During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xiaowu was pressured by Grand Chancellor Gao Huan and fled to the Guanzhong region, seeking protection from General Yuwen Tai. They established the capital at Chang'an, a period known as the Western Wei. Meanwhile, Gao Huan installed a new emperor, Xiaojing, and moved the capital from Luoyang to Ye, marking the start of the Eastern Wei.
In the early days of the Eastern and Western Wei dynasties, the Eastern Wei held the upper hand. When their general Hou Jing laid siege to Luoyang, Western Wei's commander Yuwen Tai led a relief force. At Chang'an's outskirts, a military advisor named Wang Yue from Lantian County emptied his personal treasury to buy cattle and sheep, feasting his troops. During battle, Wang Yue's men seized advantageous terrain and fought fiercely, capturing many enemies. This earned him deep respect from Yuwen Tai.
After Gao Huan's death, his son Gao Yang seized power from Eastern Wei and declared himself Emperor of Northern Qi. Using the pretext of restoring the former Wei territories, Yuwen Tai repeatedly raised armies and launched campaigns against Northern Qi.
During the Western Wei Dynasty, General Yang Zhong was ordered by Yuwen Tai to march through Jingling on a campaign against Northern Qi, aiming to eliminate the remnants of Hou Jing, who had first surrendered to Western Wei and then rebelled again. In the Battle of Luoyang, Wang Yue distinguished himself with great merit, so the imperial court ordered Wang Yue to lead his troops once again to accompany the main army in attacking Sui Commandery and Anlu Commandery.
As the Wei army pushed deep into enemy territory, General Wang Yue, showing remarkable foresight, ordered his troops to ration their supplies. When the army reached Jingling, the expected supply lines failed, leaving units across the board starving. Wang Yue then distributed his own saved grain to support the allied forces.
After the campaign succeeded, Yuwen Tai commended Wang Yue, saying, "General Wang, in attacking key points and preparing reinforcements, has shown deep foresight and is truly worthy of great responsibility."
With the eastern borders secured, Yuwen Tai planned to march south to capture Hanzhong Commandery in Liangzhou, so he redeployed Wang Yue's troops as the vanguard for General Daxi Wu, while decreeing that Wang Yue could act at his discretion in battle or defense during the march.
Wang Yue's army arrived at Hanzhong city walls and sent a letter urging the city's commander, Yang Xian, to surrender. The letter read: "Hanzhong borders Yongzhou and Chang'an, surviving only through support from Yizhou's garrison. Now with our army at your gates and Yizhou reinforcements delayed, it is better to abandon darkness for light, preserving yourself and the people, than to face slaughter after the city falls."
Yang Xian, realizing he could not withstand the Wei army alone, submitted a letter of surrender.
After securing Hanzhong, Wang Yue dispatched a rider to report to Daxi Wu: "Our army has crossed the Qinling Mountains, and reinforcements are hard to sustain. If the Shu forces pour in along the northern Sichuan road, we cannot compete with them. The best plan now is to take Baima City by full force. Baima is a strategic choke point, a must-win ground. Its garrison is weak and small, easy to capture. Once Baima is ours, the Shu army will have no forward base, their strength will scatter, and Liangzhou will become part of Great Wei's domain!"
Daxi Wu swiftly mobilized his main force and seized Baima. When Prince Wuling of Liang arrived with 6,000 elite troops and saw Baima already lost, he retreated in defeat. Thus, Liangzhou was pacified.
"Places of strategic contention" today, besides being a military term, can also metaphorically refer to priority areas in fields like technology and commerce.
Source: *Book of Zhou*, "Biography of Wang Yue"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "必争之地" came to describe Places of strategic contention today, besides being a military term, can also metaphorically refer to priority areas in fields like technology and commerce.