Whenever there is a change of regime, the former royal family, whether core or collateral, usually suffers the fate of extinction or displacement.
Zhaojiabao, a small village nestled 90 kilometers from the city of Zhangzhou in Fujian Province at the foot of a high mountain, is a rare place where a large number of royal descendants gather.
Among them, the most striking is Zhao Ruohe, the 10th grandson of Zhao Kuangmei, the younger brother of Song Taizu, who chose this place as a retreat after fleeing, and this residence is hundreds or even thousands of years.
After more than 700 years of wind and rain, the Zhao family has been passed down from generation to generation on this land. Today, there are more than 100 families living in Zhaojiabao, and about 600 descendants of the Zhao royal family.
So, what happened after the Battle of Yashan? And how did the descendants of the Zhao family escape from the devastating Battle of Yashan? All this is related to the monstrous deeds of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan after he unified Mobei.
Under the relentless pursuit of the Yuan army, Song Duanzong unfortunately drowned on the way to Leizhou, Guangdong, and his body became weaker and weaker, and finally died. Duanzong's younger brother, Weiwang Zhao Yu, was only seven years old and naturally became the new monarch of the Great Song Dynasty.
Zhang Shijie and Lu Xiufu fled to Yashan with the young monarch and set up a temporary palace in today's Xinhui, Guangdong. The Yuan army was pressing forward step by step, and a fierce naval battle of Yashan was about to break out.
Although Yashan had 200,000 Song soldiers, Zhang Shijie was still worried.
Zhang Hongfan led the Yuan army to encircle Yashan on three sides, and the Song army had no way out except for the sea in front of them. Taifu Zhang Shijie ordered more than a thousand Song ships to be connected in a straight line with ropes, and Zhao Yu's military ships were located in **.
The Yuan army blocked the only way to chop wood and carry water, and the Song army could only drink seawater to quench their thirst. Many soldiers had stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting, and the morale of the soldiers was shaken.
Taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the Song army, Zhang Hongfan arranged an ambush to launch a frontal attack, which caught the Song army by surprise. He personally led the army to the Song army**, Zhang Shijie saw that the situation was irreparable, so he cut the rope and led more than a dozen military ships to break through.
However, Prime Minister Lu Xiufu and the 8-year-old little emperor Zhao Yu are on the most advanced military ship. Facing the overwhelming Yuan army, Lu Xiufu had to pick up the little emperor and jump into the icy water.
Lu Xiufu is not only the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, but also the last honor and dignity of the Great Song Dynasty. Committing suicide by throwing himself into the sea, although he lost his life, he protected the dignity of the country and avoided the shame of being captured by the enemy.
A soldier shall not be dishonored, and he shall not give in even if he dies. In the Battle of Yashan, more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians jumped into the sea and died in martyrdom, and the Great Song Dynasty was destroyed. After that, the historical record of the descendants of the Zhao royal family came to an abrupt end until the "Zhao Family Tree" was reproduced in the homes of Zhaojiabao villagers.
During a census, incognito villagers accidentally discovered a village surnamed Zhao in the area around Shuogao Mountain in Zhangpu County, which was supposed to be the area of the She ethnic group, but the She ethnic group did not have the surname Zhao.
The villagers held a family tree in their hands, and there were eight big characters on it - the family tree of the Zhao family of the Bianjing family. Flipping through the preface, signed Zhao Ruohe, the king of Minchong County in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the tenth grandson of Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother Zhao Kuangmei.
Unexpectedly, the Yuan soldiers are approaching ......and Xu Dafu, Huang Shichen and others broke through the encirclement in sixteen ships......Landed in Puxi, and later migrated to Hongruji Merit. "The Zhao Family Tree" records in detail Zhao Ruohe's escape trajectory.
At the critical moment of the Battle of Yashan, in order to protect the bloodline of the Zhao royal family, 16 warships desperately escorted Zhao Ruohe to successfully break through. After many difficulties, Zhao Ruohe and others finally came to Zhangpu County, Fujian.
In order to avoid the pursuit of the Yuan army, Zhao Ruohe chose to remain incognito, changed his name to Huang, and settled in Jimei Village. "Yellow"with"Emperor"With the same sound, it may be that Zhao Ruohe still has the lofty ideal of restoring the Great Song Dynasty in his heart, and he can't give up the blood connection of the Zhao royal family.
In order to protect their identities, Zhao Ruohe and his descendants have always kept secrets and did not dare to reveal any information about themselves to the outside world, so as not to be captured. They thought it was an unattainable dream to restore their original surname, until an unexpected thing happened.
There is a rule in Jimei Village that prohibits intermarriage between people with the same surname. Huang Huiguan, a descendant of Zhao Ruohe, was unfortunately exposed because he married someone from the Huang Cai family, and was finally denounced by the government.
In order to protect Huang Huiguan, his brother Huang Mingguan bravely handed over the Zhao family tree that he had treasured for many years to the government and confessed the truth. After verifying, Zhu Jian, the imperial historian, immediately reported to Zhu Yuanzhang and requested that the surname Zhao be restored.
Zhu Yuanzhang believed that the appearance of the descendants of the Zhao royal family was an auspicious omen, and not only agreed that the Huang Mingguan family would restore the surname Zhao, but also gave him an official position, so that the descendants of the Zhao family no longer had to bear the trouble of other people's surnames.
In the twenty-eighth year of Wanli, after Zhao Ruohe's tenth generation descendant Zhao Fan Yijin returned to his hometown, the Zhao family moved from Jimei Village to the foot of Shuogao Mountain and decided to rebuild Zhaojiabao. Although the descendants of the Zhao family have lived in seclusion in the mountains for more than 700 years, the history of Zhaojiabao is only more than 400 years.
The whole Zhaojiabao covers an area of about 173 acres, with a unique architectural style, with the characteristics of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the layout of the city imitates the prosperous Bianjing City in those years.
The castle is made up of two parts, the outer city and the inner city, and the city gates are located in the east, south, west, and north directions, and each gate is topped by magnificent towers. The walls of this castle have survived more than 400 years of wind and rain, and they are still standing, reflecting the wisdom of the ancients.
The walls were built using a mixture of sand, brown sugar, and glutinous rice, which has survived the vicissitudes of life but is still as strong as a rock. The six horse faces on the city wall, the hidden soldier caves, piers and other defensive facilities further enhanced the castle's defensive capabilities.
During the construction of Zhaojiabao, Zhao Fan faced the invasion of Japanese pirates in the coastal area. In order to prevent foreign invasion, Zhaojiabao was designed like a strong fortress and was equipped with a number of military defense facilities.
To the southeast of the city, there is a building called"Wanbi Building"of a four-in-one three-storey building. Experts have different interpretations of the name. Some experts believe that this name ** Yu Ming Taizu restored the identity of the descendants of the Zhao family"Zhao"This surname is back in its entirety.
While other experts believe that the name may have other meanings. If you look closely"Bi"This word, you will find that its font is left and right structure"Jade"The words are a little missing.
This may mean that the person who gave this name wanted to show the world that there was a successor to the Zhao royal family and that there was still hope for the restoration of the Great Song Dynasty.
Looking from afar, Wanbi Tower is majestic and magnificent, like a resolute and unyielding guardian, guarding the residents of Zhaojiabao. In the center of Zhaojiabao is Zhao Fan's mansion, and between the mansion and the city wall is a lotus pond.
The pond is divided into two parts, Pan Lake on the left and Yang Lake on the right, by a long embankment, symbolizing the stark contrast between the traitor Pan Renmei and the loyal minister Yang Jiajun.
The water quality of Panhu Lake is more turbid than that of Yang Lake, suggesting a clear distinction between justice and **. There is a single-hole arch bridge above the pond called "Bianpai Bridge". The design concept of this bridge echoes the Bianzhou Bridge in Bianjing City.
Zhaojiabao has gone through ups and downs, and for more than 400 years, its descendants have adhered to the customs passed down from their ancestors. Every year during the Lantern Festival, the "Ding Yi" ceremony is held, and those members of the Zhao family who have biological children will come to the ancestral hall to invite guests, and men over the age of 16 will also come to participate.
Each "Ding Yi" ceremony symbolizes the prosperity of the Zhao family, and always reminds the villagers not to forget that they are the descendants of the Great Song Dynasty. Since Zhao Ruohe, the king of Minchong County, fled here, the descendants of the Zhao family have lived in seclusion in this remote mountainous area for more than 700 years.
Although many young people may not know that their ancestors were emperors of the Great Song Dynasty, so what? After the turbulent years of war, the deceased ancestors hoped that their descendants could live in peace and carefree, and they were satisfied.
The years are quiet, life is beautiful, isn't this the life we have always longed for?