Why do we say "the four famous generals of the Warring States Period"?

Nowadays, the term "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period" is quite common on the Internet. These four people are: Bai Qi and Wang Jian of Qin State, and Li Mu and Lian Po of Zhao State.

In fact, the so-called "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period" is not a final conclusion of academic authority, but a copycat move by amateurs. The strange thing is that the debates on the Internet about "Top Ten Famous Generals of the Three Kingdoms" and "Top Ten Famous Generals in History" have become heated, and these "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period" have become the standard among the people. Why? Speaking of this, there are actually two questions. First, what are the characteristics of the Warring States Period compared to other eras; second, what are the differences between the four of them, Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Li Mu and Lianpo. 1. During the Warring States Period, wars turned from gentlemen's games to bloody killings. The so-called "Warring States Period" in our history lasted for two hundred years. The seven heroes of Qin, Chu, Qi, Zhao, Yan, Wei and Han fought endlessly. In Chinese history, it was a very rare period of long-term war. The protracted war has brought huge harm to the people, and has also become a rare stage for military strategists. Generations of generals, standing on the corpses of thousands of soldiers, went to win the laurel crown that will be remembered in history. The Warring States Period was also a bloody era when China's wars entered a period of all-out massacres. Who said, is there any war that does not involve killing and bloodshed? That's right. War in ancient China once experienced a transformation from barbarism to "civilization". That was during the Spring and Autumn Period. Because the Spring and Autumn Period still belonged to the Zhou Dynasty, and the Zhou Dynasty was the most particular about "etiquette". At that time, all the princes and states in the world did not listen to the emperor Zhou's words and attacked each other. But war in the Spring and Autumn Period was very about "rules." Everyone uses chariots, forms a formation, and lines up to collide with each other. In the end, the side that cannot resist is defeated, and the victor rarely goes on a killing spree.

Tips: War in the Spring and Autumn Period was generally based on "troops". Each chariot had 3 soldiers on it, followed by dozens of infantry. Generally, the scale of war between major powers is about a few hundred military vehicles, which is tens of thousands of troops. Duke Xianggong of the Song Dynasty was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. When he went to war with the Chu State, he insisted on fighting a "gentleman's war". He refused to take advantage of the Chu State to cross the river and make a surprise attack. Instead, he had to wait for the Chu State to set up its formation before fighting openly and decisively. As a result, he was defeated. Although this became a joke, it also reflected a trend at that time.

The scale of the war at that time was small, ranging from tens of thousands to several thousand. A war involving hundreds of thousands was considered a super-large-scale war that shocked the world. Not many people usually die in war. It can really be called a gentleman's game. However, war cannot stop at games after all. Later, a group of military strategists represented by the "Soldier of War" Sun Wu gave a terrifying new interpretation of the concept of war. Those so-called "rules" are gradually being abandoned. So during the Warring States Period, wars between countries began to become frequent and protracted, and the number of troops participating in the war and the number of casualties increased exponentially. In China, which has a total population of only 30 million, there are more than 4 million soldiers killing each other for a long time. In a war, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands were beheaded at every turn.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were only a few battles in which the number of troops participating in the battle reached 100,000. During the Warring States Period, almost all recorded battles involved more than 100,000 troops on each side.

It is this massive amount of blood and corpses that makes the entire Chinese nation burst with blood. For today's well-fed historical war enthusiasts, it is natural to look through the pile of old papers from that era. At the same time, the Warring States Period was also an era of individuality. At that time, it was in the transitional stage from the old aristocratic enfeoffment system to the new centralized politics. Both aristocrats and civilian thinkers were given a stage to express their views, and the morality and character of the Chinese people were also able to fly freely in this troubled times. Therefore, the generals during the Warring States Period, their emotions, anger, sorrows, and joys were all dyed with a strong humanistic color.

A hundred schools of thought contend: During the Warring States Period, the original old ideological system of the Zhou Dynasty gradually collapsed, and the restriction of thought by the centralized system had not yet been formed, so many schools of thought emerged, arguing with each other, forming a situation of a hundred schools of thought contending. . The personality of the Chinese people has also been greatly expanded during this stage.

In contrast, after the Qin and Han dynasties, centralized empires became the norm, "loyalty to the emperor and service to the country" was regarded as a solid criterion, and the image of generals became much more flat. This may be the second reason why famous generals during the Warring States Period attracted more attention. 2. Why choose the four of them? Many people may have questions about this question. During the two hundred years of the Warring States Period, there were many famous generals with outstanding records. For example, Sun Bin of Qi State, Le Yang of Wei State, Le Yi of Yan State (a descendant of Le Yang, but more famous than his ancestors), Wu Qi of Chu State, etc.

Sun Bin is a descendant of Sun Wu and a famous military strategist. He assisted the State of Qi and competed with Pang Juan of the State of Wei for many years, and finally defeated the State of Wei, allowing the State of Qi to rise to become the most powerful country in the world. Le Yang, a famous general of the Wei State in the early Warring States Period, once led his army to destroy the Zhongshan State. Le Yi served as the general of Yan State and led the five-state coalition of Yan, Qin, Han, Zhao, and Wei to attack Qi State. He captured more than 70 cities in a short period of time and almost destroyed Qiang Qi. Wu Qi, a famous politician and strategist during the Warring States Period, was known as a famous general second only to Sun Wu. He once led the weak Lu army to defeat Qi, and also led the Wei army to defeat Qin, making Wei rise to become the overlord in the early Warring States Period. Among them, only four "junior" generals from Qin and Zhao were selected - Bai Qi, Lian Po, Li Mu and Wang Jian. Their active periods were all in the last seventy or eighty years of the Warring States Period. What is the reason for this? The first possible reason is that the person who originally coined the concept of "Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period" was only familiar with the four generals: Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Lian Po, and Li Mu... Of course, this should be a joke. The second reason is probably to consider the changes of the times. To put it simply, Bai Qi, Li Mu and the others led more troops than their predecessors, and the scale of the war was larger than that of their predecessors. During the two hundred years before and after the Warring States Period, there was a process of wars becoming more and more intense and bloody. In the early stage, Sun Bin and Pang Juan commanded an army of only 50,000 to 100,000 people. Li Mu, Wang Jian, Bai Qi and Lian Po all led armies larger than this in battle. As a famous general, he has led large armies, participated in large-scale wars, done big business with business people, and attended the Spring Festival Gala in the entertainment industry, which is of course an important plus factor.

In addition, the achievements of Bai Qi and the four of them have a greater impact on history. In the early Warring States period, wars were more focused on "fighting for hegemony." Countries fight desperately to gain so-called "hegemony." In the later stages, annexing other countries' territories and expanding one's own territory became important tasks in the war. Qin, in particular, has gradually encroached on its territory through foreign wars and has shifted towards a "unification war". This means that the achievements of famous generals in the early stage can often only lead to the rise and fall of a country; while the results of famous generals in the later stage can affect the fate of the entire world. For example, Bai Qi fought for thirty years and killed one million enemies, which laid an extremely important foundation for the unification of Qin. So from today's point of view, it is naturally easier to remember the events that had a greater impact on history. It is precisely because of this that the four famous generals all came from Qin and Zhao. By the late Warring States Period, Zhao had become the backbone of the resistance against Qin. The victory or defeat of the war between Qin and Zhao basically determined the process of Qin's unification. .

In addition, since he is called a "famous general", his popularity is essential. Each of these four famous generals has unforgettable deeds. Bai Qi is the "God of War" who kills many people, and Wang Jian participated in almost all the battles that Qin conquered Liuhe. With their impressive record, it is not surprising that they surpassed their colleagues Meng Hao, Wang Lu, etc. Although Li Mu and Lian Po also had outstanding military talents - Li Mu defeated the Qin army many times, and Lian Po also defeated the 400,000 Yan army with 80,000 men; but their selection also had more human factors - Li Mu is regrettable because of his tragic death in the end; Lian Po is well-known for his famous idioms such as "bearing a thorn to plead guilty" and "Lian Po is old", as well as his replacement by Zhao Kuo in the Battle of Changping, which led to the disastrous defeat of the entire army. The popular story "The Harmony between Generals and Prime Ministers" made Lian Po, who had the lowest military achievements among the "Four Famous Generals", become the most well-known among the people. These two people feel a little helpless. In fact, Zhao She and Pang Yuan of the same generation may not necessarily be inferior to them in terms of military ability, but they just don't have so many tragedies for future generations to pay tribute to.

The Four Famous Generals of the Warring States Period refer to the four famous generals during the Warring States Period in China. The "Thousand-Character Classic" describes the achievements of these four generals as "The Qianjian is quite animal husbandry, and the military is the best. The desert of Xuanwei is famous for its paintings." These four generals are: Bai Qi of Qin State, Wang Jian of Qin State, Lian Po of Zhao State and Li Mu of Zhao State.

They all started as the lowest-level officers in the army, and through their own efforts, they gradually grew into the most relied-upon generals of Qin and Zhao. It represents the highest level of actual combat during the Warring States Period.

The Thousand-Character Essay is subject to the restriction that words cannot be repeated and rhyme. The four people selected were all famous generals in the late Warring States Period. They all had great military exploits, but they had no military writings.

These are the four famous generals when Qin destroyed the six kingdoms in the late Warring States Period. They lived in an era when Qin was strong and the six kingdoms were weak. The main wars were between Qin and other vassal states. As for Wu Qi, Sun Bin (who could not go to the battlefield due to physical reasons and was not strictly a general, similar to Zhang Liang), Le Yi and others when the seven kingdoms were strong in the early stage, their military ideas, troop commanding abilities, and combat strategies may not necessarily be the same. Worse than the four above. But Wu Qi, Sun Bin, Le Yi and others have never encountered the Qin army after Qin Xiaogong. The Qin army was the strongest at that time.