The Battle of Changping (長平之戰) in 260 BC was a decisive victory of the state of Qin of China over Zhao during the Warring States Period. Even by today's standards it is one of the most lethal military operations in history, although a great majority of the Zhao soldiers were executed after battle instead of being killed in battle. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 267 BC 266 BC 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC - 262 BC - 261 BC 260 BC... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... Gaoping is a small town in the mountains near Zunyi, in Guizhou (Kweichow) province, P.R. China. ... Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... State of Qin (small seal script, 220 BC) Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦) (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... State of Zhao (small seal script, 220 BC) Zhao (pinyin: zhao4, simplified Chinese: 赵, traditional Chinese: 趙) was a Chinese state during the Warring States Period. ... State of Qin (small seal script, 220 BC) Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦) (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... Lian Po (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ) (? - ?) was a prominent military General of Zhao during the Warring States period of China. ... Zhao Kuo was a general, son of the more famous Zhao She, during the epic Battle of Changping between the States of Zhao and Qin. ... Bai Qi (?-257 BC), an outstanding military leader in the state of Qin in the Warring States Period. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... State of Qin (small seal script, 220 BC) Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦) (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... State of Zhao (small seal script, 220 BC) Zhao (pinyin: zhao4, simplified Chinese: 赵, traditional Chinese: 趙) was a Chinese state during the Warring States Period. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The following is a list of the most lethal battles in world history. ...

Beginning

Qin invaded the state of Han in 265 BC, with the intention of taking the Han province of Shangdang (上黨; somewhere in modern-day Shanxi province by cutting off all of its communications to the Han mainland. The Qin army ripped through Han territory – the main roads and fortresses across the Taiheng mountains were all captured by the Qin in four years. Shangdang was totally cut off from the rest of Han, and was poised to fall. Qin, Qín or Chin (Wade-Giles) can refer to. ... The Han (simplified Chinese: 韩, traditional Chinese: 韓) was a state during the Warring States Period in China. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 270 BC 269 BC 268 BC 267 BC 266 BC - 265 BC - 264 BC 263 BC... Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Han, in desperation, decided to give Shangdang to the neighbouring Zhao kingdom. Shangdang was a strategically important area to the west of Zhao, if it fell to Qin, Zhao mainland would be vulnerable to attack (which was why Qin wanted to take it in the first place). So King Xiaocheng of Zhao (趙孝成王) accepted the lands and sent Lian Po to deal with the threat posed by Qin. The two armies met at Changping (south of Shangdang) in 262 BC. On one side was the Qin army, led by Wang He (王齕), on the other was the Zhao army led by Lian Po. Lian Po (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ) (? - ?) was a prominent military General of Zhao during the Warring States period of China. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 267 BC 266 BC 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC - 262 BC - 261 BC 260 BC...

Lian Po, after looking over the Qin formations, and after several minor defeats, decided that the only way to stop their attack was to wait it out. He built several fortresses in the summer of 260 BC and camped, waiting for the opposing army to go away. Despite this, the Qin army did manage to breach the Zhao walls once. Even so, they did not have the strength or equipment to break the Zhao defense, and the battle soon turned into a stalemate, lasting for three years. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC...

A new strategy

The Qin had no intention of leaving. They sent spies to the states of Zhao and Han, ordering them to spread the word that Lian Po was cowardly and was too old to fight battles. The king, already dissatisfied with Lian Po's strategy, then decided to remove Lian Po and replace him with Zhao Kuo, the son of another famous Zhao general, Zhao She. At the same time, the Qin replaced Wang He with the renowned general, Bai Qi. Zhao Kuo was a general, son of the more famous Zhao She, during the epic Battle of Changping between the States of Zhao and Qin. ... Zhao She (趙奢) was a Chinese bureaucrat and general in the third century BC. Zhao She was one of the sons of Zhao He (趙何), King Huiwen (惠文王) of the State of Zhao. ... Bai Qi (?-257 BC), an outstanding military leader in the state of Qin in the Warring States Period. ...

Legend has it that on his deathbed, Zhao She told his wife never to let Zhao Kuo command an army. So Zhao She's wife, after hearing of Zhao Kuo's appointment as general, went up to the King of Zhao along with the minister, Lin Xiangru, and tried to persuade him not to appoint Zhao Kuo as general. The King refused. Lin Xiangru (Lìn XiāngRú, 蔺相如)was a politician of the Warring States Period, who served the state of Zhao. ...

When Zhao Kuo assumed command in July 260 BC, the Zhao army (with reinforcements) numbered approximately 400,000 men. Zhao Kuo ordered the army to launch an invasion on the Qin camp. The Qin staged a feigned retreat, at the same time leaving 2 lines of ambush troops ready to block the Zhao army's retreat. The Zhao army pursued the enemy as far as the Qin fortress, while the Qin ambush forces, numbering twenty-five thousand men, cut off the rear of the Zhao army and another 5,000 cavalry sealed off the Zhao fortress. The Zhao army was thus split into two parts and its supply lines were cut off. Bai Qi then dispatched troops to make counter-attacks. With no hope of attacking or retreating, the Zhao forces built fortifications on a hill, preparing to wait for reinforcements. Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... Bai Qi (?-257 BC), an outstanding military leader in the state of Qin in the Warring States Period. ...

Main action

Since 295 BC, opportunism had dominated Zhao foreign policy; it had been shifting between Hezong (合縱) (alliance with the other five states to repel Qin expansionism) and Lianheng (連橫) (alliance with Qin to participate in its ascendancy). When King Zhaoxiang of Qin heard that Chu and Qi refused to assist Zhao, he hurried to Henei region (in Henan province, south of Changping), where he bestowed one grade of noble rank on the population and ordered all men over the age of 15 to go to Changping to block the Zhao food supply and reinforcements. The Zhao encampment on the hill was besieged for 46 days. On September, driven mad by hunger and thirst, the Zhao forces made several desperate charges down the hill, attempting to break out of the encirclement, but could not do so. Finally Zhao Kuo himself led his finest men into combat. He was shot down by Qin archers. King Zhaoxiang of Qin or King Zhao of Qin(秦昭襄王 or 秦昭王) (324BC-250BC), son of King Huiwen,little brother of King Wu. ... State of Chu (small seal script, 220 BC) Chu (楚) was a kingdom in what is now southern China during the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 BCE) and Warring States Period (481-212 BCE). ... State of Qi (small seal script, 220 BC) See Qi (disambiguation) for other meanings of Qi. Qi (齊; pinyin: qi2) was a relatively powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ...

Surrender of Zhao's troops

The troops of Zhao thus surrendered. Bai Qi was afraid that the Zhao troops might eventually revolt, so he devised some deception and had them all buried alive, sending only 240 of the youngest soldiers back to Zhao. In total, Zhao lost more than 450 thousand soldiers in the campaign, while Qin also lost hundreds of thousands of men. More than three years of battle left both states financially and domestically exhausted, but unlike Zhao, Qin recovered quickly.

Before the battle, Zhao was one of the most powerful of the Warring States. Although Zhao was saved after the battle from conquest, it did not recover from the defeat and was conquered by Qin about thirty years later. Thus with this victory, Qin had established military superiority over the other states. More campaigns and battles ensued, especially in the conquest of the state of Chu. Nevertheless no matter how bloody these military operations would be, Qin's final victory was guaranteed. State of Chu (small seal script, 220 BC) Chu (楚), originally known as Jing (荆) and then Jingchu (荆楚), was an independent state that existed during Chinas Spring and Autumn period and, subsequently, the Warring States period. ...