Battle of Maling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Maling |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| State of Qi | State of Wei | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Tian Ji Sun Bin |
Pang Juan † Crown Prince Shen  |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 120,000 | 100,000 cavalry and infantry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,100 | 100,000 dead | ||||||
The Battle of Maling (馬陵之戰) was a major fight in ancient China. It happened in 342 BC during the Warring States period. This was a time when different states in China were constantly at war. The battle took place in a place called Maling, which is now part of Henan Province.
This battle was fought between the State of Qi and the State of Wei. The State of Qi was helping its ally, the State of Han. The Battle of Maling is famous because of the clever tactics used by a military strategist named Sun Bin. His plan, known as the "Tactic of Missing Stoves," tricked the enemy into thinking his army was much smaller than it was.
During the battle, the Wei commander, Pang Juan, was led into a narrow pass. There, his army was surprised by 10,000 crossbowmen from Qi. The Wei army was defeated, and Pang Juan died. After this battle, the State of Wei lost a lot of its power. It could no longer try to become the most powerful state in China.
Contents
Why the Battle Started
In 342 BC, the State of Wei attacked the State of Han. Han was in trouble and asked its ally, the State of Qi, for help.
Sun Bin's Smart Advice
Sun Bin, a military advisor for Qi, gave King Wei of Qi some clever advice. He told the king to wait before sending troops. Sun Bin suggested that Qi should only send help after Wei's army was tired from fighting Han for a long time. This way, Qi would save its own strength. It would also earn more respect from Han for helping at the right moment.
Han thought Qi would help them right away, so they fought very hard. After a year of fighting, Han was exhausted and asked Qi for help again. Instead of sending troops directly to Han, Sun Bin suggested a different plan. He advised attacking the capital city of Wei, which was called Daliang.
Wei's Reaction to the Attack
When King Hui of Wei heard that Qi was attacking his capital, he had to act fast. He ordered his general, Pang Juan, to stop fighting Han and return to defend Wei. Pang Juan was very angry because he was very close to capturing Han's capital.
King Hui then put Prince Shen of Wei in charge as the main commander. Pang Juan was still a commander, and they gathered a huge army of 100,000 soldiers. This large force was sent to fight against the Qi army.
The "Missing Stoves" Tactic
Pang Juan had learned from a previous battle, the Battle of Guiling, not to rush into ambushes. So, he ordered his troops to avoid the main roads and move quickly to the capital. Sun Bin, however, did not try to ambush the Wei troops right away. Instead, he let most of his Qi soldiers rest. He ordered them to move slowly back towards Qi territory. They were told to prepare for an ambush later.
Sun Bin took a smaller group of soldiers to face Pang Juan. When the two armies got close, Sun Bin immediately ordered his smaller force to retreat.
Tricking the Enemy
To trick Pang Juan, Sun Bin told his soldiers to make fewer cooking fires each day.
- On the first day, they made enough fires for 100,000 people.
- On the second day, they made fires for only 50,000 people.
- On the third day, there were fires for only 20,000 soldiers.
When Pang Juan saw this, he thought that many of Qi's soldiers were running away. He believed the Qi army was falling apart. Feeling very confident after his recent success against Han, Pang Juan decided to chase the Qi army with a small group of his best cavalry. As Qi retreated further, Sun Bin ordered his troops to leave behind some heavy equipment. This made it seem even more like the Qi army was in chaos and running away.
The Ambush at Maling
When the Qi army reached Maling, Sun Bin noticed a narrow, heavily wooded pass. He realized this was a perfect spot for an ambush. He guessed that Pang Juan would arrive around nightfall.
Sun Bin then ordered his men to cut down a large tree. They removed its bark and carved a message into its trunk. The message said: "Pang Juan shall die in Malingdao, under this tree." This was a special message because both Sun Bin and Pang Juan had the same teacher, and this was a saying their teacher used.
The Trap is Sprung
Pang Juan arrived at Malingdao and saw the message on the tree. He didn't pay much attention to it and ordered his soldiers to scrape the words off. As his army moved forward, suddenly, many Qi troops appeared from the darkness.
Qi crossbowmen fired many arrows, hitting many Wei soldiers. Then, the rest of the Qi soldiers charged. The Wei troops were completely surprised. They did not expect Qi to have so many soldiers left. The Wei army was quickly defeated. Pang Juan realized his end was near and took his own life. Some stories say he was among the first to be shot by Qi crossbowmen.
Even though Pang Juan had badly injured Sun Bin in the past, Sun Bin felt sad when he saw his former classmate die.
After Pang Juan's death, Prince Shen of Wei was captured by Qi. The State of Wei lost a lot of its power after this important battle.
