Huòqiū

Huoqiu's county town guarded a contested corridor in the western Huai country. Its older defences were earthen walls without a surrounding moat. During the Ming Chenghua reign Magistrate Gao Sheng strengthened the earthworks. In 1492 Wang Qi added a moat and protective tiles. The approach of insurgents in 1512 prompted a more substantial rebuilding in brick and stone, supervised by Fengyang prefectural official Fang Bin. Magistrate Sun Cheng continued the work, which was completed eight years later.

Four gateways, each with a tower, organised access to the enclosed town. Subsequent magistrates repaired its battlements, towers and wall-top passages, but warfare at the end of the Ming destroyed the towers. In 1668 Magistrate Ji Zhigui repaired the battlements and provided watch buildings. Huoqiu's defences were therefore the product of successive officials and repeated demands on local labour, rather than a single construction campaign. The county gazetteer's account ties the changing fabric of the town to military danger and the practical responsibilities of local government.