Battle of Fei (233 BCE)

For other uses, see Battle of Fei.

The Battle of Feixia (肥之戰) was a military conflict between the Qin and Zhao states of China in 233 BCE during the Warring States period. The campaign was part of Qin's campaigns to unify China under its rule. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Zhao forces, led by General Li Mu, against the Qin invaders commanded by General Huan Yi.

Battle of Feixia
Part of Qin's wars of unification
Date 233 BCE Location Feixia (肥; west of present-day Jinzhou, Hebei province, China) Result Zhao victory
Belligerents
Zhao state	Qin state
Commanders and leaders
Li Mu	Huan Yi
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Opening moves

In 234 BCE, the Qin forces defeated the Zhao armies at Pingyang (平陽; south-east of present-day Ci County, Hebei province). The Qin army led by Huan Yi (桓齮) embarked from Shangdang (上黨) and attacked the Zhao army. The Zhao army sustained over 100,000 casualties and its commander, Hu Zhe (扈輒), was killed in action. In the following year (233 BCE) Huan Yi's force crossed Mount Taihang and attacked the Zhao territories of Chili (赤麗) and Yi'an (宜安), both in the south-east of present-day Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

The battle

King Qian of Zhao recalled Li Mu, a general famous for his success in defending Zhao's northern border from the Xiongnu, and appointed Li as the commander-in-chief of the Zhao armies to resist the Qin invaders at Feixia.

The books of the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, mentions the following:

• Shiji 43: Second year [of King Youmiu, 234 B.C.], Qin attacked Wucheng, Hu Zhe led troops to rescue it, his army was defeated and he died. Third year [233 B.C.], Qin attacked Chi'li and Yi'an, Li Mu led troops to fight them at Feixia and repelled them. [Li] Mu was enfeoffed as the Lord of Wu'an.
• Shiji 81: Seven years later, Qin defeated and killed the Zhao general Hu Zhe at Wusui and cut off 100,000 heads. Zhao made Li Mu commander-in-chief. He attacked the Qin army at Yi'an, crushed the Qin army and put the Qin general Huan Yi to flight. [Zhao] enfeoffed Li Mu as the Lord of Wu'an.

In another historical source, the Zhan Guo Ce (Annals of the Warring States), it was recorded that:

• [Zhao] General Li Mu inflicted multiple defeats and routed the Qin forces, killing [Qin] General Huan Yi in the process.

On the other hand, Chinese Baidu forum state the next on the battle:

Li Mu's army from the northern border met the Zhao forces from Handan at Yi'an and engaged the Qin army there. Li Mu felt that the Qin army's morale was high after its earlier victories, so it would be unwise for Zhao to attack Qin then. He ordered his troops to strengthen their fortifications and defences while waiting for an opportunity to launch an counteroffensive. Huan Yi felt that a swift conclusion to the battle was necessary since his troops were growing weary after so many earlier battles, so he led his force to attack Fei, intending to lure the Zhao army there to defend their position. Li Mu's deputy, Zhao Cong (趙蔥), suggested to Li to send a force to rescue Fei, but Li refused. As the bulk of the Qin army had left to attack Fei, the Qin camp was poorly defended so Li Mu seized the opportunity to order his troops to launch an offensive on the Qin camp. The Zhao forces scored a major victory in the ensuing battle and captured several prisoners-of-war and supplies. As Li Mu predicted that Huan Yi would retreat from Fei to save the camp, he ordered his men to lay an ambush on Huan Yi's retreat route. Huan Yi's retreating troops fell into the ambush. Qin sustained over 100,000 casualties in the battle and its army was almost completely wiped out. Huan Yi succeeded in breaking out of the encirclement.

In popular culture

In the popular anime/manga Kingdom by author Yasuhisa Hara, the battle of Feixia is depicted as the final clash between the Qin Six Great General "Kan Ki" (Huan Yi) and the Zhao Three Great Heaven "Ri Boku" (Li Mu) when they met at Hika (Feixia) as a part of the Qin invasions to conquer Northern Zhao.

References

- Records of the Gran Historian - Shiji by Sima Qian

- Annals of the Warring States - Zhan Guo Ce