The Warring States were an era of great power, when talented people emerged all over the country. And each country is also striving to become the final winner before the end of the Warring States division.
According to historical records, the scale of wars in the Warring States period was very large, and hundreds of thousands of people fought at every turn. So is that really the case? What was the scale of the actual war during the Warring States period?
Could it be that the God Killer Baiqi really killed 400,000 Zhao troops? Did the Qin Kingdom really kill 1.5 million people?
Today, I will take you to reveal the real Warring States, and listen to me for specific reasons.
01
The war is big, but not as big as you think
In the eyes of everyone, is the war of the Warring States period a war of hundreds of thousands and millions at every turn? Is it a battlefield meat grinder-like existence at every turn, and flesh and blood are flying everywhere? But in fact, it may not be so exaggerated.
There is a view that during the Warring States period, all the princely states practiced a conscription system in which the whole people were soldiers, and every battle was a general mobilization of the whole people, and the scale of the war was naturally very large. At first glance, this statement sounds reasonable, but there is something wrong with careful analysis.
The prerequisite for large-scale war is the existence of a sufficient number of adult men in the country. According to the inaccurate figures provided in some historical sources, the population of the Qi State in the middle of the Warring States period was about 5 million, the population of the Qin State was about 6 million to 7 million, and the population of the Zhao State was nearly 3 million...
The combined population of all the princely states is about 25 million to 30 million. Based on these figures, combined with the universal conscription system, it does not seem impossible for countries to have hundreds of thousands of troops.
But the question is, were there so many people in these princely states at that time?
02
During the Warring States period, the population was small, so the number of combatants was limited
Taking the State of Qi as an example, the "Warring States Policy" mentions that there are 70,000 households in Linzi, the capital of the State of Qi, so that the people of Linzi "rub shoulders one after another" and "sweat like rain".
According to the algorithm of five people per household, the total population of Linzi is about 350,000. This number is inconspicuous for modern cities, but it is an unimaginable number during the Warring States period.
Given the productivity and transportation conditions at the time, it was very difficult to support a city with a population of 350,000 for a long time.
Linzi in the Warring States period was only the capital of the princely states, and the population size of Linzi, which was constantly facing the pressure of war, could reach one-third of the city of Tang Chang'an in its heyday? This is obviously impossible.
It can be seen that there is a lot of moisture in the population data of the Warring States period, and the actual population may be much lower than the figure of 25 million to 30 million.
Moreover, even if the population during the Warring States period was really so large, could countries send such a large army? The answer is also unrealistic.
Take the State of Qin as an example. Assuming that the total population of the Qin State is 6.5 million, the ratio of men to women is 1:1, and the number of men is 3.25 million. If men between the ages of fifteen and sixty accounted for 75 per cent of the total number of men at that time, there were still 2.275 million men of military age.
Groups such as clan offices, officials, lizheng, Wu Lao, special jobs, and the disabled (there were many disabled people in wartime) are not required to perform military service, and after deducting these people, there is a maximum of 1.8 million who meet the standard.
In general, only one adult male per household is needed to serve, and the rest is engaged in production in their hometowns. Thus, up to one-third of these 1.8 million people will have to serve, or 600,000.
If the standing army of the State of Qin is 600,000, is it possible for the State of Qin to dispatch 600,000 people in the "Battle of Changping"? All soldiers are sent to the front, is there no need for troops to guard the locality?
What's more, the consumption of food and materials by 600,000 troops on the front line is simply not something that millions of people can support. So even a rough calculation can lead to the conclusion that the scale of the war in the Warring States period was seriously exaggerated.
03
'Exaggeration' is perhaps a common historical phenomenon
In fact, exaggerated numbers can be seen everywhere in historical sources of the time.
For example, according to the data in the "Records of History", from 364 BC to 234 BC, the Qin State participated in a total of 15 large-scale battles, of which 14 killed more than 20,000 enemies, 4 times exceeded 100,000, and the most was the "Battle of Changping" to kill 400,000 Zhao troops.
According to these statistics, the Qin state killed and wounded nearly 1.5 million enemies in a period of 130 years. So how many people should Qin State lose in these 130 years?
There is a good saying, "kill a thousand enemies, self-damage eight hundred", even if the Qin army is particularly capable of fighting, how can it be worth 1 million casualties. However, the later it goes, the more troops the Qin State dispatches, which is obviously not in line with common sense.
Similarly, there was the "Siege of Baiden" in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty. According to the " Records of History " , " 400,000 soldiers rode to besiege Emperor Gao at Baiden , and on seven days , the Han soldiers were not allowed to save each other. " ”
It roughly means that the Xiongnu Munton Shan Yu led 400,000 elite troops to besiege the Han emperor Liu Bang at Baideng Mountain. But the question is, with the productivity and living environment of the northern region at that time, could the Xiongnu put together an army of 400,000?
Since we can't witness it with our own eyes, and the historical records are a bit shocking, it's hard to be convincing.
04
summary
Although the Warring States were a big era of great power, war was inevitable. There is a good saying that a hero will die of a thousand bones, but it does not mean that the number of war soldiers will be exaggerated to the point of being irreproducible as we think.
In fact, it may be that the elite troops collide to determine the victory.
And destruction is easy to build, if so many people die, who will rely on the strength and construction of the Qin Dynasty later?
How many people did the Qin State kill during the Warring States period?