Wu State, one of the vassal states of the Zhou Dynasty, had its progenitor as Taibo, the elder uncle of King Wen of Zhou. Wu State was also one of the Ji surname vassal states enfeoffed by the Zhou Dynasty.
The characteristic of these Ji surname vassal states, initially enfeoffed by the Zhou Heavenly Son, was that when the Zhou royal family prospered, they often enjoyed the blessings of the royal family. However, when the Zhou royal family declined, these vassal states were often the first to be partitioned.
Wu State, having passed through generations, reached its peak national strength during the reigns of King Helü and Fuchai.
At its zenith, Wu State expanded its territory significantly by conquering numerous Yi tribes and vassal states of Chu, such as Huai Yi, Xu Yi, Zhou Lai, Chao, Zhongli, Zhongwu, and Han, and also defeated the state of Chu, becoming the hegemon of the southeast.
Furthermore, because Wu State was a relative of the Zhou royal family, it received strong support from them.
Subsequently, Wu State even defeated states like Tan, Hu, Shen, Chen, Xu, Cai, Dun, and Lu.
The Battle of Wu Breaking Chu and Entering Ying, where Wu's forces attacked the Chu capital and forced Chu to relocate its capital, was the most glorious moment in Wu's history.
Afterwards, the power of the Zhou royal family began to gradually decline, and Wu State discovered this situation early on, becoming the first Ji surname vassal state to declare itself king. After Shoumeng ascended the throne, Wu State began to grow stronger day by day and styled itself as king.
Moreover, after the eventual demise of the Zhou royal family, Wu State was not impacted negatively. Instead, through the Battle of Fuzhao, it subjugated Yue in the south, and through the Battle of Ailing, it defeated Wei in the north. At that time, Wu State was truly a paramount vassal state in the realm.
Following this were a series of wars between Wu and Chu for hegemony in the south.
In the seventh year of King Yuji, Prince Wei of Chu murdered King Jia'ao of Chu and proclaimed himself king, becoming King Ling. In the tenth year of King Yuji, King Ling of Chu convened a meeting of vassals and planned to attack Zhufang county in Wu.
At this time, Wu State seized the opportunity to attack Chu, capturing three of its cities before withdrawing.
In the eleventh year of King Yuji, Chu attacked Wu, but the Chu army was no match for Wu. They stationed their troops in Ganxi for several days, eventually retreating. Instead, they lost several more cities, and the warfare between Chu and Wu intensified.
In the seventeenth year of King Yuji, Yuji died, and his younger brother Yumei succeeded him. The following year, Prince Qiji of Chu assassinated King Ling of Chu and took the throne himself.
At this juncture, both Chu and Wu were deeply embroiled in internal strife and unable to extricate themselves, which inadvertently led to a period of calm in the south for several years.
In the second year of King Liao, Prince Guang led troops to attack Chu and suffered a defeat, even losing the boat of the former Wu King. Prince Guang, fearing punishment, launched a surprise attack on the Chu army and recaptured the royal boat before returning his forces.
In the eighth year of King Liao, the King of Wu dispatched Prince Guang to attack Chu. The Chu army was decisively defeated, and the mother of the former Crown Prince Jian of Chu was brought back to Wu from Juchao.
Subsequently, Wu State took advantage of the situation to launch a northern campaign, defeating the armies of Chen and Cai. They continued north but encountered the Wei army. The two sides fought for a year without a decisive outcome, and the Wu army retreated to the south.
In the ninth year of King Liao, Prince Guang once again campaigned against Chu, conquering the cities of Juchao and Zhongli.
It was precisely through these continuous campaigns that the enmity between Wu and the southern states deepened. It even escalated to the point where a girl from the border city of Beiliang in Chu clashed with a girl from a Wu border city over picking mulberry leaves. Enraged, the families of the two girls attacked and killed each other.
Upon hearing of this, the officials of the border areas of both states engaged in further conflict in their anger, and the Wu border settlement was destroyed.
Wu State, upon hearing this, was furious and dispatched a large number of soldiers to attack Chu, launching repeated assaults and capturing five cities before ceasing.
However, Wu State did not remain powerful indefinitely and soon encountered its lifelong adversary.
Kuai Shu Ge