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The Warring States Period was always filled with smoke of war, and the only final winner among the seven major powers was Qin.

Many brave generals always emerge in fierce wars. Wang Jian was a great general of Qin State and the greatest contributor to Qin Shihuang's annexation of the six kingdoms.

However, he had a bad habit when fighting wars, which made Qin Shihuang very distressed, but he could only grit his teeth and tolerate it every time.

"Wang Jian was from Dongxiang, Pinyang. Wang Jian was a descendant of Prince Jin, King Ling of Zhou, and the eighteenth-generation grandson of Prince Jin."

"Wang Jian loved the art of war when he was young, and served Qin Shi Huang when he grew up."

"In the eleventh year of Emperor Qin Shihuang's reign, Wang Jian led his troops to attack Queyu of Zhao State."

"After leading the troops for eighteen days, he ordered the officers with salaries below a bowl of rice to choose only two out of ten to stay in the army, and the rest to go home."

"Because those who stayed behind were the best, Wang Jian captured nine cities in succession."

"In the 18th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, Wang Jian led his army to attack the State of Zhao. The State of Zhao sent Li Mu to lead the army to resist. The two armies fought for more than a year."

"Wang Jian used a counter-espionage strategy to make the King of Zhao kill Li Mu."

"After Li Mu's death, Wang Jian conquered Zhao and captured King Qian of Zhao. Zhao was destroyed and turned into a county."

"After the fall of Zhao, Prince Dan of Yan was worried that Qin would invade Yan."

"In the 20th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, Prince Dan sent Jing Ke to assassinate Emperor Qin Shi Huang."

"After Jing Ke's failure, Qin Shi Huang sent Wang Jian to attack the State of Yan."

"Yan Wang Ji Xi fled to Liaodong, and Wang Jian pacified Yan's capital Ji and returned."

"In the 21st year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang, Qin Shi Huang sent Wang Jian's son Wang Ben to attack the State of Chu, which was defeated."

"In the 22nd year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, Wang Ben returned to attack the State of Wei."

"Wang Ben dug a canal to divert the Yellow River water to flood Daliang. The King of Wei surrendered and the State of Wei was pacified."

"When Qin Shi Huang saw that Wei, Zhao and Han had been destroyed, King Xi of Yan had fled, and the Qin army had defeated the Chu army many times, he wanted to completely destroy the Chu state."

"One day, Qin Shi Huang asked General Li Xin how many soldiers he would need if he led his army to conquer the State of Chu."

"Li Xin was young and brave. He once led several thousand soldiers to pursue Prince Dan of Yan and captured him."

"When he heard Qin Shi Huang's question, he replied that it would only cost two hundred thousand."

"Qin Shi Huang asked Wang Jian again, and Wang Jian replied that it must be 600,000."

"Qin Shi Huang felt that Wang Jian had grown old and timid, while Li Xin was decisive and courageous, and what he said was right."

"So, Qin Shi Huang sent Li Xin and Meng Tian to lead an army of 200,000 to attack the State of Chu in the south."

"Wang Jian, because his opinions were not accepted, used the excuse of illness to retire and return home."

"Li Xin led his troops to attack Pingyu, and Meng Tian attacked Qinyi, defeating the Chu army."

"Li Xin then captured Yan and Ying, and then led his troops westward, where he met up with Meng Tian at Chengfu."

"The Chu army took the opportunity to follow the Qin army. After three days and three nights, they defeated Li Xin's army and the Qin army fled."

"When Qin Shi Huang heard the news of the defeat, he was extremely angry and personally rode to Pingyang to apologize to Wang Jian in person and asked him to lead the army to fight."

"Wang Jian said that he was old and sick and confused, and asked Qin Shihuang to choose another good general, but Qin Shihuang insisted on using Wang Jian."

"Wang Jian said that if he was to be used to attack the State of Chu, he would need 600,000 men. Qin Shi Huang agreed to Wang Jian's request."

Xin Qiji: Wang Jian was born into a landlord family with military merits. He had been interested in military strategy since his youth and had a very clear career plan.

Wang Jian, who embarked on a military career at the age of 20, did not rise to prominence overnight. At first, he was at most favored by Bai Qi, the commander-in-chief of the Qin army.

He was transferred to his side as a personal soldier and later promoted to general.

However, Wang Jian, who followed the wrong leader, did not expect at first that Bai Qi would end up being ordered to commit suicide by King Zhao of Qin.

After King Zhao of Qin died, Zi'an Guojun succeeded to the throne, but An Guojun died soon after, and Zi Yiren succeeded to the throne.

King Zhuangxiang's reign was also not long, only three years, after which Ying Zheng succeeded to the throne and began his great career.

Wang Jian made great military achievements in the process of King Zheng of Qin pacifying Prince Cheng Jiao, and he was reused from then on.

Wang Jian played an indispensable role in the unification of the six kingdoms by the King of Qin.

Looking at the entire era of the Seven Kingdoms of the Warring States Period, there were actually only two countries that were truly powerful, namely Qin and Chu.

Although other forces were named after countries, their sphere of influence was pitifully small; some were even smaller than a county.

It was unrealistic for the Qin State to develop rapidly just by relying on a group of generals fighting outside. The key still lay in some reform measures.

Shang Yang's reforms laid a solid foundation for the Qin State. During the reign of King Zhao of Qin, Bai Qi's battles on the battlefield left the other six states powerless to fight back.

King Zheng of Qin already had a solid foundation. He stood at the intersection of history, and the unification of the six kingdoms was an inevitable trend.

After ascending the throne, King Zheng of Qin immediately formulated his future strategy: to adopt the strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones proposed by Li Si in politics and diplomacy.

They gradually disintegrated the alliance between the six countries and spent a lot of money to bribe spies in each other's countries to sabotage the operations.

In terms of military, King Zheng of Qin only arranged one core figure, that was Wang Jian.

After a series of battles, Wang Jian's military wisdom and talent were enough to make him one of the four famous generals of the Warring States Period, along with Bai Qi, Li Mu and Lian Po.

It was precisely because Lian Po had repeatedly made military achievements that he was always rewarded by the King of Qin and lived a very prosperous life.

As the commander-in-chief of the Qin army, the relationship between Wang Jian and Ying Zheng gradually became more subtle.

At that time, apart from Qin, the only countries within sight were Qi and Chu.

Wang Jian led an army of 20 and continued to march northward, and he also passed through many passes and killed many generals along the way.

At that time, the rewards and awards given by the King of Qin were endless, and most of the people around Wang Jian felt very happy.

It was at this stage that Wang Jian, taking into account the actual combat situation of the army, felt that the road ahead was becoming increasingly narrow.

The simplest judgment is that he believes it is only a matter of time before the King of Qin takes over the world.

Seeing his father becoming more and more worried, his son Wang Ben was very confused and asked his father quickly.

Your father has made great contributions to the country and the king trusts him very much. Why do others feel happy but only you are worried?
Wang Jian also answered his son's question truthfully, saying that with a man like the King of Qin, you can only share adversity with him, but not wealth with him.

I am now leading hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and generals outside. Can he be at ease?

When he sent me the gift, it seemed like he was comforting me, but in fact, he was just worried about me.

As he spoke, Wang Jian seemed to think of what Bai Qi had experienced, and then he said to his son, "I hope I don't follow in the footsteps of Bai Qi, Marquis of Wu'an."

For Ying Zheng, this matter must be within his consideration.

As soon as the war against Yan ended, Ying Zheng would not use Wang Jian unless he could avoid it.

The reason is that the general has made great contributions to the country and he is old and needs a good rest.

However, large-scale military affairs could not be handled by anyone else without Wang Jian, and Ying Zheng also specifically discussed opinions on the attack on Chu.

Of course, the ministers gathered together to discuss the issue of how to attack Chu.

There was a general named Li Xin in the court. When Ying Zheng asked how many troops were needed to attack Chu, Li Xin blurted out 200,000!
Ying Zheng was obviously worried when he saw Li Xin's young and energetic appearance. He turned around and asked Wang Jian behind him to see the veteran's opinion.

Wang Jian also put himself in the shoes of the Qin State. He immediately replied that to attack the Chu State, at least 60 people would be needed.

But this number was beyond Ying Zheng's acceptance. He began to feel that Wang Jian was old and even lost his former vigor.

As expected, Li Xin's army of 20 went on the expedition and suffered a crushing defeat. Wang Jian had predicted everything.

For Ying Zheng, he had never been so embarrassed since he ascended the throne.

Therefore, he also hated the State of Chu. After much thought, it seemed that no one except Wang Jian could take on the task when the army was defeated.

Wang Jian had already claimed to be ill and returned home to retire, which was a smart move. He knew very well that serving the emperor was like serving a tiger, and Bai Qi in his early years was a living example. This time, Ying Zheng was also anxious to invite Wang Jian to come out of retirement. After persuading him several times, he even brought up the previous king.

This forced Wang Jian to rethink the issue, but he still insisted on 60 people, not a single one could be left behind.

After that, Ying Zheng recruited soldiers across the country and gathered 60 people for Wang Jian.

This incident made Wang Jian think more. With 60 people handed over to Wang Jian's hands, could Ying Zheng really feel at ease?

"Wang Jian led 600,000 men and set out, and Qin Shihuang personally escorted them to Bashang."

"Before leaving, Wang Jian asked Qin Shi Huang to grant him a large amount of fertile land, houses, gardens and ponds."

"Qin Shi Huang asked him why he was still worried about poverty when he was about to send troops."

"Wang Jian replied that as a general of Qin Shi Huang, even if he had made contributions, it would be difficult for him to be granted a title of nobility."

"So he should take advantage of the fact that Qin Shi Huang trusted him and build up a business for his descendants."

"Qin Shi Huang laughed when he heard this. After Wang Jian reached the pass, he sent envoys back to the court five times in a row to ask for the grant of good farmland."

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"Some people thought that his request for reward was too much, but Wang Jian thought that was wrong."

"Qin Shi Huang was violent and distrustful. He led the army this time, and all the Qin troops were in his hands."

"If he had not asked for more land and houses to convince Qin Shi Huang that he wanted to leave a lasting family business for his descendants, Qin Shi Huang would have doubted him instead."

"Wang Jian replaced Li Xin to attack the State of Chu. When the State of Chu heard that Wang Jian had increased his army to attack, it mobilized all its forces to fight against the Qin army."

"As soon as Wang Jian arrived, he strengthened the fortifications and refused to go into battle."

"The Chu army sent troops to challenge many times, but the Qin army never sent troops to fight back."

"Wang Jian let the soldiers rest and take a bath every day, and improved their food to comfort them. He also ate with the soldiers."

"After a while, Wang Jian sent people to find out what games were being played in the army."

"The people below reported that the soldiers were playing stone throwing and long jump games."

"Wang Jian said that the soldiers can go to battle now."

"Because the Chu army repeatedly provoked, but the Qin army did not fight, the Chu army retreated eastward. Wang Jian took the opportunity to send troops to pursue and defeat the Chu army."

"The Qin army pursued the Chu army to the south of Jin County and killed the Chu general Xiang Yan, and the Chu army fled in defeat."

"The Qin army took advantage of the victory to pacify the cities within the territory of Chu. More than a year later, Wang Jian captured the King of Chu, Fu Chu, and changed the territory of Chu into counties."

"Then Wang Jian conquered the Yue tribe in the south and north, subdued the leaders of the Yue tribe, and established Kuaiji County."

"Wang Jian's son Wang Ben and Li Xin pacified the states of Yan and Qi."

"In the 26th year of Qin Shihuang's reign, Qin Shihuang completed the great task of annexing the world and unified China. Wang Jian was remembered by later generations for his outstanding contributions."

"After that, Wang Jian's experience is unknown. One story says that he retired at the right time and had a good ending."

"By the time of Qin II, Wang Jian and his son Wang Ben had both died. Wang Jian's grandson Wang Li was captured by Xiang Yu in the Battle of Julu."

"Wang Jian is the sixteenth-generation descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Wang Li's eldest son Wang Yuan moved to Langya County to avoid war. Therefore, Wang Jian is considered the ancestor of the Taiyuan Wang family and the Langya Wang family."

Wen Tianxiang: In fact, as early as when Wang Jian felt that the King of Qin was about to unify the country, he developed a habit of rewarding people whenever he fought a war.

On the day of the expedition, Wang Jian took out a list from his sleeve before leaving and said to Ying Zheng.

I have no other request, I only hope that the king will grant me what I have listed.

Ying Zheng immediately took the list and took a look at it. It listed several fields and houses near Xianyang City.

Seeing that Ying Zheng was reading seriously, Wang Jian took the opportunity to say, "I am a general under the king. Although I have made great achievements in war, I have never been granted a title of nobility."

Therefore, while the king is getting close to his subjects, we should ask for more good fields and houses, so that we can also provide property for our descendants.

As a result, Wang Jian's greed for money had just begun.

As soon as the troops reached the pass, Wang Jian again asked Ying Zheng to increase his reward.

Because he knew clearly that these 60 troops were the entire military force of the Qin State.

If he didn't ask a few more times to make his will clear, the King of Qin would never believe him.

But for Ying Zheng, a lot of money was spent during the war.

Wang Jian repeatedly asked for rewards at this critical juncture, which was really not considering the country's perspective.

But on second thought, this also shows that Wang Jian wants to return to his roots, and what he cares about is the money.

But if Qin's status can be preserved, then any amount of money will be too little.

Wang Jian's move was by no means redundant. Wang Jian had sent envoys to the King of Qin five times to ask for rewards.

Not to mention Qin Shihuang's mood, even Wang Jian's old generals couldn't stand it anymore.

They all advised the old general to stop and not think about how much money he could make for his children all day long, but Wang Jian naturally would not listen to them.

He led an army of 60 to attack the State of Chu, and the King of Chu ordered Xiang Yan to lead an army of 40 to resist.

It is worth mentioning that Xiang Yan has been in high spirits since the last defeat of Li Xin's 20 troops. Their morale is high and they are not suitable for quick close combat.

After Wang Jian learned of the enemy's situation, he did not respond to the attack and only fought back when he was in an extremely passive situation.

At other times, they would just have a good rest. Wang Jian himself would eat and live with his soldiers, and cheer them up.

After more than a year, Xiang Yan saw that Wang Jian had not taken any action.

He thought that the Qin army had no intention of advancing and was probably stalling for time, so he decided to seize the opportunity to destroy Qin in one fell swoop.

At this time, the Chu army had long lost its initial morale, and they also relaxed their vigilance and prepared to return east.

But at this time, Wang Jian's 60 troops suddenly attacked.

Faced with the sudden situation, the Chu army had to respond hastily. Most of its main forces were annihilated, and they had to retreat towards the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

Wang Jian knew that this was the best time to pursue the enemy, so he ordered Li Xin to lead a group of troops across the Han River and down to Changsha.

His own team went down the Yangtze River, chasing Xiang Yan relentlessly, determined to capture him in one fell swoop.

After the demise of the Chu State, all obstacles were cleared for Ying Zheng to establish the first feudal dynasty.

Wang Jian was a smart man. He handed over his military power as soon as he came back and never cared about worldly affairs again.

He also knew that other small war countries had people who could complete the task and would no longer need him.

The King of Qin wanted the Wang family to continue to serve as generals, but Wang Jian was determined not to let his grandson serve as a soldier.

Wang Jian's approach was unnecessary, but if you think about it carefully, this is also the old general's outstanding feature. During the Warring States Period, it was rare to see generals who could have a good end.

People like Bai Qi, Han Xin, and Wei Qing were all extremely brave, but if they were to compare their political acumen with Wang Jian, there was obviously still a big gap.

Bai Qi was given the death penalty, Li Mu was killed by King Zhao, Han Xin was beheaded by Empress Lu, and even Wei Qing was frustrated in his later years.

This also shows that Wang Jian wrote his life perfectly. He was like a tiger when leading his troops in battle.

However, when facing Ying Zheng, he was like a cat, extremely good at disguising himself, making the suspicious Ying Zheng believe that he had no ambitions.

Especially in the history of the Warring States Period, Wang Jian's military strength is unquestionable, but his various performances in his political career are also worthy of study.

The former determines the size of his achievements, while the latter determines how long he can live. His peaceful and comfortable old age is in sharp contrast to that of Bai Qi.

Wang Jian's grandson Wang Li did not listen to his grandfather's advice and chose a military career. The gap between those who rose to power through ability and those who rose to power through family influence became apparent.

Later, when Xiang Yu entered the Pass, it was Wang Li who fought against him outside the Pass, and Wang Li also ended up being killed by Xiang Yu. (End of this chapter)