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Wu Qi

Type Figure Region Wei Time c. -440–-381 Also known as Zi Qi

Wu Qi (c. 440–381 BCE), an eminent military strategist of the early Warring States period, was a native of Wei who served successively in Wei and Chu…

Timeline

  1. c. -440–-413Wei (state) · Henan ProvinceWu Qi came from the state of Wei, studied military strategy in his youth, and sought office in Lu, Wei and other states. Hindered in Lu by controversies such as not mourning his mother's death, he later entered Wei, where his strict military discipline and battle merits gradually won the favor of Marquis Wen of Wei.
  2. c. -413–-386Xihe · Shanxi ProvinceWu Qi guarded Wei's Xihe region, training soldiers and building fortifications, winning repeated victories in wars with the feudal lords and securing Wei's western border, becoming one of Wei's military pillars in the early Warring States. He later left Wei due to slander by Gongsun Cuo and the suspicion of Marquis Wu of Wei.
  3. c. -386–-381Ying capital · Jingzhou CityAfter entering Chu, Wu Qi gained the trust of King Dao of Chu and served as Chancellor directing reforms: clarifying laws, stripping nobles of their fiefs, and reorganizing the army for war, briefly strengthening Chu's power. After King Dao's death the old nobility struck back, and Wu Qi was killed beside the royal corpse; most reform achievements were abolished.

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