"Xing, the people are suffering; death, the people are suffering." This famous line sung from the past comes from "Mountain Slope Sheep·Tong Caring for the Ancient" by Zhang Yanghao, a great master of Yuan opera. This song was sent by Zhang Yanghao when he went to Guanzhong for disaster relief and passed through Tongguan. In writing, at the beginning, it described the dangerous topography of Tongguan: "The peaks and ridges are like gatherings, the waves are like anger, and the mountains and rivers are like Tongguan roads." In the long history of China for thousands of years, the location of Tongguan is really important. Countless wars and the rise and fall of dynasties.
Picture-Guanzhong’s Four Fortresses, the location of the Four Passes
Tongguan, located in the north of Tongguan County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province, bordering the Yellow River in the north and Qinling Mountains in the south, the terrain is difficult and easy to defend Hard to attack. Tongguan guards the passage from the Central Plains to the Guanzhong and Western Regions. Its strategic position is extremely important. It has always been a battleground for military strategists. It is known as the "four-town throat" and the "baierzhongguan". Baierzhongguan means that as long as two people guard, they can withstand the attack of a hundred people, which shows the danger of its terrain. Both the grandfather and grandson of Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty gave Tongguan a very high evaluation, calling Tongguan "the first city in the world" and "the first pass". "Shanhaiguan History" said: "The danger within the Jinan, but Tongguan and Shanhaiguan are the first names." That is to say, Tongguan is almost on par with Shanhaiguan, which is known as "the world's first gate", and in terms of history, Tongguan is comparable to Shanhaiguan. Much longer.
Picture-Tongguan location and surrounding topographical map
Tongguan did not initially appear under this name. It was Taolinsai during the week, and Zhou Wu grazing cattle in the peach forest. During the Warring States Period, the State of Qin actively went east to contend for hegemony in the Central Plains, and set up Hangu Pass in the northeast of Lingbao, Henan. In the end of the Qin turmoil, Liu Bang marched westward. Under Hangu Pass, he could only look at Guan Xing and sigh. Later, he took a detour to Nanyang and went to Wuguan to win Guanzhong. Chang'an was the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, and Hangu Pass was the east gate of the Guanzhong Plain and continued to play an important role.
Picture-Schematic diagram of the peasant uprising in the late Qin
In 114 BC, during Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Hangu Guan moved east to the east of Xin'an County, Luoyang City, Henan Province, which is said to be due to General Yang, Lou Chuan Park and move. But in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu made his capital Luoyang, and Hangu Pass was too close to the capital Luoyang. If the enemy attacked from the west, once the barrier was broken, there would be no room for buffering, especially at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty when the world situation was not so stable. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty established Tongguan in the area of Yangjiazhuang and Chengbei Village in Gangkou Town, Tongguan County today. "Shui Jing Zhu" records: "The river flows to Tongjiguan Mountain in the south of Guan, because it is called Tongguan. The name of Tongguan begins from then on.
Figure-Tongguan topography diagram
tongguan It was originally located on the Linzhi Plain, from Yuanwanggou to the west of Yuanwanggou in the east, to the east bank of Jingou in the west, facing the ditch from east to west, with the surging Yellow River to the north and the towering Qinling Mountains to the south. From the junction of Jingou and Tonghe in the north to the south At Haochayukou of Qinling Mountains, there are 12 beacon towers connected with Tongguan, namely Twelve Liancheng. Tongguan City stands on danger, and together with the natural barriers of the Yellow River in the north and the Qinling Mountains in the south, it builds a strong defense system to guard the Central Plains and Guanzhong.
As long as you look at the topographic map, you can imagine that it is not easy to win Tongguan in the cold weapon era. You may ask, there is no other way to Guanzhong except Tongguan Yes? Of course there is, but whether you are crossing the Yellow River in the northwest of Shanxi or entering Wuguan from the Nanyang Basin, it is not easy to detour, and the road is not easy to walk. It is not suitable for large-scale military and logistics supply transportation. In the past, there is also the possibility of being attacked by the front and back to make dumplings. Walking through Tongguan, the road is close and relatively good, it is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed in a large-scale march into the pass. With such a heavenly geographical location, it is not easy to break through the defense line of Tongguan.
Picture-Tongguan Ancient City Location and Surrounding Topography
As the Yellow River continues to scour and sediment, the beach on the south bank of the Yellow River becomes wider and wider, and Tongguanguan City has to move northward. Jian'an In sixteen years, Cao Cao led his army to attack Ma Chao and Han Sui in the west to break through Tongguan. However, Cao Cao did not forcefully attack Tongguan City, but sneaked around from Pubandu River to behind Tongguan to attack at the mouth of the Weihe River. Both Sui and Tang dynasties were capital Chang'an. As the eastern gateway of Guanzhong, Tongguan’s importance has been highlighted. Once the enemy from Guandong breaks throughAt Tongguan, there was no danger in Guanzhong, and the emperor had nothing but to run away. In the Tang Dynasty, because the beach on the south bank of the Yellow River was already very wide, Tongguanguan City moved from the upper plateau to the lower plateau, where the Tongguan site is now located.
Figure-Anshi Rebellion Schematic
For the Tongguan guard, as long as he does not die, he takes the initiative to attack, as long as he is not a completely unsaved dynasty, he can defend against the enemy with danger. Here is a typical example of death. During the An-Shi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, An Lu Mountain attacked Tongguan and ran into the famous generals Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing who were stationed there. It is estimated that An Lu Mountain had the desire to die. However, An Lushan was very lucky. Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guozhong came to assist repeatedly, killing the celebrities Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing who defended Tongguan, and then let the celebrity Shuhan who defended Tongguan take the initiative to attack and leave the pass to meet the enemy. The result was a complete defeat. . An Lu Mountain broke through Chang'an, and Tang Xuanzong had no choice but to flee to Bashu. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Sun Chuanting guarded Tongguan, but was also forced to go out to meet the enemy, but was defeated by Li Zicheng.
In thousands of years of history, the wars that took place in Tongguan are innumerable, but the number of times that Tongguan has been brutally breached is not many, which shows that it is called the "first pass" by no means a false name. For more historical map articles, please pay attention to the WeChat public account: Map Emperor
