This is the first battle in China's history in which nearly one million people participated, and more than 50% of the casualties on both sides were killed and injured, which can be called the battle of national fortune.
This battle laid the foundation for the unification of the six kingdoms of the Qin Dynasty to become the first unified country, and the god of war Bai Qi, the silly white sweet Zhao Kuo, and the general Lian Po of Wo Bao all became famous for this battle, and the idiom paper talk has also been passed down to this day.
background
The State of Qin itself is in the land of the Western Slope, facing the invasion of foreign tribes for many years, the old Qin people are brave and strong, the people's customs are simple, and after several generations of Qin lords' efforts and struggles, they have the strength to compete with other princely states.
When the princely states on the big stage in the original hinterland held meetings and watched plays, the Qin state was like a janitor, always unable to do anything, could not participate in it, and no one even heard of him.
Since the ascension of Duke Mu of Qin to the throne, the State of Qin began to participate in the Central Plains struggle for hegemony, and gradually became one of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States, and by the time of King Qin Zhao, the State of Qin accelerated the pace of the war to annex the Six Kingdoms. The Battle of Chu Sha defeated the Chu army; the Battle of Yique, which defeated Han and Wei and swept the Qin army's way eastward; the Battle of Yanyin, which gained a large amount of land in the State of Chu; the Battle of Huayang, which defeated the combined forces of Zhao and Wei, and captured several cities of the State of Wei and Guanjin of the State of Zhao.
The ancestors of the Zhao state were originally the Marquis of Zhao, and in the early Warring States period, the monarchs of the three kingdoms of Korea, Zhao and Wei completed the "three branches of Jin", which was recognized by Zhou Tianzi and became an emerging country in the Warring States period, but compared with the development of the Qin state, the Zhao state at this time was already an old power.
Since King Wuling of Zhao of the State of Zhao carried out the military reform of "Hufu Riding and Shooting", the country has been relatively strong, its military strength has been relatively strong, and it has won more and lost less in foreign wars. King Wuling of Zhao even personally disguised himself as an emissary to Qin to investigate the terrain of the Qin state, with the intention of attacking the Qin state around Hangu Pass in Jiuyuan.
Therefore, at this time, Qin and Zhao did not obey anyone, and they were also full of covetousness for each other's land.
cause
The Qin soldiers were strong and strong and envious of the Central Plains stage, so they sent troops to copy the back road of the Korean Shangdang, resulting in the seventeen cities of the Shangdang becoming an enclave.
The Lord of Korea could not see that the war could not be fought, and Shangdang had become an enclave, so he simply sent emissaries to give the Shangdang area to the Qin State in order to protect himself.
When King Xiaoping of Zhao, the lord of the State of Zhao, learned of this, his heart blossomed with joy, and only those who died in war usually got a city, and it was not a pie in the sky to send seventeen cities in vain. However, he also understood that after occupying the party, the Qin state would inevitably attack, so King Zhao Xiaoping asked Pingyuan Jun: "Brother, if the Qin state comes, what can we do?" Pingyuan Jun: "Lian Po can take on this heavy responsibility and resist the enemy outside the wall." ”
Zhao Xiaoping Wang Lehehe accepted Feng Ting and seventeen cities, and when Qin Guo saw that the food he had worked so hard to make was taken away by Zhao Guolian, he was not angry and sent Wang Gong to go to the party.
The war begins
Wang Gong led his troops to withdraw Shangdang in seconds, and the Shangdang soldiers and civilians retreated from Changping (present-day Gaoping City, Shanxi) to the territory of zhao guo, and Zhao Guolian led the troops to respond.
Wang Gong continued to attack with the momentum of victory, and Lian Po, as a veteran general, understood that the Qin army's army line was too long and that supplies were not easy, and he was ready to defend the city and wait for work.
When King Zhao Xiaoping learned that the cooked duck had not been eaten and had been taken back, he was indignant, coupled with the self-esteem of the old powerhouse, he was indignant and repeatedly urged Lian Po to give Qin Jun a little color to see.
Wang Gong led the Qin army to attack, and as a result, Lian Po did not leak the water of the city, under strong logistical pressure, the lord of the state discussed countermeasures, and Fan Ju, the then minister of the Qin state, knew Lian Po very well, and at this time other princely states were also watching it, after all, everyone was singing on a stage, and the meat was rotten only willing to rot in their own pot, this Qin state ate the Zhao state, there must be some people who are unwilling, once they send troops to support the Zhao state, the Qin army will completely fall into it.
When the State of Zhao saw that there was no hope of conquest, King Xiaoping of Zhao sent people to the State of Qin to seek peace, and on the one hand, Fan Ju arranged for people to eat, drink, and entertain and publicize the illusion that the two countries were about to negotiate peace to deceive the other princely states, and on the other hand, he sent heavy gold to send people to the King of Zhao Xiaoping to publicize: "The Qin State is like playing a game, and what is most feared is actually that Zhao Kuo. ”
King Xiaoping of Zhao heard that he had summoned Zhao Kuo, and sure enough, he was a table of talents, and when he talked about the tactics of warfare, he was talking endlessly, and he was a star of tomorrow at first glance, radiant, so he replaced the old nest with the little genius Zhao Kuo.
As soon as the Qin army saw that the princely states were fooled, the Zhao state also changed generals, and he also secretly replaced the main general Wang Gong with Bai Qi, changed him to a deputy general, and immediately raided Changping.
The strength of the two sides is compared
The main general of the Qin state: Bai Qi, at the end of the Warring States Period, the soldiers perished about 2 million people, and the number of people killed and wounded in the battle of the main general of Bai Qi accounted for 1 million people.
Soldiers of the Qin Kingdom: More than 400,000 soldiers and civilians.
Zhao Guo's main general: Zhao Kuo, although familiar with the art of war, but the actual combat experience is almost zero, good personality, great achievements, less setbacks, died in the Battle of Changping.
Soldiers of the Zhao Kingdom: 450,000 soldiers and civilians.
War
After Zhao Kuo led the troops to the battlefield, he changed his incorruptible defensive posture, took the initiative to attack, and Bai Qi commanded Wang Gong to lead the troops to retreat and pretend to be defeated, and led the troops to ambush himself.
Zhao Kuo, who had no actual combat experience, saw the situation and arranged for the whole army to take advantage of the victory to pursue and obediently enter the ambush circle, and after the successful encirclement of Bai Qi, the King of Qin was overjoyed and immediately arranged for the surrounding counties and counties to send reinforcements to encircle and prevent other princely states from assisting the Zhao army.
Record
The Zhao army ran out of grain for forty-six days, the soldiers were slaughtered for food, and Zhao Kuo led the troops to break through and was killed, and finally there was no main general, no reinforcements, and no grain and grass.
Bai Qi, on the grounds that the Zhao army was easy to repeat, killed almost all the descending troops, leaving only more than 200 young soldiers to return to Zhao.
In the end, the Qin army suffered 200,000 casualties, and the Zhao army of 450,000 people was completely destroyed, and since then, the Qin army has shook the Central Plains, laying the foundation for the future unification of the six kingdoms, and the elite of the Zhao state has been lost and collapsed.
What would happen if it wasn't Zhao Kuo who led the troops?