In 229 AD, Chen Shi, a veteran general of Shu Han, was chosen by Zhuge Liang to lead an army to take Wudu and Yinping commanderies, while the regent himself stayed in the staging area of Yangpingguan as a backup.
During the Three Kingdoms period, a number of military engagements were waged in and around Yangpingguan, including the Cao Cao's conquest of Zhang Lu in the Battle of Yangping, Liu Bei's Hanzhong Campaign and the Battle of Mount Dingjun at the nearby Dingjun Mountain.