained due to a civil war among them.

In 81 BC, the Han Dynasty reached a peace agreement with the Xiongnu, which eased their relationship. Su Wu finally had a good opportunity to return to Han territory.

Li Ling and Su Wu were both Han Chinese who had lived on the territory of the Xiongnu for a long time, and the two had a deep relationship for many years. In order to bid farewell to Su Wu, Li Ling specially held a banquet to entertain him. After three rounds of drinking, Li Ling couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions:

I once defended the Xiongnu for the king, but was forced to surrender due to running out of food and soldiers, which ruined my reputation for the rest of my life. Now that my family has been executed by the king, even though I have the ambition to serve my country, I will never have another chance.

After Su Wu returned to the Han Dynasty, Li Ling continued to stay in the Xiongnu until his death in 74 BC.

The Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han provide objective accounts of Li Ling's life experiences.

His life seemed to come to an abrupt end after surrendering to the Xiongnu, with no distinction between good and evil, nor any praise or criticism.

Summary:

After 2000, Russians discovered a massive site in the Abakan region that appeared to have been where Li Ling lived.

The words' Long live the emperor for a thousand years, the eternal joy is yet to come 'are engraved on the tile, which not only implies the deep emotions of the original owner towards the Han Dynasty, but also conveys his nostalgia for the past years.