降将叛臣还是名将劳臣?——南宋夏贵战事与降元史实反思

A Traitor or A Famous General?——reflection on the historical facts of the Xia Gui War in the Southern Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty

南宋淮西制置使、名将夏贵本一生戎马保宋危疆,却于德祐二年(1276)二月携淮西府二、州六、军四、县三十四降元。夏贵的贰臣之举使得世人对他的晚年活动产生诸多争议,出现一些牵强附会的批评。结合相关史实与军事地理学重新梳理,夏贵晚年败战实为军事失利,而非与元有谋。焦山之战后,南宋形势愈发危急,夏贵据地淮西沦为孤岛,辖区残破、百姓孤苦、连丧二子的隐痛以及宋廷的主动乞降,最终促使夏贵降元。从夏贵战事与降元史实中可以看出,夏贵绝非寻常意义上的“贰臣”。对夏贵个案的考察,有助于重新认识宋元之际降将的历史地位。

XIA Gui,a famous general and envoy of the Huaixi region in the Southern Song dynasty,served as an army to protect the territory of the Song dynasty in danger.However,in February of the second year of Deyou(1276),he brought his army to the yuan dynasty.Xia Gui′s act caused many controversies and far-fetched criticisms about his activities in his later years.Combined with relevant historical facts and military geography,it can be revealed that XIA Gui′s defeat in the war in his later years was actually a military defeat,rather than a conspiracy with the yuan dynasty.After the war of Jiaoshan,the situation in the Southern Song dynasty became more and more critical.The Huaixi area,where XIA Gui was based,became an isolated island.The dilapidated area,the misery of the people,the pain of losing two sons and the surrender of the Song court finally prompted XIA Gui to surrender to yuan dynasty.From Xia GUI′s war and the historical facts of the fall of the Yuan dynasty,it can be seen that XIA Gui is by no means an“surrender”in an unusual sense.The investigation of XIA Gui′s case is helpful to re-understand the historical status of demobilized generals in the song and Yuan dynasties.