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King Wu of Qin, still haunted by Zhang Yi’s earlier counsel to seize Han state. In 307 BCE, he launched a bold campaign. His general Gan Mao captured Han’s Yiyang city (in modern Henan), opening the path to the heart of ancient China.
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After the collapse of Su Qin’s Vertical Alliance (Hezong), a new threat emerged to Qin’s ambition: the alliance between Qi and Chu, the two most powerful eastern states. United, they could block Qin’s path to unification.