Zhao was defeated in the battle of Changping, including the soldiers who were raped and killed, and was beheaded by 450 thousand. Zhao Kuo, the commander-in-chief of Zhao, was later put on an armchair strategist's hat and laughed at by later generations for more than two thousand years. However, the real Zhao Kuo in history is by no means a young man who can only talk in general terms. The real Zhao Kuo is a completely different scene.
Theoretically? Cai Lun invented paper in the Eastern Han Dynasty more than 300 years after Zhao Kuo's death. As for the large-scale application of paper, it was more than 400 years after Zhao Kuo's death. An armchair strategist is the result of a series of stories fabricated by later scholars to blacken Zhao Kuo. At the end of the Warring States Period, where Zhao Kuo was located, there was no paper, and bamboo slips were widely used to record characters. If Zhao Kuo, a man in black, used the word "talking about soldiers" on the bamboo slips, the credibility would be higher.
Why was Zhao Kuo hacked? The following five questions will be answered one by one, and we will naturally get the answer.
First, the battle of Changping and the confrontation between Qin and Zhao, who can't afford it?
Second, what generals did Guo change? Do I have to go to Zhao Kuo?
Third, who should be responsible for Zhao's defeat in the battle of Changping?
4. How many Qin Jun did Zhao Kuo kill?
5. Why do you want to smear Zhao Kuo?
First, the battle of Changping and the confrontation between Qin and Zhao, who can't afford it?
Figure-Changping War Situation
Qin and Zhao confronted each other in Changping for nearly three years. If we continue to fight, who can't afford it? The answer to this question is: after three years of confrontation, the National Assembly of Qin State was dragged down, and Zhao State was also dragged down. There are two reasons:
(1) The overall national strength is higher than that of Qin.
From the map, Zhao's territory is not small, but Wuyuan County, Yunzhong County, Jiuyuan County, Yanmen County and Daixian County in the north of Zhao are all borderland. The people are mainly nomadic, with too little population and no food for farming. There are three counties in Zhao with agricultural foundation, namely Handan, Taiyuan and Zhongshan, which are less than half of Zhao's area.
As for Qin, Guanzhong and Bashu are granaries, which are bigger than the core grain-producing areas of Zhao. If Qin has only these two fertile fields, then the comprehensive national strength of Qin and Zhao is balanced. But the state of Qin still has three plots of land. Let's have a look. First of all, Nanjun County and Nanyang County, the former capital of Chu State, were conquered by Tian Lei, and Nanyang County was the former site of Shenguo, which operated for a long time. Qin is equivalent to getting two core counties of Chu. The second land is Hedong County and Hexi County, which are the heart of Jin and Wei. The capital of Jin and Anyi, the capital of Wei, are both in Hedong County. Hexi County was a battleground for military strategists guarding Wuqi in that year, and Qin was the core land of Wei. The third plot is Sanchuan County, where Yiyang, the old capital of South Korea, is located. Together with the big city north of the Yellow River, the State of Qin got a core piece of land in South Korea.
After occupying the core plots of Chu, Wei and Han, the comprehensive national strength of Qin far surpassed that of Zhao. If the two sides drag on, Zhao will undoubtedly be dragged down first without external force.
(2) Zhao is in danger of being stabbed in the back by Yan and Qi.
If Qin and Zhao continue to confront each other, who is more likely to be stabbed in the back by the princes? The answer is Zhao.
Due to geographical reasons, there are no vassals behind Qin. For the state of Qin, all wars took place in its east. But it's different for Zhao. Yan and Qi can stab in the back at any time in the rear.
Later historical development also proved that after the battle of Changping, Yan stabbed Zhao in the back several times, including when Yan led an army of 600 thousand south. Although Lian Po led130,000 Zhao troops to defeat their opponents that time, as long as it is a war, there will be casualties. Even if Lian Po wins by killing 1,000 enemies and damaging 300 enemies, Zhao's loss is still great. Yan stabbed Zhao Yidao in the back for a simple reason. Qin Yan does not border, and it is an appropriate national policy for Yan State to unite with Qin State to attack neighboring Zhao State. At that time, the prince of Yan was keen to destroy Zhao with Qin and share Zhao's dream.
Besides, Qi and Zhao have occupied too much territory of Qi in the past 20 years. Lian Po conquered 13 city, Zhao She conquered Maiqiu, Yanzhou conquered Gaotang, and so on. Later, Qi did not stab Zhao in the back. Zhao is lucky, or his diplomatic work is worthy of recognition.
In short, no matter from the perspective of comprehensive national strength or geographical location, Qin and Zhao will continue to confront each other, and the parliament of Qin will be dragged down, and Zhao will also be dragged down. So, Zhao had to change his generals, replacing Lian Po, the main defensive force, with a general who was the main attack.
Second, what generals did Guo change? Do I have to change to Zhao Kuo?
Lian Po was replaced, not because of his ability, but because Lian Po was defending, and Zhao had reached the point where he could not defend, so he had to attack and end the war as soon as possible.
Replacing a long-term general is not a simple replacement of a person with strong ability, but a replacement involving major issues at many levels.
First, the replaced person must support the attack. If the substitution is as unwilling to play as Lian Po, it is better not to change. As a result, the vast majority of generals were excluded, including Yue Cheng, who later served as Lian Po's deputy commander for a long time. Zhao Haoqi Cheng Xiao's options are very limited.
Two of Zhao's most famous generals and Zhao She are dead. There are only two choices for Zhao Haoqi and Cheng Xiao to change, Li Mu or Zhao Kuo.
Li Mu was still a teenager at this time, and he was still fighting the Huns in the north. It was more than ten years after Li Mu defeated the Huns. It was more than twenty years after Li Mu defeated Qin Jun. At this time, Li Mu was more qualified than Zhao Kuo.
No matter how many other generals, they don't have much appeal, and they don't have the prestige to command so many Zhao troops, and they can't be enabled. Zhao She's son Zhao Kuo thus surfaced.
3. Who should be responsible for the battle of Changping?
Ping Yuanjun is Zhao and Zhao's uncle, one of the four sons of the Warring States. During the confrontation between Qin and Zhao, on the one hand, Ping Yuanjun mobilized reinforcements and grain everywhere, on the other hand, he sent people to Qin for peace.
Fan Ju, the prime minister of the State of Qin, in the face of the peace talks of Zhao, sent people to other countries for propaganda, saying that when Zhao sent people to the State of Qin for peace talks, Qin and Zhao would call a truce. In this way, even if all countries are skeptical, who will foolishly support Zhao? Ping Yuanjun not only didn't get a reinforcement, but also didn't borrow a grain of hay.
At the prime minister level, that is, in diplomatic confrontation, it lost to the prime minister Qin.
Later, when Zhao Kuo and Xiang Dou fought, Qin and Zhao performed completely differently.
Zhao Xiang, King of Qin, conferred titles on all people in Hanoi County and recruited all men over 15 to the front. Hanoi county is the territory north of the original Yellow River in South Korea. Qin just bought this place three years ago. It is the county closest to Changping battlefield in Qin State. Qin's action illustrates three things. The first Tian Lei in Changping is not certain for Zhao Kuo. Tian Lei's battle is very difficult, and Zhao Xiang, the king of Qin, will be desperate to help. Secondly, Qin Xiang was a wise monarch. In this respect, he is much better than Zhao Haoqi Cheng Xiao. His support is timely help. Third, the state of Qin has also reached the time when its troops are empty. This is the last batch of temporary troops that Qin can send.
On the other hand, the king of Zhao should be constantly changing. When Zhao Kuo turned to the army for help, he did nothing. If Zhao Haoqi and Cheng Xiao, like Zhao Xiang, the king of Qin, transfer the northern border guards of Li Mu, it is possible to fight Tian Lei with Zhao Kuo, and it is not certain who wins or loses.
If Zhao is a company, Zhao is the chairman and general manager, and Zhao Kuo is a department manager at best. When the company collapsed, the chairman and general manager were not responsible, leaving a department manager to take the fall?
4. How many Qin Jun did Zhao Kuo kill?
In order to end the war at an early date, Zhao Haoqi Cheng Xiao's written military order to Zhao Kuo was acceptable, even if he killed one thousand enemies and lost one thousand. Even if we kill the enemy 1000 and lose 1200, as long as we can end the war, it is ok.
Before Tian Lei killed 200,000 soldiers of Zhao, the number of casualties of Zhao soldiers exceeded 200,000, and the number of casualties was about 300,000. In the face of Tian Lei, Zhao Kuo killed the enemy 1000, and damaged the enemy by 800. If we hadn't killed 200,000 Zhao troops and surrendered their soldiers, Zhao would have actually won and lost. In terms of casualties on both sides, Zhao Jun lost more than 200,000 and Qin Jun lost more than 300,000. Zhao Kuo completed the task given to him by Zhao Chengxiao.
Later, it took two years to besiege Handan, the empty city of Zhao, but failed to capture Handan. If Zhao has more than 200,000 energetic soldiers, I'm afraid the positions of attack and defense will be reversed.
The winner of the battle of Changping actually killed 200,000 soldiers in vain after the war. Because of his secret appointment, Zhao people did not know that the main commander of the other side was. If they knew that Tian Lei was coming, it is estimated that no one would surrender. Before Tian Lei, in the wars of Yi Que, Yan Ying and Huayang, the number of beheadings was already in the millions, including a large number of prisoners of war.
After the Battle of Changping, Tian Lei refused to attack Han with the whole army, because he said that Qin Jun lost more than half (more than 300,000) and was short of troops in the Battle of Changping.
And Zhao Kuo himself, he personally broke through, he died, and he is more worthy of respect than those generals who surrendered in history.
(4) Why do you want to discredit Zhao Kuo?
Theoretically, this word obviously appeared hundreds of years after Zhao Kuo's death, because the invention of paper was more than 300 years later than Zhao Kuo's death. These scholars who discredited Zhao Kuo also arranged some stories for Zhao Kuo, including Zhao Kuo's parents' comments on his son, to prove that Zhao Kuo should take full responsibility for the Changping War.
Aside from these false things, we will look at the battle of Changping from the perspective of post-modern people in 2000.
When Japan invaded China and slaughtered 300,000 unarmed people in Nanking, we were indignant and pointed at the murderer, the Japanese aggressor army. It seems that not many people will blame Chiang Kai-shek for losing the battle and failing to hold Nanjing.
In the same way, should we be more lenient with Zhao Kuo when we look at the incident of trapping and killing prisoners of war in Changping War?
At the beginning, those who smeared Zhao Kuo were nothing more than promoting a great victory of Qin from the perspective of literary color, but they also wanted to cover up the dirty point of human nature in this great victory, that is, the dirty point of slaughtering prisoners of war. Of course, in order to shirk Zhao's responsibility in the battle of Changping, some people made Zhao Kuo take responsibility for all the mistakes he made.
But in any case, history is history and there is no way to change it. Today, the judgment of the world can be said to look at history from another angle, and it is difficult to judge right or wrong.