Lord Xinling
Stole the tally to rescue Zhao, and later led a five-state coalition to defeat the Qin army.
Life
Humble toward the worthy
Lord Xinling, personal name Wei Wuji, was a half-brother of King Anxi of Wei. Humble toward the worthy, he once personally drove a carriage to fetch Hou Ying, an old man who guarded a city gate.
Stealing the tally to rescue Zhao
In 257 BCE the Qin army besieged Handan. The King of Wei sent Jin Bi with an army to rescue Zhao, but Jin Bi held his troops back. Following Hou Ying's plan, Lord Xinling asked Lady Ru, the King of Wei's favorite consort, to steal the military tally, and had the butcher Zhu Hai kill Jin Bi with a hammer. He seized command of the army and, together with the Chu army, drove back the Qin army and saved Handan, an episode known as "Stealing the tally to rescue Zhao."
Five states defeat Qin
He then stayed in the State of Zhao for ten years. In 247 BCE, when Qin attacked Wei, he returned home and led a five-state coalition that crushed the Qin general Meng Ao, pursuing him to the Hangu Pass. The King of Wei, swayed by Qin's efforts to sow discord, grew distant from him; from then on he gave himself over to drinking and pleasure, and he died of illness in 243 BCE.
Legacy
Lord Xinling was the most admired of the Four Lords of the Warring States by later generations; Sima Qian said "his fame topped the feudal lords, and not without reason," and Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han, often went to offer sacrifices to him.
Major works & achievements
- Stealing the tally to rescue Zhao
- Led a five-state coalition to defeat Qin
Did you know? Li Bai's "Ballad of the Knight-Errant" is about his retainers Hou Ying and Zhu Hai.
Key dates
- 257 BCEStealing the tally to rescue Zhao
- 257 BCEStayed in Zhao for ten years
- 247 BCELed a five-state coalition to defeat Qin
- 243 BCEDied