Chapter 305: Counting down the ten great battles of ancient times—the Battle of Changping

【Counting down the ten great battles of ancient times—the Battle of Changping】

On the light screen, two lines of blood-red dates and place names appeared first.

【Time: 260 BC】

【Location: Changping (modern-day Gaoping, Thus: Shaanxi)】

In the Eastern Han imperial court.

Liu Bang, who had originally been in the mood to watch the spectacle, saw the smile on his face instantly freeze.

The orange he had just half-peeled dropped to the floor, rolling to the feet of Ying Zheng, but he had no heart to pick it up.

Ying Zheng did not speak, just sitting there with his back straight as a rod, like an ice sculpture.

Of course he knew of the Battle of Changping.

That was the most glorious, yet also the bloodiest, battle of the Great Qin's Lord Wuan, Bai Qi.

Liu Che kept his head down, gripping a bamboo slip tightly in his hand until his knuckles turned white, the bamboo slip even cracking under his pressure.

He tried to find traces of the Battle of Changping from those dry, boring texts, only to discover that everything was already too late.

Liu Xiu held a teacup, holding the same cup for two quarters of an hour; the surface of the water remained calm, but his hands were trembling slightly.

【Combatants: Qin's Bai Qi vs. Zhao's Zhao Kuo】

【Overview: Qin and Zhao fought over Shangdang.

The King Xiaocheng of Zhao fell for a counter-espionage scheme, replacing the veteran general Lian Po with the "armchair strategist" Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo advanced recklessly and was surrounded by Bai Qi; after forty-six days without food, they surrendered, and 450,000 soldiers were buried alive.】

【Why it is famous: The painful lesson of "armchair strategy."

This battle wiped out the last of the Six States' vital strength; Qin's unification of the world became irreversible.】

"Four hundred and fifty thousand..."

Liu Xiu muttered to himself, his voice as light as a mosquito's hum.

This number was too heavy, more than any battle he had fought to conquer the world.

Liu Bang finally couldn't hold back; he stole a glance at Ying Zheng, then another, his lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't dare to speak.

He knew what this meant.

More than four hundred thousand people, gone in a single day.

What kind of scene was that?

When he fought Xiang Yu back then, two hundred thousand died at the Battle of Pengcheng; that scene of blood flowing like a river was enough to give him nightmares for a lifetime.

Four hundred thousand...

Ying Zheng finally spoke, his voice not loud, yet like icicles in the dead of winter, striking everyone's heart.

"The Battle of Changping was fought by Lord Wuan, Bai Qi."

Liu Bang hurriedly chimed in, trying to break the deathly silence.

"Yes, yes, yes, Bai Qi, the God of Killing Bai Qi, I have heard of him. That fellow killed like he was reaping grass; he was a ruthless character."

As he spoke, he observed Ying Zheng's expression.

Ying Zheng turned his head and glanced at him. That look had no murderous intent, yet it made Liu Bang instantly shut his mouth.

That gaze seemed to be saying: What do you know?

Liu Che slammed the bamboo slip heavily onto the desk with a crisp "clack."

He wrote the two characters "Bai Qi" forcefully on the slip, the strokes so heavy they pierced through the back of the material, leaving a hole.

He then wrote two more characters beside it—"Human Butcher."

After writing, he let out a long breath, as if to vent the stifled air in his chest.

The sky screen began to play the detailed course of the battle.

【In 260 BC, the Qin State sent Zuo Shuzhang Wang He to attack Zhao and seize Shangdang.

The Zhao veteran general Lian Po led his army to hold the dangerous terrain at Changping; the Qin army attacked repeatedly but could not break through.

Lian Po held firm and refused to fight; the Qin army was at its wit's end.】

On the screen, Changping.

The Zhao army relied on the dangerous terrain to construct fortifications.

The veteran general Lian Po, his hair white, stood on a hilltop.

He looked at the dense mass of the Qin army below the mountain and issued a death order: "No one is allowed to go out and fight; only defense is permitted."

The Qin army charged up time and again, only to be smashed back by rolling logs and boulders; corpses piled up on the hillside.

Liu Bang looked at Lian Po and sighed: "This old man is a sensible person; if you can't beat them, don't fight, just hold your ground—you can always wear the Qin army out."

【The Qin State sent people with heavy gold to the Zhao State to spread rumors:

"The Qin State does not fear Lian Po; what they fear is Zhao Kuo."

King Xiaocheng of Zhao fell for the scheme, removed Lian Po, and appointed Zhao Kuo as the commander-in-chief.】

The scene shifted to the palace in Handan, Zhao.

The young King Xiaocheng of Zhao paced irritably: "Three years! That old fool Lian Po has been holding out for three years! Three years and not a single merit earned!"

"Is he afraid to fight? The Qin State says they fear Zhao Kuo, so they must fear Zhao Kuo! Someone, change the general!"

Liu Bang slapped his thigh while watching, so angry his beard was shaking.

"Dim-witted ruler! This King of Zhao is a blockhead!"

"Anyone can be replaced, but not Lian Po! He can hold the line!"

【After Zhao Kuo took office, he overturned Lian Po's defensive strategy and led the army to attack.

Bai Qi feigned defeat to lure Zhao Kuo deep into his territory.

Zhao Kuo pursued all the way, only to have his retreat cut off by the Qin army, becoming isolated and surrounded, his supply lines severed.】

The scene on the sky screen made everyone feel suffocated.

Zhao Kuo, a young man who looked quite spirited, wore brand-new armor and commanded the Zhao army to charge out of the camp with high spirits.

He wanted to drive the Qin army back to their home.

The Qin army "retreated in defeat."

Zhao Kuo was overjoyed and waved his army to pursue fiercely.

Then, the screen split in two.

On the left was the joy of the Zhao army's pursuit; on the right was the inescapable net the Qin army had already laid out.

The Qin armies on both flanks closed in like pincers, cutting off the Zhao army's retreat.

Only then did Zhao Kuo realize he was not the hunter; he was the prey.

"Fallen for the trap..."

Zhao Kuo looked at his severed rear, his face turning deathly pale.

【The Zhao army was surrounded for forty-six days; food in the camp ran out, and the soldiers killed each other for food.

Zhao Kuo organized multiple breakouts, all of which were repelled, and he himself died after being struck by arrows.

The remaining Zhao soldiers surrendered; Bai Qi said: "The Zhao soldiers are fickle and I fear they will cause trouble."

He ordered the burial of over 400,000 people, releasing only 240 young ones to return to Zhao to spread the news.】

This was the beginning of hell.

In the valley of Changping, more than 400,000 Zhao soldiers were penned in like livestock in the narrow valley.

Forty-six days.

The first day, they killed the warhorses.

The second day, the horses were gone, so they ate grass roots and tree bark.

The third day, the grass roots and tree bark were gone, and they began to eat the dead.

The fortieth day, cannibalism.

The sky screen gave a close-up.

A Zhao soldier held his younger brother who had starved to death; the brother's body was already cold, but he couldn't bear to throw it away, holding it tightly.

Outside the tent, a huge iron pot boiled with water; no one dared to look at what was being boiled inside.

Zhao Kuo sat in the commander's tent, his armor covered in arrow holes and sword marks.

He was no longer spirited; he just mechanically organized one breakout after another.

Each time, they were beaten back by the Qin army's rain of arrows.

The last time, he personally wielded his long sword and charged at the very front.

"Charge! Charge out and we survive!"

The Qin army's arrows flew over like a swarm of locusts.

Zhao Kuo was struck by over a dozen arrows, fell from his horse, collapsed on the ground, looked at the sky, and died without leaving a single word.

His personal guards surrounded him with their bodies, but they were soon shot into sieves as well.

The Zhao army surrendered.

Not because they were cowardly, but because they truly couldn't hold on any longer.

Bai Qi stood on a high slope, looking at the more than 400,000 disarmed captives. He had no joy of a victor, only a cold, ruthless determination.

"The Zhao soldiers are fickle and I fear they will cause trouble."

Eight characters.

That night, Changping turned into a living hell.

Four hundred thousand people were driven in batches into the large pits dug in advance.

The soil was filled in, burying them alive.

The crying, the shouting, the cursing lasted for an entire night.

When dawn broke, the valley was quiet, with only the smell of wind blowing over the fresh soil. ===== CHAPTER 306 =====