The Battle of Chu Wang Jian talks about the mystery of the 600,000 army

Mondo History Updated on 2024-01-31

The Qin Dynasty was the first unified feudal dynasty in Chinese history and played an important role in the long history of China. And when it comes to the Qin Dynasty, we can't fail to mention the figure of Qin Shi Huang. Ying Zheng was talented throughout his life and was known as the "Emperor of the Ages", his achievements are self-evident, but his cruelty and extravagance have always been criticized. In order to make a career under this king, it is necessary to maintain 12 points of vigilance and hard work. Above the court, in the face of the emperor and colleagues, it is even more necessary to be loyal and scrupulous, act cautiously, and walk on thin ice. Qin Shi Huang had seven famous generals under his command to help him conquer the six kingdoms and unify the world, and Wang Jian was known as the leader. At the same time, Wang Jian and Bai Qi, Lian Po, and Li Mu are known as the four famous generals of the Warring States. It is also recorded in the "Thousand Character Text", "Qi Jian is quite pastoral, and the army is the most sophisticated." Xuanwei Desert, well-known Danqing".

He became famous in the first war and made outstanding achievements. The success of the great general Wang Jian comes from many factors, and every link is crucial. The first is Wang Qian's personal talent. Wang Jian was born in a famous family, and had the opportunity to enter the palace of the Qin Dynasty and accompany the monarch, and his good family education and innate opportunity laid the foundation for Wang Jian to be appreciated. Wang Jian showed an interest in military affairs as a child, as evidenced by the many battles he participated in. He has an extraordinary talent for military affairs, is not in a hurry, and is good at fighting steadily, and this style of combat has also helped him to win battles. The second is the appreciation of King Yingzheng of Qin. No matter how talented he is, if he doesn't have the weight of a monarch, he can only be obscure. At the beginning of the reign of King Yingzheng of Qin, the young king was ambitious and eager to be assisted by talents, and the young general Wang Jian was the best candidate.

Wang Jian also lived up to expectations and made great achievements in battle, making immortal contributions to the establishment of the Great Qin Empire. In the process of conquering the Six Kingdoms, except for Korea, which was initially destroyed, the other five countries were all fought by Wang Jian and his son Wang Ben. A general who has made great contributions like this will naturally attract the emperor's jealousy. How to get out safely and protect himself has become a headache for him. However, he then ushered in an opportunity, and that was to attack the state of Chu. Strategize and retreat wisely. In 225 BC, the Qin state was so powerful that it had successfully destroyed the states of Korea, Zhao, and Wei, and its morale was high, and the next goal was to attack the state of Chu. Although part of the territory of Chu has been occupied by Qin, it is still the second largest country after Qin, and its strength should not be underestimated. In the face of the battle of Qin and Chu, two different voices appeared in the imperial court.

Li Xin, a young general, said that only 200,000 troops were needed to capture the state of Chu. However, the experienced veteran Wang Jian was conservative, believing that it would take 600,000 troops to win. Wang Jian put forward the demand for an army of 600,000 yuan, which shows that he is scheming. He believes that the national strength of Chu State should not be underestimated, coupled with the fact that Xiang Chu, the general of Chu State, led the troops, if he wants to capture Chu State, 200,000 soldiers and horses are far from enough. On the other hand, Wang Jian also hoped to withdraw from the war as soon as possible, because he had already held the position of a general, and if he won this battle, he might arouse the suspicion of Qin Wang Yingzheng and other ministers, and even face the consequences of being demoted or even his life in danger. Ying Zheng chose to support the views of the younger faction, and the 600,000 troops were handed over to Wang Qian, almost using the entire army. Even if he believes in Wang Jian again, he is not willing to take this risk.

And Li Xin also has a certain talent, so let him give it a try, it is good to win, and the cost of losing is lower. Driven by such an idea, Li Xin led an army of 200,000 to set out, but as Wang Jian expected, the Qin army suffered heavy losses. Ying Zheng was angry and helpless, so he had to sincerely apologize to Wang Jian, and promised to give **10,000 taels and countless courtyards many times. The 600,000-strong army set off in a mighty way, although Wang Jian was already over the age of standing, but still majestic, he took advantage of the eagerness of the monarch of Chu who had just finished winning the battle and the absolute suppression of combat power, quietly waiting for the opportunity. He did not take the initiative to attack, but kept training his soldiers and horses. The monarch of Chu finally couldn't bear it anymore and sent Xiang Chu to take the initiative. When Xiang Chu was ordered to fight, the Chu army was thinking of underestimating the enemy, while the Qin army had always maintained a high degree of combat readiness, and the Qin army won a complete victory in this battle. Wang Qian's prestige spread all over the land.

Xiang Yan committed suicide in defeat, and the king of Chu died in a foreign land, and before he died, he made a poisonous oath, "Although Chu has three households, Qin will die in Chu." This oath was also fulfilled, because it was Xiang Yan's grandson, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, who finally destroyed the Qin Dynasty. Wang Qian's political wisdom and strategic talent can be described as the pinnacle. He was indeed an outstanding military strategist and statesman. Wang Qian, a general who made outstanding achievements in the process of Qin's unification of the six countries and the establishment of hegemony, not only made achievements in military affairs, but also protected himself in the court, won the trust of Qin Wang Yingzheng, and showed extraordinary political wisdom. His officialdom wisdom was especially evident in the campaign against the state of Chu. Wang Jian first took retreat as advance, and understood that the king of Qin valued the young and promising Li Xin, and was willing to avoid a situation where he monopolized power.

Therefore, he voluntarily chose to withdraw from the political arena in order to satisfy the desire of the Qin king to train new people. Secondly, Wang Jian asked for treasures many times before sending troops, ostensibly for the sake of future generations, but in fact, he deliberately showed his shortcomings and set up a kind of "personality". In front of the suspicious King Qin, a general who is greedy for money and timid can win trust more than a general who has a heavy army but has no shortcomings. In addition, Wang Jian knew that he was good at leading troops to fight, but he had no ability to govern the country, so he chose to retreat bravely after the unification of the six countries by Qin. It was because of this self-knowledge that he was able to die a good death. This wisdom influenced later generations, and Wang Jian is known as the ancestor of the Wang family, and both the Langyu Wang family and the Taiyuan Wang family came from this lineage.

The Wang family of this vein has appeared in the famous families of all dynasties, such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi and Wang Anshi. Wang Qian's life has provided us with valuable lessons for our current professional life. By learning from history, we can not only broaden our horizons, but also gain wisdom in life.

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