O Romance dos Tempos Qin

In 247 BCE, this year was of immense significance to the entire Warring States period. In March, Lord Xinling of Wei, Wei Wuji, united the armies of five states to attack Qin, defeating the Qin general Meng Ao beyond the river. The coalition pressed on to Hangu Pass, where the Qin army sealed the gates and refused to engage. After this battle, Lord Xinling's fame resounded across the realm.

In May of the same year, Prince Chu of Qin passed away, later known as King Zhuangxiang of Qin. Shortly after, the thirteen-year-old Prince Zheng ascended the throne, who would become the First Emperor of Qin. In this year, all affairs of state in Qin fell into the hands of Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, who styled himself as the Second Father.

That year, the five-state alliance’s crushing defeat of the Qin army left Qin powerless to act against the eastern states for years. The young King Zheng presided from the Xianyang Palace, built under the supervision of Shang Yang.

Wei, battered by the Battle of Yique, languished on the brink of collapse, unable to challenge Qin or reclaim the hegemonic glory of the era under Marquis Wen of Wei.

Han, encircled in the east and north by Wei and Zhao, pressed in the west by Qin and in the south by Chu, lost even the waning buffer of Eastern Zhou, which Lü Buwei had extinguished. After a brief resurgence under Marquis Zhao of Han, Han’s decline continued unabated.

Zhao had yet to recover from the devastation of Changping and Handan—their once-promising prospects thrown into chaos. From this year forth, Zhao could no lo