Wang Jian (Qin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wang Jian |
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A Qing dynasty portrait of Wang Jian
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| Chinese | 王翦 | ||||||||
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Wang Jian was a very famous general from the ancient Chinese state of Qin. He lived around the 220s BC, during a time called the Warring States period. Under his leadership, the Qin army conquered several other states, including Zhao, Yan, and Chu. Many people today remember him as one of the four greatest generals of that time, along with Bai Qi, Lian Po, and Li Mu.
Wang Jian was born in a place called Dongxiang in ancient China. His son, Wang Ben, also became a very important general for the Qin state.
Early Victories
In 236 BC, General Wang Jian led the Qin army to attack the state of Zhao. They captured nine cities. This was the beginning of the wars that King Ying Zheng of Qin fought to unite all of China.
The state of Zhao finally fell in 228 BC. The Qin government used spies to trick Zhao's leaders into replacing their best general, Li Mu. After that, Wang Jian was able to capture the King of Zhao.
Later, after someone tried to assassinate King Ying Zheng, General Wang Jian conquered the Kingdom of Yan in 226 BC. A year after that, Wang Jian's son, Wang Ben, conquered the Kingdom of Wei.
Conquering the State of Chu
By 225 BC, only two major states were left: Chu and Qin. The state of Chu had a lot of land, resources, and people. However, its government was not well organized.
The King of Qin, Ying Zheng, wanted to defeat Chu for good. He asked General Wang Jian how many soldiers he would need for the invasion. Wang Jian said he needed a huge army of 600,000 men. But when the king asked another general, Li Xin, Li Xin said he only needed 200,000 men.
King Ying Zheng chose Li Xin's plan and gave him 200,000 soldiers. Wang Jian decided to retire, saying he was sick. However, Li Xin's invasion of Chu did not go well. His army was defeated by Chu forces.
After this big loss, King Ying Zheng asked Wang Jian to return. Wang Jian finally agreed to lead the second invasion, but only if he got the 600,000 soldiers he had asked for earlier. The king agreed and even had his daughter marry Wang Jian.
Before the campaign, Wang Jian purposely asked the Qin king for many rewards. He did this to show the king that he was only interested in money and not in taking the king's power. This helped the king trust him more, especially since Wang Jian was leading such a large army.
In 224 BC, Wang Jian began the second invasion of Chu. The Chu army was confident after their earlier victory. Wang Jian tricked them by making his army seem inactive for a year. He secretly trained his troops during this time. Thinking the Qin army was not doing anything, Chu decided to send many of their soldiers home.
This was Wang Jian's chance! He then invaded and quickly defeated the remaining Chu forces. The Chu general, Xiang Yan, was killed in battle. The last King of Chu was also killed by Wang Jian's second-in-command, General Meng Wu. After these events, the state of Chu was fully conquered by Qin in 223 BC.
At their peak, the armies of Chu and Qin combined had over 1,000,000 soldiers! This was a massive number of troops. Letters from two Qin soldiers, Hei Fu and Jin, show how long and difficult this campaign was. They wrote home asking for clothes and money to help them through the long fight.
Later Life and Family
Wang Jian later retired because he was old.
Wang Jian's son, Wang Ben, continued to lead Qin's armies. He helped conquer the states of Yan, Dai, and then Qi. These victories finally ended the Warring States period in 221 BC, uniting all of China under the Qin dynasty.
Wang Ben's son, Wang Li, also served as a general. He fought in later battles at the end of the Qin dynasty.
The Wang families of Langya and Taiyuan are said to be descendants of Wang Jian and Wang Li.
See also
- Sima Qian Records of the Grand Historian (Biography of Wang Jian and Bai Qi)
