Wu Taibo and his younger brother Zhong Yong were both sons of King Tai, the founder of the Zhou Dynasty, and older brothers of King Ji Li of Zhou. Ji Li was a wise man with an excellent son, Chang. King Tai wanted to appoint Ji Li and his son Chang as his successors. To avoid succession, Taibo and Zhong Yong fled to the Jingman region, where they tattooed and shaved their heads as a sign of renunciation, clearing the path for Ji Li. Later, Ji Li did indeed inherit the throne and became King Ji of Zhou, while his son Chang later became King Wen of Zhou. In Jingman, Taibo styled himself Juwu, and the people of Jingman respected him greatly. They followed him, and he became the ruler of Wu with over a thousand households, thus becoming Wu Taibo.
After Taibo died without a son, his brother Zhong Yong inherited the throne and became known as Wu Zhong Yong. After Zhong Yong's death, his son Ji Jian followed him; after Ji Jian's death, his son Shu Da took over; and after Shu Da's death, his son Zhou Zhang succeeded him. By this time, King Wu of Zhou had already overthrown the Shang Dynasty. He searched for the descendants of Taibo and Zhong Yong and found Zhou Zhang. At that time, Zhou Zhang was already the ruler of Wu, so King Wu of Zhou appointed him. He also enfeoffed Zhou Zhang's brother, Yu Zhong, at Xia Xu, the former Xia capital in the north, making him a vassal lord.
After Zhou Zhang's death, his son Xiong Sui became king; then Xiong Sui's son Ke Xiang took the throne; next, Ke Xiang's son Qiang Jiuyi inherited the throne; following Qiang Jiuyi's death, his son Yu Qiaoyi Wu ascended; after Yu Qiaoyi's death, his son Ke Lu became king; then Ke Lu's son Zhou Yao took the throne; after Zhou Yao's death, his son Qu Yu inherited the throne; following Qu Yu's death, his son Yi Wu became king; after Yi Wu's death, his son Qin Chu ascended; then, after Qin Chu's death, his son Zhuan took the throne; after Zhuan's death, his son Po Gao became king; and finally, after Po Gao's death, his son Ju Bei succeeded him. Meanwhile, Duke Xian destroyed the Yu State in the north of the Zhou Dynasty, preparing for the Jin State's future attack on the Guo State. After Ju Bei's death, his son Qu Qi became king; then Qu Qi's son Shou Meng took the throne. Under Shou Meng's reign, the Wu State began to rise and proclaimed itself a kingdom.
From the establishment of the Wu State by Tai Bo to the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty by King Wu of Zhou, five generations passed. King Wu enfeoffed Tai Bo's descendants as rulers of two client states: the Yu State in the Central Plains and the Wu State in the southern marshlands. Twelve generations later, the Jin State conquered the Yu State in the Central Plains. Two generations after the fall of the Yu State, the Wu State in the southern marshlands prospered. From Tai Bo to Shou Meng, a total of nineteen generations passed.
Shou Meng reigned as king for two years. During this time, a fugitive nobleman from the Chu State named Shen Gong Wuchen, who harbored resentment towards the Chu State's general Zi Fan, fled to the Jin State. Eventually, he went to Wu, where he taught them military strategy and chariot warfare. He also appointed his son as a diplomat for Wu, forging connections with the Central Plains. The Wu State then began its campaign against the Chu State. Sixteen years later, King Gong of Chu led his troops to attack the Wu State, reaching Mount Heng.
Twenty-five years later, King Wu Shoumeng kicked the bucket. Shoumeng had four sons: the eldest, Zhufan (pronounced Joo-fahn), the second, Yujì (pronounced Yoo-jee), the third, Yumie (pronounced Yoo-mee), and the fourth, the famous Jizha (pronounced Jee-jah). Jizha was exceptionally outstanding, and Shoumeng originally wanted to appoint him as king, but Jizha immediately refused. Therefore, Shoumeng had no choice but to appoint his eldest son Zhufan as king and let him take the reins of the country.
In the first year of Zhufan's reign, after the funeral was over, he wanted to pass the throne to Jizha. Jizha quickly shot down the idea, saying, "Look, when Duke Xuan of Cao passed away, the vassals and people of Cao did not follow the rules and wanted to appoint Zizang as the ruler. Zizang refused, preserving the reputation of Cao, and everyone praised him for doing the right thing. Now you are the rightful heir; who would dare oppose you? Being king isn't really my thing. Although I have no abilities, I am willing to emulate Zizang and stick to my principles." The people of Wu insisted on appointing Jizha as king, and Jizha had no choice but to quit his job and become a farmer to talk everyone out of it. That autumn, Wu went to war with Chu, and Wu's army was defeated.
Thirteen years later, King Zhufan passed away. Before his death, he ordered the throne to be passed to his brother Yujì and stipulated that it should be passed down in order, ultimately to Jizha, in order to fulfill the late King Shoumeng's wish and to commend Jizha's good heart. All the brothers wanted to be king, but Zhufan's arrangement let things play out naturally. Later, Jizha was enfeoffed in Yanling, so people called him Yanling Jizi.
Yujì reigned for three years, and the Prime Minister of Qi, Qingfeng, committed a crime and fled to Wu for refuge. King Wu hooked Qingfeng up with Zhu Fang County as his own personal kingdom and married the princess to him, making him even better off than he was in Qi.
Four years later, Wu sent Ji Zha to the state of Lu to enjoy the music of the Zhou Dynasty. After listening to "Zhou Nan" and "Zhao Nan," he said, "Wow, this is the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty! It's not perfect yet, but it's hardworking and uncomplaining." He then listened to the music from the three states of Bei, Yong, and Wei, and commented, "Wow, this music is deep and distant, expressing concerns without being sluggish. I heard that Wei's great leaders, Kang Shu and Wu Gong, possess such virtues; this is probably typical of Wei, huh?" He then listened to the music from the states of Wang, Zheng, Qi, Bin, Qin, Wei, Tang, and Chen, and commented respectively, "Wow, this music expresses thoughts without fear; is this typical of the eastern Zhou?" "This music is way too refined; the common folk won't get it. It's doomed, I tell ya." "Wow, it's majestic like a strong wind! Is it Taigong who guards the East Sea? This country's gonna be huge!" "Wow, the music is broad and soothing, joyful yet not indulgent; this must be a holdover from Duke Zhou's move east, right?" "This is pure Xia Dynasty style. If they can pull this off, they'll be unstoppable. Is this an old Zhou tradition?" "Wow, this music is peaceful and broad, tolerant and simple, assisted by virtue; now *that's* leadership!" "Wow, this music is deep. It's gotta be a legacy of the old Tang dynasty, right? Otherwise, how could they be so insightful? You need strong morals to pull this off." "A country without a good leader? No way it'll last." He didn't have anything bad to say about the music from Kuai on down.
He listened to the music of "Xiao Ya," "Da Ya," and "Song" again and commented, "Wow, amazing! It's so well-thought-out, nothing feels repetitive, and it handles grievances with such grace. Is this a sign that the Zhou dynasty was losing its moral compass? But it still retains the customs left by the former kings." "It's broad and harmonious; the music is intricate but so honest—this is the virtue of King Wen!" "It's reached the peak! It's upright without arrogance, gentle yet not submissive, intimate but not forceful, distant but not alienated. It changes without indulgence, repeats without tiring, feels sadness without sorrow, experiences joy without absurdity, uses without lacking, is vast without boasting, gives without wasting, acquires without greed, dwells without sinking, acts without impulsiveness. The music was perfectly balanced, harmonious, and utterly captivating; these are the common qualities of great virtue!"
Finally, Ji Zha watched the dances of "Xiang Xiao," "Nan Yao," "Da Wu," "Shao Hu," "Da Xia," "Zhao Xiao," and commented, "Wow, still gives me chills!" "This is what the height of the Zhou dynasty must have been like!" "The sage's wisdom is so vast, it humbles me. It's truly awe-inspiring!" "So much hard work, and yet... what a tragedy! Besides Yu, who else can achieve this?" "It's the pinnacle of virtue, so magnificent, it's all-encompassing, like the heavens and the earth. Nothing could ever surpass it. I've seen enough; I wouldn't dare watch any more."
I went to the state of Lu, and then to the state of Qi. I said to Yan Ying, "You need to hand over control of the state's affairs and territories immediately; otherwise, disaster is sure to strike." So Yanzi handed over the political affairs and cities through Chen Huanzi, thus avoiding the impending crisis at Luangao.
Next, I left Qi and went to the state of Zheng. I met with Zichan, as if we had only just parted. I said to Zichan, "Zheng's rulers are living extravagantly; disaster is brewing, and the reins of power will soon be in your hands. When you take office, you must be cautious and follow etiquette as your principle. Otherwise, Zheng will perish." After leaving Zheng, I went to the state of Wei. I said to Qu Yuan (蘧瑗), Shi Gou, Shi Huan, Gongzi Jing, Gong Shufa, and Gongzi Zhao, "Wei has many capable men; there's nothing to fear."
From Wei to the state of Jin, I planned to stay overnight in a place, but when I heard the sound of bells, I said, "Strange! I have heard that those with eloquence but no virtue will surely meet a violent end. You came here because you offended the ruler of your state; you are still afraid—how can you betray now? You are here, like a bird's nest in a storm. The ruler is in mourning; how can you listen to music?" So I left there. After hearing about this, Wenzi never played his qin again.
In Jin, I said to Zhao Wenzi, Han Xuanzi, and Wei Xianzi, "I fear Jin will be carved up by these three families!" When I was about to leave, I said to Shuxiang, "You must act decisively! The ruler is extravagant, surrounded by advisors, and the nobles are wealthy; power will fall into the hands of these three families. You are a man of integrity; you must find a way to prevent disaster."
When Jizha first embarked on a tour of the vassal states, he passed through Xuguo on his way north. The ruler of Xuguo admired Jizha's sword very much but was too embarrassed to ask for it. Jizha understood in his heart, and because he was going to visit a more powerful state, he did not offer it. When he passed through Xuguo on his way back, the ruler of Xuguo had died, so he took off the sword, hung it on a tree in front of the ruler's tomb, and left. His followers said, "The ruler of Xuguo has died; who are you giving it to?" Jizha replied, "It's not like that. I'd already promised him, in my heart, how could I go against my word just because he died?"
Seven years later, the Duke of Chu's son, King Ling, killed King Jiao and seized the throne. Ten years later, King Ling of Chu gathered the vassal states to attack Zhu Fang of Wu and to subdue Qingfeng of Qi. Wu counterattacked, seizing three cities before withdrawing. In the eleventh year, Chu attacked Wu and reached Yulou. In the twelfth year, Chu attacked again, camped at Qianxi, and the Chu army was defeated and fled.
In the seventeenth year, King Yuji of Chu died, and his brother Yu Mei succeeded him. King Yu Mei ruled for two years, and the son of the Duke of Chu, Qiji, killed King Ling of Chu and proclaimed himself king.
Four years later, King Yu Mei died, and everyone wanted to pass the throne to his brother Jizha. However, Jizha declined and ran away. The people of Wu were all saying, "The previous king's decree stated that if the older brother dies, the younger brother inherits the throne. We absolutely have to get Jizha back! Since Jizha has escaped, then the son of King Yu Mei should inherit the throne." So, they crowned the son of King Yu Mei, Liao, as the king.
King Liao ruled for two years, and Duke Guang attacked Chu, but was defeated, losing even the royal ship. Terrified, Duke Guang counterattacked, recapturing the royal ship.
Five years later, the exiled minister Wu Zixu from the state of Chu sought refuge in the state of Wu, where he was warmly received by Gongzi Guang (公子光), the son of King Zhu Fan of Wu. Gongzi Guang felt the throne rightfully belonged to Jizha, one of his father's four brothers. However, Jizha refused the throne, and his father became king instead. With the throne not passing to Jizha, Gongzi Guang believed it should be his turn according to seniority. Therefore, he secretly recruited talents in preparation to usurp the throne from King Liao.
In the eighth year, Wu sent Gongzi Guang to attack the state of Chu, which resulted in a resounding victory. They even retrieved the former crown prince's mother from Juchao. Subsequently, Gongzi Guang led an attack to the north, defeating the armies of the states of Chen and Cai. In the ninth year, Gongzi Guang attacked Chu again, capturing Juchao and Zhongli. A seemingly trivial dispute—a fight between two girls, one from Chu's Beiliang clan and the other from Wu, over mulberry leaves—escalated into a full-blown border clash, culminating in the destruction of a Wu border town. The Wu king, furious, ordered an attack on Chu, eventually capturing two important cities before withdrawing the troops.
Upon Wu Zixu's arrival in Wu, he advised King Liao to attack Chu, claiming it would be advantageous. However, Gongzi Guang was suspicious of Wu Zixu's motives, as his father and brother had been killed by Chu. Seeing no benefit in the conflict, Wu Zixu recognized Gongzi Guang's ambition and introduced the warrior Zhuan Zhu to him. Delighted, Gongzi Guang took Wu Zixu into his service, and Wu Zixu retreated to the countryside, awaiting Zhuan Zhu's move.
King Chu Ping kicked the bucket in the winter of the twelfth year. In the following spring, Wu saw its chance and attacked Chu while they were in mourning, sending Gongzi Gai Yu and Zhu Yong to lay siege to Liu and Ling. At the same time, they sent Ji Zha to the State of Jin to check out what the other lords were up to. Chu cut off their escape route. Gongzi Guang of Wu said, "This is my chance! I'm the rightful heir, and I'm taking the throne. Even if Ji Zha shows up, he can't stop me." Zhuang Zhu said, "We can take out King Liao. His mom's old, his kid's young, and the two princes are attacking Chu with troops, while Chu has cut off their retreat. Wu's stuck between a rock and a hard place – no one back home will lift a finger to stop us." Gongzi Guang said, "My life's in your hands."
In April, Gongzi Guang hid warriors in a secret room, then went to see King Liao for a drink. King Liao arranged soldiers to stand guard along the route, with his guards, spears at the ready, lining the way from the palace to Gongzi Guang's place. Gongzi Guang faked a limp, walked into the secret room, and had Zhuang Zhu slip a dagger into the fish. Zhuang Zhu took the opportunity to stab King Liao with the dagger; the dagger found its mark, and King Liao was dead. Gongzi Guang took over, becoming King Helu of Wu. Helu even made Zhuang Zhu's kid a noble.
After Jizha arrived, he said: "So long as the ancestral rites continue, the people have a ruler, and the state's affairs are in order, then he is my ruler. What's to complain about? I'll mourn the dead, serve the living, and see what fate brings. I ain't here to stir things up; whoever's king, that's who I follow. That's how it's always been." After saying these words, Jizha went to pay respects at Wang Liao's tomb, then resumed his original position and waited. Wu's princes Zhu Yong and Gai Yu were trapped in Chu and, upon hearing that Gongzi Guang had killed Wang Liao and declared himself king, they surrendered to Chu and got land in Shu.
Helu became King of Wu and right away made Wu Zixu his top advisor, bringing him into the inner circle. Chu killed Bozhou Li, and Bozhou Li's grandson, Bo Pi, escaped to Wu and became a minister.
Three years later, King Helu, Wu Zixu, and Bo Pi attacked Chu, took Shu, and killed those two runaway Wu princes. "Let's hit Yingdu!" Gongzi Guang said. But General Sun Wu said, "Nah, the people are beat. Let's wait." The next year, Wu hit Chu again, taking Liu and Jin. The year after that, Wu beat Yue. Then Chu sent Zichang and Nangwa to attack, but Wu wiped them out at Yuzhang, took Juchao, and went home.
After nine years, King Helü of Wu asked Wu Zixu and Sun Wu, "You told me it wasn't time to attack Ying nine years ago. What's the situation now?" Wu Zixu and Sun Wu replied, "Chu's General Zi Chang is a greedy bastard, and both Tang and Cai are dissatisfied with Chu. If we're gonna do this, we need Tang and Cai on our side first." Helü took their advice, gathered his army, teamed up with Tang and Cai, and marched west to the Han River to attack Chu. Chu also sent troops to resist, and the two armies squared off on the banks of the Han River. Helü's brother, Fu Gai, was itching for a fight, but Helü wouldn't let him. Fu Gai said, "You gave me the army, boss. We gotta hit 'em hard and fast. What's the hold up?" So Fu Gai took his five thousand men and snuck up on the Chu army, wiping them out. Taking advantage of the victory, they chased the Chu army all the way to Ying, winning five battles in a row. King Zhao of Chu ran from Ying to Yun. The Yun ruler's brother wanted to kill King Zhao, so he and the ruler hightailed it to Sui. The Wu army took Ying. Zixu and Bo Pi flogged King Ping's corpse to avenge their old man.
In the spring of the tenth year, Yue heard that the King of Wu was in Yingdu and that Wu was undefended, so they came to attack. Wu sent out an army to resist Yue. Chu sought help from Qin, and Qin sent troops to assist Chu in attacking Wu, resulting in a defeat for the Wu army. He Lu's brother, Fu Chai, saw that Qin and Yue had joined forces to defeat Wu, but the King of Wu did not return for a long time. Consequently, Fu Chai fled back to Wu and seized the throne. When He Lu heard about this, he led troops back to his country to confront Fu Chai. Fu Chai was defeated and fled to Chu. King Zhao of Chu was able to return to Yingdu in September and installed Fu Chai as the Lord of Tangxi.
In the eleventh year, the King of Wu sent his crown prince Fu Chai to attack Chu and conquered Fan. Chu, fearing for its safety, left Yingdu and moved the capital to Ye.
In the fifteenth year, Confucius became the prime minister of Lu. In the summer of the nineteenth year, Wu attacked Yue, and King Goujian of Yue welcomed the battle at Zhaoli. Yue sent in waves of its bravest warriors, each determined to die, charging into the Wu camp three times, shouting loudly before committing suicide. The Wu army was taken aback, and Yue seized the opportunity to attack, defeating them in Gusu. King He Lu of Wu suffered a hand wound, and the Wu army retreated seven miles. King He Lu died from his severe injuries. Before he died, He Lu appointed his crown prince Fu Chai as king and warned him, "Never forget the shame Goujian brought upon us!" Fu Chai replied, "I dare not!" Three years later, Fu Chai finally avenged Yue.
In 495 BC, during Fu Chai's first year as king, he promoted Bo Pi as prime minister. Fu Chai was a dedicated archer and military trainer, always thinking about avenging and defeating Yue.
In the second year, King Fucha amassed his best troops to attack the state of Yue. He got revenge for the Battle of Gusu by defeating the Yue army at Fu Jiao. King Goujian of Yue took five thousand of his best men and hid out in Mount Kuaiji. He sent his top guy, Fan Li, to grease some palms and bribe the prime minister of Wu, Bo Pi, asking to kiss up to Wu and become their little lapdog. King Fucha originally wanted to agree, but Wu Zixu was like, "Whoa, hold on a second! There was this tribe, the Guo, who killed the Zengguan tribe and attacked the Zhenxun tribe, wiping out the emperor of the Xia Dynasty. The emperor's mistress, Hou Meng, was pregnant at the time and escaped to the Youreng tribe, where she gave birth to Shao Kang. Shao Kang became the shepherd of the Youreng tribe. The Guo wanted to kill Shao Kang, so he fled to the Youyu tribe. The Youyu tribe remembered the Xia Dynasty's kindness and married two daughters to Shao Kang, giving him a land grant in Lun, some territory, and an army. Later, Shao Kang recovered the people of the Xia Dynasty, pacified its officials, tricked the Guo, and finally wiped them out, restoring the achievements of Yu. He honored the ancestors of the Xia Dynasty and didn’t abandon their old ways. Right now, Wu's strength isn’t as good as Guo’s back then, and Goujian is even tougher than Shao Kang. It’s way too dangerous not to take this chance to destroy him now and instead be lenient. Plus, Goujian is tough as nails. If we don’t get rid of him now, we’ll definitely regret it later!" But Fucha blew off Wu Zixu, listened to Bo Pi, and made peace with Yue, pulling his troops out. And that, my friends, is how Wu lost its chance to wipe out Yue for good.
Seven years later, King Fuchai heard that Duke Jing of Qi had died. The ministers of Qi were fighting for power and profit, and the new ruler was weak and incompetent, so he launched a northern campaign against Qi. Wu Zixu advised, "King Goujian of Yue lives frugally, shows concern for his people, and is clearly building his power. If we don't deal with him, he'll be the ruin of us. Yue's a thorn in our side, Your Majesty, but instead of dealing with them, you're attacking Qi. That's putting the cart before the horse, isn't it?" Fuchai ignored him and pressed on with his attack on Qi, defeating the Qi army at Ailing. After the army reached Zengdi, Fuchai then summoned the Duke of Lu, demanding tribute. Jikangzi sent Zigong to persuade the Wu prime minister, Bo Pi, using the etiquette of the Zhou dynasty, which finally persuaded Fuchai to back down. Fuchai seized territory from Qi and Lu. Nine years later, Wu attacked Lu again, but after reaching Lu, they made a treaty and withdrew. Ten years later, Wu launched another opportunistic attack on Qi before withdrawing. The following year saw yet another Wu invasion of Qi.
King Goujian of Yue led a large group of people to pay his respects to the King of Wu, bringing many valuable gifts. The King of Wu was overjoyed. Only Wu Zixu felt a sense of dread. He said, "This spells doom for Wu!" He advised the King of Wu, saying, "The State of Yue is right on our doorstep. Now they are flourishing in Qi, like a weed, and could be used against us at any time. Moreover, Pan Geng's words of caution include 'never underestimate Yue,' and the Shang Dynasty perished because they underestimated their enemy." The King of Wu did not listen and sent Wu Zixu on business to Qi. Wu Zixu entrusted his son to the Bo clan of Qi, then returned to report to the King of Wu. When the King of Wu heard about this, he was furious and gave Wu Zixu a fine sword, ordering him to take his own life. Before his death, Wu Zixu said, "Plant catalpas on my grave; they'll be useful one day. Gouge out my eyes and place them at Wu's east gate – I'll watch Yue destroy you!"
The Bo clan of Qi killed Duke Dao of Qi. When the King of Wu heard about this, he cried outside the military camp for three days, then attacked Qi from the sea. As a result, Qi defeated Wu, and the King of Wu retreated.
Thirteen years later, Wu summoned the rulers of Lu and Wei to Tuogao.
In the spring of the fourteenth year, the King of Wu summoned the feudal lords to a meeting at Huangchi, aiming to dominate the heartland and support the Zhou dynasty. In June, on the Bingzi day, King Goujian of Yue attacked the state of Wu. On the Yiyu day, five thousand troops from Yue fought against the Wu army. On the Bingxu day, the crown prince of Wu was captured. On the Dinghai day, the Yue army entered the capital city of Wu. The people of Wu reported the news of their defeat to King Fuchai, who was enraged. Upon learning of the leak, King Wu became furious and killed seven people in the camp. In July, on the Xinchou day, King Wu argued with Duke Ding of Jin about their status. King Wu said, "In terms of contributions to the Zhou dynasty, I am the greatest!" Duke Ding of Jin replied, "In terms of the Ji clan, I am the greatest!" Zhao Yang was angry and wanted to attack Wu, so he elevated Duke Ding's status. After swearing an oath with Jin, King Wu bid farewell and planned to attack the state of Song. Grand Preceptor Bi said, "Even if we win, we can't hold onto it." So King Wu led his troops back to his country. The loss of the crown prince left the kingdom vulnerable, and with King Wu's prolonged absence, the soldiers were exhausted. Therefore, King Wu sent a large sum of money to Yue seeking peace.
In the fifteenth year, Tian Chang of Qi killed Duke Jian of Qi. In the eighteenth year, the state of Yue became increasingly powerful. King Goujian led his army to attack Wu again and defeated the Wu army at Lize. The state of Chu destroyed the state of Chen. After twenty years, King Goujian renewed his attacks on Wu. The following year, Goujian besieged Wu. On the Dingmao day in the twenty-third year, Yue finally defeated Wu. Goujian exiled King Fuchai of Wu to Yongdong, granting him a household of one hundred families. King Fuchai said, "I'm too old to serve you anymore. I regret not listening to the advice of Wuzixu, which led to this outcome." After speaking, he committed suicide. Having conquered Wu, Goujian executed the disloyal Grand Preceptor Bi and returned home.
Sima Qian said: Confucius once said, "Tai Bo is a truly righteous dude, stepping aside three times to let others rule the land; people just couldn't find words to praise him." After reading the old Spring and Autumn texts, I realized that the countries of Yuguo, Jingman, and Juwu in China are actually all brothers (descended from the same ancestor). Yanling Jizi was a really good guy, really valued loyalty, and had a sharp eye for the truth, always able to see what was really going on. Man, what a great guy!
