Meng Wu (, 3rd century BCE) was a general in the state of Qin during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

, who played a major role in the conquest of Chu. He was a son of and the father of

Meng Tian Meng Tian (c. 250 BC – 210 BC) was a Chinese inventor and military general of the Qin dynasty who distinguished himself in campaigns against the Xiongnu and in the construction of the Great Wall of China. He was the elder brother of Meng Yi. ...

and

Meng Yi Meng Yi (died 210 BCE) was a Chinese military general and politician. As an official of the Qin dynasty, he served in the court of Qin Shi Huang. He was a younger brother of the general Meng Tian. After Qin Shi Huang's death, Meng Yi and his br ...

, all Qin generals.

Biography

The son of Meng Ao, Meng Wu was part of his father's campaign against the

state of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded sh ...

in 285 BC. In 224 BC, having recently conquered Wei, the

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

king

Ying Zheng Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first Emperor of China, emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "Chinese king, king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang dynasty, Shang an ...

appointed Li Xin and

(according to some records it was Meng Wu himself and not his son Meng Tian) to lead 200,000 men in a two-pronged attack against Chu. Meng Wu/Meng Tian's army took Qigui but Li Xin's army was effectively annhilated by Chu troops under Xiang Yan and

Lord Changping Lord Changping (昌平君; died 223 BC) was an important military commander and lord of Qin, who later departed from the state of Qin and went to the state of Chu where he became the last king of Chu (223 BC) in the last days of the Chinese War ...

. Following this setback, Ying Zheng appointed Wang Jian as the overall commander of the army against Chu, this time with 600,000 men. Meng Wu was appointed lieutenant general (''baijiang'' ). He served in 224 BC as lieutenant general under Wang Jian during the conquest of Chu, and killed the Chu King

, putting an end to the Chu state. After the unification, Meng Wu continued with the occupation of the south, subdued the Hundred Yue tribes and founded the commandery of

Kuaiji Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...

In Popular Culture

In the anime and manga "Kingdom", he goes by the name "Mou Bu", former member of the 'Four Pillars of Ryo' and the first great of the new appointed "Qin Six Great Generals", a relentless warrior who aims to become the strongest in all China by displaying his martial might in the battlefield, he's also the son of 'Mou Gou' and father of 'Mou Ten' and 'Mou Ki'. In a one-shot that Hara Yasuhisa published before Kingdom's serialization, it portrays him as a childhood friend of Lord Changping (Shou Hei Kun) and his conflicted feelings towards his friend once the latter deserts Qin for his homeland of Chu.

References

Qin dynasty generals Qin state people {{more cats, date=August 2021