Battle of Changping
260 BCE · Changping in Zhao (northwest of modern Gaoping, Shanxi) · China · Ancient
Zhao Kuo advanced rashly, was surrounded and cut off from supplies; more than 400,000 Zhao soldiers surrendered and were then buried alive
Belligerents
Qin
- Commanders
- Bai Qi, Wang He
- Strength
- Qin army, about 600,000
Zhao
- Commanders
- Zhao Kuo, Lian Po (early phase)
- Strength
- Zhao army, about 450,000
Background
Qin and Zhao were contending for Shangdang, and Lian Po held his strong walls and refused battle. Qin sowed discord so that Zhao replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, while Bai Qi was secretly made the Qin commander.
Course of the battle
- Lian Po holds outLian Po built fortifications and held firm, and the Qin army could not take them despite a long assault
- Zhao Kuo sortiesZhao Kuo switched from defense to offense and led his army in a sortie along the whole front
- Supplies cut, encircled and annihilatedBai Qi feigned a retreat and laid an ambush, cut the Zhao army's supply line and divided and encircled it; the surrendered troops were buried alive
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 260 BCE |
|---|---|
| Place | Changping in the territory of Zhao (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Shanxi) |
| Result | Zhao Kuo advanced rashly, was surrounded and cut off from supplies; more than 400,000 Zhao soldiers surrendered and were then buried alive |
| Winner | Qin |
| Casualties | The Zhao army of about 450,000 was almost entirely destroyed; the Qin army also lost more than half its men killed or wounded |
| Territorial change | With its main army lost, Zhao, and with it the six eastern states, could no longer resist Qin on its own |
Impact
The largest battle of annihilation of the Warring States period, it accelerated Qin's unification of China.
See the world in 260 BCE on the map →