The Battle of Maling (Chinese: 馬陵之戰) took place in Maling, currently Dazhangjia Town (大張家鎮), Shen County (莘县), Henan Province, in 342 BC during the Warring States period (476–221 BC). The combatants were the State of Qi, who fought on behalf of the State of Han, and the State of Wei. This battle is well recorded in history texts and is famous for the tactics of Sun Bin, known as the "Tactic of Missing Stoves", in which one side is led to underestimate the other by creating an illusion of soldiers running away from the enemy army.
Pang Juan, commander of Wei, was lured to a narrow pass at night, where his army was ambushed by 10,000 crossbowmen from Qi. According to some sources, Pang Juan committed suicide whilst others say he was killed by Qi crossbowmen. Wei was defeated and its power decreased significantly thereafter, making the state unable to compete for hegemony of the Zhou dynasty.
In 342 BC, the state of Wei attacked the state of Han, and Han turned to its ally Qi for help.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.