Records of the Grand Historian by Watson Burton Sima Qian

Author:Watson, Burton, Sima, Qian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2011-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

WANG JIAN

Wang Jian was a native of East Hamlet in Pinyang in Qin. From his youth he was fond of military affairs and served the First Emperor of Qin.

In the eleventh year of the First Emperor’s reign (236 BC), Wang Jian led an attack on the Zhao region of Eyu and conquered it, capturing nine cities.

In the eighteenth year (229 BC) he led an attack on Zhao, and after a year or more succeeded in conquering it. The king of Zhao surrendered, and the entire territory of Zhao was taken over by Qin and made into provinces.

The following year the state of Yan sent Jing Ke in an attempt to assassinate the Qin ruler. The king of Qin ordered Wang Jian to attack Yan. King Xi of Yan fled to Liaodong and Wang Jian gained control of the Yan capital of Ji before withdrawing.

Qin ordered Wang Jian’s son Wang Ben to make a surprise attack on Jing.144 After defeating Jing’s forces, he returned and attacked Wei. The king of Wei surrendered and Qin took over the territory of Wei.

By this time the First Emperor of Qin had wiped out Hann, Wei, Zhao, the Three Jin, had put the king of Yan to rout, and had several times defeated the Jing armies. Li Xin, a Qin general noted for his youth and daring, had in the past led a force of several thousand men in pursuit of Dan, the heir apparent of the state of Yan, advancing as far as the Yan River and defeating and capturing Dan. The First Emperor, admiring Li Xin’s worth and bravery, questioned him, saying, “I want to attack and take control of Jing. In your estimation, how many men will it take to do so?”

“Not more than 200,000,” replied Li Xin.

The First Emperor then questioned Wang Jian, and Wang Jian said, “You cannot do with less than 600,000 men.”

“You are getting old, General Wang!” said the emperor. “Why so timorous? General Li, now, has his youth and daring to rely on! I’ll go by his word.”

In the end he ordered Li Xin and Meng Tian to lead a force of 200,000 men south in an expedition against Jing. Since Wang Jian’s advice had not been heeded, he asked to be excused from service on grounds of illness and retired to Pinyang to spend his old age.

Li Xin attacked Pingyu, Meng Tian attacked Qin, and they dealt a crushing blow to the Jing army. Li Xin also attacked the cities of Yan and Ying and captured them. Then he led his forces back west and joined Meng Tian at Chengfu. The men of Jing followed him, pushing ahead for three days and three nights without once stopping to rest, and inflicted a major defeat on Li Xin’s army, breaking through his fortifications at two points and killing seven commandants. The Qin army fled in confusion.

When the First Emperor heard of this he was enraged. He galloped in person to Pinyang and apologized to Wang Jian, saying,

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