Marquess Wen of Wei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wei Si |
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| Marquess of Wei | |||||||||
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| Marquess of Wei | |||||||||
| Reign | 424 – 396 BC (28 years) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | New title | ||||||||
| Successor | Marquess Wu | ||||||||
| 8th Leader of Wei clan | |||||||||
| Reign | 446 – 424 BC (22 years) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Wei Huan-zi | ||||||||
| Successor | became Marquess of Wei | ||||||||
| Died | 396 BCE | ||||||||
| Issue | Marquess Wu of Wei Lord Zhongshan |
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| Father | Wei Huan-zi | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 魏文侯 | ||||||||
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Marquess Wen of Wei (died 396 BCE) was a very important ruler in ancient China. He was the first leader to be called a "Marquess" of the State of Wei. This happened during a time in Chinese history called the Warring States period (475 – 220 BCE).
Born Wei Si, he came from the powerful Wei family. This family was one of the noble groups that had a lot of influence in the Jin state. He became the ruler of Wei in 445 BCE. In 424 BCE, he officially took the title of "Marquess."
In 403 BCE, the King of Zhou, King Weilie, recognized Wei Si as the Marquess of Wei. He also gave similar titles to the leaders of Han and Zhao. This event officially split the large State of Jin into three separate states: Wei, Han, and Zhao. This split is known as the Partition of Jin.
Marquess Wen was known for his desire to learn new things. He often asked for advice from wise scholars. These included the Confucian scholar Zixia and others like Tian Zifang and Duangan Mu. He also appointed Li Kui, a philosopher who believed in strict laws and fair rules. Li Kui's ideas helped make Wei strong. He believed that people should work hard to earn their living and be rewarded for good service.
Thanks to these changes, the State of Wei became very rich and powerful. Marquess Wen's armies also won important battles. His general, Wu Qi, captured five cities from the State of Qin. These cities were in an area called Xihe Commandery. Marquess Wen also appointed Ximen Bao to manage the city of Ye. Ximen Bao helped build irrigation systems, which are ways to bring water to farms. These improvements made Wei a leading power in the early Warring States Period.
Contents
Marquess Wen's Rule and Achievements
Marquess Wen became the ruler of Wei in 446 BCE. He took over after his father, Wei Huan-zi, passed away.
Choosing Wise Leaders
Marquess Wen knew that to have a peaceful and stable country, he needed to choose good and honest officials. He heard about the Confucian scholar Zixia, who was very respected. Marquess Wen personally visited Zixia to show his respect.
Zixia was impressed by Marquess Wen's sincerity. He moved to Xīhé in Wei. There, Zixia taught many students about how to run a country well, based on Confucian ideas. People from all over wanted to come and study in Xīhé. This made Wei a center for learning and attracted many talented people.
Marquess Wen often asked Zixia for advice on important books and the "Six Arts" (like manners and music). Zixia patiently taught him about good government and how to care for the people. He also advised Marquess Wen to follow the examples of ancient wise emperors. He told him to stay close to good officials, avoid people who just flattered him, and always put his country's needs before his own.
Li Kui's Reforms
Marquess Wen chose Li Kui to be his main advisor for political changes. Li Kui introduced new rules to make the country better. He focused on making sure farms produced a lot of food. He also created fair laws for buying and selling grain.
Li Kui's main ideas were:
- "Food requires labor": People must work to get food.
- "Salary requires meritorious service": People must do good work to earn money.
- "Usefulness will be rewarded": Those who help the country will be praised.
- "The monarchy has no patience with rebels": People who go against the ruler will be punished.
These rules became standard for the Wei government. They helped make Wei a very strong country early in the Warring States period. The laws of Wei were later written down in a book called the Canon of Laws. Marquess Wen's choice of officials like Li Kui, Zhai Huang, Yue Yang, Wu Qi, and Ximen Bao made Wei one of the first states to use these "Legalist" ideas. This made him a very important figure in this new way of thinking about government.
Wei Becomes a Strong Power
When the states of Han and Zhao started fighting, both asked Wei for help. Marquess Wen told the Han envoy that he and the Marquess of Zhao were like brothers, so he couldn't attack Zhao. He told the Zhao envoy the same thing about Han.
Both envoys were angry at first. But soon after, they found out that Marquess Wen had already helped them settle their fight. After this, both Zhao and Han had to pay tribute to Wei. This showed how powerful Wei had become. A historian named Sima Guang later said that Wei became the strongest of the Jin states, and neither Han nor Zhao could match its military strength.
Taking Control of Xihe
The military leader Wu Qi decided to support the State of Wei because he heard Marquess Wen was a wise ruler. Marquess Wen asked Li Kui what he thought of Wu Qi. Li Kui said that Wu Qi loved fame but was an excellent military commander.
Hearing this, Marquess Wen made Wu Qi a general. He asked Wu Qi to lead his army to attack the State of Qin and capture five cities. General Wu Qi successfully took control of Qin land east of the Luo River between 409 and 406 BCE. This expanded the State of Wei's western borders. Marquess Wen then created the Xihe Commandery from these five captured cities.
Governing the City of Ye
Marquess Wen appointed Ximen Bao as the leader of the city of Ye. Ximen Bao didn't want the job at first. But the Marquess convinced him, saying he could do great things and become famous.
Ximen Bao took the job and immediately met with local elders. He learned that the nearby Zhang River often flooded, causing disasters. He was told that witches and officials tricked people into sacrificing a young maiden each year to a river god to stop the floods. Ximen Bao realized this was a trick to steal money.
He stopped the sacrifices and gathered people to dig twelve drainage canals. These canals helped control the Zhang River's water. After that, there were no more floods. Instead, the river's water irrigated the fields, helping them grow crops.
Conquering Zhongshan
Marquess Wen wanted to take control of the State of Zhongshan. To attack it, his army needed to pass through the State of Zhao. The Zhao rulers first said no. But their Chancellor advised them that if Wei attacked Zhongshan, either Wei would become weak if they lost, or if they won, the new territory would be split by Zhao, making it hard for Wei to control. So, the Zhao ruler, Zhao Xian-zi, agreed to let the Wei army pass.
Minister of War Zhai Huang suggested that Yue Yang lead the army to attack Zhongshan. Even though Yue Yang's son had caused trouble and was killed in Zhongshan, Zhai Huang knew Yue Yang was a skilled commander. Other officials disagreed, thinking Yue Yang might betray Wei. But Zhai Huang promised that Yue Yang would be loyal.
Marquess Wen met with Yue Yang. Then, Yue Yang, along with Wu Qi, led the army to attack Zhongshan. Yue Yang surrounded Zhongshan's capital for three years. During this time, the ruler of Zhongshan killed Yue Yang's son.
The State of Zhongshan was defeated in 406 BCE. When Yue Yang returned, he felt very proud of his victory. Marquess Wen showed him letters from people who spoke badly about him. Yue Yang bowed and said his success was thanks to the Marquess. Marquess Wen rewarded Yue Yang with land but never gave him another important military position.
The Creation of Three States
In 424 BCE, Marquess Wen decided to take the title of Marquess himself. He declared this year the first year of his own rule.
Nineteen years later, in 405 BCE, a rebellion happened in the State of Qi. The rebels asked Wei, Zhao, and Han for help. Marquess Wen sent an army to help. After capturing the Qi ruler, Duke Kang, the leaders of Wei, Han, and Zhao met with the Zhou King. Duke Kang asked the King to officially recognize the Wei, Han, and Zhao leaders as Marquesses.
In 403 BCE, the Zhou King formally agreed. He announced that the leaders of Han, Zhao, and Wei were no longer just vassals (like loyal subjects) of Jin. Instead, they were now independent rulers with the title of "Marquess." This event is often seen as the official start of the Warring States period.
Death and Successor
Marquess Wen passed away in 396 BCE. Before he died, he asked his trusted officials like Wu Qi, Ximen Bao, and Beimen Ke to look after his son. After Marquess Wen's death, his son, Marquess Wu of Wei, became the new ruler of Wei.
Family
- Father: Wei Huan-zi
- Brother: Wei Cheng
- Sons:
- Marquess Wu of Wei
- Zhi, Lord of Zhongshan
- Daughter:
- Princess Qing
