Wu Taibo and his brother Zhongyong were the sons of King Gugong Danfu of the Zhou Dynasty, and the elder brother of King Jili of the Zhou Dynasty. Jili was very capable, and had a son, Chang, who had great virtue. The king wanted to set up Jili so that he could pass the throne to Chang, so Taibo and Zhongyong went to the land of Jingban, and tattooed their bodies with patterns and cut their hair like the local barbarians to show that they could no longer inherit the throne, so as to avoid Jili. Jili indeed succeeded to the throne and was King Ji, and Chang later became King Wen. When Tai Bo fled to the Jing barbarians, he called himself “Gōu” (句 (gōu) Wu). The Jing barbarians thought he was very righteous, and more than 1,000 households followed him and honored him as Wu Taibo.
He was honored as Wu Taibo (太伯). When Taibo died without a son, his younger brother Zhongyong (仲雍) succeeded him; he was Wu Zhongyong (吴仲雍). When Zhongyong died, his son Jijian succeeded him. When Jijian died, his son Shuda succeeded him. When Shuda died, his son Zhou Zhang succeeded him. At that time, when King Wu was victorious over Yin Zhou, he searched for the descendants of Tai Bo and Zhong Yong, and found Zhou Zhang. Zhou Zhang was already the ruler of Wu, so King Wu officially granted him the land of Wu. And he also sealed Zhou Zhang’s younger brother Yu Zhong, the former site of the Xia capital in the north of Zhou, that is, Yu Zhong, ranked as a vassal.
Zhou Zhang died, and his son Xiong Sui succeeded him. When Xiong Sui died, his son Ke Xiang succeeded him. When Ke Xiang died, his son Qiang Shuyi succeeded to the throne. He was succeeded by his son Yuqiao Dougu, who died. When Yuhashi died, his son Keru succeeded him. He died and was succeeded by his son Zhou Cao. Zhou Yao died and was succeeded by his son Qu Yu. Qu Yu died and was succeeded by his son Yigu. Ewu died and was succeeded by his son Guan Shi. When Guan Shi died, his son Chuan succeeded to the throne. He died and was succeeded by his son Pogao. When Pogao died, his son Jubei succeeded to the throne. At this time, Duke Xian of Jin destroyed Duke Yu, who was in the north of the Zhou Dynasty, because Duke Yu lent his way to Jin, allowing Jin troops to destroy Guo. Jubei died, and his son Goqi succeeded to the throne. When De Qi died, his son Shou Meng succeeded to the throne. After Shou Meng succeeded to the throne, the state of Wu became powerful and Shou Meng called himself king.
From the founding of the state of Wu by Taibo, in the fifth generation, King Wu won the victory over the Yin Dynasty and conferred on his descendants two kingdoms: one was Yu, in the central plains, and the other was Wu, in the barbaric region. In the twelfth generation, the state of Jin destroyed the state of Yu in the Central Plains. After two more generations, the state of Wu in the barbaric region flourished. In total, there were nineteen generations from Tai Bo to Shou Meng.
In the second year of King Shoumeng of Wu (584 BC), Shen Gong Wuchen, an exiled general of Chu, defected to Jin because he resented the general Zi of Chu, and Jin sent an envoy to Wu to teach Wu the art of war and the method of fighting with vehicles, and his son was made the officer in charge of receiving the guests of the state, and Wu began to have relations with the Central Plains countries from that time onward. Later, Wu began to send troops to conquer Chu. In the 16th year (570 BC), King Gong of Chu conquered Wu as far as Hengshan.
In the 25th year (561 BC), King Shou Meng of Wu died. Shou Meng had four sons: the first son was named Zhufan, the second son was named Yu Zhi (zhài), the third son was named Yu Mai, and the fourth son was named Ji Zha. Jiza was a wise and capable man, and Shou Meng wanted him to succeed the throne, but Jiza refused to do so, so he let his eldest son Zhufan succeed the throne, and he was the prime minister of all kinds of affairs, acting as the head of the state government.
In the first year of King Zu Fan’s reign (560 BC), Zu Fan removed his mourning clothes and wanted to give up his throne to Ji Zha. When Duke Xuan of Cao died, the lords and the people of Cao thought that the new ruler of Cao was not righteous, and they wanted to appoint Zizang as the ruler of Cao, and Zizang left the state of Cao so that the ruler of Cao could continue to stay on the throne. The gentleman commented on Zi Zang saying that he ‘could observe moderation and righteousness’. You, as the eldest son, are the rightful successor, and who would dare to offend you! It is not my place to be king. Though I have no talent, I would like to follow Zizang’s example of righteousness.” The people of Wu insisted on installing Ji Zha, but he abandoned his family and property to become a farmer, and the people of Wu had to give up their intention of installing him. In the fall, Wu again conquered Chu, and Chu defeated the Wu army. In the fourth year (557 BC), Duke Ping of Jin succeeded to the throne.
In the thirteenth year (548 BC), King Zhu Fan of Wu died. He left his will to pass the throne to his younger brother Yu Sai in order to fulfill the last wish of the late King Shoumeng by passing the throne from brother to brother to make sure that the throne would be passed on to Ji Zha. Moreover, since all the brothers appreciated Ji Zha’s high moral character in giving up the state, they all wanted to give up the state throne to others, so that the throne could be gradually passed on to Ji Zha in order. Ji Zha was sealed in Yan Ling, and was thus named Yan Ling Ji Zi.
In the third year of Wang Yu Sacrifice (545 BC), Qingfeng, a minister of Qi, was convicted of a crime in Qi and fled from Qi to Wu. The king of Wu gave him the county of Zhufang as an area of worship and married his princess to Qingfeng, who was even richer than he was in Qi.
In the fourth year (544 B.C.), the king of Wu sent Ji Zha to visit the state of Lu, and Ji Zha asked to see the Zhou ritual music preserved in Lu. The musicians of Lu sang “Zhou Nan” and “Zhaonan” for Ji Zha. Ji Zha said, “The songs are so beautiful, with a solid foundation at the beginning, but still not perfect, yet they sing the feelings of the people who work hard in the king’s affairs without complaining.” The musicians sang the Name Wind, the Name Wind, the Name Wind, and the Wei Wind again. Ji Zha said, “The songs are so beautiful, the tunes are deep and have a sense of worry without confusing people. I have heard that the virtues of Uncle Kang and Duke Wu of Wei are like this, and this is probably the Wei Feng?” The musician sang “Wang Feng” again. Ji Zha said, “What a beautiful song, deep in thought but without fear, this is probably the music after the Zhou royal family moved east?” The musician sang “Zheng Feng” again. Ji Zha said, “The mood of this song is too weak, reflecting that the people can’t stand the tedious governmental orders, which is probably the harbinger of Zheng’s downfall, isn’t it?” The musician sang “Qi Feng”. Ji Zha said, “The music is so beautiful, with the grandeur of a great state. Like the broad East Sea, this is probably the legacy of Jiang Taigong, isn’t it? The future of this country is unlimited.” The musicians sang “Bin Feng”. Ji Zha said, “The song is so beautiful, the momentum is broad and vast, cheerful but not excessive, this is probably the music reflecting the Duke of Zhou’s eastern expedition, isn’t it?” The musicians sang “The Winds of Qin”. Ji Zha said, “This is called the sound of Huaxia. To be able to trace Huaxia would be grand, the ultimate in grandeur, and this is probably the music of the old land of the Zhou royal family, isn’t it?” The musicians sang “Wei Feng”. Ji Zha said, “The music is so beautiful, the music is melodious and melodious, the atmosphere is grand and broad, it is economical and easy to carry out, and then with the moral teachings as a supplement, you can be the ally.” The musician sang the “Tang Wind”. Ji Zha said, “Far-reaching thoughts, ah, this has the legacy of the Tao Tang clan, right? Otherwise, why is the sense of worry so heavy? Who could be so, if not a descendant of the late king who possessed great virtue!” The musicians sang the Chen Feng again. Ji Zha said, “Can a country be long-lasting without a wise ruler?” The musician next sang Kuai Feng, and from this onwards, Ji Zha gave no further comment. The musicians sang “Xiao Ya”. Ji Zha said, “This is a beautiful piece of music. There is a sense of worry but no second thoughts, and there is resentment but no expression of it, which may be a manifestation of the Zhou’s declining virtue, right? But there are still some remnants of the customs of the late king’s people left.” The musician sang “Daya” again. Ji Zha said, “This piece of music is really broad and grand, harmonious and joyful, soft and gentle, yet upright and strong, reflecting the great virtue of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty, right?” The musician sang the Ode again. Ji Zha said, “It is very beautiful, the tune is strong but not arrogant, gentle but not humble, tight but not urgent, soothing but not diffuse, the rhythm is varied but not chaotic, the tune is repetitive but not tiresome, mournful but not sorrowful, joyful but not ridiculous, extensive use of wisdom but not scarce, generous but not ostentatious, giving favors but not wasteful, seeking but not greedy, the music stops and the aftertaste is still reverberating, and the sound changes without going along with the flow. The music stops and the sound of the afterglow still reverberates, the sound changes without going with the flow. The five voices and attainments, the eight tones harmonize, the rhythm follows the law, the melody conforms to the rules, the same as a man of great virtue.” Ji Zha watched the dance of the Elephant Pole Dance and the South LIVESTRONG Dance, and then said, “The dance is so beautiful, but there is still a little bit of regret.” Ji Zha watched the Dawu dance again, and said, “The dance is so beautiful, and the Zhou Dynasty’s great virtue is probably like this.” He then watched the dance of “Shao Gu” and said, “It’s hard to be a sage when you are so great and still feel ashamed of your own virtues!” Ji Zha viewed the dance of Da Xia again and said, “The dance is so wonderful, working diligently in civil affairs without being proud of one’s achievements! Who else could have done it but Dayu?” He then watched the dance of the Pole Dancer, and said, “Virtue cultivation can be said to have reached its extreme point, it is really great, just like the heavens there is no place that cannot be covered, just like the earth there is no thing that cannot be carried, Sheng De has already reached its extreme point, and there is no other way to add to it. I am contented with viewing the rites and music, and even if there were other rites and music, I would not dare to ask to view them again.”
When Ji Zha left Lu, he traveled to Qi. He persuaded Yan Pingzhong, saying, “You should quickly hand over your fief and official position. Without these two things, you will be saved from disaster. The power of the state of Qi is about to change hands, and until you can be sure into whose hands it will go, the state woes IV not subside.” Therefore Yanzi surrendered his fief and official position through Chen Huanzi, and so was spared from the scourge of the Luan and Gao clans attacking and killing each other.
Ji Zha left Qi and traveled to Zheng. He met Zi Chan as if he were an old friend. He said to Zi Chan, “The people who hold the power in Zheng State are extravagant, and a great disaster is coming, the power will fall on you. When you are in power, you must be careful to rule the state with propriety, or else the state of Zheng will be in decline!” After leaving Zheng, Ji Zha went to Wei. He greatly admired Qu Yuan (qúyuàn, 渠院), Shi Dog (史狗), Shi Loach (史鳅), Gongzi Jing (公子荆), Gong Shufa (公叔發) and Gongzi Chao (公子朝), and said, “There are a lot of gentlemen in the state of Wei, so the state is free from any trouble.”
When Ji Zha came from the state of Wei to the state of Jin, and Ji Zha was to stay in Su (qì) Eup, he heard the sound of drums and bells making music, and said, “Strange! I’ve heard that having talent but no virtue will surely bring death. This Sun Wenzi has offended the king and is still living here. He is not careful enough to have fun. Sun Wenzi’s presence here is as dangerous as a swallow’s nest in a curtain. Moreover, the king of the country is still in his coffin and not yet buried, so can he have any fun?” So he left. Sun Wenzi heard Ji Zha’s words and stopped listening to music for the rest of his life.
Ji Zha went to the state of Jin, admired Zhao Wenzi, Han Xuanzi, and Wei Xianzi, and said, “The power of Jin is about to fall into the hands of you three, isn’t it?” When he was about to leave the state of Jin, he said to Shuxiang, “You must try your best! The king of Jin is extravagant and indulgent, but there are many good ministers, and all the great ministers are rich, so the power of Jin will fall into the hands of the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei. You are an upright man, so you must think carefully about how to avoid trouble.”
When Ji Zha was first sent on a mission, he visited the ruler of the State of Xu on his way north. The ruler of Xu admired Ji Zha’s treasured sword but didn’t dare to mention it. Ji Zha understood the ruler’s intentions but, since he still had to visit other states in the Central Plains, he didn’t present the sword to the ruler of Xu. Upon returning and passing through the State of Xu again, Ji Zha found that the ruler had already passed away. Ji Z
In the seventh year (541 BC), Prince Wei of the Chu State killed King Jia’ao of Chu and declared himself king, becoming King Ling of Chu. In the tenth year (538 BC), King Ling of Chu held a conference with the feudal lords to attack the Wu State’s Zhu Fang County, aiming to punish the former Chancellor of the Qi State, Qing Feng. The Wu State also attacked the Chu State, occupying three of its cities before leaving. In the eleventh year (537 BC
Seventeen years later (531 BC), King Yuji died, and his brother Yumei ascended the throne. In 529 BC (the second year of King Yumei), Prince Qiji of Chu killed King Ling of Chu and declared himself king.
In the fourth year (527 BC), King Yumei died and intended to pass the throne to his brother Jizha. Jizha declined and fled. The people of Wu then said, “The late king decreed that if the elder brother dies, the younger brother should succeed him. The throne should definitely be passed to Jizi. Now that Jizi has fled from the throne, Yumei has become the last among the brothers to rule. Now that he is dead, his son should
In the second year of King Liao (525 BC), Prince Guang led an army to attack the State of Chu but suffered a defeat, losing the royal boat of the former king of Wu. Fearing punishment for this, Prince Guang launched a surprise attack on the Chu army, recaptured the royal boat, and then returned to the army.
Five years later (522 BC), the exiled minister of the State of Chu, Wu Zixu, fled to the State of Wu, where Prince Guang treated him with hospitality. Prince Guang was the son of King Zhuan of Wu. He always believed that “my father’s four brothers should pass the throne to the youngest son. Now that the youngest son is not the king, my father was the first to become king. Since the throne is not passed to the youngest son, I should inherit my father’s
In the eighth year (519 BC), King Wu sent Prince Guang to attack the State of Chu, achieving a great victory over the Chu army and bringing back the mother of the former Chu crown prince Jian from Juchao to Wu. Taking advantage of this momentum, he launched a northern campaign, defeating the armies of Chen and Cai. In the ninth year (518 BC), Prince Guang again attacked the State of Chu, capturing the two cities of Juchao and Zhongli. Initially, a girl from the
When Wu Zixu had just escaped to Wu State, he explained to King Liao of Wu the benefits of attacking Chu. Prince Guang said, “Zixu’s father and brother were killed by the King of Chu. He is advising you to attack Chu to avenge his personal grievances. Attacking Chu is not beneficial to Wu State.” Wu Zixu then realized that Prince Guang had ulterior motives. Zixu found a warrior named Zhuan Zhu and introduced him to Prince Guang. Prince Guang
In the twelfth year (515 BC), during the winter, King Ping of Chu passed away. In the thirteenth year (514 BC), during the spring, King Wu wanted to take advantage of the national mourning in Chu to attack it. He sent Prince Gaiyu and Zhu Yong to surround the two cities of Lu and Qian in Chu, and sent Ji Zha to Jin to observe the movements of the feudal lords. Unexpectedly, Chu sent elite troops to cut off their retreat
Ji Zha returned to the State of Wu and said, “As long as the sacrifices to the late king are not discontinued, the people will not be without a ruler, and the gods of the land and grain are worshipped, then he is my king. Who can I blame? I can only mourn the dead and serve the living to accept the mandate of heaven. If the chaos is not self-created, we should obey the newly established king. This is the principle of our ancestors.” So Ji Zha went to Wang Liao’s tomb, reported on the completion of his diplomatic
In the first year of King Helu of Wu (514 BC), he appointed Wu Zixu to hold the position of a traveling official and participate in state affairs. The King of Chu killed Bo Zhouli, and his grandson Bo Yi (pǐ) fled to the State of Wu, where King Helu appointed him as a minister.
In the third year (512 BC), King Helu of Wu, along with Wu Zixu and Bo Yan, led troops to attack the State of Chu, capturing Shuyi and killing the Wu princes Gaiyu and Zhuyong who had fled to Chu. Helu planned to take advantage of the momentum to attack the Chu capital Ying, but General Sun Wu said, “The army and civilians are already very exhausted from the battles. We cannot attack Ying now; we must wait for the right opportunity
In the ninth year (506 BC), King Helu of Wu asked Wu Zixu and Sun Wu, “Initially, you said it was not possible to attack Yingdu. What is the situation now?” The two replied, “The great general of Chu, Zi Chang, is greedy, and both the states of Tang and Cai hate him. If Your Majesty is determined to launch a major campaign against Chu, you must unite with the states of Tang and Cai to succeed.” Helu listened to them and
In the spring of the tenth year (505 BC), King Goujian of Yue heard that King Fuchai of Wu had stationed his troops in Yingdu, leaving the country vulnerable, and decided to attack Wu. Wu sent another army to resist the Yue troops. The State of Chu appealed to the State of Qin for help, and Qin sent troops to assist Chu in attacking Wu, resulting in a defeat for the Wu army. Fuchai’s brother, Fugai, saw that both the Qin and Yue
Fifteen years later (500 BC), Confucius served as the acting prime minister of the State of Lu.
In the summer of the 19th year (496 BC), the State of Wu sent troops to attack the State of Yue. King Goujian of Yue led his troops to resist at Zhuli (zùi). The Yue troops sent a death squad to challenge the Wu army. They formed three lines and charged at the Wu army, shouting slogans and committing suicide in front of the enemy. The Wu soldiers, curious about this strange tactic, let their guard down, and the Yue troops took the opportunity to attack
In 496 BC (495 BC), the minister Bo Yan was appointed as the Grand Minister of State. King Fu Chai of Wu insisted on training his army, always aiming to take revenge on the Yue state. In 494 BC (the second year), King Fu Chai of Wu mobilized all his elite troops to attack Yue, defeating the Yue army at Fuchao, finally avenging the defeat at Gusu. King Goujian of Yue had no choice but to retreat with five thousand armored soldiers
In 489 BC (the seventh year), King Fuchai of Wu heard that after the death of Duke Jing of Qi, the ministers were fighting for power, and the newly established young ruler was weak and powerless. Therefore, he mobilized troops to attack Qi. Wu Zixu advised, “King Goujian of Yue eats no more than two dishes at a meal, wears no more than two colors of clothing, mourns the dead, and comforts the sick. This is to win over the people
King Goujian of Yue led the ministers of the Yue state to pay homage to King Fu Chai of Wu, offering lavish tributes. King Fu Chai was overjoyed. Only Wu Zixu was secretly afraid, saying, “The Wu state is about to be abandoned.” He then advised King Fu Chai, “The Yue state is close at hand. Although our state can defeat the Qi state, it is like a field of stones, useless. Moreover, the ‘Pan Geng’s
Later, the Qi minister Bao killed Duke Dao of Qi. After learning this, King Wu wept for three days outside the military gates and then led his army to attack Qi by sea. The Qi army defeated the Wu army, forcing King Wu to retreat with his defeated troops.
In 483 BC (the 13th year), King Wu summoned the rulers of the Lu and Wei states to the Tuo (tuó, camel) Gao alliance meeting.
In the spring of 482 BC (14th year), King Wu headed north to meet with the feudal lords at Huangchi, intending to dominate the Central Plains and preserve the Zhou dynasty. In June, on the day of Bingshen, King Goujian of Yue attacked Wu. On the day of Yiyou, 5,000 Yue soldiers engaged Wu soldiers in battle. On the day of Bingsu, they captured Prince You of Wu. On the day of Dinghai, the
In 481 BC (the 15th year), the Qi minister Tian Chang killed Duke Jian of Qi.
In 478 BC (the 18th year), the State of Yue became even stronger. King Goujian of Yue led his troops to attack Wu and achieved a great victory over the Wu army at Lize. The State of Chu destroyed the State of Chen.
In 476 BC (the 20th year), King Goujian of Yue attacked Wu again. In 475 BC (the 21st year), the Yue army besieged the state of Wu. In November of 473 BC (the 23rd year), the Yue state defeated the Wu state. King Goujian of Yue wanted to exile King Fuchai of Wu to Yongdong, giving him a hundred households to live there. King Fuchai said, “I am old and can
Sima Qian said: Confucius once said, “Taibo can be considered the pinnacle of virtue, having given up the world three times, and the people could not find words to praise him.” When I read the ancient texts of the “Spring and Autumn Annals,” I realized that the Yu state in the Central Plains and the Ju state of the Jingman were brothers. Yanling Jizi’s benevolent heart, his lifelong pursuit of righteousness, and his ability to discern the subtle and the
Phoenix Lee https://chinese-tradition.com/%e3%80%8ashiji%e3%80%8bthirty-families-wu-taibo-family.html