I. General Cannon
In the third year of Jiaqing (1798), Ran Wenchou, the leader of the White Lotus Sect in Tongjiang, led over a thousand followers and was pursued by Qing general Eerdengbao. They retreated to Zhangjiaba and Wangjiashan areas within the territory of Lianghekou, where they cast three large iron cannons at Longtou Fort for use against the enemy. The three cannons had different sizes; the largest was 2 meters long, 0.3 meters thick, and 0.08 meters in diameter, weighing about 400 kilograms. It held one liter of gunpowder and three small cannonballs, with a range of over 1,000 meters. When it landed in the enemy camp, it would explode, causing great destruction, and people called it the “Great General.” The second cannon was 1.83 meters long and was called the “Second General.” The third cannon was 1.67 meters long and was called the “Third General.” Local legend has it that the White Lotus Sect intended to carry the Three Generals to Tianchi Temple in Shaanxi, but just as they reached Huangni Santang (now within Yongle), they were pursued by Qing troops and discarded. Later, when the White Lotus Sect was defeated and the Qing troops withdrew, the two large and second cannons remained on Longtou Fort for 180 years. In 1977, workers from the communes farm tool factory, including Li Piyun, removed these two cannon barrels from the fort and cast them into plows. Although the surfaces were already rusted, the words “Jiaqing third year, cast by Ran Wenchou of the White Lotus Sect” could still be faintly seen, proving the authenticity of the story.
2. Mengba Pond
It is 2.8 kilometers from Lianghekou Street. This place serves as a three-way intersection connecting Lianghekou, Mengba Township, and Linjiang Township, and it is also the confluence of San Guan Temple River flowing into Dangshui, at an altitude of 550 meters. During the Chenghua (Xianzong) period of the Ming Dynasty, a patrol office was established here and named Mengba Pass. In the Qing Dynasty, during the Kangxi period, the patrol office was abolished. It was re-established in the eighth year of the Yongzheng era (1730) and again abolished in the first year of the Qianlong era (1736). The farmers called the patrol office “Wuyamen,” which had a garrison of one battalion. It consisted of three battalions and one company: the upper battalion at Ya, the middle battalion at Mengba Pond, and the lower battalion at Yingpan Ridge, each with a company to guard the three key routes. There was also a training ground called Jiaochang Dam for military drills, and Daozi River Dam for horse racing and archery. In Houwan, there was a mass grave where people were buried after being killed; it was known as the “Ten Thousand Peoples Pit.”