Qin's wars of unification

Qin's wars of unification
Part of the Warring States period
Date 230–221 BC Location China Result Qin victory; Unification of China under the Qin dynasty
Belligerents
Qin state	Han state Zhao state Dai state Yan state Wei state Chu state Qi state
Commanders and leaders
Ying Zheng Li Xin Meng Wu Meng Tian Wang Ben Wang Jian Huang Ji Lu Buwei	Han An Zhao Qian Zhao Jia Wei Jia Yan Xi Mi Yuan Tian Jian Li Mu Wa Lin

Qin's wars of unification were a series of military campaigns launched in the late 3rd century BC by the Qin state against the other six major states — Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu and Qi — within the territories that formed modern China. By the end of the wars in 221 BC, Qin had unified most of the states and occupied some lands south of the Yangtze River. The territories conquered by Qin served as the foundation of the Qin dynasty.

Over the course of the Warring States period, the Qin state had evolved to become the most powerful of the seven major states in China. In 238 BC, Ying Zheng came to the throne of Qin after eliminating his political rivals Lü Buwei and Lao Ai. With help from Li Si, Wei Liao (尉繚) and others, Ying Zheng formulated a plan for conquering the other six major states and unifying China. The plan, which focuses on annexing each state individually, is based on "allying with distant states and attacking nearby ones", one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Its key steps were: ally with Yan and Qi; hold down Wei and Chu; conquer Han and Zhao.

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