A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 284 Dead End
They advanced into Guanzhong.

The best way to travel west is through Hangu Pass.

Not only is the road short, but the area is also densely populated, making it convenient for both poor and rich people.

However, the allied forces of the Yuan Gong family, officials and powerful clans, wealthy merchants, and wandering knights and thieves could not leave.

As the "commander of the restoration coalition," Zhou Gong chose a very obscure route into the pass; it was more of a direction than a road.

Starting from the Lishi Fortress in Hedong, then crossing the Yellow River eastward, to Yangzhou in Shangjun along the Qin Great Wall, passing through Beidi County, Xunyi and Yunyang, and directly entering the northern slope of Chang'an.

This increasingly desolate road is many times longer than the main road to Hangu Pass, but it is also many times more hidden.

During the Warring States period, Lishi Fortress was located at the junction of the three states of Zhao, Qin and Wei. It was also the northern barrier and foundation of the state of Wei. Although Lishi Fortress was just a small castle, it was a gateway that blocked the upper reaches of the great river.

With Lishi in hand, one could threaten the states of Zhao and Zhongshan to the east, and also cross the river to the west to threaten the state of Qin. In the later years of Marquis Wen of Wei, Wu Qi used Pingyang and Shaoliang as springboards and Lishi Fortress as his base camp to cross the river and fight a three-year war with the state of Qin in Hexi, seizing a thousand miles of land in Hexi.

The Lishi Fortress was always a sword hanging over the head of the Qin state.

At its peak, the State of Wei was unmatched by any other powerful state.

Therefore, after Shang Yang's reforms strengthened the Qin state, the first target he seized was the Lishi Fortress.

Instead, they held a sword to the neck of the State of Wei, forcing the State of Wei to relocate its capital to avoid the conflict.

By the time of this dynasty, this place was not abandoned, but was renamed Lishi County, under the jurisdiction of Xihe Commandery. However, the mountainous and ravine-filled land had neither vast grasslands suitable for grazing nor much fertile land worth cultivating. After the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, the farmers who had been living in the deep mountains moved to the river valleys, established new villages, and implemented Han laws. Only the old hunters who had made a living by hunting for generations remained in the mountains. Unable to make a living, the area gradually became a desolate and sparsely populated mountainous region.

As the sun sets and the world gradually fades into twilight, one can see the great river cutting through towering mountains and surging forth from the depths of the white clouds in the forests and clouds, flowing southward for thousands of miles across the lush and vast plateau.

The mighty river, carrying the freshness of the Chulechuan Grassland and the breath of the Yinshan Forest, flows gently like a kind, transparent ribbon under the radiant sky, softly winding around the majestic and rugged mountains and valleys.

The mountain wind howls, the forest is shrouded in mist, and the great river flows on and on.

Its magnificent beauty is breathtaking.

The private soldiers, servants, and undocumented people traveling the road clearly did not have this mindset; they kept their heads down and obeyed the officers' orders to march westward.

Standing on the high ground, Zhou Gong remained motionless, like a stone pillar.

Chen Mo walked slowly over, looked around, and exclaimed, "Is this the burial site that Uncle Shi chose? It's so beautiful."

"The wonders of nature are endless. If you like, my nephew, why not come along for a walk?" Zhou Gong said expressionlessly.

"That's not necessary."

Chen Mo refused outright, shaking his head and laughing, "There are two great dangers in the mountains: the earth's leak and the mountain wolves. I don't want to die an unclear death, nor do I want to be devoured by wolves."

Time can erase many things.

For example, the legend of Lishi.

Floor drain, Zhongshan wolf.

The term "drainage hole" refers to the countless gullies and cliffs covered by trees and weeds.

This plateau has been carved out by the great river, resulting in numerous gullies, ridges, cliffs, and even more ravines. The mountains are covered in forests and wild grasses, making what appears to be a flat plain treacherous to walk on. One wrong step and you could fall into a ravine or ravine hidden among the branches and grasses. Many of these ravines are bottomless, seemingly leading to the depths of the earth; once you fall in, there is no hope of rescue.

In spring and autumn, when plants sprout and wither, the danger of "drainage holes" is not so bad. In summer, when plants are lush, the danger increases greatly. Winter is the most dangerous season, when under the cover of snow, it is impossible to tell where the drainage hole is or where the flat ground is.

Sometimes, even when predecessors have safely traversed the area and successors have stepped onto it, the mountainside suddenly collapses, causing them to fall into the sinkhole. Sometimes, both predecessors and successors fall off the cliff together during the collapse.

The deeper the army goes, the greater the danger.

During the conflict between the Qin and Wei states, almost all the major battles involving the Lishi Fortress took place in the spring when the ice and snow melted and in the bleak and withered autumn.

Here's why.

On this plain, few hunters ever walked or slept alone, mainly because of another major danger—the Zhongshan wolf.

In the early Spring and Autumn Period, the nomadic tribes of Rong, Di, and Hu in the northwest launched a large-scale invasion of the Central Plains, forming a vast encirclement of the Central Plains together with the Miao and Yi tribes in the southeast.

The Bai Di, as one of the tribes, occupied the Beidi River Valley in the northern part of the Jin state. When Duke Huan of Qi respected the king and expelled the barbarians, he united with the feudal lords of the Central Plains to fight against the barbarians for many years and drove the invading nomadic tribes out of the Central Plains. The Bai Di, however, transformed into the "Jin people" who were half farmers and half herders and were accepted by the Jin state as its vassal.

Later, the State of Jin declined, and the four families of Zhi, Wei, Zhao, and Han fought each other endlessly. Taking advantage of this, the Bai Di people established themselves as a vassal state, called "Zhongshan State".

Afterwards, the State of Zhongshan was swallowed up and restored by the new vassal states... Although it was not powerful, it swept away its strong neighbors with its bravery and ruthlessness, and relentlessly pursued the states of Yan and Zhao. It even won a few minor victories. In that era of great strife, it was once regarded as a second-tier Warring States.

Zhongshan Wolf came to China from the northern deserts along with Bai Di.

Cunning beyond compare to a thousand-year-old fox, ferocious beyond compare to a tiger or leopard, and extremely vengeful.

When encountering a lone hunter or passerby, it will never pounce on them immediately. Instead, it will follow them around, teasing and provoke them until they are exhausted and terrified. Only then will it stay by their side and slowly bite and devour them.

In addition, Zhongshan wolves can gather in packs, but if a lone wolf is encountered, it will let out a long howl, and in a short time, hundreds or even thousands of Zhongshan wolves will gather, causing even fierce beasts such as tigers and leopards to flee.

At the height of the wolf plague, even the cavalry of Wei and Qin, who occupied the fortresses, dared not venture out at night. Jin, Wei, and Qin launched several wars to exterminate the Zhongshan wolf, but all failed.

Throughout the Qin Dynasty, the Zhongshan wolf was a persistent problem. After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, with the withdrawal of the army and hunters, the Zhongshan wolf problem reappeared.

He killed someone using a drainpipe and destroyed the body with a wolf from Zhongshan.

Uncle Shi has thought things through very thoroughly.

but.

Can a Zhongshan wolf really devour hundreds of thousands of people?
"How did you find this place?" Chen Mo asked.

China is a vast and resource-rich land, and some mysterious and unpredictable places can be put to great use.

“My great-grandfather came to this place.”

Zhou Gong was referring to Zhou Bo. He paused and then said, "Then there's the Xiao family. They have access to all the strategic locations and population data of the country. I'm afraid no one knows them better than the Xiao family."

The first thing Xiao He, the ancestor of the Xiao family, did upon entering Xianyang was to take over the laws, decrees, and books stored in the Qin Prime Minister's Office and the Imperial Censor's Office. Although this was for the purpose of unifying the Han Dynasty and formulating policies, the Xiao family still made a copy.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Chen Mo revealed a knowing expression. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake and looked over. He saw a hillside collapse, and hundreds of people fell down before they could react... The Road to Death has begun!
(End of this chapter)