A Kingdom at the Crossroads

In the waning years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin stood poised to achieve what no other kingdom had accomplished – complete domination of China. The brilliant general Bai Qi had just secured a decisive victory at the Battle of Changping in 260 BCE, where Qin forces annihilated the Zhao army in one of history’s bloodiest engagements. Yet in the aftermath of this triumph, King Zhao of Qin found himself torn between two competing visions for his kingdom’s future.

The aging monarch faced an agonizing dilemma that would shape the course of Chinese history. Should he follow Bai Qi’s aggressive strategy to press forward and conquer Zhao completely? Or should he heed the cautious counsel of his chancellor Fan Ju, who warned against overextension and potential coalition against Qin? This pivotal moment reveals the complex interplay between military ambition and political calculation that characterized the final push toward unification.

The Changping Aftermath and Strategic Divide

The Battle of Changping had been a masterpiece of military execution. Bai Qi’s forces had surrounded and starved the Zhao army for forty-six days before executing most of the surrendered soldiers – a controversial decision that Bai Qi made without consulting the king. While this ruthless action eliminated Zhao’s military capacity in the short term, it also sowed seeds of resentment throughout the other states.

Fan Ju, the king’s chief strategist, initially supported continuing the campaign against Zhao. However, by early 259 BCE, he dramatically reversed his position. His memorial to the king painted a stark picture: “If we persist in continuous campaigns to destroy Zhao, we risk forcing the eastern states into a defensive alliance against us.” Fan Ju’s intelligence network reported growing unease among Qi, Chu, Wei, and other states who feared Qin’s unchecked expansion.

Bai Qi, summoned back to the capital after the king’s change of heart, presented a compelling counterargument: “The world trembles in fear; Zhao is paralyzed with terror. They can barely muster new troops, let alone mount an effective defense. The other states offer empty words of comfort but no actual military support. Where is this so-called coalition against Qin?” The general’s battlefield instincts told him this was the moment to strike – with Zhao reeling and other states unprepared, complete victory seemed within grasp.

The King’s Dilemma and Its Consequences

King Zhao’s court became an arena for this strategic debate. The monarch, though impressed by Bai Qi’s reasoning, ultimately sided with Fan Ju’s caution. This decision marked a critical turning point in Qin’s unification campaign. As Bai Qi predicted, the respite allowed Zhao to regroup under new leadership, including generals Le Cheng and Le Xian. More alarmingly, it enabled the charismatic Lord Xinling of Wei, Lord Chunshen of Chu, and the philosopher-diplomat Lu Zhonglian of Qi to begin organizing resistance.

When Fan Ju presented fresh intelligence confirming these developments, the king faced his first pangs of regret. His summer of reflection at Zhangtai palace ended with a dramatic nighttime visit to Bai Qi’s residence, where he found the general seriously ill. Despite Bai Qi’s weakened state, the king pressed him about launching a new campaign that autumn. The general’s response was sobering: the strategic window had closed. Troops who had finally returned home after years at war were psychologically unprepared to immediately redeploy. Zhao’s defenses had strengthened, and other states were now alert to Qin’s ambitions.

The Cost of Reversal: The Failed Siege of Handan

Undeterred, King Zhao ordered General Wang Ling to lead 200,000 troops against Zhao in 259 BCE. The campaign initially made progress, capturing key mountain passes and reaching the outskirts of Handan by 258 BCE. However, the revitalized Zhao forces, with King Daoxiang and Lord Pingyuan personally defending the walls, resisted fiercely. After months of fruitless siege and 50,000 casualties, the king replaced Wang Ling with Wang He, sending another 200,000 troops.

This escalation proved disastrous. As Bai Qi had warned, the delay allowed Wei and Chu to mobilize. Lord Xinling and Lord Chunshen led a combined force that attacked the Qin army’s rear while Zhao troops sortied from Handan. The Qin forces suffered a crushing defeat, retreating to Shangdang with over 100,000 casualties. The final humiliation came when Fan Ju’s protégé Zheng Anping, sent with reinforcements, surrendered his entire force to Zhao after being outmaneuvered near Anyang.

The Cultural and Strategic Repercussions

The failed Handan campaign had profound implications beyond military losses. The execution of prisoners at Changping and subsequent aggression had indeed created the coalition Fan Ju feared. The eastern states now saw Qin not just as a dominant power, but as an existential threat requiring united opposition. This perception would shape diplomatic relations for decades.

Bai Qi’s marginalization also revealed tensions in Qin’s governance. The king’s rejection of his most successful general’s advice – followed by insistence that the ailing commander lead another campaign – demonstrated the limits of monarchical authority when divorced from military reality. Bai Qi’s lament, “With the Queen Dowager still ruling, would Qin have come to this?” hinted at deeper institutional changes following the death of the influential Queen Dowager Xuan in 265 BCE.

Legacy and Historical Significance

The events following Changping offer crucial insights into the challenges of empire-building. Qin’s near-success and subsequent setbacks reveal how military supremacy alone couldn’t guarantee political consolidation. The kingdom needed another generation and the leadership of King Zheng (later First Emperor) to learn these lessons and complete the unification in 221 BCE.

Historians have debated whether Bai Qi’s proposed immediate advance would have succeeded. What remains clear is that the pause created by King Zhao’s hesitation allowed the resistance to coalesce, prolonging the Warring States period by several decades. The episode stands as a timeless study in strategic decision-making, illustrating how the interplay of personality, timing, and circumstance shapes historical outcomes.

The king’s ultimate realization of his mistake – coming too late to alter events – serves as a poignant reminder of how leaders grapple with complex choices where both options carry substantial risks. In the end, Qin’s path to unification proved more arduous because of this fateful decision after its greatest victory.