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Lian Po
Zhao general of the Warring States who held the line against Qin at Changping, made peace with Lin Xiangru by bearing thorns, and died in exile in Chu
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Lian Jiangjun
- Roles
- Commanders
Lian Po was a general of Zhao, called a fine general of Zhao by the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). In 283 BCE he attacked Qi, took Yangjin and was made a senior minister. Resenting Lin Xiangru's higher rank, he later went to Lin's door bare-backed with a bundle of thorns to beg pardon, and the two became sworn friends. At Changping he kept his troops behind their walls until the king, misled by Qin agents, replaced him with Zhao Kuo, whose army was destroyed. He later crushed a Yan invasion at Hao and became Lord Xinping, but when King Daoxiang gave his command to Le Cheng he attacked Le Cheng and fled to Wei. An envoy bribed by Guo Kai reported that the old general had to relieve himself three times in one sitting, so Zhao never recalled him; he served without success in Chu and died at Shouchun. Xin Qiji's line asking whether old Lian Po could still eat draws on this story.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; Zhao, late Warring States