Wu Qi, a native of the State of Wei during the early Warring States period, was a renowned military strategist of that era, often ranked alongside Sunzi, the "Sage of War," and collectively referred to as Sun and Wu. Although his military talents could rival those of Sun Wu, his reputation ultimately fell short of Sunzi's due to his eagerness for quick success and questionable moral character.
Wu Qi was fond of military strategy and tactics, driven by a burning ambition to achieve great deeds and make his name known throughout the world. In his youth, his family was well-off and free from worries about food and clothing, but he was unwilling to live an ordinary life. He traveled around lobbying for political advancement, exhausting his family fortune in the process. As a result, his neighbors mocked him. Enraged and humiliated, Wu Qi killed over thirty people who had laughed at him. After the murders, he fled eastward from the State of Wei to escape punishment. When bidding farewell to his mother, he bit his own arm and swore resolutely that if he could not become a high-ranking minister or official, he would never return to the State of Wei.
After that, he paid homage toConfuciusWu Qi studied under Zeng Shen, a disciple of Confucius. Not long after, his mother passed away, but Wu Qi ultimately did not return to the State of Wei to attend her funeral. His pursuit of fame, fortune, and status led him to disregard filial piety, and Zeng Shen, deeply contemptuous of his character, severed their teacher-student relationship. Wu Qi then traveled through various states, studying the art of war, and eventually arrived in the State of Lu, where he entered the service of the ruler of Lu.
In 412 BCE, the state of Qi launched an attack on the state of Lu. The ruler of Lu wanted to appoint Wu Qi as a general, but because Wu Qi's wife was from Qi, the ruler could not fully trust him. Desperate to achieve fame and unwilling to miss this opportunity, Wu Qi resolutely killed his own wife to prove he would not side with Qi, an event historically known as "killing his wife to seek the generalship."
Finally, the ruler of Lu trusted him and appointed him as a general, ordering him to lead the army against the state of Qi. Wu Qi was strict with himself in the military but very lenient toward his soldiers, sharing their hardships and joys, which won him great loyalty—his troops were willing to fight to the death for him. When Wu Qi led the Lu army to the front, he did not immediately engage the Qi forces. Instead, he first feigned weakness, signaling a willingness to negotiate peace, while deliberately placing elderly and frail soldiers in the main camp. The Qi army was deceived by this ruse, truly believing that the Lu forces were weak and fearful, and thus grew careless and complacent. It was then that Wu Qi launched a surprise attack with his elite troops. The Qi army, completely unprepared, scrambled to respond but collapsed at the first clash, suffering heavy losses, while the Lu army achieved a decisive victory.
Wu Qi rendered outstanding military service and was highly favored by the Lord of Lu. This stirred jealousy among the Lu court officials, who then used the incident of him killing his wife to secure a generalship against him, saying to the Lord of Lu: "This man Wu Qi is suspicious and cruel; for the sake of fame and fortune, he even killed his own wife. Lu is a small state, and once the reputation of victory spreads, it will inevitably attract the covetous eyes of other states. Moreover, Lu and Wei are brother states; employing Wu Qi would mean betraying Wei and rupturing Lu-Wei relations." After hearing this, the Lord of Lu grew suspicious of Wu Qi and ultimately declined his services in a roundabout way.
After leaving the State of Lu, Wu Qi heard that Marquis Wen of Wei was a wise ruler, so he used his talents to lobby for an official position. Marquis Wen consulted his minister Li Kui about Wu Qi's character. Li Kui had some criticisms of Wu Qi's conduct, saying he was greedy for fame and fortune and also a womanizer, but he highly praised his military abilities, stating that his strategic skills surpassed those of Sima Rangju. At that time, the State of Wei was preparing for war with the State of Qin, so Marquis Wen appointed Wu Qi as the chief general to lead an attack on Qin.
When Wu Qi served as the commanding general, he shared the same clothing and food as the lowest-ranking soldiers, slept without a mat, marched without riding a chariot or horse, and personally carried dried rations, enduring hardships alongside his men. When a soldier developed a malignant sore, Wu Qi sucked out the pus with his own mouth. When this news reached the soldier's mother, she burst into loud wailing. Puzzled, someone asked, "Your son is just an unknown soldier, yet the general treats him so generously, personally sucking the pus from his sore—why are you crying?" The mother replied, "I don't want this! Earlier, when his father had a sore, General Wu also sucked out the pus for him. Because of that, his father charged forward fearlessly on the battlefield until he was killed in action. Now, General Wu has sucked the pus for my son again; sooner or later, he too will die fighting like his father. That's why I am crying." Wu Qi thus won the loyalty of his soldiers, who fought bravely for him on the battlefield. In the campaign against the state of Qin, Wu Qi led his army to capture five cities in succession.
Marquis Wen of Wei saw that Wu Qi was skilled in military tactics, so he appointed him as the garrison commander of Xihe (present-day Heyang area in Shaanxi) to resist the states of Qin and Han.
Later, Marquis Wen of Wei passed away, and his son succeeded him, becoming Marquis Wu of Wei. Wu Qi continued to serve under Marquis Wu. Once, Marquis Wu and Wu Qi were boating on the Xihe River, and as the boat drifted downstream to the middle of the journey, Marquis Wu, captivated by the scenic beauty, could not help but praise the grandeur of the mountains and rivers and the strategic advantage of the terrain, considering them the greatest treasures of Wei. Wu Qi, however, cited examples of rulers throughout history who had possessed formidable natural defenses yet still lost their kingdoms, arguing that the long-term stability of a state depended on the virtuous governance of its ruler, not on holding onto natural strongholds. Marquis Wu of Wei repeatedly acknowledged the truth of this.
During Wu Qi's tenure as the governor of Xihe, he adhered to the principle that quality matters more than quantity in an army. Therefore, he enforced strict military discipline, clearly distinguished rewards and punishments, while also reducing the soldiers' burdens, winning their deep loyalty. He diligently trained the troops, greatly enhancing their combat effectiveness. His army soon became the elite force of the Wei State, capturing Linjin (present-day east of Dali, Shaanxi) and Yuanli (present-day south of Chengcheng, Shaanxi) in the Qin State's Hexi region, fully occupying the Hexi territory (the area between the Yellow River and the northern section of the Luo River). He established Xihe Commandery and served as its governor. In 389 BC, during the Battle of Yinjin between Qin and Wei, Wu Qi defeated a 500,000-strong Qin army with only 50,000 Wei troops, achieving a victory with fewer forces. This greatly expanded Wei's power, making it a powerful state in the early Warring States period.
Wu Qi served as a garrison commander in Xihe, earning great prestige through his remarkable military achievements. When Wei was selecting a prime minister, many believed Wu Qi would surely be chosen, but in the end, the noble and influential minister Tian Wen was selected. After Tian Wen's death, Gongshu became prime minister. Jealous of Wu Qi's talents, Gongshu devised a scheme to make Marquis Wu suspicious of Wu Qi. Fearing that the marquis would punish him, Wu Qi left Wei and went to Chu.
King Dao of Chu had long heard of Wu Qi's talents, so upon arriving in Chu, Wu Qi was appointed prime minister and tasked with overseeing the state's reforms. Wu Qi eliminated redundant officials and noble clans, using the saved funds to support soldiers and generals. Chu quickly grew powerful—pacifying the Baiyue tribes in the south, annexing the states of Chen and Cai in the north, repelling the expansion of Han, Zhao, and Wei, and launching campaigns against Qin in the west. The other feudal states feared Chu's growing strength, while Wu Qi's reforms also harmed the interests of many noble families and royal relatives, stirring up their resentment.
In 381 BCE, King Dao of Chu passed away, and the royal nobles, seeing that Wu Qi had lost his protector, immediately raised troops to attack him. To save his life, Wu Qi hid beside King Dao's corpse, but unexpectedly, the rebels, showing no restraint, shot arrows wildly at Wu Qi, even striking the king's body. Later, the crown prince ascended the throne as King Su of Chu, and he investigated those who had shot the king's corpse while killing Wu Qi, exterminating over seventy clans.