Preface
The Battle of Changping was an extremely important battle in Chinese history, which took place during the Warring States period. This battle not only determined the rise of the Qin state, but also had a profound impact on the course of Chinese history as a whole.
However, it is surprising that, despite the crushing defeat suffered by Zhao in the Battle of Changping, in the subsequent battle, it annihilated 300,000 Qin troops with shocking force and completely annihilated 100,000 Xiongnu cavalry.
After the defeat of Zhao in the Battle of Changping, how did Zhao recover its declining momentum and annihilate the powerful Qin army and Xiongnu cavalry in one fell swoop? What kind of strategic wisdom and courage was hidden behind this?
Wars bloomed everywhere, and the Zhao State was defeated repeatedly
In 260 BC, a bitter Battle of Changping broke out between Zhao and Qin to seize control of the Shangdang region. This battle, known as one of the "Four Great Decisive Battles of the Warring States", is self-evident in its decisiveness and importance.
Qin Guo can be said to have exhausted his strength this time, and he was personally commanded by Bai Qi, the top military strategist at that time, known as the "God of Killing", and he was indeed a great expert on the battlefield. In the end, the Zhao State suffered heavy losses in this battle, and according to historical records, about 450,000 soldiers were killed before and after.
A staggering figure! Zhao's blood was almost drained, and his national strength suffered a heavy blow. It stands to reason that after such a huge loss, Zhao should have fallen into a long period of weakness, but unexpectedly, only a few years later, Zhao quickly recovered and launched a powerful counterattack against Qin.
Zhao generals Le Cheng and Qing She led the Zhao army, broke the Qin Guoxin Liang army, defeated the Qin army veteran Wang Ji, and forced it to retreat. In just a few years, Zhao Guo was able to strike hard and completely suppress the former victor, which is indeed jaw-dropping.
Not only that, but during the same period, a war broke out between the State of Zhao and the State of Yan. At that time, Yan Guo claimed to have dispatched 600,000 troops, plus more than 2,000 chariots, and the formation was huge. Moreover, King Yan also arrogantly declared: "King Zhao's strong people are all dead and peaceful, and his loneliness is not strong, but he can be cut down." "
It seems that Yan Guo is extremely contemptuous of Zhao Guo's strength. However, the result was unexpected, Zhao was able to pull out nearly 200,000 elite divisions, and brutally defeated the Yan army, and the king of Yan could only cede the land and sue for peace, so as not to fall into a more passive situation. These two battles undoubtedly proved that Zhao still had strong military strength after the Battle of Changping, and it was not so easy to be defeated.
The phoenix nirvana of Zhao State is hidden here
In the face of this miraculous phenomenon of "resurrection from the dead" of Zhao State, people cannot help but wonder: how did this country do it, and where is the mystery hidden?
In fact, the reason why Zhao was able to regain his strength in desperate situations was mainly due to the following aspects:
The national character of the whole people is martial
Handan, the capital of Zhao State, has always been famous for its many swordsmen and many dead soldiers. It is recorded that in the local area, walking down the street, almost seven or eight out of ten people were either swordsmen or dead soldiers. These people are extremely brave, brave and ruthless, and their moves take the lives of their opponents.
Zhao Guoshi, who grew up in this environment, naturally inherited this fierce temperament that is not afraid of death. They went into battle to kill the enemy, never relented, and regarded death as home, which is undoubtedly the key to Zhao Guoneng's rapid regrouping of the army's morale after a heavy loss.
Excellent general command
Although Zhao suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Changping, he did not lose all his outstanding generals. Le Cheng, Qingshe, Lian Po and others were all the top military strategists of the Zhao State at that time, they commanded well, and they were calm and calm, which made the Zhao army maintain a high combat effectiveness even in the most difficult times.
Among them, Li Mu, the mainstay of Zhao State, is a well-deserved generation of famous generals. He not only performed many miraculous feats in the north when he fought against the Xiongnu, but also played an outstanding military command talent in many decisive battles with the Qin army, which contributed to the resurgence of Zhao Guo in the desperate Middle East.
Advanced military system
Under the impetus of King Wuling of Zhao's "Hufu Cavalry and Archery" reform, Zhao's military system was at the forefront of the time. Whether it is the cultivation of military skills or the construction of troops, Zhao is in a leading position.
This advanced military system has cultivated a large number of elite warriors for Zhao State, and at the same time, it has also formed a nationwide state of armed mobilization, so that Zhao State can quickly mobilize manpower and material resources and stand up when facing a major crisis.
Strong sense of family and country
Compared with other vassal states, the people of Zhao have a deeper understanding of the concept of home and state. In their hearts, the safety of the country is equivalent to the life and death of an individual, so whenever the Zhao State is in a desperate situation, everyone will stand up and treat death as home.
It is this strong sense of family and country that has become an inexhaustible motivation for Zhao Guoneng to regain his fighting spirit after repeated heavy losses. As long as the country is in trouble, the people of Zhao will go all out until they drive out foreign enemies and regain security.
Qin's strategy made a mistake, and Zhao took a breather
Although Zhao had many advantages of its own, if Qin continued to maintain a tough posture after the Battle of Changping, perhaps Zhao's path to recovery would be completely blocked. However, it was the Qin State that made a serious strategic mistake at this critical moment, leaving a respite for the Zhao State.
At that time, although Bai Qi, the general of Qin, won the Battle of Changping, he did not stop there. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and bulldoze Zhao in one fell swoop, so he deployed a three-way battle plan.
Among them, Wang Yi went all the way to Wu'an and Pigao, the important towns of Zhao State; Sima Terrier went all the way north to attack the Taiyuan region; and Bai Qi personally led the main force to attack Handan, the capital of Zhao State, intending to take the heart of Zhao State in one fell swoop. This battle plan is undoubtedly correct, and if it can be carried out 100 percent, the destruction of the Zhao State is just around the corner.
But what people didn't expect was that Bai Qi's strategy was temporarily suspended. The reason is that Zhao and Korea spent a lot of money to persuade Fan Ju, the prime minister of Qin, who in turn persuaded King Qin Zhaoxiang to accept the terms of peace proposed by the two countries.
In the end, the Qin army only seized six cities from Zhao and withdrew, failing to completely wipe out Zhao. It was this strategic mistake that won Zhao a respite. After the Qin army temporarily retreated, Zhao quickly regrouped and forged alliances with other vassal states against the Qin army.
In the end, with the cooperation of the alliance of the princes, Zhao not only attacked and retreated the Qin army, but even hit the Hangu Pass for a time, which shook the Qin state's ruling power in the Central Plains for a time. This victory won Zhao a precious respite, allowing it to continue to survive the Warring States period for the next few decades.
Zhao Guo has a strong family background and outstanding strength
In addition to the above factors, the more important reason why Zhao was able to rise again and again in desperate situations was its strong national strength. Among the vassal states at that time, the economic strength of Zhao can be said to be second to none. It is not only stronger than Yan, Qi, Chu and other countries, but even the Wei State, which is known for its economic development, is far inferior to the Zhao State.
The minting industry of Zhao was very developed, and the variety and quantity of currency issued far exceeded that of other vassal states. Moreover, the circulation range of Zhao coins is so wide that it can even be seen in the territory of Yan State.
This developed coinage industry brought considerable financial revenue to the Zhao State. At the same time, the commercial economy within the Zhao State is also a bright spot, with a complete range of agricultural products such as grain, silk and hemp, fruits, etc., and a large area of pastures in the north, rich in high-quality war horses and livestock.
More importantly, Zhao Guo is a well-deserved "crown of the seven countries" in the iron-smelting industry. In the entire territory of Zhao State, there are five major iron smelting bases, which have produced a large number of iron weapons for Zhao State, and the soldiers of Qin State in the same period are still wearing copper armor.
It can be said that while Zhao was self-sufficient, he was able to convey a lot of wealth to the country through these industries, which provided a solid material foundation for his rapid recovery after repeated losses in the war.
Daidi served as the rear base of Zhao State
In addition to its strong economic strength, Zhao also has a unique rear base - Daidi. Daidi is located in the north of the Taihang Mountains, next to the Yan Kingdom, and from a geographical point of view, it has always been the first place for nomads to infest.
As early as the period of Zhao Xiangzi, the Daiguo had been incorporated into the territory of the Zhao State and became an important territory of the Zhao State. At the end of the Warring States Period, under the impetus of King Wuling Zhao's "Hufu Cavalry Shooting" reform, the strategic role of Daidi was infinitely amplified and became a powerful reserve base of Zhao State.
Li Mu, a famous general of Zhao State, was in charge of fighting the Xiongnu in Daidi, and the soldiers trained by him were all strong people. It was with this rear reinforcement that Zhao was able to quickly regain its combat effectiveness after the Battle of Changping and launch a powerful counterattack against the Qin army.
It can be said that Daidi is the lifeblood of Zhao State, and it is the fundamental guarantee that it can be reborn in desperate situations again and again. As long as the strength of Daidi is not damaged, the Zhao State will never completely decline.
epilogue
Throughout history, the reason why Zhao was able to become the embodiment of Qin's nightmare, the most difficult bone to gnaw, is that it embodies the most tenacious and unyielding side of the vassal states at that time.
Although the Qin State eventually unified the world, it paid a heavy price on the road to conquering the Zhao State. As Sima Qian said: "Qin Zhi harms the world, no one is like Zhao." This sentence shows the huge resistance of Zhao to Qin.
Perhaps, it was precisely because of the stubborn resistance of the Zhao State that the Qin State was able to forge a more powerful national strength in the baptism of war, so as to finally dominate the world. In this sense, Zhao contributed a lot, it was the last obstacle in the Warring States Period, and it was also the last test of the Qin State.