Battle of Yique
293 BCE · Yique (Longmen, south of today's Luoyang, Henan) · China · Ancient
Bai Qi exploited the lack of unified command between the Han and Wei armies, each waiting to see what the other would do, defeated them in detail, and annihilated the coalition
Belligerents
Qin
- Commanders
- Bai Qi
- Strength
- Qin army, over 100,000
Han and Wei (coalition)
- Commanders
- Gongsun Xi
- Strength
- Han–Wei coalition said to number 240,000
Background
Han and Wei allied to resist Qin and block its eastward expansion, but their commanders were at odds and kept shifting responsibility onto each other.
Course of the battle
- The armies face offThe Qin army faced the Han–Wei coalition across Yique, and neither allied army was willing to fight first
- Defeat in detailBai Qi first made a feint attack to pin down the Han army, then concentrated his forces in an all-out assault on the Wei army
- Coalition annihilatedAfter the Wei army collapsed the Han army fell apart as well, and Bai Qi pressed on to annihilate them
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 293 BCE |
|---|---|
| Place | Yique (Longmen, south of today's Luoyang, Henan) |
| Result | Bai Qi exploited the lack of unified command between the Han and Wei armies, each waiting to see what the other would do, defeated them in detail, and annihilated the coalition |
| Winner | Qin |
| Casualties | 240,000 men of the Han–Wei coalition were wiped out, and its commander Gongsun Xi was captured |
| Territorial change | Han and Wei lost all their elite troops, allowing the Qin army to push east into the Central Plains and close in on the Zhou royal house |
Impact
The battle that made Bai Qi's name; afterward no strong enemy could stop Qin's eastward advance.
See the world in 293 BCE on the map →