The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 313: The Natural Danger of Hangu Pass
The coalition of the six kingdoms [five kingdoms (four kingdoms)] had no illusions about destroying Qin, as they knew very well that this was impossible.

The strategic goal of the coalition forces was simple, which was to dampen Qin's arrogance, weaken Qin's strength, and make it difficult for Qin to advance eastward in a short period of time.

This is the most fundamental strategic goal, but apart from that, the other goals are slightly different.

It's like everyone wants to grab some land and cities and get some benefits.

However, only the Three Jins were the most enthusiastic about this, because if they got it, it would most likely have nothing to do with anyone else.

The people of Chu were conflicted about this. They could weaken Qin, but it would be best not to let the Three Jins become too strong.

The State of Yan was strongly opposed to this, especially the State of Zhao, which was determined not to allow him to become stronger.

Even though the Three Jins were enthusiastic, they were also on guard against each other, fearing that the other side was too strong. After all, the families were adjacent to each other.

Especially Zhao and Wei, they also have a blood feud, and they want to beat their brains out.

It is really difficult for a coalition that cannot even firmly unite on a single goal to win.
It has once again been proved that since ancient times, unity is the most difficult thing, and the one who can unite the most people will be the ultimate winner.

The situation on the Qin side was completely different.

Meng Ao would never dare to take this battle lightly. All the movements of the coalition forces were first placed on Meng Ao's desk and then on Ying Zheng's desk.

Ying Zheng's full support and full empowerment meant that Meng Ao had no worries at all.

Although the coalition forces were large in number, Meng Ao did not take them seriously. This time the power in his hands was too strong, and he would win no matter what. The main thing was how to minimize the losses, achieve the strategic goals, and consume the opponent's vitality as much as possible.

Looking at the slow pace of the coalition forces' advance, Meng Ao sneered, "Arrogant soldiers are bound to be defeated!"

People's hearts are divided and their morale is arrogant. If we don't make good use of this situation, it would be very disrespectful to you.

Although the advance of the Six-Nation Allied Forces was slow, it was easier than expected. Cities large and small along the way surrendered at the sight of them, and there was basically no resistance.

Chunshen Jun and Pang Nuan did not dare to relax. How could the Qin State be so easy to bully?
The march was not fast to begin with, and the Qin army should have been prepared long ago, but they surrendered at the first sight of the enemy's advance. There must be something wrong!

The generals of various countries did not dare to underestimate the enemy and were arrogant, but they could not stop their soldiers from becoming more lax and arrogant.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary soldiers, facing the million-strong army of the Six Nations, any enemy, even the Qin army, should surrender at the sight of it!

Although the Qin army is strong, they are still human.

There are so many of us, and even a spit from each of us would be drowned by the Qin army.

The Qin army's response along the way also proved that what everyone thought was correct.

That's right. Who wouldn't surrender when seeing such a large army?

The fact that they had time to take away weapons, food and other military equipment before the surrender proved that the Qin army was elite enough.

Only a fool would resist, wouldn't that be courting death?
Under the strenuous efforts of the generals of various countries to restrain themselves, the coalition forces did not do anything to harm the people.

Firstly, the logistical pressure was enormous and they dared not delay; secondly, the officials and people in the city also cooperated. The banner they raised this time was that the Qin State was tyrannical and unjust, and they came to save the people, so it was naturally not a good idea to bring harm to the people.

Since the people are honest, there is no need to cause trouble for yourself. Why bother forcing them to risk their lives?

There is also one most important reason, which is to leave a way out for yourself so that you can meet again in the future.

If we can capture the city during this attack on Qin, it will be ours. It would be stupid to destroy it.

If the result was not ideal and the city could not be taken, it would be no good to offend Qin. Qin would retaliate in the future. What was the point? For various reasons, the generals of various countries tried their best to restrain the people. They advanced smoothly without any hard battles or major losses, so naturally they did not arouse any resentment, and the people did not suffer too much.

In this era, the flags on the city walls change too quickly. Unless it is necessary, there is really no habit of harming the people.

Of course, no matter how much control is put in place, many civilians will inevitably suffer, and there will inevitably be casualties. There are 560,000 people in the six countries, and there are all kinds of people. There is nothing that can be done about it.

In troubled times, war is so cruel.

All of this was planned long ago, and the coalition forces had a smooth journey until they stopped at Hangu Pass.

This march was like a trip. The fighting spirit of the allied soldiers was almost gone, and they had no hostility. All that was left was laxity and arrogance.

There were also some internal struggles among the countries. After all, many of these soldiers belonged to different countries and had been fighting for years, and they had deep hatred for each other, so friction was inevitable.

If countries did not distrust each other, operate independently and have their own constraints, it would be really fun to watch them work together.

Even so, there were constant frictions, and hundreds of people were executed along the way before the situation was barely suppressed, but it was by no means harmonious.

When they arrived at Hangu Pass, Chunshen Jun and Pang Nuan led the generals to inspect the terrain. No one could laugh, except Yan Guo, who was secretly happy.

It was not the first time for many generals from various countries to see Hangu Pass, but they still despaired.

Why was the Qin State so lucky and occupied such a natural advantage?

Hangu Pass is the only way to enter Guanzhong from the west.

But this must-pass place is really difficult to conquer.

One man can hold off ten thousand men, and this is no exaggeration at all.

Hangu Pass is connected to Hengling Mountains in the west, Juejian in the east, Qinling Mountains in the south, and the Yellow River in the north. The terrain is dangerous and the roads are narrow, making it difficult for people and horses to pass.

Hangu Pass is located on the south bank of the Yellow River, a typical gully and hilly landform. Since ancient times, this area has been full of huge gullies, hundreds of meters high, and anyone who wants to pass through must roll over and over in these huge gullies.

The Hangu Road where Hangu Pass is located is a huge gully. It is relatively easy to enter the Guanzhong Plain in the west along this gully, so this place became a passage connecting Guanzhong and Central Plains.

This is a natural barrier that cannot be solved by a large number of people. No matter how many people there are, they can only line up in a vertical row, with at most dozens of people in each row rushing forward. This small number of people is just giving credit to others.

Therefore, Hangu Pass was the core strategic location of the Qin Dynasty. Except for the Chu State, all the Shandong states had to knock on the gate of Hangu Pass first if they wanted to invade the Guanzhong Plain. However, if the Chu State wanted to bypass Hangu Pass, it could only choose to attack Qin upstream. To be honest, it would be better to find a way to attack Hangu Pass.

It was precisely because of Hangu Pass that the Qin State avoided the same fate as the Qi State. It was able to deal with the Shandong states with ease, fighting outside the country. If it won, it would capture cities and territories. If it lost, it would retreat to Guanzhong to preserve its strength, thus making it invincible.

Hangu Pass was breached only once, when it was led by Mengchangjun and the two countries of Han and Wei that took three years to breach the pass, and Han and Wei also suffered heavy losses.

In principle, the battle of Hangu Pass was won by exhaustion, but things are different now.

Can't afford it!
With too few people, you can’t win; with too many people, you can’t afford the waste.

　Dear readers, I recommend a good book for you:

　　"Mythology of the Ancient World: The Heavenly River is flowing backwards, I am the proof of the origin of water!"

　　Writing an alternative prehistoric world, the Shinto prehistoric world, the ancient god returns, proves the Black Emperor again, and rewrites the prehistoric legend!

(End of this chapter)