The two of them drove westward at high speed under the scorching sun. In more than an hour, they entered the mountain through a gentle abandoned pass at the southern foot of Luliang Mountain.
Although the mountain road is small, it can be easily passed by people. Li Zhao is actually very familiar with the mountain trails hidden in the dense woods. With him leading the way, there is no need to identify the direction at all. Even Qin Yangdu, who often goes in and out of tropical rainforests,
Some felt inferior, which surprised Qin Yang.
"Big brother always brings me too many surprises." Qin Yang thought secretly.
After passing the Luliang Mountains, Li Zhao found a rarely visited valley bottom path in the Sanchuan River Valley. The two of them went up the river. When the valley became more and more open, Li Zhao said: "Brother, this place is less than fifty miles to the west.
It’s the Lishi Fortress (Note 1).”
Qin Yang was overjoyed when he heard this, because it was only fifty miles away, and it was the flat land east of Hedong. The two of them could reach there in less than half an hour by relying on their horse power. If everything went well, they could pass the stone bridge of Lishi Fortress before dark.
After crossing the river, there would be no natural obstacles blocking the journey north to Jiuyuan. If Li Zhao hadn't led the way, he would have walked at least four hundred miles more by turning a big bend.
Moreover, in Qin Yang's memory, history books have many records on the importance of this Lishi Fortress: Lishi Fortress was built close to the river, where the river was sandwiched between two mountains. The river surface was narrow, and the water flow was deep and rapid.
There is only one big stone bridge that leads directly to the west of Hexi. It is one of the two stone bridges that go up and down the river thousands of miles away. In other words, if you want to cross the river from the east of the river to the west of the river, this is the only way in that era.
In terms of location, less than three hundred miles northeast of Lishi Fortress is Jinyang, an important town in Zhao State; more than three hundred miles southeast is Pingyang, an important town in northern Wei State (Note 2). Lishi Fortress is exactly in the Three Kingdoms of Zhao, Qin, and Wei
The intersection zone naturally became the barrier and foundation of the northern Wei State. Although Lishi Fortress is only a small castle, it is a gateway stuck in the upper reaches of the river! With Lishi in hand, it can threaten Zhao State and Zhongshan State from the east.
, and could cross the river to the west to threaten Qin. In the later period of Wei Wenhou, Wu Qi used Pingyang as the first springboard and Lishi Fortress as the second springboard to cross the river and fight with Qin in Hexi for three years, taking over thousands of miles west of Hexi.
Land. Therefore, in the late Warring States period and before the rise of the Qin State, the Lishi Fortress was the Wei State's most important military fortress east of the river, and it was also like a sharp sword hanging over the Qin State's head.
In order to take off this sharp sword hanging over its head, the Qin State began to launch a war to regain Hexi starting from Qin Xiangong in 366 BC. Although generations of powerful old Qin people fought with blood and fought to the death, but
However, due to their weak national strength, they did not take any advantage in the face of the powerful Wei State. Later Qin Xiaogong re-implemented Shang Yang's reform, and the national strength increased greatly. The emperor and his ministers have been planning to launch another war to take back Hexi and seize the Lishi Fortress. B.C.
In 341, the opportunity finally came. Wei's 100,000-strong army was completely wiped out in the Battle of Maling. Qin took the opportunity to attack Hexi the following year, defeated the Wei army and captured Wei's general Gongzi Xian. In 339 BC, the Qin army again led by Pang Pang.
He crossed the river to attack the city, defeated Wei's reinforcements at Anmen (Note 3), and captured the general Wei Cuo. In the same year, Duke Xiao of Qin died, and King Huiwen of Qin succeeded to the throne, appointing Gongsun Yan, a native of Wei. In 332 BC, King Huiwen of Qin appointed Gongsun Yan (
The rhinoceros head) was made by Daliang and led his army to attack Diaoyin (Note 4), an important place in Wei Shangjun. After two years of fierce fighting, the Wei army was defeated and 45,000 people were beheaded. The general Long Jia was captured. The Wei state was forced to conquer the Hexi region the following year.
All the remaining parts were returned to Qin. So far, Qin had recovered all the Hexi area captured by Wei, and Lishi Fortress also fell into Qin's hands.
After Qin regained the Hexi area, it did not stop attacking Wei. In 3 BC, Qin sent troops from two routes. The northern route was based on Hexi and supported by Lishi Fortress to attack the east of Wei River and occupied Fenyin (Note 5);
The Yin and Jin Dynasties used the Yin and Jin Dynasties as their base, and along the Taolin Highlands fortress channel on the south bank of the Yellow River, they captured Quwo (Note 6) and went straight to the Wei Mountain Great Wall. Wei sued for peace and surrendered all 15 counties of Shangjun to Qin. In other words, the Qin State took control of Hexi from the beginning of the war until it recovered Hexi.
It took a full thirty-six years to build Lishi Fortress. You can also see the important position of Lishi Fortress from here. At this point, Qin completely mastered the natural dangers of the Yellow River and controlled the main route eastward to the Central Plains, establishing a strategic advantage in one fell swoop.
status and laid the foundation for unifying the world.
Therefore, Qin Yang was quite looking forward to seeing the majestic appearance of Lishi Fortress. However, he did not expect that when the two of them arrived in front of Lishi Fortress, Qin Yang was a little disappointed. The towers were still majestic, and the dark Qin army flags were flying.
Still, what is surprising is that there are only a few soldiers of the Qin army guarding the fortress. The few soldiers who opened peripheral cards dozens of feet below the tower have long lost their energy under the scorching sun, and they are just embarrassing the passers-by for no reason.
.
Seeing this situation, Qin Yang had a hint of anger in his eyes.
"Brother, this Lishi Fortress is said to be a battleground for military strategists. When did it become like this?" Qin Yang asked abruptly.
"Haha, one moment and another moment. The world has been unified for ten years, and there has been no war for a long time. Lishi is located in the heart of the empire, and it is common for military preparations to be slack. What's more, the First Emperor's unscrupulous recruitment of people has left no adult male in Taiyuan County.
How could these soldiers be aware of the danger? Otherwise, how could I have let you and I cross the river from here?" Li Zhao replied disapprovingly.
"This is really unreasonable! Isn't there anyone who cares?" Qin Yang became even more angry.
"Who is in charge? The First Emperor? The county guard? How can they manage this place? It's the guard of Lishi Fortress. No, you've seen it, this is the result." Li Zhao said to him.
Qin Yang's inexplicable anger was very confusing.
"this……"
"Ahem, those two, what are you muttering about? Could it be the work of the nobles of the old Six Kingdoms?" Qin Yang trailed off, and a soldier who set up a checkpoint not far away became suspicious when he saw the two walking and talking.
After questioning the two of them, they were also charged with a serious crime.
"You..." Qin Yang was already angry in his heart, but now he saw that the soldier was so unreasonable, and his face darkened.
You have to reason with it.
"Haha, my brothers and I just went to Hexi to do some chores. I can't afford to be so meticulous! Military Lord, please do me a favor." Li Zhao winked at Qin Yang and hurriedly grabbed Qin Yang.
words.
"I think you and the other two are just being careful!" The soldier refused, and his words gradually became more intense. Several soldiers nearby heard the sound and slowly gathered around.
"Master, please calm down. Your General Zhao Wu and I have had a mutual relationship. If you don't believe me, you can report it to General Zhao. He can prove our innocence... This is a trivial matter. Please buy some wine."
"Li Zhao saw that the momentum was not right, so he hurriedly said while taking out a piece of Lujin worth two taels and handed it to the soldier who spoke.
"Oh? General Zhao's old acquaintance?... Well, okay, let's go, let's go." As soon as the soldier saw the gold, his eyes lit up, and he did not confirm whether the person in front of him was really related to his general.
If it's old, just let it go.
Qin Yang saw this ridiculous scene from the side, and his eyes were about to bleed. If Li Zhao hadn't pulled him up and left, he might not have been able to move.
"If the army is not well prepared, the passes are not guarded, there is no military discipline and wealth is more important than life, is this the Qin Empire's mighty army that dominates the world? Look at it, the First Emperor, the First Emperor, you pursue perfection in everything, but you never
I have thought about these small details, remembering the external troubles but forgetting the internal worries." Thinking of the coming storm at the end of Qin Dynasty, Qin Yang's mood was so low that he almost felt like crying without tears.
It wasn't until the two of them crossed the stone bridge of Lishi Fortress and arrived in Hexi that Qin Yang asked Li Zhao: "Brother, you are well-informed. How many Qin troops in the empire have such corrupt military disciplines as Lishi Fortress?"
"That's not much."
"Do you know the guard named Zhao Wu of Lishi Fortress? There are so many soldiers and so many generals!"
"Well, I met him twice. He was a greedy and lustful man. It is said that he was a distant nephew of Zhao Gao, the first emperor's servant."
"Ah? So that's it?" Qin Yang was thoughtful.
"Why are brothers paying so much attention to the Qin Army? Which brother is the general of the Qin Army?" Li Zhao was puzzled when he saw that Qin Yang was interested in the Imperial Army, so he asked.
"Haha, I'm not a general of the Qin army. I'm just expressing my feelings. Don't doubt me, brother." Although Qin Yang really didn't want his elder brother Li Zhao to be involved in his affairs, he felt that he had deceived the straightforward Li Zhao.
It was very inappropriate, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed when I spoke.
Li Zhao was so sophisticated that when he saw Qin Yang's expression, he knew something was wrong, but he didn't point it out. He felt that when his brother's secret should be known to him, he would naturally let himself know, and there was no need to force others to make things difficult. So he just
He smiled slightly and said: "That's very good. Now we can reach Yulin in about two hours by riding hard. We will rest there for one night and go up the straight road at 4 o'clock tomorrow morning. It will only be less than 600 miles to Jiuyuan. As long as the horse is fine,
We can reach Jiuyuan before the end of the day at most!"
Qin Yang's blood almost boiled with Li Zhao's considerate attitude. He smiled gratefully at Li Zhao, said nothing, and galloped forward.
"Haha, brother, wait for me..."
This is where the deep brotherhood begins!
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Note 1: Today's Lishi District, Luliang City, Shanxi Province. There is a stone bridge built in the fortress to connect the two sides of the Yellow River. According to historical records, Qin Xiaogong passed through the Battle of Hexi. After the defeat of the Wei State, the fortress was ceded to the Qin State because the Wei State was afraid that the Qin State would pass through it.
When they attacked Wei State, they requested that this stone bridge be demolished, but they did not get approval. Later, it became the most frequent passage for the Qin army to attack Wei and Zhao.
Note 2: Today’s west of Linfen, Shanxi; Note 3: Today’s south of Hejin County, Shanxi Province;
Note 4: South of present-day Ganquan County, Shaanxi Province; Note 5: West of present-day Wanrong County, Shanxi Province;
Note 6: Southwest of present-day Sanmenxia City, Henan Province.
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