Campaigners › Commanders
Lord Xinling
Wei prince of the Warring States, one of the Four Lords, who stole the army tally to relieve Handan and later led five states to defeat Qin beyond the Yellow River
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Wei Wuji
- Roles
- Commanders
The Lord of Xinling, Wei Wuji, was the youngest son of King Zhao of Wei and half-brother of King Anxi, who enfeoffed him on taking the throne. He kept some three thousand retainers and drove his own carriage to invite Hou Ying, gatekeeper of Daliang's Yi Gate. When Qin besieged Handan in 257 BCE and the king held back his army, Wuji followed Hou Ying's plan: the concubine Ru Ji stole the military tally, the butcher Zhu Hai clubbed the commander Jin Bi to death, and Wuji led the troops to relieve Zhao, staying there ten years. Recalled in 247 BCE as supreme general, he led five states to defeat the Qin general Meng Ao beyond the Yellow River and chased him to the Hangu Pass. Swayed by Qin agents, the king took his command; Wuji drank day and night and died four years later. The Shiji says the Han founder sacrificed to him whenever he passed Daliang and set five households to tend his tomb.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–243 BCE