白窦关 (the Gate of Bai Dou)

The Gate of Bai Dou, also known as the Silk Gateway, is a fortress situated near the old northern Jin border, next to the Hu rapids. The fortress was first built in the year 355 of Xin era. It was built in the only somewhat clear path through the hills of the Jin shield and served as the main gate for any and all entry into the State of Jin by any of the Hu Principalities. Over the years, it was reinforced and expanded multiple times, eventually gaining the reputation of being an impregnable fortress and becoming a symbol of Jin power. For the latter part of the Warring States period, the gate was the only fortification maintained by Jin against northern threats, a testament to the strength of its walls, and the might of the Jin field armies.
After the unification, the purpose of the Gate was lost. Its secondary purpose, as a rest stop for merchants going in and out of the Jin heartland, was also lost when the Grand Canal was completed. As such it fell into disuse and disrepair. In the year 78 of Jin era, the Crown Prince Wen Shao, who was a great admirer of Jin history and especially of its defensive history, sponsored the restoration of the gate of Bai Dou into a modern barrack, where a detachment of professional troops would be present at all time, both as a historical tribute, and to act as a deterrent against banditry in the less developed region.
In more recent time, as the Grand Canal encouraged development in the region, the gate has fallen once again in disuse, as garrisons are more useful stationed inside the new cites. However, with the rising instability under the succession of Wen Du, there might come a day where the Gate of Bai Dou might be again of use against besieging armies.

Purpose / Function

The Fortress was built to block any passage to and from the Jin heartland. It watches over the only known path through the densely forested hills of the southern Hu basin large enough to support an invading army. It also offers a rest stop for travelers, migrants, and refugees to the Jin State, and house part of the Jin professional standing army, when it is not deployed in wars.

Architecture

The Fortress is not centered at one location. It is a series of separate but connected stone wall segments zigzagging throughout the hilly area and making it very difficult to circumvent. safely nested between these stone walls are large encampments, slightly scattered to ensure good coverage of the walls. Built with slanted tiled roof and wooden columns, and supported by a strong stone foundation, These encampments provide a comfortable resting spot for the Jin armies. Spread all throughout the area of the gate are wooden and stone towers, ensuring that the gate will never be shocked by an approaching army

History

The gate of Bai Dou was first built after the punitive expedition by Shui Ling, who assaulted nearby principalities with the goal of forcing cooperation. A few short years before, in the year 348 of Xin era, local principalities prevented the passing of refugees and immigrants to the south, where the future Jin state was slowly ascending. Faced with this situation, which cut off the growing state from vital immigration, The leader of An Ning, Shui Ling, decided to act. Gathering an army of 15 000 from the local militia, levies, and his personal retinue, Shui Ling launched a punitive expedition against the principalities of the Southern Hu basin.
The expedition was an incredible success, as the small principalities were completely caught off guard by the appearance of such a force south of their realm. Shui Ling managed to take and sack half a dozen settlements, and force a peace treaty on the local principalities, who promised to cooperate with him and let travelers to his lands pass.
However, local nobles lacked respect toward Shui, as he was seen as a southern barbarian, without a noble title by the Xin emperor. To ensure their cooperation, Shui took lands surrounding where his army entered the Southern Hu basin and built a great fortress there, as a reminder to the local of his presence, and to discourage revenge strikes into his lands. And so, the Gate of Bai Dou was built.
For the entirety of the Spring and Autumn period, the gate was mostly left alone, as trying to take it was considered not worth the trouble for the more powerful states and the local states could not muster the forces needed to take it.
This would change as the time changed and entered into the Warring States periods. the Jin State, for so long content to simply sit behind the gate and leave the rest of the Hu basin alone, now seemed to threaten the independence of the local states. Furthermore, the State of Jin entered into conflict with the State of Zhao in the Qing Basin, where both states were building large colonies and expanding their influences. In this context, A coalition of nearly all of the Hu basin states and Zhao was assembled by Duke Chu of Zhao against the state of Jin. Only the coastal power of Han, situated far north in the Hu delta, stayed out of the conflict and provided only symbolic tributes.
This coalition attacked in the year 623 of the Xin era and came before Bai Dou Gate with almost half a million men spread out in more than a dozen armies. A pitched battle first occurred at the Jin border, when Jin general Yuan Tie thought he could exploit divisions in the coalition armies and defeat them in detail. This failed and cut down available Jin forces in the area by more than 60 thousand. In the end, about 120,000 men were assembled by the state of Jin to defend the complex of fortifications at the Bai Dou Gate. For over two years, the gates were assaulted over and over again, with coalition forces taking its fortifications by section. Before long, the gruesome battle forced many of the smaller principalities to withdraw their support, as they were no longer able to stomach the losses. By the end of it, the casualties of the siege were estimated to be about 90,000 for the defending Jin forces and nearly 180,000 for the coalition forces.
While in the end, The gate of Bai Dou fell to a concentrated assault over two years, it served its purpose. The time it brought for the State of Jin to respond to the crises was invaluable, as it allowed Jin to reinforce its naval supremacy to secure An Ning, and further threaten the Qing basin, where many Zhao cities were taken in the meantime. When the gate finally fell, the coalition forces found themselves in front of the city of An Ning, fortified to the brim, protected by a strong fleet and virtually impossible to besiege or assault.
The coalition dissolved later in the year 626 when the Duke of Zhao was forced to abandon his campaign in order to recover his lost territories in the Qing basin, and the rest of the principalities were bribed off by the allure of Jin silver. This was the most bloody and most glorious battle that would unfold before the Gate of Bai Dou, and it would also be its last. for the next 30 years, the Jin state would lay low, avoiding attention from the other feudalities, and licking its wounds. And from the year 658 to 682 of the Jin era, Duke Wen Chi of Jin would launch a vast campaign to first push out the Zhao from the Qing basin, and then conquer the entirety of the Hu basin, finally reuniting the Hu civilization under the Jin banner, and ascending as Emperor Jin Gao Zu, the first Jin emperor.

Alternative Names

锦门 (the Silk Gateway)

Type

Fortress

Owner

文读 (Wen Du)

Owning Organization

The Jin Empire