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Wang Jian
Qin general from Pinyang who broke Zhao and Yan and, after insisting on an army of six hundred thousand, destroyed the kingdom of 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.
- Roles
- Commanders
Wang Jian of Pinyang loved warfare from youth and served King Zheng of Qin. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) says that in 236 BC he took Yuyu and eight other Zhao towns, and that in 229 BC he invaded Zhao again, capturing King Qian the next year, before taking the Yan capital Ji. Asked how many men it would take to conquer Chu, the young general Li Xin said two hundred thousand and Wang Jian six hundred thousand; the king chose Li Xin, who was routed. The king then went in person to Pinyang to apologise, and Wang Jian took the field with six hundred thousand men, repeatedly asking for fields and houses so the king would not suspect his ambitions. By his biography's account he crushed Chu in 224 BC, killing its general Xiang Yan, and captured King Fuchu the following year. The Shiji adds that both he and his son Wang Ben were dead by the reign of the Second Emperor.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; general under King Zheng of Qin