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Wang Ben
Qin general and son of Wang Jian who flooded Daliang to end Wei, captured the last kings of Yan and Dai, and took the surrender of Qi in 221 BC
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 Ben was a son of the Qin general Wang Jian. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) says that in 225 BC he attacked Wei and turned the Yellow River on its capital Daliang until the walls collapsed and King Jia surrendered, ending the state of Wei. In 222 BC he marched into Liaodong and captured King Xi of Yan, then turned back to take Jia, the king of Dai, last claimant of Zhao. In 221 BC he swept south from Yan into Qi and captured its king Jian, completing Qin's conquest of the six states. Two years later, when the First Emperor raised his inscribed stone at Langya, the list of nobles in his train included Wang Ben, Marquis of Tongwu. The Shiji says that both father and son were dead by the Second Emperor's reign; Wang Ben's son Wang Li was later captured by Xiang Yu at Julu.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; Qin general who conquered Wei, Yan and Qi