xymnovel Chapter 39 Battle of Changping
Chapter 39 Battle of Changping
Just as the Qin army reached Changping, the Zhao state also deployed its trump card—Lian Po.
In the early stages of the war, the Qin army, under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Wang He, fought smoothly, capturing two military strongholds of the Zhao state and killing several military commanders.
Seeing that a direct confrontation was not an option, Lian Po decisively ordered the entire army to retreat to the east bank of the Dan River, build fortifications, and hold out against the Qin army that had come from afar, intending to wear them down over time.
This tactic was indeed effective; the Qin army was blocked outside the defensive line and could not move an inch. However, as time went on, both sides were about to give up.
The Zhao state's resources were depleted first, and King Zhao was so anxious that he urged Lian Po to go into battle every day.
Although the Qin state had a large financial foundation, the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of troops stationed abroad was a bottomless pit.
Ying Ji thought they couldn't keep dragging this on, so he discussed it with Fan Ju and they decided to play dirty tricks.
The Qin state sent a large number of naval troops to stir up trouble in the Zhao state, saying that Lian Po was old, cowardly and afraid of trouble and dared not fight. They claimed that if it were Zhao Kuo, the son of Lord Ma Fu Zhao She, he would definitely defeat the Qin army and make them run for their lives.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao was already furious with Lian Po's defensive strategy of refusing to engage in battle. Hearing this was like grasping at a straw. Coupled with the instigation of the pro-war faction in Zhao, he immediately ordered Zhao Kuo to replace Lian Po.
Although Zhao Kuo, like Zhang Ruotuo, came from the family of famous generals, he was merely a keyboard warrior who could recite military texts fluently but had virtually no practical combat experience.
Upon hearing the news of the change of commander in Zhao, Ying Ji immediately ordered Bai Qi and Zhang Ruotuo to secretly go to the front line at Changping, with Bai Qi replacing Wang He as the commander-in-chief and Zhang Ruotuo as the deputy.
The secret order was delivered to both of them at the same time.
Zhang Ruotuo was organizing his troops at the Lantian camp when he received the secret order.
The writing on the bamboo slips was in Ying Ji's own handwriting. In just a few words, he said that Zhao Kuo had replaced Lian Po, the battle at Changping had escalated, and he appointed Bai Qi as the commander-in-chief and Zhang Ruotuo as his deputy, and ordered them to immediately and secretly rush to the front line.
He held the bamboo slips in his palm for a moment, then got up, donned his armor, and hurried to Xianyang.
Bai Qi was waiting for him at the post station outside Xianyang. The carriage and horses were ready, and the twenty guards were all lightly armed, making no fanfare or sounding any horns.
When the two met in front of the post station, the night was deep, and the plane trees on both sides of the post road rustled in the wind.
Bai Qi glanced at him and said, "Let's go." Zhang Ruotuo mounted his horse and rode alongside Bai Qi out of the city. The sound of hooves gradually faded into the night on the empty official road.
By daybreak, they had already crossed the Ba Bridge and were speeding eastward along the north bank of the Wei River. The two rarely spoke during the journey.
Bai Qi sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting, while Zhang Ruotuo rode alongside on horseback, occasionally glancing up at the eastern horizon.
Upon arriving at the Changping front, Wang He was agonizing over a map in his tent. The tent flap was lifted, and he looked up to see the visitor. He paused for a moment, then rose to greet him. Bai Qi walked straight to the map, studied it for a moment, and asked only one question: "Where is Zhao Kuo?"
"He has taken over military command on the east bank of the Dan River." Zhang Ruotuo walked to the map and pointed to the location of the Zhao army camp on the east bank of the Dan River. "As soon as Zhao Kuo arrived, he replaced all of Lian Po's old generals and changed the military orders. He no longer defended the city and prepared to cross the river to attack."
Bai Qi glanced at him: "Following the trend, what's your opinion?"
"Congshi" is Zhang Ruotuo's courtesy name, which means to follow the natural flow of a mountain range, extending continuously.
Zhang Ruotuo had already seen through Zhao Kuo's eagerness for quick success and his desire for instant fame. So he said, "We can send a small force to challenge Zhao's army, feigning defeat and retreating. Zhao Kuo has just replaced Lian Po, and the entire army is watching him. He can't wait, and he can't tolerate it. When he sees our small force luring him into a trap, he will surely pursue us with his entire army. Once he crosses the river and goes deep into enemy territory, our ambush troops will come out in full force, cutting off his retreat. We can then win in one battle."
Bai Qi did not immediately respond. He looked down at the map and asked again, "What if he doesn't pursue them all?"
"He will pursue them all." Zhang Ruotuo's tone was unwavering. "Lian Po has been holding out for so long, and King Zhao has long lost patience. He's here to launch an attack. The entire court is waiting for him to attack, and the pro-war faction in Handan is urging us to fight every day. He only brought a small force to probe the enemy. Even if he wins, it will only be a minor victory and won't silence the people in Handan. He needs a major victory. So as long as he thinks the Qin army is vulnerable, he will definitely commit all his troops."
After listening, Bai Qi nodded. "That's settled then!"
So Bai Qi sent a small team to challenge the Zhao army, and then pretended to retreat. Zhao Kuo indeed led his army in hot pursuit, and fell headlong into the trap that Bai Qi had carefully set for him.
By the time Zhao Kuo realized what was happening, he and his 400,000 Zhao soldiers had become fish on the chopping block for the Qin army.
Zhao Jun was besieged for more than forty days. His food supplies ran out, and he even ate his warhorses. In the end, the tragedy of cannibalism occurred.
In September, on the forty-sixth day of running out of food, a desperate Zhao Kuo gathered the remaining elite Zhao troops and launched a final, desperate charge.
Zhao Kuo drew his sword and looked around.
His soldiers were ashen-faced, many unable to even grip their weapons properly. But he did not lower his sword.
He remembered his father Zhao She's words from the Battle of Eyu: "When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave shall prevail."
He was not a hero, he knew he wasn't, but his surname was Zhao, and he was the son of Lord Ma Fu, Zhao She. Losing was acceptable, but running away was not.
He led from the front with unparalleled bravery, but after only a few steps, he was riddled with arrows by the Qin army.
With their commander dead, the Zhao army collapsed, and 300,000 soldiers surrendered one after another.
Faced with this army of 300,000, even Bai Qi, the God of War who always believed in annihilation warfare, was at a loss.
If we release them, we'll have to fight Zhao's army again; if we keep them, Qin doesn't have that much grain.
Sending 300,000 people back to Xianyang for hard labor? How many troops would be needed to escort 300,000 people from Changping to Xianyang? And how would they be fed once they arrived? What if there was a mutiny en route? Who would cover for them?
After much deliberation, Bai Qi finally issued the order that would be famous throughout history: to bury alive all 300,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers!
Zhang Ruotuo's tone was somewhat uncertain. "All of them?" he asked.
Bai Qi didn't repeat himself. He just looked up at Zhang Ruotuo. In that glance, there was weariness, determination, and a kind of ruthlessness that came from having cornered himself and no longer hesitating.
He besieged 400,000 Zhao soldiers for 46 days, and gave them the opportunity to surrender, but his mercy ended there.
The Qin state has already emptied its coffers for this battle! He cannot gamble the fate of the Qin state with the loyalty of 300,000 prisoners.
Zhang Ruotuo remained silent for a long time. He recalled the classic texts of sages and worthies he had read in the Hanzhong Academy when he was young.
He wanted to say something, but in the end he only asked, "How much should we leave?"
"Two hundred and forty men," Bai Qi said. "The younger ones, send them back to Handan. Tell them to tell the King of Zhao that the Qin army is invincible."
Zhang Ruotuo remained silent.
He stood up, hung his sword back at his waist, and turned to walk out of the tent.
Outside the tent, as dawn broke, the Qin army camps stretched for dozens of miles along both banks of the Dan River, their banners fluttering in the morning breeze.
In the distance, Zhao's surrendered soldiers squatted in the valley in a dense, dark mass, like a field of harvested crops piled on the ground.
He knew that once this order was carried out, the valley would become a living hell.
He also knew that war was like this: no one was right, no one was wrong, and everyone was simply fighting for their own side!
He disagreed with the order, but he did not disobey it.
After the Battle of Changping, the State of Zhao was severely weakened, losing all its elite troops and was no longer able to compete with the State of Qin.
The other five states were terrified and trembled in fear; no other state in the world could stand against Qin alone. Ying Ji pressed his advantage and ordered Zhang Ruotu to quickly occupy Taiyuan County of Zhao, bringing Shangdang into Qin's territory completely. Qin's sphere of influence penetrated deep into the heart of the Central Plains in an unprecedented manner.
Inside the ancestral temple, Zhang Zhao observed everything. He sat before the chessboard, facing Zhang Buyi, the game on the stone table in front of him nearing its endgame.
Black pieces occupied most of the territory, while white pieces were huddled in the northwest corner, still struggling, but the outcome was already decided.
He picked up a black piece and placed it on the chessboard with a crisp snap, the sound echoing through the empty ancestral temple.
"This game is almost over," he said. "Zhang will soon be the one playing the game."