Bai Qi

He destroyed more enemy armies than any general in Chinese history — and was executed by his own emperor for refusing to fight one last campaign.

Bai Qi was Qin's supreme military commander and one of the most destructive generals in Chinese history. He fought at the Battle of Yique, where both his army and the Wei army suffered devastating losses. He defeated Chu, capturing their capital. At Changping, he annihilated the Zhao army — killing 450,000 Zhao soldiers, most buried alive after surrender. Battle after battle, he reduced Qin's enemies by sheer attrition. When he refused to lead a final campaign against Zhao, believing the timing wrong, Chancellor Fan Ju slandered him. The Second Emperor ordered Bai Qi to commit suicide. Walking to his death near Du Bridge, he said: 'I deserve death. I buried 450,000 men at Changping — that alone is enough.'