According to the "Ci Hai", "It is named because it is locked in the valley and the depths of danger are like letters. From Kunshan mountain in the east to Tongjin in the west, it is commonly known as Hangu, known as natural danger. "In the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Xiao of Qin seized the land of Kunhan from the Jin Dynasty and set up Hangu Pass here. Since then, Hangu Pass has become one of the earliest Xiongguan fortresses built in China's history.
One morning in 491 BC, Hangu Guan Ling Yin Xi stood on an earthen platform and saw the purple qi of the East steaming, and the light of the sun was shining, and he exclaimed ecstatically: "When the purple qi comes from the east, there will be saints who will pass the pass." Busy ordering the guan officials to sweep the streets and wait for the strangers, sure enough, I saw an old man with silver hair flowing and angry, and rode a green bull backwards towards the gate. The allusion to the purple qi coming from the east stems from this. Guan Ling Yin Xi asked Lao Tzu to leave a work to go, so Lao Tzu left behind the Tao Te Ching, which influenced the historical thought and culture of China and even the world. The content covers philosophy, ethics, political science, military science and many other disciplines, and is respected by posterity as a treasure book for governing the country, uniting the family, self-cultivation and learning. It has had a profound impact on Chinese philosophy, science, politics, religion, etc., and embodies a world view and outlook on life of ancient Chinese. The cultural ideas of the pre-Qin sons and Chinese were not unaffected by Lao Tzu. Its influence is also multifaceted, including political, cultural, scientific, religious and other aspects.
In China's long history, there are many passes that have been claimed to be the places where soldiers must fight, and the "History of Xiang Yu Benji" "Guanzhong Obstructing Mountains and Rivers four plugs" Pei Xiaoji quoted Xu Guangyue: "East Han Valley, South Wu Pass, West Sanguan, North Xiao Pass." The Western Jin Dynasty's Lu Ji "Luoyang Record" "Luoyang has four passes: East Chenggao, South Yique, North Mengjin, and West Hangu. "
Whether it is chang'an in the western capital or Luoyang in the east, Hanguguan is a whole body-moving existence. Hangu Pass, which connects the two ancient capitals of Xi'an and Luoyang, is sandwiched between the Qinling Mountains and the Yellow River, the dragon vein of China, and is surrounded by deep ditches and narrow valleys.
Hangu Pass was built in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the "Ci Hai" says in the explanation of the entry of Hangu Pass: It is named because in the valley, the depth and danger are like letters. From Kunshan mountain in the east to Tongjin in the west, it is commonly known as Hangu, known as natural danger. During the Qin Dynasty, Hangu Pass was located in Wangduo Village, 15 kilometers north of Lingbao City, Henan Province, and about 75 kilometers east of Sanmenxia City, which is also known as Hangu Pass in this article. In addition, there is a Han Dynasty Hangu Pass, which is 150 kilometers east of this, in present-day Xin'an County, Luoyang City. In ancient times, the Hanguguan Road was just a narrow path deep in a ravine, but it was the only way to penetrate the east and west. The 50-kilometer-long canyon is hangu pass in the east and Tongguan in the west.
There have been 16 major wars in hangu pass in history.
The more famous ones are: In 1029 BC, King Wu of Zhou cut down the forest and led an army to send eight hundred princes from Hangu Guanhui to Mengjin. Two years later, the world returned to Zhou, and the King of Wu disbanded his army here, and the swords and guns were in storage. The "Sword Vault Ruins" on the south side of the castle tower are the warehouses where swords, guns and arrows were placed.
In 318 BC, Gongsun Yan of Wei joined forces with the five kingdoms of Chu, Zhao, Yan, Han, and Chu to attack Qin. The Qin army, based on the natural danger of Hangu Pass, switched to meet the enemy, causing the six armies to "bleed and drift" and return home in a big defeat.
During the Warring States period, Tian Wenmeng, the Prince of Qi, entered Qin as a hostage. Suddenly, the King of Qin took the opportunity to kill, and Meng Tianjun's disciples learned to bark, deceived the men, stole the fox white fur clothes that had been presented to the King of Qin, and bribed the King of Qin Aiji in exchange for the documents to escape from the customs in the east. Meng Yijun and his party fled to Hangu Pass in a hurry, in the middle of the night, when the customs were "chicken chirping switch, sunset retreat". The rear pursuer is coming, and the situation is critical. At this time, a doorman stood on the mound to go to school and the chickens chirped, the surrounding roosters chirped in unison, the guanguan opened the closed door, Meng Tianjun and his party hurriedly escaped from Hangu Pass, a smooth road to the east, saved the name, and Meng Tianjun, one of the four princes of the hall, actually left an idiom allusion for chicken singing and dog theft.
In 206 BC, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang agreed that "the first to enter the customs is the king". Liu Bang chose the line of the weaker qin forces to attack, and entered Guanzhong from Shangluo in Shaanxi via Wuguan in advance. When Xiang Yu heard that Liu Bang had been in Guanzhong, he was furious and ordered the general Tuobu to forcibly attack the guanlou and burn down the Guanlou, performing the "Hongmen Feast", a song that has been sung for thousands of years.
In the sixteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao rebelled against the Zhang Lu regime in Hanzhong, taking The Hangu Pass, Ma Chao led 100,000 soldiers to defend the Hangu Pass, Cao Cao could not attack for a long time, so he had to cross the Yellow River north.
During the Tang Dynasty's Anshi Rebellion, An Lushan repeatedly attacked Tongguan from Hangu Pass and was repelled by the Tang army commander Ge Shuhan, but Tang Xuanzong listened to the rumors of Yang Guozhong, a traitor who did not understand military affairs, and forced Ge Shuhan to abandon the plan to defend the pass and resist the enemy, and led his troops into battle, resulting in a major defeat, only 8,000 of the 200,000 people escaped, so that Tongguan and Chang'an were lost one after another, du Fu lamented this historical tragedy in "Tongguan Official", "Mourning Tao Lin Zhao, millions turned into fish." The list goes on and on.
This is also the site of Tang Xuanzong's "Xuanyuan Spirit Rune". In the twenty-ninth year of Tang Kaiyuan (741 AD), Tang Xuanzong was pleased to receive the "spirit rune" of Emperor Xuanyuan here. "Lingfu" is the ancient "sang" character, which means the forty-eighth year of the dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong did not know that this was a proverb, thinking that it was auspicious, so he changed the name of the first year of the opening to "Tianbao" and changed Taolin County to Lingbao County, which is the origin of the name of Lingbao County.
Historical stories and legends such as Ziqi Donglai, Chicken Singing Dog Thief, Gongsun White Horse, and Xuanzong Jieyuan are all centered around Hangu Pass, which is both a historical pass and a humanistic pass.