Battle of Julu

Battle of Julu
Part of the Chu-Han Contention
Date 207 BC Location Xingtai, Hebei, China Result Decisive Chu victory
Belligerents
Chu state	Qin dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Xiang Yu Ying Bu Zhongli Mo	Zhang Han  Sima Xin  Dong Yi  Wang Li She Jian Su Jiao †
Strength
50,000–60,000 Chu troops, 80,000+ troops from other insurgent states (Did not participate in the fighting)	200,000 in Wang Li's army, 200,000–300,000 in Zhang Han's army (Did not participate in the fighting)
Casualties and losses
Unknown, but relatively less	200,000 killed in battle. Five months after the battle, another 200,000+ troops from Zhang Han's army surrendered and were buried alive

Battle of Julu
Traditional Chinese	鉅鹿之戰
Simplified Chinese	钜鹿之战or巨鹿之战
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jùlù Zhī Zhàn

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Jùlù Zhī Zhàn

The Battle of Julu was fought in Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei, China) in 207 BC primarily between forces of the Qin dynasty and the insurgent state of Chu. The Qin commander was Zhang Han, while the Chu leader was Xiang Yu. The battle concluded with a decisive victory for the rebels over the larger Qin army. The battle marked the decline of Qin military power as the bulk of Qin's armies were destroyed in this battle.

In the ninth lunar month of 208 BC, at the Battle of Dingtao, the Qin general Zhang Han defeated a force from the insurgent Chu state led by Xiang Liang. Zhang Han then led the Qin army north across the Yellow River to attack another rebel state, Zhao, and defeated the Zhao army. He then ordered his deputies Wang Li (王離) and She Jian (涉間) to besiege Handan (Zhao's capital) while he garrisoned his army at the south to maintain a route for supplying the troops attacking Handan.

Zhao's ruler Zhao Xie (趙歇) sent a messenger to request aid from King Huai II of Chu. King Huai II dispatched two armies: The first, commanded by Song Yi, with Xiang Yu (Xiang Liang's nephew) as his deputy, was to relieve the siege on Handan; the second, led by Liu Bang, would proceed to attack the Qin heartland of Guanzhong. The king promised that he would grant whoever conquered Guanzhong first the title of "King of Guanzhong".

Song Yi's army reached Anyang, some distance away from Julu (in present-day Xingtai, Hebei), where Zhao Xie's forces had retreated to. Song Yi ordered his troops to lay camp there for 46 days. Xiang Yu was eager to engage Zhang Han and avenge his uncle Xiang Liang, so he urged Song Yi to issue an attack order. Song Yi declined Xiang Yu's suggestion and remarked that Xiang was a foolhardy man, and gave instructions that "anyone with barbaric, defiant, fame-seeking behaviour that leads to a violation of orders will be executed".

...
Wikipedia