Chu Han Contention, Part 2: The Desperate Alliance at Julu 巨鹿

The north had gathered here, while half a million of the Qin army laid in waiting. At Julu, the Qin positioned two armies totaled around half a million men to control the north. One under the command of Zhang Han that numbers some 200,000- 300,000 and another under the command of Zhang Han's deputy Wang Li which also numbered around 200,000. This dread army included some of the best equipped and experienced of the Qin war machine. It had to take the combined might of nearly all of the north to even have a fighting chance against the Qin

Julu, 巨鹿, (lit. "Giant Deer") in ancient times as Julu 钜鹿 or "Elk"was one 

of the counties in Hebei carved out previously during the Qin dynasty. 

(Above) Jade Pendant Talisman, Western Zhou dynasty

Soon, many of the anti-Qin armies all converged in north eastern China. At first, it was a trickle of rebels, then quickly, the smattering of desperate bands snowballed into something momentous including nearly all of the major armies in northeastern China. Many prince claimants and would- be kings soon all set up around Qin position at Julu. The assembled armies appeared to be no more than spectators, more interested in probing the Qin than being truly committed for a fatal duel. All little more than strangers than comrades in arms. It was an assembly of the desperate and curious.

THE DESPERATE ALLIANCE AT 巨鹿

With Zhao strangled daily by the Qin army, Chu advancement north to relieve its siege. Under the command of the cautious Song Yi and the impetuous Xiang Yu, Chu marched north with some 50,000 soldiers. All the north assembled in the name of rescuing Zhao.

According to Sima Qian's "Record of the Grand Historian" and Chinese historian Man Yong Ying 马永嬴, the combined army of the desperate alliance numbered around 80,000 troops. At Julu were assembled flags of many colors, among them included many from previously vanquished kingdoms, or heralds of exiled or princes long sought dead. With the coming of Song Yi and Xiang Yu's army the numbers looked as if they would swell to a total of around 130,000 soldiers. When compared to the Qin garrison of 200,000 troops at Julu, it would seem the whole north had gathered here to rescue Zhao.

Julu was strategically positioned for all involved parties. For the Qin it is a well defended region with strong natural barriers. To its western flank lies miles of tall unassailable mountains where Qin supplies could easily arrive and reinforce the Qin garrisons, to its south lies many rivers- including the great Yellow river which prevents an enemy's easy crossing. With these 2 fronts secured the enemy could only attack the region from predictable direction that slowly gets funneled narrower and narrow as they bottle-necked toward Julu. The Qin thus had great defensive advantages in conjuction with their numbers to simply wait for the enemy to come and die.

However, such a location also favors those of the gathered lords. Because of its jutting shape- the entire area resembled that of a salient surrounded on 3 sides by hostile powers- it's also a place where all of the assembled lords could deploy linked- up troops and pose a collective challenge to the Qin. The advantage of maneuverability exists for the rebel lords. Thus it is not difficult to see how both sides chose this location to make battle. 

STRANGLING OF ZHAO

However it should be made clear that the quality of the leadership and individual soldiers fielded by the rebels at Julu were woefully inadequate compared to their foes. For many of the leaders- even those who claimed to hail from once illustrious lines of kings were themselves unknowns, others only hailed from cadet branches of extinguished houses. Others were little more than opportunists and bandits. Thus it could be said that the leadership was marginal and utterly unfamiliar with cooperating and trusting one another. It should also be stated that the type of men gathered largely lacked a degree of strategic grit- the professional self sacrificing staying power required when the situation began to turn badly for them.

With fiends like these...: despite having gathered at Julu and having watched the Qin army besieging the Zhao daily, the various armies could only looked from the distance. The major armies staked up camps and did not engage the Qin- nor did they form a centralized leadership. The armies eventually staked in separate camps well away from each other, with Qi army station in the west, Yan in the northeast, and a Zhao army tasked with rescuing their king stationed in the northwest. 

Among the leadership of the coalition there was a startling lack of 

proven military men. Many of the commanders were no more

than agrarian rebels such as the peasant rebele Ying Bu. Even the

self declared King of Zhao- previously was only a son of a minister.

Men with military grit- like Xiang Yu was sorely needed.

Do not forget that those who gathered here were foremost- survivors, survivors who had submerged and remained invisible during Qin rule like nocturnal creatures. If the fight goes badly for them, many simply may not lay down their own lives for strangers or the common cause. A common timidity united them all. Many were hesitant to risk their necks while other watched, and many too were already mapped escape routes in case the coming fight turned unfavorably. Same vexations could be said of their men, who were largely composed of disgruntled peasants and reformed local militias.

Music: The Warriors

THE HALF MILLION QIN WAR MACHINE

However whatever the fears the men of the coalition felt were very well placed. After all nearly the entire realm knew of the army that stood against them. The same army that had conquered the 4 corners of the known Chinese world. Many of the soldiers gathered probably had a dead ancestor or kin lost the this army. Realizing that there were nearly half a million Qin soldiers on the other side of the bank near Julu: 200,000–300,000 in Zhang Han's army and 200,000 in Zhang Han's sub-commander Wang Li's army would make anyone grimly think of their chances fighting death itself. If the 80,000 coalition should loose at this one single tipping point, each knew that they would be slaughtered to the last man and likely their family too. 

Well drilled and iron- disciplined, the Qin army was a class above those of the other kingdoms. Due to its strict adherence to legalism, all the levels of the Qin bureaucracy- even those of its royal princes must prove their worth through merit and any disobedience is strictly punished. It had an economy dedicated to war and also a production line that is dedicated to manufacturing arms, armor and chariots.

Worse yet, the Qin army was both well equipped and highly disciplined. The army that arrayed against the north had decades of experience fighting the 6 other kingdom's armies and many of its soldiers are intimately familiar with fighting next to each other. They were well drilled to act in unison and many of the units gathered had institutional memory of more than 100 years of continuous practice since the time of Qin Shi Huang's grandfather. 

Even within recent memory, they had nearly 20 years of experience in unifying China for the first emperor. Thus- already greatly outnumbered and timid to act against the Qin, the coalition waited under the rain and exposed to the elements. The Qin commanders knew this- for the attrition the coalition suffers greatly favors the Qin who only had to wait while their enemy's morale and supply decayed. 

RESTRAINED 

If the gathered coalition knew that the army coming to rescue them was indefinitely delayed, most of them would probably sink to utter despair. And it was exactly what did happen to the Chu relief army coming to rescue them. Here is where we see one of the shades of Xiang Yu which came to define him: his great wrath and impetuosity.

Follow us in the next chapter as Xiang Yu dives deep in pursuit of the Qin foes and astound the world with one conquering cry.

 

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