The Rise and Fall of the Wei Kingdom

In the early 5th century AD, a warlord named Helian Bobo carved out a domain and established the Great Xia Empire (historically known as the Hu Xia Empire). He constructed the formidable city of Tongwan, boasting towering walls that were said to be impregnable. Yet, compared to the Wei Kingdom’s capital, Daliang (modern-day Kaifeng, Henan), Tongwan was little more than a child’s plaything.

Daliang was built during the reign of Wei’s third king, Wei Ying, at the height of the kingdom’s power. Over a century of meticulous development, by the time of King Wei Jia’s rule, Daliang had become an unassailable fortress, unmatched in its defenses.

The Impenetrable Fortress of Daliang

The kingdoms of Qi and Qin repeatedly besieged Daliang, launching every conceivable assault—yet the city stood firm. Its walls were indestructible, its defensive structures flawless. Daliang had another critical advantage: it could withstand prolonged sieges. Every household stored vast quantities of grain, and government granaries overflowed with supplies. Moreover, an intricate network of waterways ensured a steady water supply. Even a god of war would have found the city unconquerable.

Qin’s generals, hardened by Shang Yang’s military reforms, excelled in open-field battles and siege warfare—yet Daliang stumped them. In a war council, Qin Shi Huang (then known as Ying Zheng) listened as his commanders debated strategies, only to conclude that no viable plan existed. Frustrated, Ying Zheng declared: “If we cannot devise a solution, we must test the city ourselves. Only by facing it can we uncover its weaknesses.”

The Siege and the Flood: A Tactical Masterstroke

Wang Ben, son of the famed general Wang Jian, led the assault. Encountering little resistance from Wei’s depleted forces, he arrived at Daliang’s gates. The sheer scale of the city’s defenses awed him. Despite relentless attacks, Qin’s forces suffered heavy losses, their corpses piling beneath the walls.

King Wei Jia, emboldened by Qin’s failures, taunted Wang Ben from the ramparts: “Negotiate if you must, but know this—I will outlast you.” Enraged but powerless, Wang Ben withdrew after a month of fruitless siege.

Back in Xianyang, Ying Zheng handed Wang Ben a bamboo scroll: “Su Dai, a strategist, once wrote that flooding Daliang could bring it down. Even Wei’s own Lord Xinling warned of this vulnerability.” Realization struck Wang Ben—Daliang’s greatest strength, its waterways, could be turned against it.

Seizing control of the surrounding water networks, Wang Ben diverted the Yellow River and Honggou Canal into Daliang. The low-lying city was swiftly inundated. King Wei Jia initially laughed—the walls would hold. But Wang Ben’s goal was not to collapse the walls; it was to ruin the grain stores. As supplies spoiled, starvation set in. Three months later, with his people starving and morale broken, Wei Jia surrendered.

The Aftermath: Wei’s Collapse and Qin’s Ascendancy

Daliang’s fall marked the end of Wei in 225 BC after 98 years of existence. Its demise handed Qin a third of China’s heartland, leaving only Qi and Chu as rivals. The conquest also exposed a recurring historical lesson: strengths, when overrelied upon, can become fatal weaknesses.

Wei’s origins traced back to the partition of Jin, a once-dominant state that had fractured into Han, Zhao, and Wei. Had Jin remained united, it might have unified China—instead, its division allowed Qin to dismantle its successors one by one.

The Road to Unification: Qin’s Next Moves

With Wei gone, Qin turned to Chu, the southern giant. At a war council, a debate erupted: young general Li Xin argued 200,000 troops sufficed; veteran Wang Jian insisted on 600,000. Ying Zheng, swayed by Li Xin’s confidence, approved the smaller force—a decision that would soon backfire.

Chu’s resilience, born from centuries of expansion and survival, made it a formidable foe. Its decline had begun with the betrayal of Wu Zixu, a exiled noble who led Wu’s forces to sack Chu’s capital in 506 BC. Though Chu recovered, it never regained its former dominance.

The Human Factor: Betrayal and Miscalculation

Complicating matters was Chancellor Xiong Qi (Changping Jun), a Qin official of Chu royalty. Opposing the invasion, he was demoted to governing newly captured Chu lands. His resentment foreshadowed rebellion—one that would disrupt Li Xin’s campaign and force Qin to regroup.

Legacy: The Cost of Overconfidence

Wei’s fall underscored Qin’s ruthless efficiency but also its occasional hubris. The Chu campaign would later prove that even the mightiest conquerors could underestimate their foes. Yet, by 221 BC, Ying Zheng would emerge victorious, declaring himself China’s first emperor—Qin Shi Huang.

The lessons endure: empires rise on adaptability, fall by inflexibility, and history favors those who learn from both.