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Qin's wars of unification

Qin's wars of unification
Part of the Warring States period
Hou Xuanxuan The situation map of Qin's war.gif
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 statesHan, 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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Wikipedia

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