Zhao Kuo obviously has no experience, why does King Zhao still trust him so much?

Talking about war on paper has always been an idiom used by later generations to ridicule Zhao Kuo, but behind it was the tragic ending of the Zhao State's hundreds of thousands of troops being annihilated, and after the Zhao State passed After the Battle of Changping, there was basically no hope of turning around. Although Qin still had no way to swallow Zhao at once, it was basically just a matter of time. As for Zhao Kuo, it can be said that he bore all the responsibility for this fiasco. People in later generations laughed at him for being a man who could only fight on paper. On the real battlefield, he became a man who could do nothing. . But we can think about it again. Although Zhao Kuo has no experience in fighting, King Zhao always has experience in selecting troops and generals, right? Why did he agree to let Zhao Kuo replace Lian Po? Is it just because of the rumors spread by Qin? King Zhao just handed over hundreds of thousands of troops to Zhao Kuo because of this? Is he also a fool?

1. Introduction to Zhao Kuo

Zhao Kuo (?-260 BC), The surname Ying is Zhao and the given name is Kuo. A native of Zhao during the Warring States Period, he was the son of Zhao She, the famous general of Zhao, Ma Fujun. Zhao Kuo was familiar with military literature, but lacked battlefield experience and did not know how to be flexible. In the Battle of Changping in the seventh year of King Zhao Xiaocheng (260 BC), King Zhao Xiaocheng was eager to win. Zhao Kuo replaced the veteran Lian Po with Qin's counterintuitive plan. Zhao Kuo reversed Lian Po's strategy and switched from defense to offense. He took the initiative to attack the Qin army across the board in Changping (now northwest of Gaoping, Shanxi). Qin general Bai Qi divided his troops into two groups: one way, he feigned defeat to attract the Zhao army to the Qin army's fortress; the other way, he cut off the Zhao army's retreat and implemented a counter-siege, cutting off the Zhao army's food route and trapping it in Changping. In the end, the Zhao army was deprived of food for forty-six days and broke out in four directions five times without success. Zhao Kuo personally led the warriors to break through and killed the enemy heroically. He was shot to death by the Qin army. Hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers surrendered and were later killed by the Qin army. Trap and kill.

In the seventh year of King Zhao Xiaocheng (260 BC), the Qin army and the Zhao army faced off in Changping. At that time, Zhao Kuo's father Zhao She had passed away, and Zhao Xiangru was also seriously ill. King Zhao Xiaocheng Lian Po was sent to lead troops to attack the Qin army. The Qin army defeated the Zhao army several times, but the Zhao army held on to the camp and did not go out to fight. The Qin army repeatedly challenged Lian Po, but Lian Po ignored it. King Zhao Xiaocheng was eager to win and believed the rumors spread by spies of the Qin army. A Qin spy said: "The most taboo and fearful thing of the Qin army is that Zhao Kuo, the son of Ma Fujun Zhao She, becomes the general of the Zhao army." King Zhao Xiaocheng therefore made Zhao Kuo the general to replace Lian Po. Lin Xiangru said: "The king appoints Zhao Kuo based on false reputation, which is like gluing the tuning posts to death before playing the harp. Zhao Kuo can only read the military books left by his father and does not know how to be flexible." King Xiaocheng refused to listen and ordered Zhao Kuo to be the general.

Zhao Kuo has been learning the art of war since he was a child, discussing war and strategy, and thought that no one in the world could compare with him. Once, he talked with his father Zhao She about how to set up battle formations. Zhao She couldn't trouble him, but he didn't think he knew the art of war because of this. Zhao Kuo's mother asked about the reason. Zhao She said: "War is a major matter that affects the life and death of soldiers, but Kuo'er made it so easy. In the future, Zhao will not use Kuo'er as a general. If he is really used, he will be used." He must have been the one responsible for Zhao Kuo's disastrous defeat." When the army led by Zhao Kuo was about to set off, his mother wrote to King Zhao Xiaocheng, saying, "Zhao Kuo cannot be made a general." King Zhao Xiaocheng asked, "Why?" He replied: "When I served his father, he was a general at that time. He personally served tens of people with meals and drinks, and hundreds of people he recognized as friends. All the gifts and gifts from the king and the royal family were given to him." From the day he received the military order, Zhao Kuo no longer interfered with family affairs. Now Zhao Kuo suddenly became a general and faced the east to accept the audience. No military officer dared to look up at him. The king rewarded him with gold and silk. , took them home and kept them, and searched for cheap and suitable land and properties every day, and bought the ones that were available. Your Majesty, do you think he is like his father? The father and son have different hearts, and I hope the King will not send him to lead the army. " King Zhao Xiaocheng replied: "You can put this matter aside, I have already decided." Zhao Kuo's mother continued: "You must send him to lead the army. If he is incompetent in the future, will I be immune to the consequences?" King Xiaocheng agreed to her request.

As soon as Zhao Kuo obtained Lian Po's authority, he immediately changed all laws and mobilized officials. Bai Qi, the general of the Qin State, obtained the intelligence and used a cunning strategy to pretend to be defeated and retreat. However, he attacked the Zhao army's baggage and supply routes from behind, cutting the Zhao army into two parts, and the morale of the Zhao army was unstable. After more than forty days, the Zhao army was unbearably hungry, so Zhao Kuo sent out elite soldiers to break out of the encirclement in person. Four attempts to break out of the encirclement failed, and Zhao Kuo was shot to death during the breakout. The general was killed, and hundreds of thousands of troops surrendered to the Qin army. The Qin army killed them all. Zhao Guo lost 450,000 people. The next year, the Qin army surrounded Handan, which lasted for a year. Zhao was almost destroyed. It was only with the help of the Chu and Wei armies that the siege of Handan was lifted. King Zhao Xiaocheng also did not punish Zhao Kuo's mother because of her words.

2. Why did King Zhao trust Zhao Kuo

1: Anxiety on the front line

At the beginning of the Changping War, due to several unfavorable battles, Zhao Jun commander Lian Po He took the initiative to hold on, in an attempt to compete with the Qin army and make the Qin army retreat in the face of difficulties. Despite repeated challenges from the Qin army, the Zhao soldiers could not go out to fight. Therefore, King Zhao Xiaocheng was quite dissatisfied with Lian Po's inability to come out and sent people to blame Lian Po several times.

Lian Po was prepared to first defeat the Qin army's momentum by waiting for work, and then wait for a favorable opportunity before attacking. The expeditionary army will never be able to defeat the defensive army that is waiting for work. Moreover, Zhao's elite soldiers were also feared by the Qin people.

But there was no war, no defeat, no victory. King Zhao was worried. You, Lian Po, were on the front line, but you looked for opportunities to fight, and you won for me!

As a result, King Zhao Xiaocheng began to distrust Lian Po.

2: The problem of food and grass

Since ancient times, war and food and grass have been inseparable. There is a saying that "when soldiers and horses do not move, food and grass go first."

Qin State summoned millions of young people to clear the channels so that Qin State could transport grain directly by water. Its grain transportation was even faster and smoother than that of Zhao State. Zhao State, on the other hand, did not expect that it would turn into a protracted war at the beginning. Shortly after the war started, there was a shortage of food and grass. Lian Po delayed the war for two years, causing Zhao State to fall into a situation where there was no food to eat. At the same time, the Zhao army, which was good at field warfare, was used in defensive warfare, allowing the Qin army to successfully outflank Zhao's rear and constantly harass Zhao's grain roads. Zhao made matters worse and completely lost the initiative. At the same time, due to Zhao's diplomatic failure, The State of Zhao was trapped in a desperate situation with no reinforcements from outside and no food and grass inside.

Three: Zhao Kuo’s theoretical level is high

Zhao Kuo is the son of Zhao She, a famous general of Zhao State. Zhao Kuo has learned the art of war since he was a child, and has discussed war strategies. He thinks that no one in the world has the ability to do so. Comparable to his. Zhao She once won a battle with Lian Po, who was not sure about Lian Po and Le Cheng. At least in the eyes of King Zhao, Zhao She's ability was superior to Lian Po's. And Zhao Kuo has Zhao She's family heritage, so at least he shouldn't be worse than Lian Po. Zhao Kuo's pursuit of "winning in danger" coincides with King Zhao's tendency to take the initiative.

Four: Qin’s counter-intentional plan

Fan Ju, the prime minister of Qin, sent people with thousands of gold coins to Zhao to implement counter-intentional plans, and spread rumors: "Lian Po is easy to deal with, Qin What the country fears most is Zhao Kuo, the son of Ma Fujun Zhao She."

King Zhao Xiaocheng was already angry that Lian Po's army had been defeated several times, and he was disgusted with Lian Po's strong walls and did not dare to fight, so he believed Qin's counterinsurgency plot. , despite the dissuasion of Lin Xiangru and Zhao Kuo's mother, Zhao Kuo was sent to replace Lian Po as the general.

Then in the Battle of Changping, the Qin army achieved a great victory, greatly weakening the State of Zhao and creating favorable conditions for Qin to complete its unification. Zhao Guo also lost the capital to compete in the world.

3. Is Zhao Kuo really incompetent?

First of all, Zhao Kuo did not take the initiative to ask for help, but was ordered to succeed Lian Po because he was ordered by King Zhao. At that time, the situation left by Lian Po to Zhao Kuo was not optimistic. The two sides had been in a stalemate for a long time, and Zhao Kuo's national power could no longer support it. Of course, Qin was not happy either. After Zhao Kuo took office, the war between the two sides had entered a fierce stage, so there was no time for Zhao Kuo to make large-scale adjustments and deployments.

Let’s look at Zhao Kuo’s ability. When Zhao Kuo first took command, he led an army of 400,000 to fight Wu’an Jun Bai Qi. Moreover, Zhao’s army was surrounded and deprived of food for 46 days. The morale of the army was not in chaos, and he finally led his army to break out of the encirclement. Judging from his commanding ability alone, it is not something that ordinary people can possess.

Someone asked why Zhao Kuo didn’t use Lian Po’s persistence tactics? This is a joke. If he had insisted, why would he use Zhao Kuo instead? Wouldn’t Lian Po’s defense be better? The most important thing is Zhao Guo was unable to continue the stalemate. Most of the people at that time were soldiers just to make a living. If the food was gone, who would work for you? Is it based on ideals? Many people thought that Zhao Kuo was incompetent, but Think about it, Zhao Kuo was able to fight Bai Qi for the first time in command. Doesn’t that explain his ability? Moreover, Zhao Kuo still used a plan specifically targeted at Wang Lu to target Bai Qi. If he lost, he would have lost because Qin changed his generals. This move is really a tragedy. If Zhao Kuo is really a good-for-nothing nerd, then the State of Qin spent a lot of money to secretly transfer Bai Qi. Is it because the King of Qin was full? Let’s look at Lian Po’s decades of fighting under Wang Lu. Defeat after defeat, and Zhao Kuo defeated Wang Lu from the beginning, doesn’t that mean anything?

Let’s look at the battle loss ratio again. Bai Qi once said: “Although Qin defeated the Changping Army, Qin soldiers suffered more than half casualties." Having said all this, do you still think that Zhao Kuo is incompetent? Zhao Kuo could still be recruited by Qin as long as he surrendered after the defeat, but at the last moment of his life, he chose to lead the way and died on the battlefield. To be fair, that's all Just a little bit deserves people's respect. Therefore, in my opinion, although Zhao Guo should bear the main responsibility for the defeat, his strategic issues in the battle were not at fault, and his ability was not as bad as we thought. Therefore, Zhao Kuo is still despised today. It's really unfair to make people laugh.