The Battle of Honor of the State of Zhao

Background of the times

In the late Warring States period, the powerful Qin State continued to annex eastern countries through wars. Its main target was the neighboring state of Zhao. In 264 B.C., the second year of King Zhao Xiaocheng, the Qin army attacked Yewang (place name, now Qinyang, Henan) in Korea. Yewang surrendered to Qin, so that the Shangdang (the name of the Warring States County), which was farther away from the capital of Korea, fell into an isolated situation, and the whole of Korea panicked, and they talked about offering Shangdang to withdraw the Qin soldiers, and Shangdang County Shou Feng Ting was unwilling to enter Qin, so he sent an envoy to Zhao to ask for surrender, and King Zhao gladly accepted Shangdang. Qin Jun was furious and ordered Wang Di, the chief of the left house, to lead the army to attack the party again. The Qin army attacked eastward, and King Zhao sent the veteran general Lian Po to defend Changping. The Qin army continued to challenge, but Lian Po could not hold out, and the two sides held each other for a long time. The Qin army spread rumors that Lian Po was going to rebel, with the aim of getting King Zhao to replace Lian Po. King Zhao was really fooled and sent Zhao Kuo to replace Lian Po. Zhao Kuo only knows how to talk on paper, does not have much actual combat experience, and attacks the enemy lightly. The Qin general Bai Qi set up an ambush to surround Zhao Kuo's army and cut off the Zhao army's grain route. The Zhao army was defeated, and 400,000 Zhao troops were killed by Bai Qikeng. The First Battle of Changping greatly reduced the strength of Zhao, and the Qin army annihilated a total of 450,000 Zhao troops before and after, which fundamentally weakened the most powerful opponent of the six Kwantung countries at that time, Zhao State, and also gave great deterrence to other Kwantung vassal states. As the saying goes, "The winner is king, and the loser is the thief." "As a defeated state, the state of Zhao was not only repeatedly invaded by the Qin army at this time, but other vassal states also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to profit from it, and the state of Yan was one of them. However, this cannot be completely blamed on Yan Guo, in that era, the law of the jungle has become a common creed of everyone. What's more, Yan Guo was also attacked by the shameless Qi State when he was in his most difficult time. Therefore, in such an era of the jungle, no matter what means you use, as long as you can eliminate the other party, you are the winner. Man is a sword, I am a fish. Zhao Guo, who was greatly injured, once again entered the moment of choosing his fate, whether he could defeat Yan Guo became the best opportunity for Zhao Guo to prove his strength, from this point of view, this battle is related to the life and death of Zhao Guo.

Character Analysis

▲ The tomb of Lian Po located in Hao Wei Village, Bagong Township, Shou County, Lu'an City, Anhui Province, is called "Pogudui" by the locals. It is now a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. Lian Po, Ying surname, Lian family, name Po. A native of Lingxian County, Dezhou, Shandong Province (one version), Han nationality, year of birth and death unknown. An outstanding military strategist of Zhao during the Warring States Period. Together with Bai Qi, Wang Jian and Li Mu, he is known as the "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States".

Lian Po's life is brilliant, and it is no exaggeration to say that he dedicated his life to his motherland Zhao. In the early years of King Zhao Huiwen, Qi was the most powerful of the six eastern kingdoms, and Qi and Qin were the powerful countries of the East and the West. The Qin state wanted to expand its power to the east, and the Zhao state became an insurmountable obstacle. In order to remove obstacles, the king of Qin sent troops to attack Zhao many times, and Lian Po led the Zhao army to defeat the Qin army repeatedly, forcing Qin to change his strategy and implement a joint column. For the sake of national interests, in 258 BC, Zhao participated in the joint crusade against Qi by the armies of Han, Yan, and Wei organized by Qin, and the Qi army was defeated. Among them, Lian Po in the sixteenth year of King Zhao Huiwen led the Zhao army to attack Qi, drove deep into the Qi realm, and shocked the princes, because of Lian Po's outstanding performance, Zhao also became the first of the six countries, and after Lian Po's class returned to the court, he was worshiped as Shangqing (the most senior civil official at that time, equivalent to the prime minister). For many years, the Qin State looked down on the Zhao State and did not dare to attack rashly, precisely because of the power of Lian Po. With the Battle of Changping, Zhao Kuo sent 400,000 Zhao troops to the butcher's knife of the Qin army, and the national strength of Zhao began to decline. In 251 B.C., Lian Po was awarded the title of Xinping Jun for his meritorious service to the Yan war, and later, he led his troops to capture the Wei region of Longyang (northwest of present-day Neihuang County, Henan). In the second year of Qin Shi Huang (245 BC), King Zhao Xiaocheng died, and his son Zhao Mianxiang succeeded to the throne. King Xiang listened to the slander of the traitorous minister Guo Kai, dismissed Lian Po from his military position, and sent Le Cheng to replace Lian Po. Lian Po was ostracized, and he attacked Lecheng in anger, and Lecheng fled. Lian Po also defected from Zhao to Daliang of Wei (present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province), but the Wei king did not trust and reuse him. When the state of Chu heard that Lian Po was in the state of Wei, he secretly sent people to welcome him into Chu. After Lian Po served as the general of Chu, he did not establish any credit. His sentence: "I think of using Zhao people", revealing his attachment to the motherland, but this unrequited love is just wishful thinking, Zhao failed to reactivate him after all, this generation of famous generals who have made significant contributions to Zhao State was depressed all day long, and finally died in Shouchun (now Shou County, Anhui Province) in Chu State, and a generation of famous generals fell.

Chestnut belly, a native of Yan at the end of the Warring States Period, an official to the prime minister of Yan State, the main planner of Yan's attack on Zhao, and the commander of the Yan Army in the Battle of the Yan Dynasty.

The course of the engagement

After the defeat of the Zhao State at the Battle of Changping to the Qin State, the national strength was greatly weakened. After that, not only was it repeatedly invaded by the Qin army, but other vassal states also began to move, and they all wanted to take advantage of the danger of Zhao to make a good profit. Yan was one of the countries that reacted the most. Speaking of the Yan Kingdom, everyone will not be unfamiliar, and its approximate area is located in an area of present-day Beijing and the surrounding area, adjacent to the Zhao State in the south. Now, people are accustomed to refer to the vast area of the entire Hebei Province as the Yanzhao region. From a modern point of view, the development of a weak country is the best choice in line with its own interests only by forming allies with its neighbors or countries with common interests, which can not only optimize the allocation of resources in the region, but also effectively safeguard common interests. The former is like the EU today, and the latter is like the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) today. However, judging from the historical facts, the Yan Kingdom for more than 2,000 years does not understand this truth. They wanted to take advantage of Zhao Guo's vitality to make up for it and let him die completely, and this kind of woman-like cleverness began to brew in the upper echelons of Yan Kingdom very early.

Although the Battle of Changping greatly damaged the vitality of Zhao, it was not yet the time to destroy the country, and in the subsequent battles, the Qin State was not destroyed by the Zhao State, but was repelled by the Zhao army in several subsequent wars. This fully shows that the strength of Zhao is still very strong. However, some people in the Yan State did not see this, thinking that the Zhao State was already vulnerable, and if they sent troops to attack at this time, they would definitely be able to win. What kind of thought commands what kind of action, after a battle in which Zhao repelled the Qin army, King Yan sent his minister Li Belly to send five hundred gold to celebrate the birthday of King Zhao as a sign of condolences. Five hundred gold should be a lot of money for an individual, but if it is put at the level of diplomacy between countries, it is a bit too shabby. This also shows a subtle change in Yan Guo's attitude towards Zhao Guo. When Li returned to Yan Kingdom, he reported to Yan Wang Ji Xi what he had seen and heard in Zhao Kingdom: "Zhao Zhuang all died in Changping. It is lonely and not strong, but it can be cut down. "Ji Xi is the last monarch of Yan Kingdom, so there is no temple name, and it is called Yan Wangxi in the history books. This man has a strong ambition to expand the country, but he is ambitious and short-sighted, focusing only on immediate interests and ignoring the long-term situation. Therefore, after listening to the words of the chestnut, he was very moved and hurriedly convened the ministers to discuss.

Changguo Jun Lejian said: "The country of Zhao Shan's war, its people are soldiers, and they cannot be felled. Of course, this is not what Yan Wang Xi wants to hear. The so-called inquiry of the monarch, of course, wants to hear the echo of the ministers below and shout long live. So he said, "I can't fight Zhao with a force of five to one?" "Lejian thinks it can't work, and the doctor thinks it can't either. He said: "The king who clears the customs with the people, drinks the king of the people with five hundred gold, and the messenger retaliates and counterattacks, which is ominous, and the army is unsuccessful." ”

Le Jian is the son of Le Yi. Le Yi won the victory, the merit was high, and in order to protect the always, he left Yan and ran to Zhao. Since its ancestor Le Yang, the Le family has lived in Zhongshan, and Zhongshan was later destroyed by the Zhao State, so Yan and Zhao have descendants of the Le family. The generals of Zhao State, Le Cheng and Le Jian, are the same sect. Probably because of his father's high merits, Yan Wangxi only vented his anger on Jiangqu and ordered him to be put in prison, and when he returned from victory, he would take his head and sacrifice the flag.

In 251 BC, Yan Wangxi decided to take Libelly as the main general, command 600,000 troops, divided into three routes, and attack Zhao. Qin led the Western Route Army to attack Dai and contain the Zhao army in the north; Chestnut led the main force of the Eastern Route Army to attack Shan. After conquering the Yan and Dai dynasties, the two armies joined forces to attack Handan. Yan Wangxi personally led the Chinese army and followed the Eastern Route Army.

When the news reached Handan, King Zhao Xiaocheng looked sad. He, the king, is really a bit of a scumbag, seeing that the country is constantly declining, the situation is becoming increasingly tense, and he is helpless, there are not many ministers to rely on at this time. Fortunately, there are also Lian Po and Li Mu. The two Tiger generals are both famous. These two carefully analyzed the enemy's situation and made a rather optimistic judgment: although the Yan army was numerous, it had never been tested in a major war, and its combat effectiveness was not strong; Chestnut belly and Qing Qin are also incompetent. Defeat them, it's not a big problem. They advised King Zhao to urgently mobilize and recruit men over the age of fifteen from all over the country to form troops to resist the Yan army. This suggestion, of course, was immediately adopted.

This was a war imposed by the Yan State on the Zhao State. Prior to this, Lian Po had experienced countless wars, except for the Battle of Changping, Zhao was basically on a strong or balanced side, only this time it was not. At the foot of the ancient Yan Mountain, the 600,000 troops of the Yan State and 2,000 chariots were assembled and slaughtered towards the Zhao State. If the enemy moves, I will move. Lian Po and Le Cheng commanded the 130,000 Zhao troops urgently recruited to fight head-on. After analyzing the situation of the Yan army, Lian Po believed that although the Yan army was outnumbered, it was proud and underestimated the enemy, coupled with the long journey, and the men and horses were poor, so he decided to adopt various strategies to break through. He ordered Lecheng to lead an army of 50,000 to defend the Dai, attracting the Yan army to attack the Dai and not going south to help, and he personally led 200,000 Zhao troops to meet the main force of the Yan army. The Zhao army was determined to defend the country, and they rushed to kill one by one, defeated the Yan army, and beheaded its main general. When the attacking Yan army heard that the attacking Yan army was defeated, the commander was killed, the army's morale was shaken, and it lost its combat effectiveness. Le Cheng led the Zhao army to take the opportunity to launch an attack, quickly won and captured Qing Qin. The two Yan armies were defeated and retreated. Lian Po led the army to pursue 500 miles, straight into the Yan realm, and entered the siege of Yandu Ji (now southwest of Beijing). At this moment, Yan Wangxi was stupid. There is no other way but to escape. Lian Po Li Mu immediately launched a pursuit. Finally entered the Yan Kingdom to a depth of 500 miles, and after eliminating the sporadic resistance of the Yan army along the way, the troops pointed directly at Ji, the capital of the Yan Kingdom. Lian Po raised troops to surround the thistle, but the Zhao army did not swallow the strength of the Yan State in one bite. Moreover, the main expedition, the country is empty, and it may be used by the Qin State at any time. King Zhao judged the situation and accepted Yan Wangxi's alliance under the city: Yan ceded five cities, and the two countries dismissed their troops. Of course, there is also a precondition, Yan Guo must use Jiangqu as a prime minister and send him to negotiate peace. After the end of the battle of the Yan Dynasty, the king of Zhao gave Wei Wen to Lian Po as a food town, sealed a letter to Pingjun, and appointed Xiangguo (equivalent to the position of prime minister).

War Impact

In the battle of the Yan Dynasty, under the command of the veteran Lian Po, the Zhao army hated the enemy and taught the self-righteous Yan army a hard lesson. At the same time, this war was also the most glorious battle in the life of a generation of famous generals Lian Po. It had a great influence on Lian Po himself and Zhao Guo. The main manifestations are: first, it has enhanced the status of Zhao in the Seven Kingdoms; second, it exercised the combat ability of the Zhao army, and more importantly, restored the self-confidence of the battle; third, it strengthened the strength and national security coefficient of Zhao; Fourth, the generals of Zhao were discovered and trained. In this battle, Pang Yuan, Le Cheng, and Li Mu stood out, allowing Zhao Guoren to see that there were more excellent generals in addition to the veteran Lian Po. For about six or seven years, Lian Po served as prime minister, repelled invading enemy forces many times, and waited for opportunities to attack. In 245 B.C., he led his troops to capture Fanyang in Wei (northwest of present-day Neihuang County, Henan), indicating that after the Battle of Changping, the national strength of Zhao had been restored to a certain extent.

Strategy analysis

The two armies clash and the brave wins. On the battlefield, whoever can fully mobilize the enthusiasm of the soldiers will have the initiative in the war. In this campaign, the Zhao army, under the command of the famous general Lian Po, took advantage of the characteristics of the Yan army to light the enemy and the labor army to go on an expedition. Boost morale as your main strategy. The Zhao army shared the same hatred and dealt a severe blow to the enemy who came to Fan. The battle of the Yan Dynasty is a famous example of winning more with less in Chinese history, and the defeat of the Yan army has three: one is that the division is unknown, the relationship between Yan and Zhao has always been good, and the two countries have hardly fought each other, so the Yan soldiers have no understanding of the Yan King's attack on Zhao and are more slack. The second is that the Yan army divided its troops in many places, hoping to capture Zhao in the shortest possible time by relying on the advantage of troops, but was broken by Zhao. Third, the command ability of the Yan generals was not as good as that of Zhao, and the combat ability of the Yan soldiers was limited, and it was even inferior to the combat ability of the people temporarily organized by Zhao. Zhao Junsheng also has three aspects: first, after the defeat of Changping, the whole country is full of grief and indignation, and the art of war is cloudy: the mourning soldiers will win. Second, after the defeat of Changping, Zhao drove straight into order to prevent Qin, and attacked Handan, which had organized another new force in the shortest possible time and practiced for days, with strong combat effectiveness. The third is that Zhao Zhi's generals are quite skilled in commanding art, and they are more than enough to deal with Qin Shang, let alone deal with Yan?

☆☆ War Archives ☆☆

Campaign Name: Battle of the Clan

Time of occurrence: 15th year of King Zhao Xiaocheng (251 BC)

The warring parties: Zhao Guo VS Yan Guo

Place of engagement: Yan (now Gaoyidong, Hebei), Dai (now northeast of Wei County, Hebei) Comparison of strength: Zhao army 200,000 VS Yan army 640,000

Result of the war: the Yan army was defeated

Nature of war: Counterattack

Intelligence Level: ☆☆☆