Sichuan has been known as the country of Tianfu since ancient times, in addition to saying that the land here is fertile and rich in products, but also because sichuan is surrounded by steep mountains. From a military point of view, the Sichuan Basin is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and Sichuan can often defend its wealth alone during the chaos in the Central Plains. It is precisely this sinister geographical environment described by Li Bai, a Tang Dynasty poet, in "Shu Dao Difficulty". There is a cloud in the poem: "There is a high standard of the six dragons returning to the sun, and there is a return to the river with a reverse wave on the bottom." The flight of the Yellow Crane was still unavoidable, and the ape was eager to climb to the rescue. ”
When it comes to the difficulties of Shu Dao, it is impossible not to mention Guangyuan City in Sichuan Province. Guangyuan is located in the north of Sichuan Province, bordering Longnan City of Gansu Province to the northwest and Hanzhong City of Shaanxi Province to the northeast, with an area of about 16,000 square kilometers. Because it is located in the southern foothills of Micang Mountain, it is a transition zone between mountains and basins, and the terrain of Guangyuan is high in the north and low in the south, and the altitude gap between the mountains is large, which can be said to be high and low. Such a terrain is very dangerous, which can be called "one husband and one pass, and no one can open it".
The history of Guangyuan is very long, and during the reign of King Wu of Zhou, someone established the Fang State in Guangyuan until it was destroyed by the King of Shu in the Spring and Autumn Period. The King of Shu established the state of Tho, which was later annexed by the state of Qin and established Yemeng County. After the Western Wei (former northern Zhou) of the Southern and Northern Dynasties occupied this place, Shili Prefecture, Tang and Song Dynasties continued to use the name of Lizhou, until the Yuan Dynasty changed its name to Guangyuan Road, and it is still used today.
In ancient times, ShouShu must guard Hanzhong, and Hanzhong Tongshu mainly has three dangerous roads. To the east is Lychee Road, in the middle is Micang Road, to the west is the famous Golden Bull Road, Guangyuan is located in the middle of Jinniu Road, and the famous Jianmen Pass is located in the southwest of Guangyuan. Li Bai wrote such a sentence in "Shu Dao Difficulty": "The earth collapse mountain destroys the heroes and dies, and then the heavenly ladder stone stacks are connected", which is the origin of Shu Dao. During the Warring States period, King Huiwen of Qin decided to annex the State of Shu south of the Qin Mountains. However, the Shu state "came forty-eight thousand years old, and did not communicate with Qin Saitong", the terrain was dangerous, and it was afraid that it would have to pay a huge price if it wanted to rely on the army to attack hard.
The Qin people came up with a clever plan, sent skilled craftsmen to create five stone cattle, and then piled up gold yuan treasures behind the buttocks of the five stone cows, and said to the outside world that these five cows were golden bulls and could pull out gold yuan treasures every day. At the same time, the Qin people expressed their willingness to give these five stone cattle to the Shu kingdom to show the goodness of the qin and Shu kingdoms. The King of Shu was a money addict who could not find the north when he saw money, and he was eager to immediately put five stone cattle in his arms. However, the weight of the five stone cattle is not light, and it is very difficult to pull from the rugged Qinling Mountains to the Sichuan Basin. The King of Shu found five Hercules in the country, known as the Five Dings, who were stronger than cattle. The King of Shu asked the Five Ding Heroes to dig a mountain road, open the passage between Qin and Shu, and transport the five stone cattle back to the Shu Kingdom. The King of Shu soon understood that this was actually a set given to him by the State of Qin, and he was equivalent to building a military passage for the State of Qin to destroy Shu for free. Qin Bing followed this golden light avenue built by the Shu people, and without much effort, they destroyed the Shu kingdom, and the Qin people set up Yemeng County in the present Guangyuan.
Guangyuan, as the northern gate of Sichuan, is the fortress of Jinshu. Everyone is not unfamiliar with the name of Ye Meng, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Liu Bei, who had divided Jingzhou, entered Shu, he had a soldier in Ye Meng, not far northwest of Guangyuan. During the Shu Han Dynasty, Guangyuan was one of the northern gates guarding Chengdu, and its strategic position was very important. Once Hanzhong fell, shu Han could gather heavy troops in Guangyuan to ensure the safety of Chengdu. "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has many famous bridges, such as Hei Zhang Fei Night Battle White Horse Chao, just under Ye Meng Guan. Guangyuan became famous in the Tang Dynasty, why? Because the empress Wu Zetian, who cut off the Tang Dynasty, was born in Guangyuan. Guangyuan has many historical sites related to Wu Zetian, plus Guangyuan is also an important historical and cultural town of the Three Kingdoms, and there are many historical attractions to see, it is said that Guangyuan has more than 140 relics related to the Three Kingdoms.
In addition to having a thick history, Guangyuan's geographical location determines that it has been a transportation hub and material distribution center in the Sichuan-Shaanxi-Gansu junction area since ancient times. Not to mention the modern era, Guangyuan's transportation advantages are very obvious. Among other things, the Baocheng Railway from Shaanxi to Sichuan must pass through Guangyuan, and the high-speed railway from Xi'an to Chengdu also passes through Guangyuan. In addition, Guangyuan is located in the relative middle between Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, and Chongqing Municipality, and can obtain the radiation power of the four major cities. Guangyuan strangles land and water, controls the throat of the north and south, and its location is very important.