This child has been very interested in military since he was a child. When other people's children are immersed in games like "King pesticide", he is desperately learning the art of war and reciting military knowledge. When he talks about the art of war, no one is an opponent. Even his father, who is experienced in all kinds of wars, is willing to bow down.
As the saying goes, theory is the foundation of practice, just as the foundation is the foundation of a high-rise building. With a solid foundation, you can build as high a building as you want. It's a pity that although the child had a solid foundation, he made a mistake in actual operation, and his house collapsed before it was built. In the battle of Changping, the decisive battle between Qin and Zhao, he changed the old general Lian Po's "passive defense" to active attack, and was surrounded by the Qin army and lost miserably. Only 400000 people were "killed in the pit", resulting in a devastating blow to Zhao The collapse greatly enhanced the national strength of Qin State and "fulfilled" its ambition of unifying the world.
As a result, people gave him the nickname of "soldier on paper". This outstanding military theorist has been ridiculed for more than 2000 years and will continue to be ridiculed.
In fact, Zhao Kuo's talent is not so unbearable as people think. The first battle of Changping was actually a tough battle with less fighting and more fighting. When the number of troops was 150000 less than the other side, he dared to lead the army to attack on his own initiative, which showed that he had the courage to surpass ordinary people, not to mention his achievements in severely attacking the Qin army.
According to the fact that the Qin army easily surrounded the Zhao army, the number of troops dispatched by the state of Qin was far more than 600000, because the common practice of fighting in the cold weapon era was "ten encirclement and five attacks". According to this common practice, the number of troops dispatched by the state of Qin was at least twice that of the Zhao army. Some scholars estimated that it should be more than one million, otherwise it would be impossible to encircle the 450000 Zhao regiments "Zizhitongjian: the battle of Changping" records that the state of Qin rushed all the men over 15 years old to the front line: "the king of Qin heard that Zhao's esophagus was absolutely perfect, and he was able to develop people in Hanoi. He had been in Changping for more than 15 years..."
Even so, the Qin army suffered a great loss and was badly hit by the Zhao army.
What is the record of this "heavy damage to the Qin army"? The records in historical records are as follows: after the war of Changping, "more than half of the Qin soldiers died, and the country was empty.".
Moreover, this achievement was achieved under the condition that "Zhao's soldiers were not allowed to eat for 46 days".
According to historical data, assuming that the figures of 450000 troops sent by Zhao state and 600000 troops sent by Qin state are true, then according to the 400000 captured by Zhao state, more than half of the Qin Army (let's say 300000) was destroyed, resulting in its "internal air", and Zhao army only paid 50000 people!
If Zhao Kuo is a mediocre, is there any mediocre in the world whose battle loss is so low?
However, Zhao Kuo was defeated in the end. Chinese people have always been used to judging heroes by their success or failure. In such a context, no matter how smooth and heroic Zhao Kuo's road was, as long as he didn't take the last step well and fell down, then in people's eyes, he was a doll who couldn't walk, and everything before him was zero!
If we want to "investigate" Zhao Kuo's responsibility, then his biggest responsibility lies in "being too anxious". In the early stage of the campaign, the Veteran General Lianpo had been "not fighting against the wall". Although he successfully resisted the army of the Qin state, he had "no achievements" in the eyes of the king of Zhao. What the king of Zhao needed was victory. Although the king of Zhao withdrew Lianpo and replaced Zhao Kuo as a general, it seemed that he was caught in the "Anti Japanese strategy" of the state of Qin. In fact, there was also this factor in it. Zhao Kuo could not not understand the thought of the king of Zhao After he replaced Lianpo, he knew what would happen if he continued to use Lianpo's tactics.
He must come up with a result as soon as possible in order to give an account to the king of Zhao.
It is his only choice to adopt a tactic quite different from that of honest and clean, and this tactic is to change "passive defense" into active attack.
This is the so-called "knowing that there is a tiger in the mountain, preferring to the tiger's mountain", and making every effort to gamble. If you win, you will be the hero of fighting the tiger. If you lose, you will be the tiger's meal.
Unfortunately, he lost the bet.
He really lacked actual combat experience, so this was the first and last battle in which he independently commanded hundreds of thousands of troops.
If history is not so merciless and gives him more opportunities to exercise, he will eventually become a more terrible God of war than Baiqi.
Even if Zhao Guozhen is a mediocre person who can only talk on paper, the first person responsible for the failure of the Changping war is not him, but the king of Zhao.
This is because when the king of Zhao intended to replace Lianpo with Zhao Kuo, Zhao Kuo's mother wrote to the king of Zhao in person, saying, please take back your life and don't use my son. King Zhao asked why. Zhao Kuo's mother's reason was that after her son became a general, no one in the officers dared to look up at him and loved money. Whenever the king had a reward, he would take it home and collect it. When he saw cheap and potential value-added farmhouses, he would buy them, which was not like his father at all.
But the king of Zhao told her not to talk. He had decided. Zhao's mother said that in this case, if the boy is incompetent in the future, don't blame us, King Zhao. King Zhao agreed. After Zhao Kuo's failure, he didn't embarrass the Zhao family.
Some people say that he knows his son better than his mother, which seems to be all right. However, Zhao's mother decided that her son would not lead the army to fight just because the officers did not dare to see him and his love for money after her son became a general. Is this too far fetched? There are many people in the world who love money and have talent, but the officers did not dare to see him, is it not because of his strict demands on them?
From this point of view, Zhao's mother does not know her son very well, because the "battle of maiqiu" which happened in 280 BC was won by Zhao Kuo's stratagem. Otherwise, Zhao she, her husband, who was the chief general, might be ruined in that battle.
In 280 BC (the 19th year of King Zhao Huiwen), after Yue Yi broke the Qi Dynasty, King Zhao Huiwen ordered Zhao she to be a general to attack maiqiu (now the northwest of Shanghe in Shandong Province), and only gave him one month.
Although maiqiu became a lonely city, Zhao army failed to win many previous attacks for several years, because the city had sufficient food and grass, and there were Mohist disciples who were good at guarding the city.
Zhao she's way is to attack by force, but Zhao Kuo, her son, opposes it. Previous attacks have failed to work many times. Why do you still like this? Why don't you have something new?
According to Zhao Kuo's analysis, although there is still food in the city, it is estimated that it will be almost finished. Why don't you think of other ways? Zhao she said that it's too late. A month will soon pass. If you delay, you'll be punished.
Zhao she didn't listen to her son and ordered to attack the city. It didn't work, but also lost many soldiers in vain.
Zhao she not only didn't adopt a more flexible method, but also had nothing to do with the captured prisoners, because he learned about the situation in the city from the prisoners, and the prisoners just didn't tell him. Zhao Kuo was not in a hurry. He entertained the prisoners with good food every day. He treated them more politely than his own. He knew that their families had cut off cooking and gave them food to take back quietly.
Some of the captives were finally moved and told Zhao Kuo that although there was still a little food in the city, it was all under the control of the army, and the people had no food for a long time. Human flesh was their "food". Zhao Kuo then asked the prisoner, "how long do you think the Qi army can keep it?" the prisoner replied that it would be only a few months at most.
Only then did Zhao she listen to her son's advice, stop attacking the city and release all the prisoners.
People's hearts are full of flesh. When the prisoners were given preferential treatment, they would say that the Zhao army was good to everyone. In their mouth, the Zhao army was a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. Not only did they not treat them as enemies, but they respected them very much. They also gave them enough food and food so that their families could have something to eat.
After listening to this, many people began to waver in their position: why don't we join the Zhao army?
The most terrible thing in the world is that people are still there, but their hearts are gone. The general of Qi army understood this, so they quickly locked up the prisoners who created chaos. Who knows, in this way, the complaints of the soldiers and the people are even greater.
According to his son Zhao Kuo's "instructions", Zhao she still stood still and asked her subordinates to throw grain into the city with a riprap machine, which he did every day.
But the Qi army sent people to send the grain back: what do you mean? Do you want to engage in united front? No way, we don't eat this. If you want to fight, don't throw any more grain. Please!
Zhao she didn't listen and continued to throw food. Qi's army couldn't hold its breath any longer. In desperation, he sent a representative to fight: let's fix a decisive day!
At this moment, Zhao she doesn't know what medicine her son sells in his gourd, but he does what his son says. He tells him not to meet the representatives sent by Qi Jun, so he won't meet them. Qi Jun's representatives are so angry.
A few days later, things really developed according to Zhao Kuo's idea. The people in the city killed the general of Qi army guarding the city and opened the door to surrender.
When King Zhao Huiwen was very curious that Zhao she could complete the task within the specified time, and the casualties were small, Zhao she could not help but be proud of her son and said to him: it's all the boy's idea. Lao Zhao, I'm just an executor.
Needless to say, King Zhao Huiwen greatly praised Zhao Kuo, and both father and son were highly rewarded.
Perhaps it was Zhao Kuo's performance in the "battle of maiqiu" that left a deep impression on the later King of Zhao, and made him take the heavy responsibility despite his mother's opposition.
Unfortunately, history doesn't give him a chance.
Perhaps it is more appropriate for Zhao Kuo to be a staff officer. Once he is allowed to take charge of his own affairs, it may be another style of painting.
But then again, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, so there is a saying that "you will be outside and your life will not be accepted". But in the battle of Changping, Zhao Kuo obviously means to please the king of Zhao. From this point of view, he is not a good general and deserves the blame.
