The Historical Background of Heavenly Generals and Heroes： Mysterious Roman Army Employed by Han Dynasty
Special feature of 1905 film network The film starring Jackie Chan and a group of Hollywood stars was released in the mainland on February 19th. Although the main appeal of this film is not to restore history, the historical background is still an important part of the film. The repeated invasion of Xiongnu beyond the Great Wall, the mysterious appearance of western troops and various contradictions in the process of national integration are all problems that the Han and Yuan emperors have to face and solve after they acceded to the throne. On the whole, the film’s "entertainment adaptation" of history is well-founded.
In this film, Jackie Chan plays a Han Dynasty general named Huo An. He meets Roman general Lucius and his small army in the Gobi Desert in the Western Regions. At that time, the border was always invaded by the Huns. Li Rengang, the director and screenwriter, then built an interesting story around three forces: the general of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu and the Roman army. In fact, the real history of this period is also very interesting. During the reign of Emperor Han and Yuan, Wang Zhaojun was sent to the fortress to marry the Huns, crusade against Zhi Zhi Khan, and captured a Roman army. In the west, Caesar and Pompeii clashed with each other, which led to the Roman Civil War. The result of this civil war directly laid the political, economic and cultural structure of the western world in the next 300 years.
There is a certain historical basis for the Roman army to appear on the border of China.
[The legendary disappearing army]
On the border of China, Roman troops were employed by the Han Dynasty to discuss Zhi Zhi Khan.
In the Western Han Dynasty during the Han and Yuan Dynasties, a mercenary from the Roman Republic did appear, which is probably the historical basis of the plot of Heavenly Generals and Heroes. In 53 BC, crassus, consul general of the Roman Republic, launched a war against Iran. I thought this was a quick battle, but I didn’t expect the Iranian army to panic in the Roman army and crassus was captured and beheaded. In 20 BC, Rome and Iran signed an armistice agreement. At this time, the Roman Republic asked Iran to return the captured army, but the army that broke through from the Iranian encirclement disappeared without a trace.
For many years, the whereabouts of this 6,000-strong army have been unknown. It wasn’t until 1947 that the English sinologist De Xiaoqian wrote the article "The Strike of Ancient China" that the mystery was solved. In ancient China, Liba referred to the Roman Republic. The "ancient China’s Li-ba-cheng" refers to a city inhabited by Romans that once appeared on Chinese territory. In the biography of Han Chen Tang written by Ban Gu, it is recorded that in 36 BC, a strange army appeared on the road where Chen Tang led more than 40 thousand troops to crusade against Zhi Zhi Khan. This army has "more than 100 infantry, fighting in a fish-scale array" and "guarding the city with heavy wood". According to historians’ interpretation, this defensive formation of "heavy wooden city" fortifications and fish scales with circular shields was only adopted by the Roman army. Historians reasoned that this strange army was a small force that broke through after the failure of the Roman Republic to go to Iran.
It is speculated that this unit was unable to return to China because the road was blocked by the Iranians when it broke through, so it had to turn to the plateau in Iran and wait for an opportunity to move eastward. Fortunately, they tore a hole in the lax defense line in eastern Iran and migrated to Central Asia to go to Zhizhi. Finally, they were collected by Chen Shang and brought back to China. Of course, this army was not idle after the surrender. They became Chen Tang’s "mercenaries" and made great contributions to the campaign against Zhi Zhi Khan. Later, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty issued a letter to place them at the foot of Zhaomian Mountain (now Yongchang County) in the south of Fanhe County, and put them in the county. In 592 ad. In view of the fact that Liba people have merged with Han people, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty issued a letter to merge Liba County into Fanhe County. At this point, Li Ba built the county for 612 years. In this way, the Liban people in China quietly disappeared in the vicissitudes of history.
The ethnic groups on the border are extremely rich and diverse.
[The famous Silk Road]
The Western Han Dynasty was prosperous, and all ethnic groups joined Zhaojun and went out to make a good knot.
Although Kung Fu and martial arts are the selling points of "Heavenly Master", Li Rengang still set a tone of national unity and world peace for the film. On the famous "Silk Road", various nationalities gathered and blended here, which surprised the audience at the great national strength and tolerance of the Han Dynasty. The so-called Silk Road refers to the trade route in the northern part of Eurasia, which is in contrast with the ancient tea-horse road in the south. This trade route was first developed by Zhang Qian during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. This action is called "the journey of hollowing out", and the envoys sent by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty reached Alexandria in Egypt as far as today. This is the farthest country reached by the official envoys of the Western Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao extended the Silk Road again, reaching as far as Rome from Xi ‘an.
According to historical records, in the Western Han Dynasty, roughly sixteen ethnic minorities, such as Xiongnu, Donghu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Turkic, Qidan, Rouran and Uighur, were active in the territory of China. The western Han government ensured the overall stability of these ethnic minority areas through certain means such as war, administrative regional setting, intermarriage and trade. These policies make the southwest, south China and southeast China also join the national rule. Although the control over the southern minorities at this time was far less powerful than that in Ming and Qing Dynasties, the military and political obstacles between the central plains and the southern mountainous areas were lifted, which made the south in a stable and orderly environment for a long time in the Han Dynasty and undoubtedly promoted the exchanges between the southern minorities and the central plains.
Zhaojun’s departure from the Great Wall and his relatives contributed to the peaceful coexistence of Han and Xiongnu.
When it comes to the national integration during the Han and Yuan Dynasties, we have to say that Zhaojun, who is well-known in Chinese, went to the fortress. This allusion tells the story of a maid-in-waiting named Zhaojun who pretended to be a princess of the Han Dynasty and married Uhaanyehe of the Xiongnu. It is said that Zhaojun was very beautiful and natural and graceful. Emperor Han Yuan regretted seeing such a beautiful maid-in-waiting going to marry. During his life in Xiongnu, Wang Zhaojun adapted to the lifestyle there and got along very well with the local people. She not only advised her husband to live in harmony with the Han Dynasty, but also spread the culture of the Han nationality to the Huns. It should be said that the marriage between Wang Zhaojun and Xiongnu is not only a political marriage, but also a cultural integration. Her arrival, in a sense, "assimilated" Huns. Perhaps because of her, the Han Dynasty and Xiongnu lived in harmony for 60 years. After Wang Zhaojun’s death, she was buried in Daqing Mountain controlled by Huns. The Huns built a tomb for her, and later generations called her tomb "Qingzhong" and regarded it as a fairy.
The struggle between Caesar and Pompeii is brilliantly presented in the English drama Rome.
[What happened in the Roman Empire]
There was a "great earthquake" in the Roman Republic. Caesar and Pompeii tore each other apart.
During the Han and Yuan Dynasties, the whole Han Empire basically presented a thriving scene, while the Roman Republic was not peaceful at the same time. Because of the above-mentioned "Rome was defeated by Iran", a large earthquake in the political circle of the Roman Republic was triggered. In 60 BC, crassus, Caesar and Pompeii, three politically frustrated people, formed the so-called "First Triumphal Alliance". However, these three people, strange bedfellows, have never shared common interests, and this alliance will soon be in jeopardy. After the defeat of the Iranian crusade and crassus’s beheading, the remaining contradictions between the two giants intensified. Caesar’s expedition to Gaul was successful, and he mastered a large number of troops. At the same time, he also got a lot of public support with the book "The Battle of Gaul", and with the huge wealth from Gaul, he gradually stepped onto the peak of strength and power. Under such circumstances, the Senate began to unite with Pompeii, who was left out in the cold, and began to attack Caesar and his henchmen.
In 50 BC, Pompeii and the Senate made a decision to ask Caesar to surrender his military power and return to China to serve in the following year. In a practical sense, this announced Caesar’s "demotion" and also meant a complete break between Caesar and Pompeii. Caesar, who received this decision, did not buy it. He wrote back to the Senate and Pompeii, asking Pompeii to surrender the military power, otherwise he would not obey the decision of the Senate and would not hesitate to launch a civil war to safeguard his dignity. After receiving the reply, the Senate thought that Caesar had handed in an essay, resolutely refused to follow it, and insisted on their previous decision. Caesar sent an envoy to Rome to mediate, but the envoy was persecuted by Pompeii and the Senate. Knowing this, Caesar was forced to flee to Gaul. The Senate regarded Caesar’s move as a preparation for war, so it declared Caesar a national public enemy. At this point, the civil war broke out in the Roman Republic.
The civil war in Rome opened a new page in Roman history and made Rome develop from a republic to a new stage of monarchy. When preparing for the war, Caesar carried out the policy of equal rights for residents and Romans in all provinces, which expanded his social foundation and promoted social progress. After the First World War, Rome’s political, economic and social structure became more modern and reasonable, while China would continue to be in a feudal society. Therefore, the Roman civil war that took place during the Han and Yuan Dynasties was barbaric on the surface, but in fact it was a manifestation of progress. Although the Western Han Dynasty was stable and prosperous, it accumulated many social contradictions, and various problems gradually emerged in the next hundred years, which brought even greater disasters.