Rescuing besieged Tongzhou

From the 14th to 16th centuries, Japanese feudal lords, declining samurai, exiles, and smugglers were armed and plundered along the coast of China. They were thus called Japanese invaders.

On the 2nd day of the 4th lunar month of the 33rd year of the Jiajing period (1554), one hundred Japanese ships came from Langshan Mountain, and more than 3,000 invaders disembarked and attacked Tongzhou.

Fortunately, the city gates had been closed. The Japanese invaders plundered the area and set fire to the huts and temples outside the city, slaughtering thousands of local residents.

The Japanese invaders continued to attack the city. General Xie Mingdao, who stayed and lived on the city wall, dispatched soldiers and civilians to defend the city.

Cao Ding, a native of Yuxi Town in Tongzhou, who was stationed in the Jiangnan region to fight the Japanese invaders, returned to his hometown with 30 patrol ships and 500 soldiers.

He formed the patrol ships into a mobile fortress on the river to fight against the Japanese invaders besieging the city.

On the 14th of the fourth lunar month, the Japanese launched a general attack. Xie Mingdao himself served as commander in the battle, and the soldiers and civilians defended the city with all their might and killed hundreds of Japanese invaders.

Meanwhile, Cao Ding led his troops to attack the Japanese, who retreated to Langshan Mountain knowing that there was no hope of conquering the city.

Later, Tang Wei, magistrate of Yangzhou, led troops to reinforce the city's defense. In the end, the Japanese invaders were defeated and escaped by boat.

Cao Ding the martyr

After Tongcheng was saved, Cao Ding refused any rewards for his contributions to the battle, quit the military, and returned to his hometown, where he lived on making noodles.

In the third lunar month of the 34th year of Jiajing (1555), 500 Japanese invaders went from Shanjiadian to Langshan Mountain and plundered along the way.

Yin Ding, inspector of Langshan Mountain, led soldiers to fight them off but was captured and killed by the Japanese.

Zhang Jingxian, deputy military commissioner of Huaiyang, led his troops to fight against the Japanese outside the south gate of the city.

The Japanese then tried escaping by boat, but Zhang's troops held up their last boats and killed more than 20 invaders.

In the fourth lunar month of the 36th year (1557), the Japanese departed from Juegang and plundered Baipu Town.

In Chenjiadian, the Japanese were besieged for two days by Ma Shen, deputy military commissioner of Huaiyang, before they fled. Cao Ding chased them with his troops and killed many of the invaders.

In Shanjiadian, Cao Ding was killed by Japanese invaders at the age of 43 when he fell off his horse due on a slippery road in the rain.

After Cao Ding sacrificed his life for the country, people in Tongzhou built a shrine and tomb on the road to Langshan Mountain in his honor, which were called "General Cao Yiyong's Shrine" and "General Cao Yiyong's Tomb."

Great victory in Xichang

In the 31st year of the Ming Dynasty (1552), Liu Jingshao, deputy military commissioner of Zhejiang's sea defense, was dispatched to Rugao and Hai'an to organize defenses.

In the 37th year of Jiajing (1558), the guerrilla general Qiu Sheng in Shanxi led the border troops and stationed them in Rugao.

In the seventh lunar month of the 38th year of Jiajing (1559), the Japanese invaded Hai'an. Liu Jingshao and Qiu Sheng ambushed the enemy in Xichang.

When the Japanese invaders came, Liu Jingshao ordered his cavalry to encircle them from left to right and bombarded them with cannons in the middle.

After three days of fierce fighting, 1,527 invaders were killed, and 215 were captured alive.

Before and after the battle, Liu Jingshao galloped through Tongzhou, Rugao, Yangzhou, and Huai'an for three months without resting, killing more than 3,000 Japanese invaders.

After the great victory in Xichang, locals gathered and buried the bodies of the Japanese invaders and sealed the tomb with soil. The tomb was called "Defeating the Japanese Tomb."

Soon after, the Japanese again plundered Xichang, and Qiu Sheng led his troops to chase them away in the rain, but he fell off his horse and was killed. Local people changed Xichang's name to Qiuchang and built Qiusheng Road in his honor.

Editor-in-chief: Yu Lei

Editor: Wang Yun

Photo by Gu Yao

Translated by Wang Haifei from the Shanghai Waiyuan Translation Agency