Pre Qin Gou Zhu Sai: The Danger of Heavenly Design Between the Outer Frontier and the Central Plains

During the pre Qin period, Yanmen Pass was called Gouzhusai. At that time, the name of the county referred to "Yanmen", not the name of the pass. The name "Gouzhusai" originated during the Warring States period, as it was located in a strategic location with a natural danger. It was named "Gouzhusai" due to its mountainous terrain.
Gouzhushan, also known as Gouzhuxing or Xingling, spans the northwest of present-day county. Formerly known as Xixi or Xixing. The name "Xixi" first appeared in the "Biography of Emperor Mu", which states in volume one: "During the Jiawu period, the emperor marched westward and reached the Pass of Juexi." Jin Guo Pu annotated, "Ascending is the Pass of Hanye. It is suspected that this is called the Western Pass of Beiling. The Pass of Yanmen Mountain is also called" Erya "." The Western Pass of Beiling is the Pass of Yanmen. "Gouzhu Mountain spans more than two hundred miles and is one of the branches of the Northern Mountain Hengshan. The" Shanxi Gazetteer "states:" Shanxi starts from the watershed and obtains the water source of Luo, which is the Tianchi of Ningwu; it ends at Pingxingguan in the east. Lianmei Huiling and Hengyue in Hunyuan stretch for more than 200 miles, between the Hutuo and Sangqian rivers. The Guandao Road runs north, connecting the three prefectures of Da, Shuo, and Ning. It was formerly known as Xixi, also known as Xixing, and Xingling. Yanmen Mountain is one of the sections, but it is not detailed enough and is also referred to as Gouzhu Mountain. The reason why it is named after Gouzhu Mountain instead of Yanmen is because Gouzhu Mountain has a great reputation, and Yanmen Mountain is only one section of it. The name of Xixi can be found in the "Inscription on Bu Gui": "Bai Shi said, 'Without controlling the direction, I am allowed to launch a wide attack on Xixi. The king has made me ashamed to chase after Xixi, and I will return to offer poultry.' No, the general's name; Yunyun, also known as Yan Bi and the pre Qin ethnic name, is distributed in Shaanxi and northern Shanxi; Shame, come in too. According to research, this coffin was a tool of the Zhou Yi King's time. Xiyu is also known as Xixi. King Mu of Zhou was the fifth generation king of the Western Zhou Dynasty, who traveled westward in 960 BC; Yi Wang was the ninth king of the Western Zhou Dynasty, reigning from 885 BC to 878 BC, more than 2800 years ago.
The name "Gou Zhu" was first mentioned in "Zhan Guo Ce · Yan Ce Yi": "Zhang Yi broke through the vertical and horizontal lines of Qin, and said to the King of Yan:" In the past, the King of Zhao took his sister as the wife of the acting king and wanted to replace her. He arranged to meet with the acting king at Gou Zhu, and asked the workers to make copper buckets and grow their tails so that they could strike people. When drinking with the acting king, he secretly told the kitchen staff, "When you are drunk and happy, when you heat up the wine, you will strike it because of the reverse fight." So, when you are drunk and happy, you make progress and drink hot wine, and the kitchen staff will pour it, but it will strike you because of the reverse fight, and the acting king will be mentally devastated. When his sister heard about it, Mo Hong pricked himself, hence the mountain of Mo Hong The Records of the Grand Historian, Zhao Family, also has a similar record and states that "beyond the annotations of a sentence, the dynasty was broken". Zhao Xiangzi destroyed the dynasty in 473 BC, and Zhang Yi said that the King of Yan was in 311 BC. Based on this, the name of the frontier has been annotated for more than 2470 years. According to the different historical periods, "sai" is a synonym for "guan". In the "Preface to the Oath of Qin" in the Book of Documents, Kong Yingda's "Justice" explains that "building a city and guarding the way is called a pass." This is basically the same as the definition of a pass. As for what does the term 'guan deng' and 'guan' refer to in the biography of Emperor Mu? Carrying its righteousness should be regarded as the gateway of Guancheng, and if so, it should also be the prototype of Yanmen Pass.
The "L ü shi Chunqiu · You Shi Lan" states: "What are the Nine Passes? Taifen, Mingxi, Jingruan, Fangcheng, Yao, Jingxing, Lingci, Zhuzhu, and Juyong." The "Huainanzi · Topographic Training" also states that the names of the Nine Passes are basically the same, with the annotation being one of them. The "Huanyu Ji" quotes the "Gouzhu Stele" from the Jin Dynasty as follows: "To cover the dangers of the north, the Lu Long, Flying Fox, and Gouzhu are the first. The obstacles of the world make it difficult to distinguish between the inside and outside
The quote from "Strategies of the Warring States: Yan Strategy" states that Zhao Xiangzi intended to annex the state of Dai, but was killed by the King of Dai in 473 BC. It is generally believed that the Warring States period began in 476 BC, and the annotation of 'Sai Sha Dai Wang' marked the beginning of the Warring States period. At that time, the country was located near Weixian County in Hebei Province, northeast of Gouzhusai. Not going on a date elsewhere, but making an appointment at the checkpoint, it can be seen that the checkpoint is a strategic location between the two countries. In the north and northwest of Gouzhusai, which is the outer region of the Zhou Dynasty's enfeoffment of territory and establishment of the country, it is the area of Rong and Di, which is beyond the reach of the Zhou Dynasty's power. It is the place where the Linhu, Loufan, and Gouchou ethnic groups reside. One hundred and seventy years later, King Wuling of Zhao launched several northern expeditions, and the targets of his attacks were still these ethnic groups. The boundary was still at Gouzhushan, and the fortress was undoubtedly Gouzhusai. Therefore, King Wuling of Zhao established Yunzhong Commandery, Yanmen Commandery, and Dai Commandery in the newly occupied areas, with the southern boundary of Yanmen Commandery being Gouzhushan. Later, Emperor Qin Shi Huang divided the country into 36 counties, with the southern part of Gouzhu Mountain belonging to Taiyuan County and the northern part belonging to Yanmen County, while the northern part of Gouzhu Pass was the land beyond the pass. It can be seen that the Gouzhu Pass during the pre Qin period was the area where the frontier and the Central Plains region intersected. The collision was a natural danger, and the fusion of the pass was also a great defense and natural barrier for the Central Plains dynasties.
China is a multi-ethnic country, and many ethnic groups within its borders had already transitioned from primitive society to slave society during the Warring States period. Bronze weapons have become popular, and later on, iron weapons occasionally appear. Various ethnic groups and groups conflict with each other for their own interests. The territory occupied by Zhao Xiangzi belongs to the Rong ethnic group. Zhao Suhou (349 BC~326 BC) defeated Lin Hu at Yan and repaired the Great Wall on Gouzhu Mountain. In 273 BC, the State of Zhao sent troops to defeat the Eastern Hu and recaptured the Dai Commandery that had been occupied by the Eastern Hu. These wars were all carried out through the process of plugging. General Li Mu of Zhao was stationed at Yanmen to defend against the Xiongnu. Here, Yanmen refers to Yanmen Commandery, which is not limited to the Gouzhu Pass where Yanmen Pass is located today, but Gouzhu Pass is undoubtedly among them. After Li Mu's great victory over the Xiongnu, he later sent troops to defeat the Eastern Hu. Its advance and retreat are well founded, its attack and defense are orderly, and its strategic location is naturally crucial.