Chu Campaign

Lore & Background

Chu originated as a Zhou polity under Viscount Xiong Yi, eventually expanding from Danyang to Ying. For over four centuries, the state bore the clan name Xiong and the surname Mi. By the late Warring States period, Chu had become vast, covering present-day Hubei and Hunan, yet its government was plagued by corruption and inefficiency. The army, though large, suffered from low quality and a lack of resources to maintain positions for long. Sinologist Yuri Pines noted that Chu developed cultural assertiveness rather than being a mere 'barbarian entity.' Despite earlier successes under King Zhuang and the reforms of Wu Qi in 389 BC—which lowered official salaries and enacted new building codes—the state struggled against Qin's Legalist reforms.

In Their Own Story

In 224 BC, King Ying Zheng sought to invade Chu. General Li Xin argued that fewer than 200,000 men would suffice, while the veteran Wang Jian insisted on a force of at least 600,000. Ignoring Wang's counsel, Ying Zheng dispatched Li Xin and Meng Wu with the smaller army. The Chu general Xiang Yan secretly tracked them for three days and nights before launching a surprise offensive that destroyed Li Xin's forces. Recognizing his error, Ying Zheng personally apologized to Wang Jian, granting him command of the 600,000-strong army. Wang Jian moved slowly, fortifying his positions and refusing battle until Chu attacked. When Chu forces finally engaged, they were crushed. Following this victory, Qin pushed forward, and by 223 BC, the state was completely annexed, ending a history that began with King Wu in the early 8th century BC.

Reader's Guide

To understand the fall of Chu, one must trace its decline from the Battle of Boju in 506 BC, where it lost its capital to Wu. Although it recovered and annexed Chen in 479 BC and Cai in 447 BC, internal decay set in by the late 5th century BC. The turning point came with Qin's conquest of Shu in 316 BC under Sima Cuo's advice that 'conquering Shu is conquering Chu.' In 278 BC, General Bai Qi captured Ying, forcing the court to move east to Shouchun in 241 BC. The final blow arrived in 225 BC when only Qin, Chu, Yan, and Qi remained. Despite Chu's size and resources, its corrupt administration failed against Qin's disciplined might. The conflict ended not with a treaty but with total annexation in 223 BC during the Qin's wars of unification.

Did You Know?

• The ruling house of Chu bore the ancestral surname Mi (羋).
• General Xiang Yan defeated Li Xin by secretly following his army for three days and nights before launching a surprise attack.
• Wang Jian insisted on leading an invasion force of at least 600,000 men, whereas Li Xin believed fewer than 200,000 were sufficient.