Maling 342 BC Strategic Context Of the Seven Warring States in China, Wei finds itself particularly vulnerable following its defeat at the Battle of Kuei-ling in 353 BC to Chao and Ch’i. This major defeat, while not crippling, encourages Ch’u and Ch’in to launch border incursions against Wei. King Hui of Wei resolves to concentrate on defeating one enemy at a time, in detail. King Hui first improves relations with Chao and Ch’in as best he can, and then sends an army under P’ang Chuan west to invade Han and occupy its capital, Cheng. Han urgently pleads for help from Ch’i, situated on Wei’s eastern border. After a brief but heated debate, King Wei of Ch’i sends an army under T’ien Ch’i and Sun Pin west to threaten the Wei capital of Ta’liang, forcing Chuan to abandon his assault on Cheng to save his own capital. Chuan’s army unites with additional forces under Prince Shen with the combined army falling under Prince Shen’s command. Stakes + A Ch’i victory would exhaust Wei strength and ensure good diplomatic relations with Han. + A Wei victory would secure its eastern border with Ch’i and allow it to resume its assault against Han. By Jonathan Webb, 2013 ©

 Ch’i  T’ien Ch’i  Well  100,000  Sun Pin  Wei  Prince Shen  P’ang Chuan  Well  100,000 By Jonathan Webb, 2013 © Maling, 342 BC Strength

The two armies encamp northeast of Ta’liang. Sun Pin orders his army to light less and less fires every night to give the illusion of mass desertions in the Ch’i army. After advancing for three days straight against the Ch’i, the ruse further emboldens the Wei commanders. On the fourth night, the Wei commanders resolve to catch the disintegrating Ch’i army on the run. P’ang Chuan charges ahead with the swifter elite troops, 20,000 strong, while Prince Shen advances with the main body, mostly heavy infantry. Sun Pin leaves behind most of the Ch’i artillery in the retreat to bolster the illusion of the Ch’i army’s disorder. In reality, Sun Pin withdraws to a carefully chosen ambush site. The Ch’i commanders place 10,000 crossbowmen along a narrow road littered with caltrops. Chariots are employed as stationary defensive fortifications to establish a blocking position at the end of the road. Ch’i (T’ien Ch’i/Sun Pin) Wei (Prince Shen/P’ang Chuan) Ch’i (T’ien Ch’i/Sun Pin) 100,000 Wei (Prince Shen/P’ang Chuan) 100,000

On the fourth night, the Wei commanders resolve to catch the disintegrating Ch’i army on the run. P’ang Chuan charges ahead with the swifter elite troops, 20,000 strong, while Prince Shen advances with the main body, mostly heavy infantry. Sun Pin leaves behind most of the Ch’i artillery in the retreat to bolster the illusion of the Ch’i army’s disorder. In reality, Sun Pin withdraws to a carefully chosen ambush site. The Ch’i commanders place 10,000 crossbowmen along a narrow road littered with caltrops. Chariots are employed as stationary defensive fortifications to establish a blocking position at the end of the road. At the end of the kill zone, a tree is stripped to reveal white bark and an attached message for P’ang Chuan. Sun Pin orders his crossbowmen to fire as soon as they see a torch in the darkness. Sure enough, P’ang Chuan, at the head of his troops, lights a torch to read the message and is one of the first to die from the deadly volley of bolts. The Wei mounted troops are unable to maneuver off the road due to the caltrops and rout backwards, right into the Wei main body, causing confusion and panic. The Ch’i main body attacks, quickly routing the Wei army. Ch’i (T’ien Ch’i/Sun Pin) Wei (Prince Shen/P’ang Chuan) Ch’i (T’ien Ch’i/Sun Pin) 100,000 Wei (Prince Shen/P’ang Chuan) 100,000

Maling, 342 BC Casualties & Aftermath Ch’i:Wei: ? or ? or ? By Jonathan Webb, 2013 © Wei’s defeat allowed Ch’in and Ch’i’s power to grow substantially with Ch’in seizure of much Wei territory in the immediate aftermath and Ch’i’s lack of threats along its borders. Reflecting the tumultuous interstate relations, in 298 BC, Ch’i gained hegemonic status after defeating Ch’in with the help of Wei and Han. This ended abruptly in 285 BC when Ch’in, Wei, Han and Zhao defeated Ch’i, allowing Ch’in to enjoy hegemonic status. From BC, Ch’in conquered each of the other six warring states, unifying China for the first time. Another period of warring states occurred when the Ch’in empire collapsed in 206 BC; in this renewed struggle, Han reigned supreme, unifying China until 220 AD.

The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps By Jonathan Webb, 2013 ©