"My lord, you are not good at hiding it. Once you know the truth, you will inevitably not reveal your flaws in front of your majesty. We did not tell the truth, so please forgive me, lord."
Jia Xu slightly cupped his hands and looked apologetic at Liu Zhang.
"No wonder, no wonder His Majesty came to me alone that day and said that Huangfu Song's defeat completely disrupted his plans!"
Many things are a bit strange, and there is always one point that feels abnormal. After this point is revealed, everything naturally becomes logical.
Liu Zhang also understood the reason why Liu Zhang was so angry. From the beginning, he had no intention of letting himself take the lead in quelling the northwest rebellion.
This time things happened so suddenly. Huangfu Song was defeated in a battle, which frightened Liu Hong. He was afraid that the tomb would be damaged and he was afraid of becoming a sinner of the Han Dynasty!
"Two strategists, according to your wishes, even if I repeat the feat of quelling the Yellow Turbans this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to lead it alone, right?"
Jia Xu and Xun You smiled and nodded. Liu Zhang was indeed smart, and he knew everything right.
"That's right, so this time we can't wipe out the rebels directly, we just need to repel them."
"Due to financial problems at that time, the imperial court would definitely not be able to expedition to Xiliang. When the rebels rise again next time, my lord can show off his talents!"
When Liu Zhang heard Jia Xu's words, he couldn't help but have a headache. He didn't expect there to be so much intrigue in the court!
"I thought I could rely on the rebellion in the northwest to become the governor of Hanzhong this time! It seems that I thought too much..."
Seeing the disappointment on Liu Zhang's face, Jia Xu spoke out to comfort him.
"My lord, don't be impatient. You have to eat your food one bite at a time. The situation is now very good."
Liu Zhang nodded helplessly, thinking that this was all he could do.
"My lord, ahead is Hangu Pass."
Liu Zhang looked up and saw a towering checkpoint coming into view.
Hangu Pass is an important barrier to guard the Guandong princes from marching into the Guanzhong Plain.
The Qin State once used Hangu Pass to hold millions of soldiers from the Six Kingdoms. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, used this pass to fight against Xiang Yu. It was a very dangerous pass.
The Yaoshan Mountains have almost isolated all land routes between the Central Plains and eastern Guanzhong. Only a more than ten kilometers long "crack" exists in the Choosangyuan area near the Yellow River in the north, and the entrance to this narrow valley is Hangu Pass.
!
If they want to attack Hangu Pass head-on, the invading enemy must first cross the rushing Hongnong River in front of the defenders, and then attack the towering and steep city wall.
Just facing one of these two is already quite difficult, let alone facing them at the same time?
Moreover, even if they were lucky enough to finally conquer the pass, they would still have to pass through a narrow valley that was dozens of miles long and could only accommodate a few people walking side by side. This was a natural ambush site.
No matter how many troops there are, they can't be deployed at all! If you keep attacking, you will only continue to cause casualties to yourself, turning it into a fueling tactic.
For the army in this era, this is an almost impossible task. It is absolutely not an exaggeration to describe this place as one man is in charge of the pass and ten thousand men are at a loss.
Therefore, in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, some people still praised that even if Hangu Pass was blocked with a pill of soil, it would be difficult for the Kwantung army to break through.
This easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack terrain provides a huge advantage for the rising political power in the Guanzhong area to strive for world hegemony.
The most famous ones are Qin Shihuang Ying Zheng and Han Gaozu Liu Bang, who relied on Guanzhong to conquer the world.
Not long after, Liu Zhang led his troops to Hangu Pass, but what he saw in front of him shocked him.
Hangu Pass is very dilapidated, and it seems that it has not been repaired for a long time. Moreover, the guards are all very loose, and it does not look like there is a war in the pass at all.
What puzzled Liu Zhang the most was that although the Hangu Pass in front of him was dangerous, it was far from natural danger, let alone the natural defense line of Hongnong River and the natural danger of dense forests in Choosangyuan!
"Is this the Hangu Pass? The Qin State relied on this pass to resist the Six Kingdoms?"
Liu Zhang looked at Jia Xu with great confusion. Even if he were killed, he would not believe that this level could hold millions of troops!
Jia Xu looked at Liu Zhang in surprise, as if Liu Zhang had asked an idiot question.
"My Lord, are you joking? This is not the Hangu Pass of the Qin Dynasty."
"What! There are two Hangu Passes?"
Liu Zhang was so surprised that he even raised his voice a lot!
"Yes, this is Hangu Pass after Emperor Wu moved, also commonly known as Hanhan Pass, on the North Xiao Road. The Qin Hangu Pass my Lord mentioned was on the South Xiao Road, but it has been abandoned now, and it is now called Hongnong County."
"In other words, there is not only one way from Luoyang to Guanzhong?"
Xun You's reaction to Liu Zhang was also a little strange, but he still nodded to him.
"Yes, when Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, he took the Nanxiao Road and avoided the new Hangu Pass."
"What about Tongguan?"
Liu Zhang hurriedly asked, but he was caught off guard by all this.
"Tongguan? What Tongguan?"
Xun You was confused by Liu Zhang's question and turned to look at Jia Xu, not asking him if he knew anything.
"My lord, I have never heard of Tongguan. I only know about Tonghe. Tonghe is too far from here."
The more Liu Zhang listened, the more shocked he became. He found that his understanding of the terrain had been skewed!
There are two Hangu Passes, and they are no longer in existence. Even Jia Xu and Xunyou don’t know about Tongguan Pass, so they must not have been built yet!
Wouldn't it be smooth sailing from Guanzhong to Luoyang?
I still want to follow the trend of the pre-Qin Dynasty, being condescending and relying on Xiongguan to compete with Cao Cao.
All these have become flowers in the water and the moon in the mirror!
"Gongda, can Qin Hangu Pass still be used? Can it still be used to the extent that it can resist the soldiers of the six countries?"
Xun You thought for a while and finally shook his head.
"My lord, Qin Hangu Pass was built on a crack in the Choosang Plain. Originally, the Choosang Plain was very high, surrounded by steep cliffs, and covered with primeval forests. Moreover, it was built on the Yellow River, and the Yellow River became a natural barrier for Hangu Pass.
"
"What a pity, all this has become a thing of the past! The Yellow River continues to dive, and the coast has been exposed. Now you can skip Hangu Pass and pass directly through Qiantan. Moreover, due to excessive deforestation, the Choumulg Plain is no longer there.
The situation of the forest means that not to mention pedestrians, even the army can pass through."
"In short, the situation in which Qin used Hangu Pass to resist millions of soldiers from the six countries will probably never happen again..."
Liu Zhang suddenly panicked and looked at Xun You without giving up.
"Then there must be a solution, right? Can Guanzhong and Luoyang be connected directly and unimpeded? Hasn't anyone raised any questions in these years?"
Xun You didn't understand why Liu Zhang was so obsessed with Hangu Pass, let alone why he cared about it. He could only chuckle and shake his head.
"My lord, after Emperor Gaozu unified the whole country, both Guanzhong and Guandong were all Han territories. Moreover, the world has been at peace for a long time. In the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, there was only one Wang Mang. Even if there were other wars, they were all external.
Who cares about Hangu Pass?"
Indeed, Xun You is right. Who among the four hundred-year-old Han people could have imagined that a civil war would happen one day?
Wasn't Wang Mang's strategy of taking advantage of the right time, place and people completely destroyed by the chosen son Liu Xiu?
In this era, the big man is still the theme of people’s thoughts!
But everyone can think this way, but Liu Zhang can’t!
He knows very well what he will have to face in the future, so he must prepare for it!
"Wenhe, Gongda, everyone can care less, but we can't!"