Lian Po
King Xiaocheng ascended to the throne in the midst of a military stalemate between the Qin and the Zhao over the status of Shangdang, which Han had ceded to Zhao during the reign of King Huiwen. The commander in charge of Zhao forces, Lian Po, opted for a defensive strategy of fort construction. Perhaps due to Qin accusations of Lian Po's cowardice, King Xiaocheng decided in 260 BCE to replace him with Zhao Kuo, regardless of objections from the leading politician Lin Xiangru. Zhao Kuo's offensive strategy played right into the hands of Qin general Bai Qi, and ultimately cost Zhao the battle and, with it, Zhao's military pre-eminence.