In the Warring States period, what mistakes did Zhao Kuo, commander-in-chief of the Zhao army, make in the magnificent, bloody and turning Changping war, and what responsibility should Zhao Kuo take for the poor 400000 wronged souls?
At the beginning of the Changping war, Zhao Jun made a strategic mistake, which was caused by general Lianpo, one of the so-called four famous generals. In the Warring States period, limited by Zhao's strategic and geographical environment, Zhao Jun was good at field operations or offensive operations, and the worst was defensive operations. The most powerful force of the Zhao army is the battlefield assault force, such as archers, light infantry, cavalry and so on. That's why the Zhao army made many miraculous achievements in the war against Huns and Hu people.
What is Qin best at? Infantry and defense. Although the state of Qin has geographical advantages, how many times have the six Oriental countries invaded the territory of Qin in the past few hundred years? This fully illustrates the problem. It can be said that Zhao Jun made the biggest strategic mistake at the very beginning. Especially in the middle and later period of the confrontation, after Qin army gradually found a way to deal with Zhao cavalry, that is, step by step, with the tactics of trench and crossbow blockade, it can be said that Zhao army has completely lost the only advantage in the battlefield.
At the beginning of the Changping war, due to the disadvantage of several battles, Zhao's commander-in-chief Lianpo took the initiative to stick to it in order to fight against the Qin army, which made the Qin army retreat. However, no one expected that the Qin army was "a bastard with a steely heart". In a thousand or fourteen months, the nature of the Changping war changed fundamentally, that is, from a sudden battle decisive battle to a conscious strategic decision by both sides War of strategic attrition and war of strategic attrition. I don't know what the commander-in-chief of the state of Zhao thought at that time. At least we can say that Zhao Jun made a second unforgivable mistake.
Even amateur strategists know that the war potential of the state of Zhao at that time was far lower than that of the state of Qin, and it had already lost half of the battle from a sudden battle to a strategic decisive battle, but the political cluster of the state of Zhao did not fully realize this. In other words, Zhao should take the initiative to seek peace, in order to keep Zhao's most precious material resources, human resources and elite troops, is the best policy. Unfortunately, no one thought of this and was ready to avoid the collapse of Zhao's elite troops. This is the third strategic mistake made by the state of Zhao. It is certain that the state of Zhao has lost.
Due to the large-scale consumption and confrontation of materials and troops, the mind of Zhao's political cluster is very fragile. Originally, it was a good move to replace the demoralized Lianpo with Zhao Kuo who was good at attacking. Unfortunately, the best time has passed. The confrontation between the two sides has been completely formed. There is no doubt that Zhao will lose. It just depends on how much and how much he loses. In addition, when the new Commander takes office, it will take another two to three months to form combat effectiveness. On the one hand, Zhao's national strength is basically exhausted, and on the other hand, Qin's army is not a fool. How can Zhao's army have such an opportunity. At this time, the fourth strategic mistake was made, and the time was ripe for the destruction of the Zhao army. So it's not because Zhao Kuo, the commander-in-chief of the Zhao army, is talking on paper, but because the Changping war itself is a lost war. However, after taking office, Zhao Kuo made an unforgivable mistake, which can also be said to be an admirable mistake, that is, to "die for the country and resist death". Although he made a mistake, he is still a perfect hero compared with a group of shameless villains in history. Even his opponent, the "king of killers", has great admiration for him. Perhaps it was Zhao Kuo's desperate counterattack that caused unprecedented casualties to the Qin army. After Zhao's surrender, the Qin army used the brutal mass slaughter to vent their anger. As for how much damage Zhao army caused to Qin army at that time, we do not know, because Qin people did not dare to recall and record. However, it is certain that the Changping war is not only the eternal pain in the hearts of the Zhao people, but also the eternal pain in the hearts of the Qin people. After the Changping war, the Qin state was beaten by the other five countries several times, and even attacked into the Lantian area in the suburb of Xianyang. It took more than 20 years to recover.
What is the concept of more than 20 years? The emergence of a generation or a whole generation, that is to say, in the battle of Changping, when all the elite troops of Zhao state were destroyed, the main military strength of Qin state was almost consumed.
According to the comparison of economic power between the two countries, Qin was rich in Hanzhong and occupied the land of abundance (thanks to Li Bing), while Zhao was mainly located in the Taihang Mountains and the alluvial plain of the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The territory was much smaller than that of Qin state, and the hostility with Xiongnu in the north also seriously consumed the actual forces and resources of Zhao state. Further analysis shows that Zhao Kuo really understands the military strength and actual combat capability of the state of Zhao. Unfortunately, he was born at a wrong time. He did not make a correct judgment when necessary. The subsequent attack was really motivated by young people. This shows that he is not honest and steady. However, this does not necessarily mean that he knows more about the reality of Zhao's troops and the way he is good at fighting than Lianpo. It only means that Lianpo made a mistake in using his troops. Zhao Kuo just took the place of Lianpo to taste the tragic defeat. Otherwise, Lianpo must be the one who died in this battle. Zhao Kuo will never be known in history. This is the choice of history.
