Bai Qi

Fearsome Qin general, instrumental in Qin's rise to military hegemony.

Chronology: -250 – -257

Origins & Early Life

Bai Qi (Chinese: 白起; c. 332 – c. January 257 BC), also known as Bo Qi and Gongsun Qi (公孫起), was a Chinese military general of the Qin state during the Warring States period. Born in Mei (present-day Mei County, Shaanxi), Bai Qi served as the commander of the Qin army for more than 30 years, being responsible for the deaths of over one million, earning him the nickname Ren Tu (人屠; lit.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

'human butcher'). According to the Shiji, he seized more than 73 cities from the other six hostile states, and to date no record has been found to show that he suffered a single defeat throughout his military career. He was instrumental in the rise of Qin as a military hegemon and the weakening of its rival states, thus enabling Qin's eventual conquest of them. He was regarded by the Thousand Character Classic as one of the four Greatest Generals of the Warring States period, along with Li Mu, Wang Jian, and Lian Po; he is also remembered as the most fearsome amongst the four. == Ancestry == The New Book of Tang, Volume 75 Second Part, wrote that he was descended from a general of Duke Mu of Qin, Baiyi Bing (白乙丙) of the Jian lineage (蹇).

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Baiyi Bing himself was a son of Jian Shu (蹇叔), a Qin scholar-official...

Source: Wikipedia