Wang Ben’s premise behind this attack seems to be “the winning side writes history”.  That’s true of course, though it doesn’t in itself mean the strategy is a smart one.  One could take issue with executing a tactical plan whose ultimate aim is P.R..  As least he’s more or less open about it – Wang Ben doesn’t pretend he’s not obsessed with fast-forwarding his reputation.  Carrying Xin along for the ride is an unhappy necessity, since Wang’s plan doesn’t succeed unless Xin does too.

I won’t pretend Wang Ben is a favorite of mine.  I find his character a lot to take, and I take a lot of issues with this strategy.  First of all even if it succeeds, it results in a shocking casualty rate for Qin’s army.  He’d argue there was no choice of course, and at some point anybody at his level or above – Teng most obviously – could have said no, and didn’t.  More specifically, it seems like a stretch to imagine he could take out Zi Bai in combat.  Sure Zi Bai turns out to have a fatal flaw – he’s already given up on life so doesn’t bother to protect his vital points.  But Wang Ben didn’t know that – and without it, he was screwed.

I guess I generally have an issue with commanders who treat war as a personal crusade.  “Duty to the Wang name” my ass – what does that matter to all the people killed in pursuit of his duty?  His daddy issues are his, not theirs.  But again, nobody says no – which I guess is down to two factors.  One, the sheer desperation of the the Qin position and lack of other options.  And two, Wang Ben’s force of will.  He’s stubborn and arrogant and he’ll keep taking what he wants until someone stops him.  And if no one does…

As for Zi Bai, there’s a certain pathos to the way he goes out.  Effectively he’s been waiting for someone to kill him, so is that context this result is no surprise.  Kai Meng has no such disinterest in survival, so Xin has quite a problem on his hands.  Of course Kai Meng is basically being used as a decoy by Xun Zao – but then Xin is pretty much a sacrificial lamb for Diao’s tactics.  Neither of these generals has fighting the other as their main goal – they’re trying to distract the enemy, that’s all.  For Diao the end run around Kai Meng’s army and assault on Wu Fengming’s headquarters is the real strategy.

Wang Ben is pretty beat up, but he’s through and making his charge.  The Fei Xin is too, but Xin is still mired amidst overwhelming Wei numbers, and Xun Zao shows no inclination to let him off the hook and rush to protect Wu Fengming.  As for the third corner of the triangle, of Lu Wuwei there’s no mention here.  But he’s the most senior of the three captains and the closest in contact to General Teng – it seems pretty likely he’ll be joining the party at Wu’s HQ too.  So, in the end, maybe Wang Ben’s plan worked.  But does a bad plan working make it a good plan, or does it just make the guy who formulated it really lucky?