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Tumen Pass (土門關) is an eastern entrance into the Taihang Mountains. During the Tang dynasty, it was a strategic gateway into Taiyuan Prefecture from Hebei Circuit.
History[]
On 16 December 755,[1][2] the jiedushi An Lushan rose in rebellion against the Tang[3] with an army of 150,000 troops, among them the 8,000 elite Yeluohe.[4] From his base in Fanyang, he marched southward across Hebei Circuit, aiming to conquer it in its entirety before reaching the Yellow River. Arriving at Changshan on 22 December, he attempted to threaten its grand protector, Yan Gaoqing, into submission. When Gaoqing diplomatically stood his ground, Lushan was impressed enough to play a charade of leaving Gaoqing in power while dispatching lieutenant generals Gao Miao and Li Qincou with 5,000 elite troops to occupy the nearby Tumen Pass for his "protection".[5] The fiction was not lost to Gaoqing: he knew that their purpose was to monitor his commandery for any signs of resistance, to intimidate its population from even trying, and to crush any attempts to do so.[4]
Nonetheless, Yan Gaoqing and his son Yan Jiming were determined to stage a counter-rebellion. With the help of the Qinghe native Li E, Jiming was able to light the beacon at Julu on 8 January 756[1][2] to inspire hope for the people of Hebei. Twenty days later,[1] Gaoqing received intel that another Yeluohe lieutenant general, He Qiannian, was on his way to reinforce Tumen Pass with elite crossbowmen. Recognizing that no more time could be lost, he devised a daring plan to assassinate Gao Miao, Li Qincou, and He Qiannian all at once that night. Their recapture of Tumen Pass would have opened the path through Taiyuan to link with the main Tang army defending the capital at Tong Pass, and notwithstanding this, it would have enabled loyalist forces in Hebei to flank Lushan from behind.[6]
Drawing upon his past service to Gao Xianzhi, Li E communicated their plan to the general with a secret missive. They were to infiltrate the fortress at Tumen Pass under the guise of offering fine food and wine for the soldiers, whereupon they would assassinate Gao Miao and Li Qincou. Once the two commanders had been slain, the Changshan militia would rush into the compound and seize it just before the arrival of He Qiannian, allowing them to ambush the third Yeluohe general. In the meantime, Gao Xianzhi was to publicly announce that Tumen Pass had come under the control of imperial forces soon to occupy Hebei, a proclamation that would inspire the rest of Hebei to join the effort against Lushan.[6]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Record of Major Events in Tianbao Year 14
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 兩千年中西曆轉換 [Two Thousand Years Chinese–Western Calendar Converter]. Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures. Accessed 22 May 2023. https://sinocal.sinica.edu.tw/
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Beacon Fire (Part 3)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Beacon Fire (Part 5)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed – Beacon Fire (Part 2)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Golden Turtles (Part 5)