In 341 BCE, the Battle of Maling was fought in China between Qi under Sun Bin against Wei under Pang Juan during the Warring States Period.
Why did it happen?
After its defeat at the Battle of Jinyang in 453 BCE, the State of Jin, which had dominated China during the Spring and Autumn Period, broke up into three smaller states: Zhao, Wei, and Han. This division officially marked the beginning of the Warring States Period when China was divided into seven warring kingdoms. By the fourth century BCE, a rivalry between Wei and Qi had developed after Sun Bin, a descendant of Sun Tzu, was falsely accused of treason and had his kneecaps removed. Sun Bin subsequently escaped to Qi, where he acted as a military advisor to Tian Ji. In 354 BCE, the Qi army defeated Wei at the Battle of Guiling, encouraging Chu and Qin to launch border incursions against Wei. After repelling Chu, King Hui of Wei improved relations with Qin before invading Han in 341 BCE, causing Han to appeal to Qi for help. Under the advice of Sun Bin, Qi sent an army to Wei to attack Daliang, which caused the Wei army under Pang Juan to break off the siege of Han and confront the Qi army stationed outside Daliang.
Who was involved?
The Qi army at Maling numbered 90,000 infantry and 10,000 crossbowmen. Because the Wei army was too strong to confront directly, Sun Bin devised a deception plan: over several nights, the Qi army would light fewer and fewer campfires to give the illusion that the Qi soldiers were deserting. This would then draw the Wei army into a pursuit where Qi crossbowmen would ambush them at a carefully chosen site north of Daliang. The Wei army at Maling numbered 100,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry and 1,000 chariots. Despite having a formidable army, Pang Juan’s forces were encumbered by a baggage train and siege engines from their siege of the Han capital. The Wei plan at Maling was to charge the Qi army with its vanguard of cavalry and chariots before overwhelming them with their infantry.
What happened?
As the Wei army approached, Sun Bin ordered the Qi army to light fewer and fewer campfires every night for three nights to give the illusion that mass desertions were occurring. On the fourth night, Pang Juan sped up the pursuit by forging ahead with his cavalry and chariots, only to find the Qi camp abandoned with only field artillery left behind and evidence of a decreasing number of campfires. Sun Bin then withdrew to a carefully chosen ambush site. Pang Juan pursued, followed close behind by his infantry. At a narrow pass, when Pang Juan lit a torch to read an inscribed message on a tree, the Qi crossbowmen fired their bolts, killing Pang Juan along with most of his cavalry and chariots. With the death of their commander, the Wei army was thrown into confusion and was routed by the Qi army.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Maling was a decisive Qi victory. Not only did Qi’s borders become secure, but the victory left Wei vulnerable to attack from Qin. In 340 BCE, the Qin general Wei Yang invaded Wei and captured the Wei general Gongzi Ang, which forced King Hui to move the Wei capital from Anyi to Daliang. In 338 BCE, Wei suffered another defeat by Qin at the Battle of Yanmen, which led to the capture of another Wei general named Wei Cu. As stated by Sima Qian, “the armies of King Hui of Wei had suffered repeated defeats by Qi and Qin, the resources of his state were exhausted, and his territory was dwindling daily” (Qian, 1993, p.95). In contrast, Qi’s power grew substantially until it was defeated by an alliance of Qin, Wei, Han, and Zhao in 285 BCE. The Qin ultimately conquered Wei and Qi in 225 BCE and 221 BCE, respectively, which ended the Warring States Period and established the Qin Empire.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty. Translated by Burton Watson. Hong Kong, Columbia University Press, 1993.
Sawyer, Ralph D. Sun Pin: Military Methods. New York, Routledge, 1995.
Tzhu. “Maling map.” Wikimedia Commons. Last revised May 10, 2008. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maling_map.gif
Webb, Jonathan. “Battle of Maling, 342 BC.” The Art of Battle. Last revised 2013. www.theartofbattle.com/battle-of-maling-342-bc/