Wang Jian

The Qin general who conquered Zhao and Chu, played a key role in the Yan campaign, and demanded 600,000 men for the invasion of Chu.

via Wikipedia: Wang Jian (Qin) · see source

Wang Jian (fl. 220s BC) was a Chinese military General from the State of Qin during the Warring States period. Under his command, the Qin army conquered the states of Zhao and Chu, and he also played a key role in the campaign against Yan. He is regarded by Chinese modern folklore as one of the four Greatest Generals of the Late Warring States period, along with Bai Qi, Lian Po and Li Mu. He was born in Dongxiang, Pinyang, Guanzhong (north-east of modern Fuping County, Shaanxi province). His son, Wang Ben, was also an important Qin general who completed the conquest of Yan.

Quick Facts

Role: General and Commander-in-Chief
Affiliation: State of Qin
Ally: Ying Zheng (King of Qin)

Lore & Background

In 236 BC, Wang Jian commanded the Qin army which attacked Zhao and captured nine cities. This action represented the start of the King of Qin, Ying Zheng's wars of unification. The Kingdom of Zhao ceased to exist in 228 BC after the Qin government used spies in the Zhao court to have Zhao's leading general Li Mu replaced and then Wang Jian captured Zhao's king. According to the Shiji, after Jing Ke failed in his attempt to assassinate emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Kingdom of Yan where Jing Ke was a retainer, was invaded by General Wang Jian in 226 BC, though the final conquest of Yan was carried out by his son Wang Ben in 222 BC. Notably, Wang Ben had already conquered the Kingdom of Wei in 225 BC, three years before Yan's final fall. In 225 BC, several states remained independent: Chu, Qi, and remnants of Yan, while Qin was the conquering power. The King of Qin, Ying Zheng, decided to finally defeat the remnants of the Chu state located in Huaiyang. According to Shiji's chapter on the great generals of the Warring States, Ying Zheng had first requested his general Wang Jian to lead the invasion, and further inquired as to the military strength needed for the siege. Wang Jian stated that he needed a force of 600,000 men for the invasion. However, when the same question was posed to general Li Xin, he requested only 200,000 men. Ying Zheng accepted Li Xin's advice and appointed him commander in chief of a 200,000 army with general Meng Tian as second in command. Wang Jian decided to retire, claiming ill health. The first Qin invasion initially appeared successful but ended in a major disaster when the 200,000 Qin army was annihilated by Chu troops led by General Xiang Yan and another army under the direct command of Lord Changping, at the Battle of Chengfu in the unfamiliar territory of Huaiyang (the Shiji does not specify the exact number of Chu troops). Ying Zheng recalled Wang Jian, who finally agreed to lead the second invasion force after being allocated the force of 600,000 men that he had earlier requested. Before the campaign, during a personal meeting with the Qin king in the send-off ceremony, Wang Jian purposely demanded huge rewards for the future victories in a deliberately shameless way. Wang repeated such actions several times later during the campaign.

Reader's Guide

Wang Jian later retired due to old age. Wang Jian's son Wang Ben continued Qin's military conquest against Yan, Dai, and then Qi, ending the Warring States period (221 BCE). Ben's son, Wang Li (王離), served as a subordinate of Meng Tian at the northern borders, then served under Zhang Han during Zhang's punitive campaigns against the revolts at the end of Qin dynasty. Li was probably captured and killed at the Battle of Julu, although neither Records of the Grand Historian nor Book of Han mentioned his fate after the battle. The Wang clans of Langya and Taiyuan included the descendants of Wang Jian and Wang Li. In the manga and anime Kingdom, Wang Jian is known as "Ou Sen", the head of the Ou family. He is portrayed as a quiet, calm and gifted warfare tactician. Because of his accomplishments, he is appointed by King Ei Sei as one of the new "Qin Six Great Generals", tasked to achieve the unification of China.