Zhang Handan was the last famous general of the Qin State and the last hope of the Qin Dynasty. It was he who led 200,000 Lishan prisoners to defeat Zhou Wen, Chen Sheng, Xiang Liang, and Tian Rong, so that Great Qin's world saw the hope of peace. However, after the Battle of Julu, Zhang Handan led an army of 200,000 to surrender to Xiang Yu, leaving the Qin state with no more pillars to rely on. But in fact, whether Zhang Handan surrendered or not, the demise of the Qin Dynasty was already doomed.
Before Zhang Handan surrendered, the Qin Dynasty was already torn apart in Zhao Gao's hands
The decline and demise of the Qin Dynasty, which is not directly related to others, is Zhao Gao's affair. After the Dune Coup, Zhao Gao tricked Qin II into the deep palace and put him in the cabinet; he excluded Li Si from the core of the imperial court, and he himself held most of the power of the Qin state.
Zhao Gao was not a loyal vassal of the Qin state, but a sinister traitor, with only his own power in his heart. The rise and fall of the Qin state was not on his consideration. Therefore, all his principles revolve around how to maintain the center of himself. All those who have the ability and merit are all regarded by Zhao Gao as their potential opponents, and they will be eliminated as soon as the time is ripe. Li Si, who had once flourished for a while, became the ghost under Zhao Gao's sword.
Zhang Handan was the last famous general of the Qin State, and once defeated Zhou Wen and Xiang Liang, the pillars of the rebel army, and his merits were great. Once he successfully quelled the chaos in the world and returned to the imperial court, he was bound to enter the court. In this way, Zhao Gao will have one more strong opponent. This was obviously not what Zhao Gao wanted to see. So he had been waiting for an opportunity to knock Zhang Handan down with a stick.
Later, Zhang Handan was defeated at the Battle of Julu and sent Sima Xin back to Xianyang to excuse himself. However, Zhao Gao did not see Sima Xin at all, and even deliberately showed a killing chance. His purpose at this time was very simple, Zhang Handan either died or reversed, as long as he forced you out of the Qin Dynasty court. Only by forcing Zhang Handan away, his zhao gao position could be as stable as Mount Tai. As for the Qin Dynasty's Jiangshan, that was not a matter for him to consider.
Therefore, after Sima Xin realized that something was wrong and returned to Zhang Handan, he told Zhang Handan about the situation of the Qin Dynasty under Zhao Gao's control, and said that Zhang Handan would be framed if he had merit, and he had the dilemma of inevitably being given death. That is to say, at this time, Zhang Handan, the road to repay the country has been blocked. His 200,000 people have also become abandoned masterless wandering souls. Even if Zhang Handan still did not surrender, the death or death of the Qin state had nothing to do with them.
In the face of the combined forces of princes led by Xiang Yu, the State of Qin was already doomed to be powerless
In addition to the part of the army defending the pass along the way, the remaining regular troops of the Qin state were divided into two parts: one part was the army led by Zhao Tuo to march south to Baiyue, about 600,000; the other part was the Great Wall Army defending the Xiongnu in the north, about 300,000, and there was no regular army. When Zhou Wen came to the vicinity of Xianyang, even the Qin state did not have the strength to deal with it. Later, it was Zhang Handan who stepped forward and formed a force of 200,000 prisoners and slaves to save the emergency. It can be seen from this that the qin state's military strength is already stretched.
So, what is the end of these armies? The troops defending Guan pass were later solved by Liu Bang; the troops of Zheng Baiyue had already escaped the control of the Qin state and became the capital of Zhao Tuo's expansion in the south; the Great Wall Army, led by the general Wang Li, but the combat effectiveness did not seem to be strong, first defeated by Liu Bang at Chengwu, and then completely defeated by Xiang Yu at Julu. And Zhang Handan's 200,000 prisoners have also been isolated in the Thorn Plains, losing the ability to influence the Qin kingdom. When Liu Bang marched into Guanzhong from another way, Zhang Handan just wanted to manage it, and he was also powerless. At this time, whether he surrendered or not, there was no point.