King Wei of Chu

Also known as Xiong Shang

King Wei of Chu, personal name Xiong Shang, succeeded his father King Xuan in 339 BC and ruled for eleven years. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) says that in his seventh year, 333 BC, he attacked Qi because its chancellor Tian Ying had deceived Chu, and beat the Qi army at Xuzhou. The Shiji's chapter on Yue relates that King Wujiang of Yue turned from Qi to attack Chu and that King Wei routed him, killed him and took all the former lands of Wu as far as the Zhe River, although later scholars date this war differently. The account of the southwestern peoples says that in his time the general Zhuang Qiao led troops up the Yangzi and seized lands west of Ba and Qianzhong. He also offered rich gifts to make Zhuang Zhou his chancellor, and Zhuang Zhou refused, comparing the post to the ox fattened for a sacrifice. He died in 329 BC and his son Xiong Huai became King Huai.