Wu Rui (died ), King Wen of Changsha, was an ancient Chinese general and rebel leader who helped

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

establish the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. A

Baiyue The Baiyue, Hundred Yue, or simply Yue, were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of southern China and northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, body tattoos, fine swo ...

magistrate of Po County under the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

, he rose to become King of Hengshan during the

collapse of Qin The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng engaged in a series of ...

and was enfeoffed as

King of Changsha The Changsha Kingdom was a Government of the Han dynasty#Kingdoms, marquisates, and fiefs of princesses, kingdom within the Han Empire of China, located in present-day Hunan and some surrounding areas. The kingdom was founded when Emperor Gaozu ...

during the early Han dynasty.

Life

An ethnic Yue, Wu Rui was the son of Wu Shen ''Wú Shēn''), formerly grand marshal ''dà sīmǎ'', the highest military office) of the Chu state. During the

, Wu Rui was the magistrate of Po County, which had not yet

flooded A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civ ...

. He enjoyed high popularity and prestige among the local Baiyue people and was known as "Lord of the Po" After Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched the

Dazexiang Uprising The Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising (), August 209 B.C.– January 208 B.C., was the first uprising against the Qin dynasty following the death of Qin Shi Huang. Led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the uprising was unsuccessful. Name It is also ...

against the Qin, Wu Rui organized a Baiyue army and joined the rebellion. Wu Rui's followers included Mei Xuan ''Méi Xuān'') and his son-in-law

Ying Bu Ying Bu (died November or December 196 BC) was a Chinese military general, monarch, politician, and warlord who lived during the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County (六縣; present-day Lu'an, Anhui). In his early life under the Qin ...

, both of whom assisted

and played a major role in his victory against Qin and

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (), born Xiang Ji, was a Chinese warlord who founded and led the short-lived ancient Chinese states, kingdom-state of Western Chu during the interregnum period between the Qin dynasty, Qin and Han dynasty, Han dynasties of China, d ...

. In Wu Rui was bestowed the title King of Hengshan ''Héngshān wáng'') by Xiang Yu, as one of the 18 kings under the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" (aka Xiang Yu). In after Liu Bang's victory in the Battle of Gaixia, Wu Rui, along with other kings loyal to Liu Bang, called the latter to ascend the title of

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. After the foundation of Han dynasty, he was moved from Hengshan to become the

. Wu Rui died shortly after reaching Linxiang (present-day

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

), the capital of his new fief.

Legacy

Wu Rui was buried near Changsha. After his death, the kingdom passed to his son, Wu Chen ''Wú Chén''). His descendants honored him under the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

King Wen ("the civil king").''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' is a history of China finished in 111 CE, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. The work was composed by Ban Gu (32–92 CE), ...

'', Chapter 34. His line was the only one among non-Liu family kings to survive past Liu Bang's reign. In the early

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the ...

, Wu Rui's tomb was demolished to provide the source of wood for a new temple for

Sun Jian Sun Jian () () (155–191?), courtesy name Wentai, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a ...

. The body was so well preserved that one of the participants later commented to Wu Gang ''Wú Gāng''), then "colonel of the Nanman" ''Nánmán xiàowèi'') and a living descendant of Wu Rui, that he looked particularly similar to his ancestor. Li Daoyuan, '' Commentary on the Water Classic'', citing Guo Ban (郭頒), ''Shiyu'' (《世語》)：魏黃初末，吳人發芮冢取木，於縣立孫堅廟，見芮尸容貌衣物並如故。吳平后，與發冢人於壽春見南蠻校尉吳綱曰：“君形貌何類長沙王吳芮乎！但君微短耳。”綱矍然曰：“是先祖也。”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Rui 202 BC deaths Chu–Han contention people Qin dynasty generals Baiyue Han dynasty generals