The Grand Marriage Alliance Between Two Warring States

On the fourth day at high noon, the southern gates of Ji City swung open with great fanfare. Drums thundered and horns blared as King Yi of Yan emerged in full ceremonial regalia to welcome his bride from Qin. The Qin military camp simultaneously opened its gates, revealing orderly ranks of soldiers and thirty long-skirted maidservants escorting the carriage of Princess Yueyang. Chancellor Zhang Yi led a full honor guard with one thousand armored cavalry following the princess’s procession, stopping just outside the camp gates to face the Yan king’s contingent across the field.

This carefully choreographed display marked more than a royal wedding—it represented a fragile political alliance between two powerful warring states during China’s tumultuous Warring States period (475-221 BCE). The marriage diplomacy followed Qin’s recent military victory over Yan in the Riverlands Campaign, where Qin forces had crushed the Yan army as part of a broader coalition against Qin’s expansion. The exchange of marriage documents between Yan’s Minister of Justice and Qin’s diplomatic envoy formalized what both sides knew to be an uneasy truce rather than lasting peace.

The Wedding Banquet and Unexpected Challenge

Following the wedding ceremony, King Yi hosted a grand banquet for the Qin delegation and Yan ministers in the palace. The atmosphere, though ostensibly celebratory, crackled with tension. Zhang Yi, seated prominently to the king’s left, noticed the conspicuous absence of Su Qin—Yan’s chief strategist and architect of the failed anti-Qin alliance.

His observation didn’t go unnoticed. “Chancellor need not look—Lord Wuan will not be coming,” remarked General Zi Zhi, commander of Yan’s forces, as he approached Zhang Yi’s seat armed with his sword—an unusual breach of court etiquette.

Their exchange quickly escalated into a battle of wits and veiled threats. Zi Zhi mocked Zhang Yi’s reputation for covert operations, while the Qin chancellor countered with pointed remarks about the general’s political ambitions. The verbal sparring culminated in an extraordinary proposal—a military competition between their forces to “celebrate” the royal wedding.

The Deadly Wedding Games Begin

What followed was no ceremonial display, but a deadly serious contest of military prowess. Zi Zhi arranged four rounds of competition spread over two days:

1. Female warriors
2. Sword techniques
3. Cavalry maneuvers
4. Infantry combat

The first two bouts would occur immediately in the palace hall, with the latter scheduled for the following day outside the southern gates. The Yan ministers erupted in enthusiastic approval, while the Qin delegation maintained restrained smiles.

King Yi appeared uneasy but ultimately deferred to his powerful general. Princess Yueyang, demonstrating remarkable political acumen for a new bride, smoothed the situation by supporting the competition as entertainment for the people.

The Iron Maidens vs. Black Ice Swordswomen

The palace banquet area was hastily cleared as thirty of Yan’s “Iron Maidens”—actually elite female warriors disguised as palace attendants—shed their delicate robes to reveal red armored uniforms and broad short swords. These were no ordinary servants but hardened veterans from Yan’s campaigns against the Donghu nomads.

Zhang Yi countered with his own surprise—thirty Qin “maidservants” who were actually elite female agents from the Black Ice Terrace intelligence unit. Under commander Ying Hua’s direction, they formed an innovative “Ice Cone” sword formation adapted from Qin’s battlefield tactics. The formation’s deadly efficiency became apparent when, after initial restraint, the Qin women swiftly dispatched sixteen Yan warriors in a flurry of precisely coordinated attacks.

The Iron Eagle Warriors’ Display of Might

The second contest pitted Qin’s legendary Iron Eagle warriors—heavy infantry clad in eighty-pound armor—against Yan’s best swordsmen. When General Zi Zhi himself attempted to strike one with his prized Xiongnu-style saber, the warrior’s defense sent the general flying across the hall, his weapon embedded in the ceiling beam. The humiliating display prompted Zi Zhi to postpone further competition until the next day’s cavalry engagement.

The Decisive Cavalry Battle Outside Ji City

The following afternoon witnessed a full-scale mock battle between five thousand cavalry from each state. Zi Zhi employed his signature “Three Waves” tactic perfected against nomadic horsemen—first a long spear charge, followed by sword cavalry, then light pursuit troops. But Qin commander Bai Shan countered with sophisticated maneuvers that split and surrounded Yan’s forces.

Despite heroic efforts by Zi Zhi—who personally led reserves into battle—Yan suffered devastating losses: 2,500 dead compared to Qin’s hundred. The general himself was unhorsed but refused to show defeat, limping proudly through the aftermath.

The Aftermath and Lasting Consequences

That evening, a humbled King Yi ratified the Qin-Yan alliance. The marriage of Princess Yueyang to Yan’s king became official, but the military humiliation left deep scars. Zhang Yi, observing Zi Zhi’s undiminished arrogance despite defeat, ominously predicted continuing turmoil for Yan.

The event marked a turning point in the power dynamics between Qin and Yan. Qin’s demonstrated military superiority foreshadowed its eventual conquest of all warring states. For Yan, the defeat exposed both the limits of its military capability and the dangerous ambitions of commanders like Zi Zhi—factors that would contribute to the state’s eventual downfall.

Legacy of the Yan-Qin Confrontation

This dramatic episode encapsulates several key aspects of Warring States period diplomacy and warfare:

1. The fluid nature of alliances, where former enemies could become temporary allies through marriage ties
2. The importance of military demonstrations in diplomatic negotiations
3. The sophisticated tactics and specialized units developing in this era
4. The growing power disparity between Qin and other states

The confrontation also highlights the complex personalities shaping this historical period—from the brilliant strategist Zhang Yi to the proud warrior Zi Zhi, whose later usurpation of Yan’s throne would plunge the state into chaos. The event stands as a microcosm of the larger struggle for supremacy that would culminate in Qin’s unification of China under the First Emperor just decades later.