Lian Po

Lian Po was a Zhao general during China’s Warring States period. He defended Zhao against Qin and later reconciled with the statesman Lin Xiangru.

Battle of Changping: A major Warring States battle in which Qin defeated Zhao after a prolonged confrontation. Lian Po initially defended Zhao by avoiding a decisive battle before Zhao replaced him with Zhao Kuo.
Lin Xiangru: A Zhao statesman celebrated for securing the return of the He Shi Bi jade and negotiating at Mianchi. Lian Po’s reconciliation with Lin became a celebrated example of putting Zhao’s security above personal rivalry.
Records of the Grand Historian: A monumental history of ancient China completed by Sima Qian around the turn of the first century BCE. Its biographies preserve the best-known narrative of Lian Po’s career and reconciliation.
Qin unification of China: The conquest of rival states by Qin, culminating in the first imperial unification of China in 221 BCE. Zhao’s weakening during Lian Po’s lifetime formed part of the process that enabled Qin’s expansion.
Battle of Hangu Pass: A series of military confrontations over a strategic pass between Qin and the eastern states. Lian Po led Zhao forces in a coalition campaign against Qin at Hangu Pass.
Zhao Kuo: A Zhao commander who replaced Lian Po at Changping and led Zhao’s army to defeat. The contrast between Lian Po’s cautious defense and Zhao Kuo’s disastrous command shaped later accounts of Changping.
Sima Qian: A Han-dynasty historian who wrote the Records of the Grand Historian. His account shaped later understandings of Lian Po and the other figures of Zhao.
Twenty-Four Histories: A traditional collection of official histories chronicling Chinese dynasties from antiquity through the Ming period. Later historical writing carried Lian Po’s story beyond its original account in Sima Qian.
Siege of Handan: Qin’s prolonged siege of Handan, capital of Zhao, during the Warring States period. Lian Po helped defend Zhao’s capital against Qin after the disaster at Changping.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao: The Zhao ruler whose reign included the state’s catastrophic defeat by Qin at Changping. His decision to replace Lian Po with Zhao Kuo changed the course of the campaign.

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King Zhaoxiang of QinCompared with: His defense of Zhao provides the opposing command perspective on Zhaoxiang’s expansion.