James Baquet

So pivotal was the man born Ying Zheng — but who called himself Qin Shi Huang or “First Emperor of Qin” — that much of the outside world refers to the country he unified in wars lasting from 230-221 B.C. as “China.” This is probably a form of his dynastic name (via the Persian “Chin,” from the Sanskrit “Cina”).

But the state of Qin was a force to be reckoned with long before Ying Zheng’s rise. Tradition dates it to 897 B.C.; the great chronicler Sima Qian tells us it goes back to Zhuanxu (or Gao Yang), one of the mythological “Five Emperors” of ancient times, and grandson of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor).

The origins of one of the State of Qin’s great successes lay in their interest in the town of Shangdang. Rather than lose Shangdang, Han commander Feng Ting offered it to the Zhao. But the Qin quickly secured the town. The Zhao and the Qin met at Changping Pass, after which Zhao general Lian Po determined that a waiting game was the only way to defeat the Qin — Zhao was closer to Shangdang than Qin was, and keeping supply lines running would pose a problem for the Qin.

So in 260 B.C. the Zhao army built fortresses in the area and waited. After a three-year stalemate, the Qin turned to an effective use of propaganda, spreading the word in Zhao that Lian Po was a senile coward. King Xiaocheng of Zhao replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, whose own father had cautioned on his deathbed that the son would be an ineffective leader.

Zhao Kuo’s army comprised a reported 400,000 men. Part of them attacked the Qin camp in 260 B.C., but failed due to superior Qin strategy. Divided and lacking supplies, the Zhao army was forced to dig in. Political intrigue in Zhao prevented the sending of relief, and the siege lasted 46 days. When Zhao Kuo was killed by Qin archers, his army surrendered.

Sima Qian says over 450,000 died during or after the battle, making it according to some sources the most costly in history in terms of human lives. They say people still discover bones in the area to this day. Zhao never recovered; Qin rose steadily to power.

Vocabulary:

Which word or phrase above means:

1. historian

2. information — sometimes false — spread to affect political decisions

3. person who is not brave

4. situation in which no progress is possible

5. something of great importance

6. important, game-changing

7. through

8. at the time of dying

9. mentally deficient due to age

10. a strategy of biding time