Why Accepting Free Land Started the War That Killed 400,000

20/11/2025 21 min

Listen "Why Accepting Free Land Started the War That Killed 400,000"

Episode Synopsis

Free land. Sounds good, right?Wrong.When the small state of Han suddenly gave strategic territory to Zhao instead of Qin, it triggered a diplomatic explosion that ended with 400,000 people buried alive.This is the story of how one "gift" became the deadliest trap in ancient Chinese history.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎯 ZHAO'S IMPOSSIBLE CHOICEThe Debate Inside Zhao's Court:Option 1: Refuse the Land- Advisor's Warning: "It's a trap. Han is shifting trouble to us."- Risk: Offend Han, but avoid Qin's wrath- Outcome if chosen: Probably surviveOption 2: Accept the Land- Advisor's Argument: "If we refuse, we look weak. Qin will attack anyway."- Risk: Enrage Qin, trigger war- Outcome: Zhao accepted—400,000 diedZhao chose Option 2. Fatal mistake.https://youtu.be/ZTf72UZGs24

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