In the middle and late Warring States period, the state of Chu moved its capital from Hubei to the east many times, and after several generations of efforts, it gradually developed into one of the great powers in the late Warring States period. However, by the time Qin Shi Huang sent Wang Jian to destroy Chu, the main battlefields of both sides had already reached the Huaibei and Huainan regions on both sides of the Huai River. The fall of Huainan meant the defeat of the Chu State.
The next step for the Qin army, which destroyed the Chu State, was to continue to capture the Wuyue region controlled by the Chu State. According to the records of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, "Wang Jian then settled on the south of the Jingjiang River;Descend to the Yue Jun and place the Huiji County", which shows that Wang Jian successfully pacified the southern Jingjiang River, established the Huiji County, and conquered the Yue Jun, bringing it under the rule of the Qin State.
After capturing the king of Chu and killing the last king of Chu, Changpingjun, the Qin army under Wang Jian continued to march south. They first completely conquered and countyized the land of Wuyue controlled by the Chu state, which is now the Taihu Lake basin and the Ningshao Plain. Subsequently, Wang Jian further conquered the Baiyue region in the south. Starting from the Ningshao Plain and going all the way to the south, were the Yue tribes such as Yu Yue and Dongyue, who were only nominally attached to the Chu State. After arduous campaigns, Wang Jian succeeded in conquering these tribes, so that the Qin state was directly bordered by the Baiyue tribes, and there were sporadic contacts on the border.
In 214 BC, seven years after unifying the Central Plains and officially using the title of "emperor", Qin Shi Huang decided to advance south in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River to further conquer the Baiyue region of Lingnan. The so-called Lingnan refers to the area south of the five mountain mountains, namely Yuecheng Ridge, Du Pang Ridge, Mengzhu Ridge, Qitian Ridge and Da Yu Ridge. This is the area where the effective scope of rule of the Central Plains Dynasty or the Chu State at its peak before Qin Shi Huang has never been reached.
Among the troops sent by Qin Shi Huang, according to the record of "Huainanzi", "the rhino horns, elephant tusks, jade, and pearls of Liyue were 500,000 soldiers of the commander Tu Sui, which was the fifth army", which indicates that the Qin army dispatched as many as 500,000 troops and divided the troops into five routes to the south. However, the record in "Huainanzi" makes people wonder that the strategic layout is not offensive, but takes a defensive posture on the five roads. This may be a reference to the past and the present, reflecting the layout of the southern border in the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Nevertheless, we can still combine the caliber of Taishi Gong and reconstruct this battle with modern military science and geography. First of all, it is likely that Wang Qian's march route passed through Huainan, Huiji, Ningshao Plain, and Lingnan. In the process of conquest, the Qin army may have fierce guerrilla warfare with the Yue people, or diseases caused by the war and other factors will also lead to the death of some soldiers.
In the process of conquest, the monarch of Xiou was defeated and killed. Although this event may be exaggerated, it can still be used as an important historical event in this campaign. In addition, based on the records in Huainanzi and the analysis of modern military science and geography, we can derive a general route and timetable for the march.
Overall, the Battle of Baiyue was one of the important battles of Qin Shi Huang to unify China. This war not only demonstrated the great strength and conquering spirit of the Qin army, but also marked an important moment in Chinese history - Lingnan was officially placed under the rule of the ** dynasty. The success of this war also laid a solid foundation for the great cause of Qin Shi Huang, and also left valuable experience and lessons for future generations.
In this process, we have to admire the wise decision-making and excellent command of Qin Shi Huang and Wang Qian. They led a huge army across mountains and rivers to fight the enemy to the death, and finally won the victory. Their courage and determination became an example for future generations to look up to.
Therefore, when we look back on this period of history, we should understand and feel the spiritual outlook and historical contributions of those great figures with reverence. They are the pride of the Chinese nation and the driving force and source for us to continue to advance today.